Your First Look at Lev Grossman’s THE MAGICIANS: ALICE’S STORY

BOOM! Studios revealed a first look at THE MAGICIANS: ALICE’S STORY, an all-new original graphic novel hardcover set in the world of the acclaimed book trilogy by Lev Grossman, from writer Lilah Sturges (Lumberjanes: The Infernal Compass, Jack of Fables), rising star artist Pius Bak and featuring a cover by Steve Morris (Buffy The Vampire Slayer).  

THE MAGICIANS is an award-winning, New York Times bestselling adult fantasy novel series created by Lev Grossman, which has become a worldwide pop culture phenomenon and inspired a hit television series on Syfy, whose fourth season will premiere later this year. Originally published in 2009, The Magicians introduced readers to Brakebills College for Magical Pedagogy, which boasts a prestigious and dangerously difficult curriculum, famous and infamous alumni, and a record of only… a few deaths per graduating class.  

Debuting in July 2019, THE MAGICIANS: ALICE’S STORY expands the mythology of The Magicians, the first novel in the series trilogy, through the perspective of the character Alice Quinn before she joins Brakebills and embarks on an epic journey into the magical land of Fillory.  

Alice is a brilliant and naturally talented magician who grew up fully aware of the hidden world of magic but whose well-versed parents refused to teach her how to make use of it. So what is an insanely gifted young genius with no guidance or encouragement to do except teach herself? Which is how she winds up a top student at Brakebills College. Alice is at first meek and cripplingly shy until she breaks out of her shell to face deadly magical creatures, devastating heartbreak, and the hard lessons of a magical world where even well-intentioned actions can have brutal and deadly consequences.  

“Lilah and Pius peer into the events of The Magicians through the eyes of one of it’s most intriguing and ultimately heroic characters, which opens up new secrets and hidden facets to the already hidden world of magic placed right beside our own.” said Sierra Hahn, Executive Editor, BOOM! Studios. “The Alice Quinn we meet at Brakebills is a young woman forged by loss and isolation but there’s no mistaking the strength of will and power at the core of this fan favorite character who eventually goes on to become the most surprising protagonist in the whole series.”  

Eisner Award-nominated writer Lilah Sturges will be in attendance as a guest of BOOM! Studios at ALA Midwinter 2019 in Seattle, Washington. She will be available for signings both Saturday and Sunday, 1/26-1/28, as well as a guest on the BOOM! Studios: Discover Yours panel on Monday, 1/28, where she will join some of the most acclaimed voices in graphic fiction today for a discussion on the diverse, award-winning imprints of BOOM! Studios, Archaia, BOOM! Box and KaBOOM!.  

THE MAGICIANS: ALICE’S STORY is the latest release from BOOM! Studios’ ambitious Archaia imprint, home to graphic novels such as Mouse Guard by David Petersen; New World by David Jesus Vignolli; Jane by Aline Brosh McKenna and Ramón Pérez; About Betty’s Boob by Vero Cazot and Julie Rocheleau; and licensed series like Jim Henson’s The Power of the Dark Crystal and Jim Henson’s Labyrinth: Coronation.  

Print copies of THE MAGICIANS: ALICE’S STORY will be available for sale on July 10, 2019 at local comic book shops (use comicshoplocator.com to find the nearest one), July 16th at bookstores, and at the BOOM! Studios webstore. Digital copies can be purchased from content providers, including comiXology, iBooks, Google Play, and the BOOM! Studios app.

First Ever ID10T Festival Wrap-up

The ID10T Festival made its big splashy  debut at the Shoreline Amphitheater this past weekend. The two day festival is the brain-child of creator Chris Hardwick, best known as 1/3 of the popular Nerdist Podcast and host of The Talking Dead. ID10T, unlike other summer festivals, brings together the comedy, music, comics, EDM, and television worlds. They all meshed together beautifully in a big, fun celebration of all the things we here at Geek Hash love.

The Festival kicked off with a Mystery Science Theatre 3000 panel moderated by Wil Wheaton. The panels continued throughout the weekend with Con Man, The Magicians, Stan Against Evil, Futurama, Animaniacs Live!, Portlandia, Harmontown, and a live Nerdist Podcast. The television panels, along with the Artists Alley, comic book panels, cosplay, and vendor booths gave the festival a fun comic convention vibe.

The Monster Energy Comedy Tent offered a line-up of comedy superstars. Some of the featured comedians were Demetri Martin, Matt Braunger, Nikki Glaser, and Jonah Ray. Chris Hardwick also surprised with a set during the festival. The Comedy Tent had such a big turnout that next year they'll hopefully be able to expand to accommodate a bigger audience.

