Vega to Kirk, Vic Mignogna is Everywhere!

Ronnie Guy and Vic Mignogna at ACEN

When it comes to anime voice actors, few have a list of roles as extensive as Vic Mignogna.  After having shot onto the scene in the 90’s as Vega in Street Fighter II V, there was no stopping Mr. Mignogna from fulfilling a path full of incredibly influential characters in anime.  His role as Edward Elric in Fullmetal Alchemist was so impressive that he received the award for Best Actor from the American Anime Awards.

Vic is not only a great voice actor, he is also an awesome human being who is so grateful for being able to do something he loves while also bringing happiness to so many fans.  At Anime Central(ACEN) 2012 in Rosemont, Illinois, Vic made it known that he was overwhelmed with gratitude for what he has been lucky enough to do for a living.
Being one of the more recognizable faces in American anime, he is not afraid to show how grateful he is by spending the extra time providing handshakes, pictures, and autographs for fans.  This was even more apparent by Vic’s willingness to talk at an ACEN press panel and provide heartfelt and honest answers to any question the press panel could produce.  When asked if he missed being just another random person in the crowd at conventions, Vic respond "I don't miss it. I am so overwhelmed with gratitude for what I get to do. I don't ever want to take that for granted."

Unique Costumes of ACEN

Amazing.  That is really all that could be said for the amount of effort, thought, and money that fans at Anime Central have put into their costumes.  While I have seen cosplay to some extent in the past, never before have I been as amazed as I was Friday April 27^th 2012 at Anime Central. 

While there are plenty of costumes that I saw numerous times throughout the day, there was also a good amount of unique costumes that I saw being worn by only one or two enthusiasts. So many people had incredible and accurate costumes, it was hard to get quality photos of all the different people in costume that I wanted to. Even with my mind running wild while jumping from one awesome photo-worthy moment to the next, the man with the Camera (A.K.A. Ron) did an awesome job of keeping up.  Below are a few of the photos I got a kick out of seeing on my first ever day at ACEN.

Two-Face

 Two-Face happened upon me early in the morning while I was enjoying a cigarette before an early rush arrived.  Seldom have I seen a Two-Face in cosplay, but the few times I have they haven't been nearly as impressive.  

Barry Burton

ACEN 2012 Cosplay Gallery

Friday's cosplay photos are up on our Facebook page!  Head on over and check them out by clicking on the pic above.  While you're at it be sure to "Like" us so you can get updates on our con coverage and added photos.

Indie Game: The Movie

Indie Game: The Movie is about journeys.  More specifically, the journeys of four creators and their struggle to connect with players through their artistic medium, the video game.  The film follows designers Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes leading up to and including their release of Super Meat Boy, Phil Fish and the turbulent struggle to maintain awareness at PAX on his game Fez, and the emotional aftermath for Jonathan Blow following his successful release of Braid.  Each creator struggles with his unique problems, but ultimately all of them give us a glimpse inside the creation of an independent game and the emotional dynamics of their creators.  Indie film makers Lisanne Pajo and James Swirsky edited over 80 hours of footage to make a movie that not only shows us why these creators made games, but why people create in the first place.

Edmund McMillen

For me, the following of Phil Fish's legal entanglements and obsession over perfecting Fez, or the misunderstood Jonathan Blow as he argues with favorable reviewers over the intent and message of his best selling game Braid, take a back seat to designer Edmund McMillen and programmer Tommy Refenes in their development and release of Super Meat Boy.  With Edmund and Tommy we get a look at their lives,  the influences that shaped them, and the loved ones who are both affected by, and supportive of, their dedication.  In exploring these two, the film shows us both the ups and downs as they experience them giving audiences an emotional ride they can connect with.

Tommy Refenes

All of the creators experience the painful results of their dedication with the sacrifice of social lives and the constant seclusion to finish their work.  Although not a pleasant thought, it was inspiring to me at least, in so far as seeing others slave away at all hours to perfect their craft and attempt to accomplish something that lies off the beaten path.  Not only did this film educate me on the game development process (McMillen's idea behind level progression and game mechanics was something I only knew subconsciously through playing games), but it left me with the overwhelming desire to create, despite the perilous journey that may lay ahead in doing so. Indie Game: The Movie manages to show how an individual (or a set of partners) can reach out through an artistic medium and connect with people.

Fez

Super Meat Boy

Braid

C2E2 2012 Sunday Photos!

It's NOT a trap!!

Hello again everyone, hopefully you've returned to the "real world" gracefully and are having a great week after C2E2! I know we've all worked hard to get as much content from this past weekend on the site as possible, but have much more to post as we've been trying to catch up on some much needed sleep as well!

