Being the Sci-Fi/comic book geek that I am, it's a wonder that this year was my first trip to Comic-Con in San Diego. I was a little nervous because of the size and complexity of the event. It is impossible to see everything. It simply cannot be done. There are panels, meetings, workshops, autograph sessions, lectures, and the main floor full of exhibitors.
We were attending on Thursday and Friday. We could not get tickets for Saturday (the big day) or Sunday, because I bought our tickets only six months in advance. Saturday-only and 4-day passes had sold out long before then. Over 120,000 people filed though the San Diego Convention Center over the 4 days of Comic-Con.
A quick note on my thoughts about the debate of non-science fiction and non-comic book vendors, panels, etc. at Comic-Con. Back in the 70's when I would attend the Science Fiction, Horror and Fantasy conventions that popped up after Star Wars changed the world, there were a lot of comic book vendors, In fact, there were a lot of vendors that would (very) loosely fit into the genres of Science Fiction, Horror or Fantasy - or not, but the fans welcomed them because they shared a common fan-base. Comic-Con has grown to include much more than comic books. The exhibitors/panels at Comic-Con share the same fan-base. Short of changing the name to Entertainment-Con, I feel that everyone should just enjoy and accept the evolution of Comic-Con. Actually, now that I think about it, I did not hear anyone there complaining.
Our first day was our "Panel" day; we saw panels from our favorite USA Network shows: Burn Notice, White Collar and Psych. We were hoping to get into the The Big Bang Theory panel on Friday, but the room only held 4,500 people and was filled before we could get in (we were in line for two hours). We walked the floor, where I quickly realized that I did not bring enough money. I could not bring enough money. I could spend A LOT of money at Comic-Con.
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| Yup, this must be the place! |
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| A small section of the exhibitor's floor |
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| Hmm, there must be some Star Wars stuff around here somewhere... |
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| How to stand out in a crowd. |
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| These Ghostbusters costumes were dead-on. |
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| I would like one of these, please. |
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| The Burn Notice panel. Bruce Campbell really knows how to work an audience. |
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| The White Collar panel. The minute Matt Bomer came onstage, Florinda moved forward to the edge of her seat. |
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| Dulé Hill and James Roday opening the Psych panel with a song |
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| Dulé Hill tap dancing. |
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| When I asked if I could take their picture, Slave Girl Leia said "Let me put away my camera," and I thought "Where?!" (Her boot). |
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| Mothers, lock up your daughters. Darth and Boba on the prowl. |
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| Plastic Man was a little too happy to have me take his picture. |
The second day I decided to join the fun and dress in costume. I went as Indiana Jones (Think "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Glazed Doughnut"). It was great fun. People were asking to have their picture taken with me. As we passed, some people would whistle the theme song. I was even mistaken for Adam Savage (@donttrythis) from Mythbusters. My apologies to Mr. Savage.
Planned for the day was a Hawaii Five-O panel for Florinda, and a autograph session with Jane Wiedlin (Go-Go, Star Wars geek, animal lover, and author/star of her new comic book series Lady Robotika) for me. You can follow Jane on Twitter @janewiedlin. Bill Morrison (@atomicbattery) is one of the artists behind Lady Robotika was also there along with legendary pin-up artist Jim Silke. John Silke did an exclusive cover for Lady Robotika #1. I bought one, and was happy when Jane, Bill, and Jim all signed it. I started to laugh when Jane autographed to to me using my Twitter handle @RamsesTMagnum. I did have another copy of the comic, and she signed that one using my real name.
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| No, Harrison Ford has not really let himself go. That's me as Fat Indiana Jones and Jane Wiedlin. This photo is also on the Lady Robotika website! |
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| My signed copy of Lady Robotika #1. |
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| My signed special edition of Lady Robotika #1. |
If you've heard of Comic-Con, you have heard of the fantastic costumes that people wear. Unfortunately, we were not able to be there for the costume contest on Saturday, but there were costumes galore. Some were pretty fantastic. I fell in love with Steampunk.
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| The green liquid on his back is bubbling. |
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| Steampunk Jet pack. |
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| Steampunk Jet pack 2. |
For those of you thinking it is just a lot dorky guys who live in their parents' basement, you would be wrong. There were a lot of girls, REAL girls. As a people watcher, I could just sit at Comic-Con and just watch the parade of awesomeness go by. But there is too much to do and see.
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| A trio of blond Jedis. |
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| Like father, like son. |
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| I'm not sure who she is, but kudos on the costume. |
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| What would Comic-Con be without Klingons? |
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| Hello, he's Kermit the Frog. Wait a minute, wasn't he in my last post? |
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| Wonder Woman in training. |
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| I called out "Hey! Stormtrooper Five-O" and he turned around. |
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| I wanted to help her, but, I have been told that I don't know Jack. |
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| More Steampunk. |
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| I call this one "Disney Done Right." |
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| Cassandra Peterson and I. On Saturday, she was in full Elvira regalia. Movie Macabre is coming back to TV! |
Next year, we are going to try for all four days (and Preview night?), and bring more money.
Now, what to wear...
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