Comic Con on Sunday!

Okay, I've finally finished our SF road trip posts! It's about damn time. Just scroll below or check here to see all at once.

Started work last week. This new year round schedule kind of sucks only because it cut my vacation in half by one month! Anyhow, I have to live with it!

Looking forward to:

1 - As lame as this sounds, my hair cut this Saturday - gotta get my asymmetrical spikey do going on again...plus I adore my hair stylist! She is awesome!

2 -The new episode of True Blood this Sunday! Hello there! Did you see Episode 5? Woo! Viking flashback anyone? Even in the throes of death, Eric Northman was still an arrogant bastard..."Wherever I go...there will always be women...".

and 3 -
OMFG, the Comic Con this Sunday!!! We used to go on Thursdays and/or Fridays but since I have to work (and also because we don't have tickets for those days), we are going on Sunday!!



I'm going to miss all that crazy New Moon shit since that'll be tomorrow when I have work. A few of my students are planning to go so I'll probably get the deets from them. They're not Team Edward though - they are Team Taycob (ha ha, Taylor Lautner's the guy who plays Bella's new love interest, Jacob Black. This is the kid who played "Sharkboy" in the kid movie, "The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl"). I'm not fanatical enough to wait overnight (some people are actually doing that right now as I type) and sleep on the sidewalk waiting to get in early tomorrow. Sheeyit, hell no! I mean, yes, RPattz will be there, but to be stuck in a room full of 6,000+ tweens/teens/gay twi-boys/twi-Moms/cougars screaming their heads off? No thanks. I'll have to YouTube the footage and crack up at home instead.

Last year it was crazy with "Twilight". Sunday should be a little less crazy but not by much. I'm not really looking for anything in particular. I plan to check out these booths:
Giant Robot, J-List, Summit (New Moon!), Bud Plant Books, Comic Relief (from Berkeley), Graphiti Grafix, Mile High Comics, Alcatraz High (featuring San Diego's own Bobby Rubio, a Pinoy who did "Avatar - the Last Airbender" and is now working for Pixar), Tokidoki (Simone Legno will also be there but not on Sunday), Drawn & Quarterly, Kitchen Sink Press, Dark Horse Comics, Vertigo, Bongo Comics (they do the Simpsons), Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and more shit that I can't think of. Also - I plan to check out the Alternative press section as well as any booths related to pop culture (for example, they had a 'Garbage Pail Kids' booth once). We may attend some cartooning workshops with our daughter too. Speaking of which...

TC will be in a very cool costume, which I will reveal after Comic Con is over! It's custom made and it's from an animated series! This lady I know from my gym is a seamstress. She makes costumes for the ballet. This is her first custom made costume for an animated series. It cost over $100 but it's worth it. For all the time and labor and the cost of materials, TC will be wearing this costume at least more than three times!

No Comic Con this year & new book series to read

For the 2nd year in a row, Comic Con was sold out days before the actual event. Bert and I have been going since the early 90's, back when the Con was not all Hollywood Hype.

This year, we did NOT go, mainly because we waited too long. Also, I wasn't sure I wanted to walk around the Convention Center with thousands of people and risk getting sick again. The last time we didn't go was in 2000 when TC was born. I kind of didn't feel like waddling around the Convention Center floor and mingling with the masses of humanity while eight months pregnant.
We never got the 4-Day pass, but instead we went on Thursdays (the "first" day for the peons who don't have the luxury of the 4-day pass and Preview Night Wednesday). I would peruse the aisles while Bert would hunt for his graphic novels treasures separately. Normally, I'd check out booths like Fantagraphics (home of Love and Rockets), J-List (cool Japanese stuff), Slave Labor Graphics (Lenore), Top Shelf Productions, Drawn and Quarterly (Optic Nerve, Eightball), Bud Plant Books, Gama Go and also seek out the independents for one of a kind works. For the past three years, we've taken TC on Sundays since that day is dedicated to kids, including panels, drawing workshops and film festivals, etc. Two years ago, she wore her Supergirl outfit. She can wear her Hogwarts Gryffindor outfit next year when we all go.

Bert and I ended up watching G4's special on the Con Friday night. Turns out the hottest ticket (well for over 6,000 teen girls and their moms) was Exhibit Hall H for Summit Entertainment's panel on upcoming films including, "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (Keanu Reeves was there), "Max Payne" (Marky Mark made an appearance), "X-Men Origins - Wolverine" (Hugh Jackman also showed up as a "surprise" guest), and the Dakota Fanning "rape" movie. But they weren't there for those movies and actors. Those rabid women were there for the upcoming film, "Twilight", from the first novel of the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer.