Sunday's pictures are up, see them on Facebook, and give us a 'Like' while you're at it! We had a great time again this year, and can't wait until April 26-28 2013 for the next C2E2. For those of you in the Chicagoland area, make sure to stop by ACEN April 27-29 at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare in Rosemont, IL and say hi!

Until next time boys and girls,

-OMG

Imperial Storm troopers have feelings too.....

The 501st Legion on Call at C2E2

It may be time for all of us to accept that we have been lied to.  For decades now, we have all been led to believe that the Galactic Empire and their minions were nothing more than a group of power hungry, greedy, SchutzStaffel-ish soldiers with no purpose other than striking fear in the hearts of all humanoids they encounter throughout the galaxy.

                It is time for these ideas to change.  While those who label themselves rebels have persisted in giving the Galactic Empire a terrifying image, these “evil” Imperials are busying themselves with actions that bring smiles to hundreds and perhaps thousands of individuals in the Mid-Western United States alone.  Leading this charge of charitable actions are a group of passionate and creative individuals who march under the banner of the 501^st Legion, also known as “Vader’s Fist”(though from my new standpoint I believe “Vader’s Philanthropic Mechanical Hand” would be a more suitable name, but it just does not seem to roll of the tongue as well).

                The 501^st Legion gives back to the community in numerous ways, and all are done out of the kindness of their Imperial hearts, with no personal financial gain being made by any of the 501^st’s members.  When you see the 501^st marching during parades on the Fourth of July, the rebels would have you believe the 501^st is there to show off their strength and strike fear in every individual along the parade route.  This could not be further from the truth, and this one sided propaganda has gone on far too long.

Progressively Aggressive Sit Down with Jean Kang & Katie Shanahan

Jean, Mike and Katie Are Ready For Action C2E2 2012!

I must admit when we received a request from one of our Twitter followers to cover The Ladies of Womanthology panel, I was a bit skeptical. At that point I had never even heard of Womanthology and had no idea what we were getting ourselves into, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned over my years of networking it’s to forget about what you’re interested in covering because it’s all about your fans. Now I admit, I use fans quite loosely as we’ve recently rebooted the site and are just now starting to build our identity, but there was no way we could ignore this request.

All I can say about my experience at the panel is WOW, what an amazing group of artists and writers.

I was already a Gail Simone fan before we went in—I love Batgirl and we had the pleasure of meeting her at C2E2 last year—but the real story here isn't about the big names, it's about opportunities for the smaller ones. What this project has done for a few of these artists can’t be put into words. It goes beyond their careers. This piece was not just a game changer, but a life changer as it raised funds for The Global Giving Foundation.

I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to sit down with Jean Kang and Katie Shanahan, both artists on the book. You can read a bit more about their involvement on the project in Ronniguy’s panel summary, The Ladies of Womanthology, including Jean asking to work with Gail and subsequently being flabbergasted when her request was granted.

PA: We are here today at C2E2 2012 with artist Jean Kang known for her amazing animation work on Popzilla, Zombie Murder Explosion Die, and Katie Shanahan. Make sure to check out some of Jeans work on JeanDrawStuff.com, follow her on Twitter @BlueJeanius, and on DeviantART at jeandrawstuff.deviantart.com. To reach Katie simply follow on twitter @KtShy, ktshy.blogspot.com or ktshy.deviantart.com.

Check out the Audio and Complete Transcript After the Break!

Archaia Presents: How to Tell a Better Story Through World-Building

On Sunday morning Archaia's Editor in Chief, Stephen Christy, moderated a panel of writer/artists who met to share their knowledge with aspiring creators.  The panel consisted of Jeremy Bastien (Cursed Pirate Girl, Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard), David Peterson (Mouse Guard), and Sean Rubin (Bolivar, Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard).

Stephen kicked off the panel by briefly introducing the panel and prompting them to give a short breakdown of the specific things that go into their process of world building.  Specifically, when designing characters and costumes.

Jeremy - When I am trying to design costumes I tend to exaggerate features.  I add lots of detail.  I try to put the reader in an antique world where you can get lost in the details. I try and create the craziest characters I can come up with.

David - With Mouse Guard, their anatomy is all the same.  There is only so much you can do with their body language so clothing is what differentiates the different characters.  All the mice are little in this very big world around them and that alone makes the world unique.  The characters come through the costuming.  I try and show the different types of regions in the world through the costume details.  If you look at the mouse who wears goggles and has his head covered, he looks like he's from a desert.  It indicates he's from Sandmason.  Now if you see that character out of a desert, you know he doesn't belong, he's out of place.  The guy with the pine cone is an example of showing how they incorporate things they made or things they grabbed from nature to adorn themselves with.  It tells a lot about the world around them.  I like to keep it loose as I go.  If I wrote all of the details at once it would be too overwhelming.  By doing it this way, I don't paint myself into a corner and can edit as I go.

