Harvey Awards at Baltimore Comic-con Press Release

Harvey Awards Dinner Tickets Available!
Brian Michael Bendis to be Keynote Speaker!
Dinner Gift Bag Contents Announced!

BALTIMORE, MD (September 11, 2008) - The Harvey Awards dinner and presentation ceremony, featuring Emcee Kyle Baker and Keynote speaker Brian Michael Bendis, will be held on Saturday, September 27th, at the Marriott Inner Harbor at Camden Yards. Tickets are now available for the event, which will begin at 7:00pm with a cocktail hour, to be followed by dinner and the awards ceremony at 8:00pm .

The Harveys, named after the legendary MAD founding editor and master storyteller Harvey Kurtzman, recognize outstanding achievements in over 20 categories. They are the only industry awards both nominated and selected by the full body of comic book professionals.

The Harveys are also very excited to announce Brian Michael Bendis as the keynote speaker for this year's awards ceremony. Brian is one of the most prolific and successful writers working in mainstream comics today. For well over six years, Brian's titles have consistently charted in the top five best sellers on the nationwide comic sales rankings.

Brian is one of the premiere architects of Marvel Comics' Ultimate Universe, a line of comics created specifically for the new generation of comics readers. Since it's best-selling launch, he has written every issue of Ultimate Spider-Man to date, and has also written Ultimate Fantastic Four, Ultimate X-men, Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, and Ultimate Six. In addition to scripting the action in the Ultimate Universe, Brian is also responsible for the writing duties on titles such as Secret Invasion, New Avengers, and Mighty Avengers. His creator-owned title, Powers (with series co-creator and artist Mike Oeming), has brought acclaim and accolades as well.

Brian has been nominated for 4 Harvey Awards, for his work on Powers, Daredevil, and New Avengers. He has also won five prestigious Eisner awards, including 'Best Writer of the year' two years in a row.

He is creator of the Jinx line of crime comics published by Image Comics. This line has spawned the graphic novels Goldfish, Fire, Jinx, Torso (with Marc Andreyko), and Total Sell Out.

"We are thrilled to be hosting the Harvey Awards again this year, " said Marc Nathan, promoter of the Baltimore Comic-Con. "Award shows are all about having a moment that you will remember. Last year, Kyle Baker was a great MC, Rich Koslowski danced onto stage to present an award, James Jean gave us all a little bit too much information as he won an award, Erik Larsen made us laugh with a single line read, and we were able to see industry legend Joe Kubert honored by HERO Initiative. These are the moments that stood out to me. With Brian added to the event as our keynote speaker, I can't wait to see what happens this year. We hope as many fans as possible will join us."

Guests for dinner and the awards ceremony will enjoy a full banquet-style dinner of filet mignon and Baltimore-style crabcake. For the third year, we are pleased to have Kyle Baker to act as our Master of Ceremonies for the evening. In addition, the 3rd Annual Hero Initiative Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented.

Continuing the very successful promotion from last year, a gift bag will be available to all dinner guests. The first 200 attendees will receive The MAD Archives vol. 1 from DC Comics, Diary of a Wimpy Kid from Amulet Books, an imprint of Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Beowulf Trade Paperback, based on the screenplay by Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary from IDW, Creator Chronicles Preview DVD Featuring Michael Golden from Woodcrest Productions and Eva Ink, Stephen King's Dark Tower : The Gunslinger Born, courtesy of Cards, Comics, and Collectibles & The Baltimore Comic-Con, a Toon Tumbler drinking glass from Popfun merchandising, and an exclusive Harvey Awards keychain from LaserMach.

Harvey Awards tickets are on sale now. Tickets to the event, which includes the full cocktail hour (cash bar), full service dinner, awards ceremony, and gift bag are now available for $90. Tickets are available by calling Cards, Comics & Collectibles in Reisterstown, Maryland at (410) 526-7410. Major Credit Cards will be accepted for payment. Dinner tickets must be purchased by Wednesday, September 24th and will not be available at the door.

For those who wish to attend the ceremony only, tickets are available for $10, or free with a two-day pass to the convention. The hall will be opened for those ticket holders at approximately 8:45pm. Attendees who purchase a ceremony-only ticket are not eligible to receive the gift bag. The two-day convention tickets may be purchased through Ticketmaster, accessible from www.baltimorecomiccon.com.

In addition to the Baltimore Comic-Con, named sponsors of the 2008 Harvey Awards include DC Comics, ComiXology.com, Top Shelf Comix, Top Cow Productions, Painted Visions Comics, Cards, and Games, and Brett's Comic Pile. Without these sponsors, the event would not be possible and the Baltimore Comic-Con staff expresses their gratitude. While time is short, there are still sponsorship opportunities available.

For more information about The Harvey Awards, visit www.harveyawards.org.

For more information about the convention, visit www.baltimorecomiccon.com.

For additional directions to the Baltimore Marriott Inner Harbor at Camden Yards, visit
www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/bwiih-baltimore-marriott-inner-harbor-at-camden-yards