Secret Identity--What's New?

ComiCONN 2014 Panel Annoucnements--Podcasts, Clones and Doctor Who!

7/26/2014

by Brian LeTendre

This week the panel announcements for Connecticut ComiCONN were made, and there's a healthy dose of Secret Identity in them!

On Friday 8/15 at 5:00PM in the Mason's Room, Matt will be hosting Doctor Who 101, a panel looking at 50 years of the Doctor, with plenty of references from his recent book, The Unofficial Doctor Who Companion.

Also on Friday 8/15 at 7:15PM in the Harbor Room, I'll be hosting a panel on Starting a Podcast, which will include Matt, ComiCONN main man Mitch Hallock (who also does the IndyCast), and Joe Stuber (from IndyCast and Comic Book Central). We'll be pulling topics from my book Making Ear Candy: The Audio Confectioner's Guide to Podcasting, and talking about how to get a new podcast off the ground.

And on Saturday 8/16 at 3PM in the Harbor room, I'll be moderating a panel that every Spider-man fan should be attending--Looking Back at the Clone Saga. This panel will delve into one of the most infamous comic storylines of all time, and will feature three of the creators involved in it--Danny Fingeroth, Howard Mackie and Todd DeZago.

Connecticut ComiCONN is happening August 15-17th at the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, CT. Matt and I will be there all three days, hosting panels, selling books, doing interviews and hanging out. The guest list for this year's show is amazing, with comic legends like George Perez and Neal Adams, TV fan favorites like Nicholas Brendon (Xander on Buffy), and Secret Identity favorites Chris Giarrusso (G-Man), Jason May (LEGO, Scholastic, Robotic Madness), Joe Caramagna (Further Travels of Wyatt Earp, Marvel Universe Ultimate Spider-Man), Keith Gleason (Hero Envy, Swamp Tales), Billy Tucci (Sgt. Rock), Jamal Igle (Molly Danger) and many more.

For the full guest list and programming updates, head over to www.comiconn.com. We hope to see you there!

Matman Gets Baked!

7/20/2014

by Matman

Our good friends at the B & M Baked Podcast did a great job filming some cool segments and even took the time to chat with me. To see the fun and see what ConnectiCon really looks like just click the link below!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMlFwOGKsOk&index=3&list=PLwEwdfOKZ5EaYaacccy_JeH3x4J9HaGAR

Follow Brian's Quest To Get Better At Fighting Games In The 'Fists Of Forty' Blog Series

7/19/2014

by Brian LeTendre

As avid a gamer as I am, one genre that I have never been particularly good at is fighting games. Sure, I've spent my fair share of time with Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter II and Tekken, but the fighting game genre is one that I've never been able to get competitive in.

Until now. Maybe. Well, probably not, but maybe.

I've decided that over the next year, I'm going to spend some time trying to get better at fighting games. I've done my research, I've got my training tools together, and I'm ready to go.

Over on my Co-Op Critics gaming blog, I'll be posting weekly installments of my quest to become competent in virtual fisticuffs. I'm calling the series "Fists of Forty" (in honor of my recent birthday), and if you're at all interested in fighting games, I invite you to accompany me on my journey.

There are two installments of the series already up (here and here), and I'll be updating every week.

Hadouken!

Matman Returns Home!

7/18/2014

by Matman

Today I make a return
to my hometown of
Broad Brook, CT. Here I
will be doing a book
signing at a real cool
store called Book Club.

Why this is cool...

Book Club is an incredible store full of great books at real good prices. And who doesn't need a cool book store?

Book Club is in the spot I bought most of my comic books as a young kid when it used to be the location of Pigeon's Pharmacy!

I have only been back to Broad Brook a few times since I left around 1988 and to be doing a book signing across from the pond I spent so many frozen hours playing hockey is kinda surreal!

So please come on out and say hi and if you feel so led to, buy a book! And it doesn't even have to be one of mine...

https://www.facebook.com/BookClubCT

Book Club is located at
100 Main Street
Broad Brook, CT 06016

The event will be from 4 to 7 PM

Thank You ConnectiCon 2014!

7/13/2014

by Matman

Years ago, Secret Identity made its 'con' debut at ConnectiCon 2006. Last year Brian and I made a return to ConnectiCon and reconnected with old friends. This year, ConnectiCon 2014 was the first show where Brian and I had a table and displayed as authors AND podcasters. And there wasn't a
better show to do this at!

Thank you to Mathew Daigle who provided prime real estate for us to set up this year and give not only us, but everyone an incredible show in an amazing place (Connecticut Convention Center). Matt's staff including Leo Marinak and Kristen Benedict who made our time there incredibly enjoyable and would always check on us, making us free to 'do our thing!'

Seeing old friend like Aaron Wood, Sean Wang and Griffin Ess is always special, but making new friends; like the band Porcelain Clocks and everyone who came to my "Doctor Who 101' panel is an awesome way to spend a weekend.

The show, as usual was full some incredible costumes, heavy on 'Doctor Who' and 'Attack On Titan' with a nice dose of traditional superheroes, anime, manga and my favorite...Godzilla in a suit!