Behind the Graphics: A Video Game Industry Round Table

On Saturday I sat in on a game industry round table where Allen Turner, lead game designer at Wideload Games, moderated.  The panel of local game developers gave a behind the scenes look at what developers do and how to get hired as one.

Progressively Aggressive Sit Down with Marvel's Reilly Brown - C2E2 2012

Make sure to check out Power Play, available on Comixology!

PA: We’re here at C2E2 2012 with Reilly Brown who’s a professional comic book artist currently spending the majority of his time working for Marvel. He’s worked on a number of books including Cable and Deadpool, Incredible Hercules, Prince of Power, Amazing Spider-Man and more. He has an art studio in Brooklyn and is a founding member of TenTonStudios.com, which, as stated on his DeviantART page, is “an online collective of a bunch of kick-ass artists and potty-mouthed delinquents and a great place to share, critique and discuss artwork.”

RB: That’s all true!

PA: Thanks for taking the time to speak with us, how are you doing today?

RB: I’m doing good.

PA: First off, what projects are you currently working on?

RB: My main project right now is Power Play, which is my creator-owned digital comic. It’s coming out through Comixology. I’ve been working on it for about a year, but it’s really similar to how Mark Waid and Stuart Immomen recently did their Nova story for Avengers vs. X-Men. They’ve mentioned me as one of the guys that they’ve been kind of inspiring their method of doing this, which is pretty cool.

Gowanus Pete on Reilly's DeviantART Page

PA: The main character is Gowanus Pete? (You can follow Gowanus Pete on Twitter HERE!)

RB: He’s not the main character, he’s one of the main characters. The main character is Mac Washington who’s the college slacker type of character who’s at that point in his life where he can do anything he wants, he can be anything he wants but he’s crippled by making the decisions. He can’t make that choice to decide what he wants to be. Then, he gets struck by lightening and gets his superpower to literally become anything that he wants. Any substance that he touches, he turns into that substance. Through one way or another he ends up joining the Power Play Games [that] is an extreme sports league for powered people in Manhattan. It’s a fun story; it’s a lot of comedy, a lot of New York-centric jokes and gags.

PA: You said you can check [Power Play] on Comixology?

RB: Yes.

Read the rest of interview and check out the audio after the break:

The Ladies of Womanthology - C2E2 2012

In a panel discussion and Q & A the ladies of this anthology shared how they became involved and their inspiration for doing so.  It was an amazing opportunity to hear first hand what drove each of these women to become part of something so unique.   For you aspiring creators, note that many became involved through the use of social networking.

Jessica Daniel - writer
Lauren Burke - writer
Jean Kang - artist
Janet Lee - artist
Raven Moore - writer
Candice Reily-Powell - artist
Katie Shanahan - artist
Gail Simone - writer

Some background on Womanthology:

Womanthology is a graphic novel created entirely by women designed to raise money for The Global Giving Foundation and to promote the works of female creators both seasoned and new to the industry.  The project was placed on Kickstarter.com to raise its goal of $25k and surpassed it many times over, eventually raising over $100K.  Within its first week 1500 copies were sold allowing the development of future issues.
Please support their efforts and give them a +Like! Womanthology on Facebook

Progressively Aggressive Sit Down with Nate Cosby - C2E2 2012

-Mike Gallagher
As I noted yesterday in my post on Chris Hardwick, one of the reasons I've fallen in love with this genre of entertainment is how absolutely delightful (what, it's the only word I felt could really capture how I feel) everyone is, even the most accomplished artists. Social media has allowed fans to connect with their idols in a way never before possible, adding a completely new dimension to fandom. Today I was given an opportunity to show exactly what I meant.

I was surfing around Twitter this morning when I came across the former editor for Marvel, lead on the Eisner Award-winning The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and all-around cool guy, Nate Cosby. Being the up-front and adventurous type I am, I made it a point to stop by the Archaia booth where Nate was promoting his new western graphic novel, Cow Boy, to say hello and see if he was up for an interview. 

