Anime-zing! 2012 will feature Sonny Strait and Robert Axelrod
Davenport, Iowa - November 10, 2011 - The midwest's Anime-zing! anime convention is excited to announce the return of both Robert Axelrod and Sonny Strait for the 2012 Anime-zing! convention. Anime-zing! will be held June 1-3, 2012 at the Clarion Hotel and Conference Center in Davenport, Iowa. Hundreds of attendees are expected to gather in celebration of Japanese arts, animation, cosplay, and pop culture.
Robert Axelrod has done everything from commercials and theater to rock music and voice acting. Born and raised in New York City, he did commercials and theater as a child and teen, eventually ending up in the Soho Avant-garde Theater scene in a show called "Little Trips", then Off-Broadway in a play called "The Destroyers". Axelrod left acting for the world of music. He spent eight years as a working rock musician playing electric bass and singing in folk, rock, and soul bands. Music brought him to Los Angeles where he decided to return to acting, a decision he never regrets.
Since then, Mr. Axelrod has appeared in over thirty feature films including four with Charles Bronson, the Sci-Fi hit remake "The Blob" with Kevin Dillon and many others. Television appearances include guest star roles on "Amazing Stories", "Star Trek Voyager", "Tim And Eric's Awesome Show", and "The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. He also starred in the Michael Jackson music video "Stranger in Moscow".
Mr. Axelrod is also a busy voice actor. He is the voice of Lord Zedd and Finster on the "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers". The Lord Zedd voice is one of the most recognizable character voices around. He voiced Armadillomon and Wizardmon on "Digimon, Microchip, The Punisher's sidekick, on "Spiderman", Rico on "Robotech", and has voiced countless Anime features including "Akira", "The Big O", "Cowboy Bebop", "Brain Scratch", et al. As Lord Zedd, he starred in both the first Power Rangers feature film and the wildly popular live show that toured the country. He was a regular character on Saban Entertainment's "Wowser" series (as Ratso Catso), "Journey To The Heart of the World" (as Scarface), "Hallo Spencer" (as Elmer), and more. He just finished narrating the mockumentary "Safety First: The Rise of Women and voicing four Anime series, "Gaiking", "Danguard Ace", "Captain Horlock", "The Adventures of Nadja", and "Fist of the North Star".
Sonny Strait, with over 20 years experience in the arts, is most recognized as the voice of Krillin in DBZ and Lupin in Lupin III, and as an illustrator for, arguably, the most famous, independently published comic book series Elfquest.
As a voice actor, Sonny is considered to be one of the most recognized voice actors in the business.Besides Dragonball Z's Krillin he has worked on many popular animated characters including Maes Hughes from Full Metal Alchemist, Usopp from One Piece and Cartoon Network's laid back, robot host Toonami Tom. He has also worked as a writer and director on several TV series including Dragonball Z, Case Closed and Lupin the Third.
As a comic book artist he has 17 published works to date including his débuted self-published series Mr. Average featured in The Comics Journal and Elfquest which was published by both WARP Graphics and DC Comics. Sonny is considered one of the top Elfquest artists from its over 30 year history.
In 2007 Sonny wrote and illustrated a graphic novel about a reluctant punk rock, faerie princess named Goat. The book, called We Shadows, was published by Tokyopop and was nominated by The American Library Association for Best Graphic Novel in 2008. The book received glowing reviews in many trade magazines including Publishers Weekly, Newtype, Play and Anime Insider.
Currently Sonny is reprising his roles in both the new Dragonball Z and Full Metal Alchemist series and plays the title role in the Xbox game S'plosion Man. Sonny also began illustrating Marvel Comic's sketch cards recently for Rittenhouse and fetches ebay prices up to $800 per card for his depictions of Marvel's superheroes.
Guests will be doing panels, participating in Q&As, and signing autographs throughout the weekend. More information on Anime-zing!'s guests from this year and last year can be found online at http://www.qcanimezing.com/guests
Events at Anime-zing! 2012 will include an expanded cosplay masquerade, a dealer's room, two rave dances, a formal ball, video gaming tournaments, guest discussions, autograph sessions, panels, workshops, board gaming, collectible card gaming, anime screenings, and a hall cosplay contest. Anime-zing! also features a ConSuite hospitality suite offering attendees free ramen, free rice, and free soda all weekend.
Hotel rooms can be booked for only $95 per night by following the instructions at http://www.qcanimezing.com/location
Attendees can pre-register online for only $25 for person at http://www.qcanimezing.com/register
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