As far as interviews I did only one; an awesome chat with our new friend Noah Hathaway (Boxey from Battlestar Galactica). And i recorded my panel so you'll all get to hear what went on. The cool thing is that everyone was very happy with the panel and next year, expect Brian and I to be doing more of them ... and in the big rooms.

Guests, room to move and set up, support staff and comfortably made it easy for us to do what we needed to do. Thank you ConnectiCon 2014.

A-PLUS!!!

ConnectiCon 2014--Day 1 Photo Gallery

7/12/2014

Get Ready For ConnectiCon 2014!

7/7/2014

by Matman

It is hard to believe we are now mere days from ConnectiCon 2014 and the excitement is mounting! If you are on the Facebook page you will see that everyone is getting excited, posting their plans and pictures of what they will be wearing. But ConnectiCon isn't just about costumes and cosplay... it's so much more. Expect everything!

Jam packed in the four days you'll be able to experience almost 700 different events including panels, meet and greets, gaming exhibitions and so much more.

As we get closer to the event you will need to check the website HOURLY for all the guests that will be announced and the announcement of even more events!

To see the site go to www.connecticon.org and friend them on Facebook at
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2216035481

Thank You Emilio!!!!!

7/3/2014

by Matman

A few weeks back, Brian was mentioning how he wanted to have a Secret Identity World Tour 2014! He had an idea about he and I rockin' on stage with a monster playing drums behind us in an Archie / kid friendly style.

Taking up the challenge was writer / artist / friend Emilio Velez, JR. who did an amazing job on this in the style that he does in his amazing comic, The Dodgeball Teens! You can see more at www.dodgeballteens.com including information on the latest issue of this way cool series!

We would like to thank Emilio on taking the time to do this for us and look for the Secret Identity World Tour 2014 shirt... coming soon!

Meet Diedrich Bader At ConnectiCon

7/1/2014

by Matman

With ConnectiCon less than two weeks away, the guest list of creators, actors and other guests has grown in the time it took me to type this post! Today we are going to look at actor Diedrich Bader, who I first doscovered on the 'Drew Carey Show' but as you will read, has done so much more including the voice of Batman in the underrated 'Brave and the Bold' animated series.

"Diedrich Bader was born in Alexandria, Virginia, but moved to Paris, France, with his family at age two. While in the "City of Light" he developed an appreciation for movie legends like Fred Astaire and Charles Chaplin. So, when a fragile "Chaplin" movie reel burned in the theater's projector, four-year-old Bader hopped on stage and entertained the crowd with an imitation of the "Little Tramp." The standing ovation he received set the course for the rest of his life--he knew he wanted to perform.

He returned to the United States for high school and attended North Carolina School of the Arts. During spring break he was discovered by a casting director in Santa Fe, New Mexico. That meeting led to an audition for a small role in a TV pilot. Bader landed a starring role instead. Although the pilot wasn't picked up, Bader moved to Los Angeles and began auditioning for other roles. He landed guest spots on several series, including Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987), The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990), Cheers (1982) and Quantum Leap (1989). Filmmaker Penelope Spheeris liked his tongue-in-cheek delivery when he read for her action-adventure spoof series, Danger Theatre (1993). She hired him in that role and for the feature film The Beverly Hillbillies (1993), which she directed. Bader played the dual roles of twins Jethro and Jethrine Beaudine. He also filmed the political thriller The Assassination File (1996) for the Encore Entertainment Group. Bader was excited to work on the project, as it allowed him to be shot in the head -- a first for the actor. Bader's father, William, was Chief of Staff for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and is president of the Eurasia Foundation on Capitol Hill. His mother, Gretta,
is a sculptor whose portrait of the late Sen. J. William Fulbright sits in the National Gallery in Washington, DC.

For more visit www.connecticon.org.

Commander Shepard And GLaDOS Will Be At ConnectiCon This Year!

6/28/2014

by Brian LeTendre

Man, ConnectiCon has been compiling an all-star list of guests for this year's show, and when it comes to video game voice actors, they're bringing in the big guns.

Jennifer Hale is best known for her work as Commander Shepard in the Mass Effect series, although she has a long and illustrious career in voice acting. She's been in everything from Halo 4 (Sarah Palmer) to The Powerpuff Girls (Ms. Keane, Princess Morbucks). She's also known to children around the world as Disney's Cinderella.

Ellen McLain became a household name for her portrayal of GLaDOS in the Portal series, but she also appears in other Valve titles like Half-Life 2 and Team Fortress 2. Ellen is also an opera singer and did voice work as a Jaeger AI in Pacific Rim.

If I'm lucky, I'll get a chance to chat with these two amazing actors for the podcast, as I've been enjoying their work in the games I play for years.

ConnectiCon is happening July 10-13th at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford, CT. For more info as well as tickets, you can head over to www.connecticon.org.

And tune into the Secret Identity podcast next Friday, as we'll be featuring an interview with ConnectiCon's head honcho, Matt Daigle!