Let me preface the following with a bit of a warning: I've been a part of numerous Q&A's and group interviews, but I've always had time to prepare. I figured we could do some research, come up with some solid questions overnight and then sit down with Nate on Sunday. One problem-- Nate won't be at C2E2 on Sunday and was done at the booth just one hour after I stopped by! Needless to say I gave Ron somewhere between 4 and 12 ulcers after calling to say I was on my way to him and that we needed to come up with good questions for Nate Cosby and oh, by the way, we had about 30 minutes to do so. 

The following is what we came up with, raw, uncut and uncensored. Big thanks again to Nate Cosby, it was an absolute pleasure, I hope we can do it again sometime. 

Quick Note: Be sure to follow Nate on Twitter @NateCosBOOM and pick up a copy of Cow Boy when it arrives in your favorite shops later this year. 

PA: We’re sitting here at C2E2 2012, I [have] the pleasure to sit down with Nate Cosby—or stand up with really—he was an editor at Marvel Entertainment for 6 years, he actually got to oversee some series including Thor: The Mighty Avenger, the Eisner award-winning The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, as well as Spiderman, X-Men First Class, Hulk, Spiderman Loves Mary Jane and many others. Nate most recently worked on Cow Boy, which is a western graphic novel.

Read the rest of interview and check out the audio after the break

C2E2 2012 Saturday Photos!

-Mike Gallagher

See the GREAT Cos Play Pics on Facebook!

Hello again everyone, we're excited as always to bring you the latest goings at C2E2 2012. The pictures are up, make sure to check them out right here! The Con floor sure was a lot busier today, with TONS of Cos Play action! Artists Alley is packed full of talent, as usual, and we're so excited to bring you our first exclusive interview of 2012. Look forward to our chat with Nate Cosby, former Marvel editor who's overseen some pretty amazing projects including Spider Man, Hulk and the Eisner Award-winning The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, to name a few. Keep an eye on the site for more content from today's coverage, and be sure to click 'Like' when you're looking through the pictures on the Progressively Aggressive Facebook page.


Until next time everyone,

-OMG

Chris Hardwick - My New Man-Crush

C-Mike Gallagher


Today at C2E2 2012 was the first time I've had the absolute honor of being in the presence of Chris Hardwick and well, the title says it all. Turns out my new man-crush is not only slap-stick hilarious, but insanely humble as well. 

Chris Hardwick salutes PA.

How did I come to this conclusion? He made it pretty damn easy when, in front of well over 1000 people, he stopped, looked me right in the eyes and gave me the 'ol devil horns. But it didn't end there, he actually waited long enough to be sure I got the shot and didn't look back at the crowd until I gave him a bashful nod. I don't mean to brag here, but we've had the privilege of meeting some pretty big names in a plethora of entertainment categories. Regardless, never before today have I felt like the person(s) speaking cared more about their fans than their fans cared about them. Don't get me wrong, not all celebrities--or pseudo-celebrities-- are  stuck-up ass hats, and that's precisely the reason I've fallen in love with this genre of entertainment. Because of this, I consider myself to be one of the luckiest men in the world.

Fan questions are pretty common for panels like this one, but Chris takes it a step further. He make sure his fans don't just think, but actually know that he cares about them. I was lucky enough to catch some advice he had for aspiring writers on video, check it out below!

For that irreplaceable feeling that you give all of us; Chris, I thank you.


Until next time folks,


-OMG

Nerdist Channel Sneak Peek! C2E2 2012

-Mike Gallagher

One of the best parts, in my opinion, of C2E2 2012 was not just the Nerdist kickoff, but a video that Chris Hardwick shared with the loyal group of fans (and press) that attended. As announced by Chris himself in a letter to Nerdist faithful, the new channel on YouTube is going to have plenty for we nerds to drool over daily. I know I'm most looking forward to Weird S#!t From Japan, and Comic Book Club, but let's face it, I'm going to love all of it and so are you.

So what should we expect to see? Don't ask me, take it right from Chris' fingers:

"'How would I have programmed G4?' was the first question I asked when presented with this YouTube opportunity. I sincerely hope you like the results."

We do too Chris, we do too.

Until next time folks,

-OMG

SIDENOTE: Sorry for the shaky filming, I was right up against the stage and it proved extremely difficult to get everything in the frame of my iPhone

C2E2 2012 Friday Photos!

-Mike Gallagher

Chris Salutes Progressively Aggressive!

Well as promised our pics of C2E2 Friday and of course the Nerdist kickoff featuring Chris Hardwick are up and live on Facebook! Stop by, click like and enjoy our coverage of the weekend. We have a lot planned for tomorrow so be sure to check in with us regularly to see all the best that C2E2 has to offer! Don't forget, Ronniguy will be posting a very detailed report on the Nerdist kickoff, as well as a video on what you can expect to see on the new Nerdist YouTube Channel!