Con Man panel

The Mad Decent Dance Tent boasted some big names including Madeon, Troyboi, Party Favor, and more. Once the music started, fans flooded the dance floor and it quickly spilled outside of the tent. Speaking to some of the attendees, quite a few of them were there mainly for the Dance Tent. It was awesome to see them dancing alongside families and Stormtroopers and other cosplayers.

On the Shoreline Main Stage, festival-goers were treated to an amazing line-up of musicians over the weekend. Weezer closed out the first night of the festival to a huge crowd. Also in attendance were Lord Huron, OK Go, and Animal Collective. The biggest discovery of the fest for me has been Tank and the Bangas. The super group, winners of NPR's 2017 Tiny Desk Contest, have been in constant rotation on my playlist since learning of them.

Nerdist Podcast Live

The festival drew thousands over the weekend and was a resounding success. There really is nothing like it in the Bay Area. Speaking to attendees, they were excited to have a festival that was so diverse; they were able to get their pop-culture fix, their music fix, their comedy fix and more all in one place. All of them said that they would gladly attend next year. If the first year was any indication, the organizers should plan on expanding the festival to accommodate more attendees next year. We are definitely looking forward to covering ID10T for years to come!

Power Rangers movie costumes

The Magicians cast

SYFY's The Magicians & Animaniacs Live! Panels Added To ID10T Music Festival + Comic Conival, June 24-25 in Silicon Valley, CA

ID10T Music Festival + Comic Conival

Announces SYFY’s The Magicians Panel and Animaniacs LIVE!

Plus Portlandia, MST3K, Harmontown, & Stan Against Evil

& Toyota Fan Engagement Experiences

Created and Hosted by Comedian Chris Hardwick

2-Day Festival Will Feature Music Performances and Comedy Sets By Today’s Top Artists

Including Weezer, Girl Talk, Madeon, Zeds Dead, Demetri Martin, Michael Che & Many More,

Plus Panels, Autograph Signings, Comic Book Artists Alley, and Exhibitor Village

Saturday, June 24th & Sunday, June 25th

in Silicon Valley, CA at the Shoreline Amphitheatre and Surrounding Grounds 

 ID10T Music Festival & Comic Conival, the groundbreaking first of its kind event that will combine chart-topping musicians, renowned comedians, makers, and some of the most influential people in the entertainment industry, together in one place for a once-in-a-lifetime weekend experience, has announced that SYFY’s The Magicians and Animaniacs LIVE! will join the impressive lineup of confirmed panels alongside Portlandia, Mystery Science Theater 3000, Harmontown, and Stan Against Evil. The festival will also feature multiple experiences from Toyota including a Cinderella-themed infinity photo booth, a Gingerbread Man-inspired car chase, interactive beatboxing, a live caricature station, and more. Created and hosted by Chris Hardwick, ID10T (pronounced I-D-ten-T) will take over the Shoreline Amphitheatre and surrounding grounds in Mountain View, CA on Saturday, June 24th and Sunday, June 25th. 


Guests and information on panels are as follows:


The Magicians, featuring guests John McNamara, Sera Gamble, Olivia Taylor Dudley, Hale Appleman, Arjun Gupta and Summer Bishil, moderated by Chris Hardwick.

Based on Lev Grossman’s bestselling novels, SYFY’s The Magicians centers on Quentin Coldwater (Jason Ralph) and his 20-something friends as they are thrust into the unfamiliar world of the beautifully enchanting yet mysteriously dangerous Fillory – and places beyond – where they must draw upon their novice skills to save the existence of magic. The series, produced by Universal Cable Productions, stars Ralph, Stella Maeve, Olivia Taylor Dudley, Hale Appleman, Arjun Gupta, Summer Bishil, Rick Worthy and Jade Tailor. The Magicians is executive produced by John McNamara, Sera Gamble, Henry Alonso Myers, Chris Fisher and Groundswell Productions' Michael London and Janice Williams.

Animaniacs LIVE!, featuring guests Rob Paulsen, Maurice LaMarche and Randy Rogel, moderated by Chris Hardwick.

Animaniacs LIVE! is a musical revue starring original cast members Rob Paulsen (Yakko, and Pinky from Pinky and the Brain) and Maurice LaMarche (Brain from Pinky and The Brain), accompanied by Emmy winning composer Randy Rogel, who wrote and created many of those memorable songs you STILL can’t remove from your brain pan.

Featuring songs from the run of the show, Animaniacs LIVE! is based on the beloved WB cartoon Animaniacs which delighted television audiences from 1992 to 1998. Cartoon clips will be shown alongside the talent. In addition to the concert, Rob, Maurice and Randy share behind the scenes secrets about the making of the series! Whether you’re a lover of music, animation, or fun, experience Animaniacs like never before in Animaniacs LIVE!

