Ozzy Osbourne.

Star. Icon. Legend. Rock God. His performance was the perfect showstopper for this year’s thrilling Blizzcon ’09. Seeing him perform was an amazing experience that I’m sure I’ll be boring my grandkids with when I’m an old (but surprisingly virile) man.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. First off, I have attended many, many conventions, but none come close to the sheer feeling of camaraderie that you feel at Blizzcon. Unlike other cons that have a little something for all tastes and interests, Blizzcon is specifically for fans of Warcraft and StarCraft (and Diablo). Because of this, there isn’t a jaded, cynical person attending (unlike other cons). Everyone there is there because they love the same game(s), and actually want to be with/meet other fans. If you think about it, Warcraft is already a social network in its own right, so it makes sense that there would be this connecting affection between all the fans attending the con. I saw people there that have played the game together for months, but were just meeting each other in person for the first time. It truly is a beautiful thing.

As for the TOKYOPOP booth, this year was a great success, as we were able to fly in Fernando Heinz Furukawa, one of the featured manga artists in Warcraft: Legends volumes 3&4, and the artist for the StarCraft: Ghost Academy volumes 1-3. Fernando lives in Argentina, so this was not only his first signing and his first Blizzcon, it was also his first time in America. Fernando was in awe of Blizzcon and Los Angeles, and was grateful to have the opportunity to meet the fans of the properties he works so diligently on. Fernando spent most of his day at Blizzcon sketching shikishi boards for adoring fans, many of whom literally camped out at our booth to watch him draw. We used a camera to project his in-progress drawing onto a television monitor, enabling everyone to get a good view of his art in progress.

As for myself, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to speak with fans of our Warcraft and StaCraft manga, which is always an absolute pleasure. At last year’s Blizzcon, production had only just begun on the Warcraft: Legends and StarCraft: Frontline series, so we only had the first few volumes available for fans. But this year, with Warcraft: Legends volumes 1-4 currently on shelves, as well as volumes 1-3 of StarCraft: Frontline, I was able to speak with fans regarding their reactions to the manga, which happily were all positive. Everyone enjoyed our Warcraft and StarCraft manga, specifically because they contained interesting fringe stories that normally wouldn’t be told. 

In addition, this year we were able to sell manga to fans at an in-booth kiosk. We even had an awesome special, buy one manga, get one free--and in addition to that, costumers received a free advance copy of Warcraft: Legends volume 5, which hits bookstores in September.

On the game front, the Terran campaign was available for play for the upcoming StarCraft 2 game, and there were plenty of juicy details regarding Cataclysm, the upcoming expansion for World of Warcraft. The new expansion will not only offer two new character races for players to play as (Goblins and Worgen), it will also change existing in-game locations. For the still in development Diablo III, the new monk character class was revealed. In short, it was an exciting two days for fans and vendors.

Which leads me back to Ozzy.   

Ozzy was phenomenal. The fans went wild as he took the stage, and he clearly was appreciative of their love and the opportunity to perform for them at Blizzcon. Whether you were Horde or Alliance, rocking out to a live Ozzy Osbourne concert was sure to get your head banging and your fists in the air. I just wonder how Blizzard could possibly top this next year.

Note to Blizzard: I hear the Rolling Stones may have an opening in their schedule next August (hint, eyewink, hint)…

Troy Lewter
Editor