San Diego – from www.escapistmagazine.com – The alternative beauty and culture group of models known as the Suicide Girls may have gotten themselves banned from San Diego Comic-Con 2010 which is set to take place at the end of July. The San Diego Comic-Con is a massive event and one of the biggest to celebrate geek culture attracting over 100,000 attendees per year for the past half a decade.

Suicide Girls founder Selena “Missy” Mooney told L.A. Weekly that the group are banned from “having a significant presence” at all of the conventions put together by Comic-Con International this year. The reasoning is mysterious, but seems to tie in to possible sales of some of the Girls’ adults-only DVDs to minors.

Nudity is part of the Suicide Girls game, but Mooney insists that she instructs “all girls who are present at conventions to check IDs for anyone who looks under 30.” Regardless, a member of Comic-Con International’s Board of Directors reportedly was able to purchase a DVD at a recent WonderCon without having his ID checked, and says he saw the same thing happen with someone that was under 18.

With the convention already sold out and 125,000 expected to attend, a ban is a pretty huge thing for anyone that plans to exhibit at Comic-Con. The Suicide Girls are well known and have been at the event for the past four years.

Comic-Con International’s Director of Marketing and Public Relations David Glanzer told L.A. Weekly that “No one is banned,” but then said: “We got a report that they were handing out material that was not all ages appropriate. It’s happened before where companies have not complied with our standards … Does that mean that they’re banned for life? No, we don’t do that. Next year could be a different thing.” So, they’re not banned, but they are banned until next year.

To the fans of alternative girl nudity out there, you might not be getting your fill at the San Diego Comic-Con this year, just to warn you. I would think that Comic-Con International should have proof before handing out bans, and hopefully there isn’t any discrimination by an uptight board member going on here.

from www.laweekly.com – The erotic, popular models of alternative pin-up website SuicideGirls.com have been supposedly banned from participating in this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, according to a notice received by SuicideGirls founder Missy on June 22 from Comic-Con International Exhibits Sales representative Rod Mojica.

Missy told L.A. Weekly that she was informed SucideGirls are currently banned from “having a significant presence” and getting their own booth at either Comic-Con or Wondercon, both owned by Comic-Con International, but without explanation from the parent company as to what the ban entails.

In his conversation with Missy, Mojica conveyed that the reason for the ban was because a member of Comic-Con International’s Board of Directors purchased an adults-only SuicideGirls DVD at Wondercon 2010 without being ID’d and that the same man also saw, first hand, an underage person purchase a DVD from SuicideGirls without an ID check. Mojica did not name the member of the Board of Directors who made the above claim.

“This is completely unacceptable and I am shocked and horrified that this could have happened,” Missy told L.A. Weekly. “We have done at least 10 conventions a year for the past 9 years and never had this issue arise. We instruct all girls who are present at conventions to check IDs for anyone who looks under 30. We have a large sign up at our booths that says ‘You must be 18+ with ID to purchase.'”

“No one is banned,” Glanzer said. “My understanding is that SuicideGirls didn’t have a booth and there is a 400+ waiting list.”

Glanzer went on to address the incident at Wondercon and said that there had been an issue with SuicideGirls doing something that didn’t comply with Comic-Con International’s rules and community ethics, mainly that adult content was being made available to all ages attendees.

Glanzer told L.A. Weekly, “We got a report that they were handing out material that was not all ages appropriate. It’s happened before where companies have not complied with our standards … Does that mean that they’re banned for life? No, we don’t do that. Next year could be a different thing.”

Missy responded, “We don’t believe that there was an incident [at Wondercon]. We checked IDs vigilantly and we feel very confident that there was no age-inappropriate material made available.”

“If SuicideGirls is not banned then we’re excited to be down in San Diego and look forward to meeting [Comic-Con Executive Director] Fae Desmond and David Glanzer and clearing this matter up,” she continued.

SuicideGirls has had a significant presence at Comic-Con over the last four years, making appearances alongside Con favorites like actor/author Wil Wheaton and FilmThreat founder Chris Gore, as well as holding fan signings at the numerous booths that sell the company’s merchandise which includes clothes, DVDs, the hardcover book Beauty Redefined (AMMO), and the series of Devil’s Due Hack/Slash comics by Tim Seeley* featuring actual Suicide Girls as characters. In addition, SuicideGirls has been supporters of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund since 2006.