Portlandia, featuring guests Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein, moderated by Chris Hardwick.

IFC's Emmy-nominated comedy Portlandia is currently in production for its eighth and final season. Created by Fred Armisen, Carrie Brownstein and Jonathan Krisel, Portlandia explores the eccentric misfits who embody the foibles of modern culture, starring Armisen and Brownstein. The series is executive produced by Lorne Michaels and produced by Broadway Video.

Mystery Science Theater 3000, featuring guests Jonah Ray, Hampton Yount, and Rebecca Hanson, moderated by Wil Wheaton.

For almost 30 years, the award-winning comedy television series Mystery Science Theater 3000, created by Joel Hodgson, has been known as one of the best cult TV shows of all time. Following its record-breaking #BringBackMST3K Kickstarter campaign, fourteen brand-new episodes of the cult television show Mystery Science Theater 3000 launched on April 14, 2017, exclusively on Netflix. In the new season of Mystery Science Theater 3000 (aka MST3K) Kinga Forrester (Felicia Day) and her loyal henchman, Max (Patton Oswalt), have revived the infamous experiment started by Kinga's father twenty-nine years earlier: How many cheesy movies does it take to drive a person mad? In this latest reiteration of the show, her test subject is Jonah Heston (Jonah Ray), a space pilot for Gizmonic Institute who gets trapped responding to a distress call from the dark side of the moon. Confined aboard the Satellite of Love, Jonah lives with his robot friends, Gypsy (voiced by Rebecca Hanson), Tom Servo (voiced by Baron Vaughn), and Crow T. Robot (voiced by Hampton Yount). Confronted with Kinga's choices in torturous films, Jonah and the bots band together to ward off lunacy by continuously riffing on the movies in rapid-fire succession.

Harmontown, featuring guests Dan Harmon, Jeff B. Davis, and Spencer Crittenden.

Dan Harmon (Community, Rick & Morty), alongside "comptroller" Jeff B. Davis (Whose Line Is It Anyway), and game master Spencer Crittenden (HarmonQuest), will bring his wildly popular podcast "Harmontown" to the festival — LIVE. Expect ineffectual rants, raps, shameful stories and special guests. Dan Harmon is the Emmy® winning creator/executive producer of the comedy series Community as well as the co-creator/executive producer of Adult Swim's Rick & Morty.

Stan Against Evil, featuring guests John C McGinley, Janet Varney, and Dana Gould, moderated by Jessica Chobot.

IFC's original horror comedy series Stan Against Evil is currently in production for its second season. Created, written and executive produced by Dana Gould (The Simpsons, Parks and Recreation), Stan Against Evil stars John C. McGinley (Scrubs) and Janet Varney (You're the Worst). Stan Against Evil follows Stan Miller (McGinley), a perpetually disgruntled former sheriff of a small New England town who was forced into retirement. Stan has trouble relinquishing his authority to Evie Barret (Varney), the tough and beautiful new sheriff in town, but they form an unlikely alliance when both begin to realize things are not quite right in their quaint New England town. Together, they valiantly fight a plague of unleashed demons that have been haunting the town, which just happens to be built on the site of a massive 17th century witch burning.

ID10T has also announced some exciting Toyota fan engagement experiences coming to the festival grounds, sure to appeal to the whole family. Kids 10 and under are free with accompanying paid adult admission. With panels from 12:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., comedy from 4:30 p.m to 8:00 p.m., and music from 4:00 p.m to 11:00 p.m., attendees can expect a full day packed with entertainment, all in an outdoor setting. 

Toyota, ID10T’s exclusive automotive partner, will create a unique experience that harnesses the fresh spirit of multicultural mischief makers, while immersing attendees in the key design elements of the Toyota C-HR. Inspired by the new C-HR campaign in which modern day fairytales are brought to life, the Toyota experience will feature a Cinderella-themed infinity photo booth and guests will view a Gingerbread Man-inspired car chase through a moving grid of urban skyscapes and infinite light beams. With the interactive beatbox, the C-HR interior will be converted into a larger than life beatbox where guests will get inside to create their own personalized instrument and show. At the live caricature station, a pop culture illustrator will transform guests into a comic book character, creating a commemorative poster complete with the festival logo. Lastly, guests’ photos will be transformed into a comic book strip after choosing villain or superhero along with their special power, which will be merged with custom art for a keepsake. Stylish, athletic and filled with technology, the first-ever 2018 Toyota C-HR – or, Coupe High-Rider – serves as a springboard of excitement, mischief and wanderlust for its trendsetting drivers, getting them on to their next big thrill.

