Hold on to your butts, the annual South By Southwest (SXSW) is hitting Austin in just three weeks, bringing Austin ten days of digital, film, and musical goodness. And mega-crowds, which we tolerate because we don’t mind you out-of-towners dropping in and spending some cash on our local merchants. Keep Austin Weird, you know?
The folks over at Marvel announced they’ll be coming to biggest and best festival of its type for the third year in a row. And, they’ll be having not one, but two panels bringing us the future in the Marvel digital experience.
Last year at SXSW they announced that every single first issue they had ever published would be free on Comixology, leading to both a server crash at Comixology and a major nerd overload from all the fans. Oh, and just a major overhaul of Marvel digital comics so that you could read them on your iPad.
The year before, they announced their Augmented Reality app and Infinite Comics. So, you know, Marvel doesn’t disappoint when it comes to SXSW.
The first panel will take place Saturday, March 8 at 1:30 CT on the SXSW Geek Stage (inside the Screenburn Arcade at the Palmer Events Center) as part of SXSW Interactive. However, unlike most of SXSW which is closed to anyone who doesn’t have a badge, these panels are free and open to the public. Can’t make it to Austin? Lucky for you, dear readers, I will be there and live-tweeting and putting up a report here on BigShinyRobot! immediately after it ends.
The first panel will be called Marvel: Your Universe! and focus on how fans are an integral part of what Marvel does. They’ll also be bringing us some new clips from “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” Knowing Marvel, they have some tricks up their sleeves.
Then, just one day later at 1:15 pm on Sunday, March 9, (same venue — SXSW Geek Stage inside the Palmer Events Center) we’ll get the Marvel: House of Ideas! panel. They’re promising more fireworks as “Marvel unveils new initiatives that will redefine the world of comics as you know it!.”
Not sure what that means, but they’ve always delivered in the past. Also– free SWAG! Fans can get a limited edition Winter Soldier: The Bitter March #1 and a chance to have it signed by members of the panel. If this is anything like last year (where they did the same thing but with Age of Utron #1) you’ll want to stick around. Pretty much everyone got a copy, but just barely.
Want more info? Keep your eyes peeled here as I do more pre-SXSW reporting, but you can also check out Marvel’s full press release below.
See you in Austin!
Marvel Entertainment Makes History At SXSW Interactive in March 2014
Leading Entertainment Company Unveils Groundbreaking New Initiatives
New York, NY—February 19th, 2014—This March, Marvel Entertainment returns to Austin, Texas for a historic third year at the South By Southwest Interactive Festival with two can’t miss panels bringing fans the future of digital entertainment featuring all the world’s most renowned Super Heroes—Avengers, X-Men, Spider-Man, Guardians of the Galaxy and more!
First, at 1:30pm (CST) on Saturday, March 8th, on the SXSW Geek Stage presented by comiXology, join Axel Alonso (Editor in Chief, Marvel Entertainment), Kristin Vincent (VP, Digital Products), TQ Jefferson (VP, Games) and Ryan Penagos (Executive Editorial Director, Digital Media & @AgentM on Twitter) for Marvel: Your Universe! Learn how fans are a unique part of the Marvel Universe, be the first to hear exclusive news about Marvel’s hottest games and get a first look at new footage from Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., the hit series airing Tuesdays on the ABC network.
“We’re excited to return to SXSW for a third year and unveil our exciting plans for the future of digital publishing, gaming and more,” said Dan Buckley, President, TV, Publishing and Brand Management, Marvel Entertainment. “This is our biggest SXSW yet—with more panels, more news and more exclusives than we’ve ever brought to the show before!”
Then, at 1:15pm (CST) on Sunday, March 9th, on the SXSW Geek Stage presented by comiXology, Marvel’s all-star lineup returns for Marvel: House of Ideas! This is the panel no fan will want to miss as Marvel unveils new initiatives that will redefine the world of comics as you know it! After the panel concludes, fans in attendance will receive a limited edition Winter Soldier: The Bitter March #1 (while supplies last) and a chance to have it signed by Alonso, Jefferson, Vincent and Penagos in a special Marvel signing session.
“We’ve been blown away by the response from fans the past two years we’ve attended SXSW and this year we’re bringing them even bigger surprises as a special thank you,” said Alonso. “We have the best fans in the world and we’re coming to see them in Austin with the biggest announcements we’ve ever made at SXSW!”
Since the launch of Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited in 2007, the first major digital comics program in industry history, Marvel has been on the forefront of digital comics publishing. After becoming the first major publisher to offer single issue digital sales in 2009, Marvel has continued to expand its digital comics offerings to numerous platforms, with an unrivaled library of award-winning storytelling. Marvel also became the first comics company to offer free digital copies with select print issues and comic shop coupons with the purchase of a digital comic. In 2012, Marvel Entertainment became the first major comics publisher to attend SXSW, announcing such landmark initiatives as Marvel Infinite, followed by historic announcements in 2013, including Marvel Unlimited, Marvel Original Video and more.
Don’t forget, this event is free and open to the public, so everyone can be on hand to see Marvel’s newest game-changing innovations featuring all your favorite Super Heroes from comic books, television, gaming and more!
Stay tuned to www.marvel.com and www.sxswgaming.com for more details on both the Marvel: Your Universe and Marvel: House of Ideas panels, plus breaking news on Marvel’s plans for SXSW. Join the conversation on Twitter using #MarvelSXSW!
About Marvel:
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of over 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media over seventy years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing and publishing. For more information visit www.marvel.com
About SXSW Gaming
SXSW Gaming is an integral part of the SXSW experience. This diverse and widely popular array of events combines well-loved elements of geek culture with the cross-console video game world. And it all happens in Austin, Texas, a true hotbed for the expanding gaming industry. With Gaming Awards, panels, a free expo, rocking parties and exceptional demos, no event bridges the gap between industry insiders and the general public quite like SXSW Gaming.
About SXSW Interactive:
The 21st annual SXSW Interactive Festival returns to Austin from Friday, March 7 through Tuesday, March 11. An incubator of cutting-edge technologies and digital creativity, the 2014 event features five days of compelling presentations and panels from the brightest minds in emerging technology, scores of exciting networking events hosted by industry leaders and an unbeatable lineup of special programs showcasing the best new websites, video games and startup ideas the community has to offer. From hands-on training to big-picture analysis of the future, SXSW Interactive has become the place to preview the technology of tomorrow today. Join us in March 2014 for the sessions, the networking, the evening events, the 17th Annual SXSW Interactive Awards, SXSW Accelerator, the SXSW Gaming Expo, the SXSW Trade Show, SXSW Create, the Digital Creative Job Market, cross-industry conversations with attendees from SXSW Film and SXSW Music, and, most of all, the unforgettable inspirational experiences that only SXSW can deliver.
SXSW Interactive 2014 is sponsored by Miller Lite, Monster Energy, Esurance, Chevrolet, AT&T, Deloitte, IFC, American Express, Pennzoil, Subway and The Austin Chronicle.