Until next time folks,
-OMG

C2E2 2012 Sneak Peek!

Hey boys and girls, Mike here with a little preview of what you can expect for our C2E2 2012 coverage including a preview of the upcoming Nerdist YouTube channel, an unveiling of the Tower Chronicles cover by Jim Lee, and advice from Chris Hardwick himself! We're working hard to get all of our pics and videos live on the site, but in the meantime enjoy a little taste of Nerdist's C2E2 2012 kickoff!

Razer's SWTOR Gaming Keyboard

If you're wondering where to blow a huge chunk of your tax return, we may have an answer for you.  Despite its sleek design and impressive look, I find this peripheral comes at too high a cost ($249).  It boasts many of the same features of other gaming keyboards such as the ability to key bind on the go, use multiple keys at the same time, and display your in game stats.  The way in which this particular keyboard sets itself apart however, is the inclusion of a multifunction tactile LCD screen which can display your faction logo, act as a media player, and act as a multi-touch gesture pad for navigation in game.  Other perks are listed for those who have a Star Wars: The Old Republic account including both a unique lightsaber color crystal and a discount of 10% on a total purchase exceeding $100.  If you are interested in purchasing, or want more information regarding specs, they can be found on Razer's website.  As amazing as it looks, for me it comes at too high a price.  Let us know what you think by posting a comment below or writing us at mailbag@progressivelyaggressive.com.

General PVP tips in MMOs

1. Play as often as possible.  Although it's cliche, practice does make perfect.  I find every time I log back on it takes a few matches for me to get in the zone.  The more frequent you play, the more second nature your gameplay becomes.
2. Do your research.  Study up on the different types of classes you will be going up against.  Know their abilities and the cool downs they have to wait for.  By knowing their mechanics you can anticipate their moves and know which of your abilities to use against them and when.  I find official game sites can give you the basics of class roles, but you should be reading forums and watching gameplay videos of your class as well.  Make sure you follow their attack rotations as well as how they react to different encounters.  By doing so, you can see which are successful and which should be avoided.  Be sure to also read up on how to correctly allocate talents and what stats to stack.  This often differs by class, build, and type of gameplay (PVE or PVP).
3. Duel your friends.  It can improve your one on one game and can provide honest feedback.
4. If you can, record matches to analyze later on.  See where you make mistakes and find strategies that consistently work.

If you have any other suggestions or have questions about the above, send them to mailbag@progressivelyaggressive.com.

Welcome From Mike!

-Mike Gallagher

We Said We'd Be Back

Welcome to the new Progressively Aggressive! First up, to our new readers, thank you for stopping by, I hope you find our posts as interesting and informative as we do. To those of you loyal enough to be returning to us, make sure you check out some of our changes, including our new contributors and site pages, and co-creator Ronniguy's welcome back post! As you navigate through the site you'll notice we've become much more organized and are looking forward to offering more focused coverage, especially on some of our favorite Cons such as C2E2 and ACEN.

For those of you who don't know me, I'm Mike Gallagher, I've been the site's photographer since our first Con, do my best to help Ronniguy out with logos and IT, and was a part of many of the original podcasts. I've since moved to the Windy City and for the first time you'll be seeing some written content from me as well. As we continue down the line you'll be able to search the site for label: OMG to find anything I write, and you can contact me via Mailbag@ProgressivelyAggressive.com, Twitter @Ouwosh, or e-mail me directly using OMG@progressivelyaggressive.com. As always, be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @JRAggressive.

Until next time, sit back, relax and enjoy!

It's that time of year again!  Beginning at 1pm tomorrow C2E2 will be opening its doors to the public.  As is custom, Progressively Aggressive will be attending each day providing you with coverage and photos of all that we see.  Check back regularly and don't forget to check out the photo gallery on our Facebook page.  If you are interested in attending, be sure to purchase your tickets before prices go up at midnight.  To purchase your tickets right now click here.

We're Back!

By now I'm sure you've all been wondering what's been going on with the lack of updates and our weekly cast.  Well, the quick breakdown is we decided to revamp the site, halt podcast production to focus on written content, and to add more writers covering a narrowed scope of topics.  The decision to stop the podcast was not an easy one, but with other outside commitments it has become virtually impossible for all of us to meet regularly and provide the same cast we had been making.  With the extra time this affords us you can expect more posts, more events covered, and more time for us to improve the site.  Some new additions to the site include, more con coverage and a dedicated section for gaming with reviews, strategies, technology, tutorials and more.  We hope you enjoy and if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, send them to mailbag@progressivelyaggressive.com