Information on tickets, pricing, VIP packages, and more is available at www.ID10TFest.com, along with a limited number of Fantastic Four-Packs with four tickets at only $55.00 each, plus fees. ID10T boasts a massive festival area directly adjacent to the amphitheatre’s music stage.  All tickets, including festival general admission, reserved seating and VIP, have free roaming access to the festival area, which includes the Mad Decent Stage in the Festival Tent, Monster Energy Comedy Tent, and full exhibitor village. 

Each day, pop culture enthusiasts will have the opportunity to roam exhibitor booths, meet comic book artists, and catch their favorite TV and movie casts on back-to-back panels and podcasts, including a special live taping of Hardwick’s own Nerdist Podcast. In the evening, the grounds will transition into a music and comedy hall for live performances from some of today’s top artists and comedians. 

Musical, comedy, and comic talent is as follows:

The Shoreline Amphitheatre Main Stage will feature a diverse musical lineup with performances by Weezer, Girl Talk, Lord Huron, Crystal Castles, TV On The Radio, OK Go, Animal Collective, Car Seat Headrest, The Mowgli’s, Robert DeLong, Mothers, Ron Gallo, and Tank And The Bangas.

The Mad Decent Stage in the Festival Tent will feature some of today’s premier DJs and electronic music acts with performances by Madeon, Zeds Dead, Jai Wolf, TroyBoi, Gryffin, Party Favor, Ape Drums, 4B, and Wax Motif.

The Monster Energy Comedy Tent will feature sets by some of today’s most entertaining comedians in an intimate, club-like setting. Hosted by April Richardson, performers will include Demetri Martin, Michael Che, Nikki Glaser, Garfunkel and Oates, Michael Ian Black, Brian Posehn, Greg Proops, Brent Weinbach, Hampton Yount, Matt Braunger, Dan Mintz, Marcella Arguello, Jonah Ray, Mike Phirman, and Yassir Lester.

Participating comic companies include Skybound, Valiant, Oni, Boom! Studios, Top Shelf, AfterShock, Insight Editions, Aspen, and HowToons.

Comic artists include Ande Parks (Green Arrow, Ciudad), Andrew Robinson (The Fifth Beatle, Superman: Red Son), Andy Belanger (Southern Cross, SwampThing), Babs Tarr (Batgirl of Burnside, Motor Crush), Becky Cloonan (Southern Cross, Punisher), Brent Schoonover (Howling Commandos Of Shield, Antman), Cameron Stewart (Fight Club 2, Batgirl), Chris Burnham (Batman Incorporated, Officer Downe), Dennis Hopeless (Spider-Woman, WWE), Donny Cates (God Country, Redneck), Farel Dalrymple (Pop Gun War, The Wrenchies), Gary Brown (Black Road, Catwoman), Gerry Duggan (Deadpool, Guardians of the Galaxy), Ivan Brandon (Drifter, Black Cloud), Jai Nitz (Suicide Squad’s El Diablo, Dream Thief), Jason Shawn Alexander (Empty Zone, Abe Sapien-The Drowning), Justin Greenwood (The Fuse, Stumptown), Matt Hawkins (Think Tank, Aphrodite IX), Matt Wilson (Batman & Robin, Joker), Mike Costa (Venom, Lucifer [FOX TV]), Morgan Breem (The Family Trade, Valor: East of the Sun & West of the Moon), Ngozi Ukaza (Check, Please!), Nick Dragotta (East of West, Howtoons), Phil Hester (Shipwreck, Green Arrow), Phil Noto (Black Widow, Star Wars), Ramon Villalbos (Nighthawk, E is for Extinction), Rick Remender (Deadly Class, Fear Agent), Robert Wilson IV (Heartthrob, Bitch Planet), Shawn Martinbrough (Thief of Thieves, Luke Cage Noir), Van Jensen (The Flash, Cryptocracy), and Wes Craig (Deadly Class, Guardians of the Galaxy).

ID10T is produced by Live Nation and Synergy Global Entertainment (SGE).

ID10T is proud to partner with the following sponsors in its inaugural year: SiriusXM, Monster Energy Drink, hosting the ID10T Comedy Stage, Toyota, the exclusive automotive partner, Snickers, Krave Jerky, Peet’s Coffee and Tea, Musicians Institute, Lyft, and many more.

For more information on ID10T Music Festival & Comic Conival, please visit: 

http://www.ID10TFest.com

http://www.facebook.com/id10tfest

http://www.twitter.com/id10tfest

http://www.instagram.com/id10tfest