The main attraction? The hot young cast, (most of whom are virtual unknowns) which stars the very hot Robert Pattinson, the guy who played Cedric Diggory in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire". He plays Edward Cullen, a mysterious and handsome teenage vampire with whom Bella (another main character) falls in love. Kristen Stewart (she played Jody Foster's daughter in "Panic Room") plays the lovestruck Bella Swan. After watching videos of the Comic Con panel, I saw the actors barely got in a word edgewise since so many girls were screaming. They also could not form complete sentences. Anytime Cedric, I mean, Pattinson spoke, there was mayhem from the crowd and incoherent babbling by him. It was like the Beatlemania. My interest was piqued.

I haven't read any of the books in the The Twilight Saga (more info here), but plan to do so just to see what the hype is about. Am I being manipulated or what? Ha ha, I need an excuse to read something new folks. I feel like I've been living under a rock, having missed this burgeoning cultural phenomenon. I haven't read a good vampire series since Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. The fourth and last book in the Saga, "Breaking Dawn" will be released this Saturday. I normally don't read romance type novels, but maybe I'll like it. Or maybe I won't. I don't know about the hype proclaiming this series to be the new "Harry Potter". I don't think so...

Ah well, next year, we'll be going to Con to soak in the pop culture madness!

Comic Con!

Our annual visit to the Comic Con, also known as (in Superman's terms), Geek Mardis Gras. The following set of photos were from Thursday 7/25. We've been going since 1992 (Bert correct me if I'm wrong) with only a few breaks in between. This is Harbor Drive approaching the Coronado Bridge.

Mural on Harbor Drive depicting the contribution of immigrants to the city's economy (you can see cannery workers):

Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres...you can also see the Coaster train coming through:
Man, we got to the parking structure across from Petco Park ($10) before 8 am and we had to park on the 3rd floor! The past few years, we were able to find parking at ground level. Superman got lucky and got a spot (and saved $2) underneath the Convention Center. People are just getting here earlier and earlier each year. This is the view from the parking building, Convention Center on the left and Downtown (part of it at least) to middle and the right. Look at that line of cars! Yikes!

This was a flash drive I saw the the Giant Robot booth. Funny.

Here is Bobby Rubio, creator of Alcatraz High. After a 2 1/2 year stint for Nickelodeon ("Avatar - The Last Airbender"), he just got a new job as a story artist for Pixar in Emeryville, CA. Their newest movie (well, the little bit he could tell us) will be "Up" to be released in either 2009 or 2010. He joins his former high school classmate, Ricky Nierva at Pixar. A really nice guy and local San Diegan, we always make sure to visit Bobby's booth during the Con:

Jabba the Hutt...Yes, there were also many Princess Leia clones (white robe and brown danishes on their heads) in gold bikinis.

Other than the crappy wait in the hot sun outside of the Convention Center, the lines inside were to be expected. Although the doors were supposed to open at 10 am, there was a 10 minute delay. Never make geeks impatient! The wait was also bearable because we hung out with Superman but later went our separate ways once we got on the ground floor.

Bert and I initially went to a few booths but later split up on the floor to pursue our own interests -- he had spotted several booths selling graphic novels for 50% off. So, I went off to visit Giant Robot, Top Shelf, Drawn & Quarterly, Slave Labor Graphics, Ugly Dolls, Toki Doki, and J-List. We bought one copy each of Bobby Rubio's "Alacatraz High" (issue zero). I also found Issue 11 of Optic Nerve by Adrian Tomine. I hadn't realized it was available...Ironically, Thane had just waiting over an hour in line to get in (he barely got in at 12:30 pm) so he met us plus Superman for lunch in the Gaslamp. I didn't take any pictures of the restaurant or food since it was the Gaslamp. Same old same old. Sorry it's blurry -- Darth Vader choking one of his "officers" using the Force.

I always wanted one of these!!!! This was at the Peanuts booth:

It was starting to get more crowded on the floor. Can you believe, 50 aisles of this stuff?

Passing by NASSCO on our way home on Harbor. We had to make sure to pick up TC on time for her piano lesson.

We went to the Comic Con again on Sunday the 29th. We were so tired from the previous night's activities (Reunion dinner). We picked up TC from my mom's house at 7:30 and once again, headed downtown to the Con."Coming Together", one of many sculptures in San Diego by late French sculptor, Niki de Saint Phalle:

Canna lilly on our way to the Convention Center:

Sunday was Kids Day at the Con so this year, we hung out with Superman and his god-daughter, which was great because TC and her are friends.

This was part of a sculpture (there was an explorer behind her/him pointing). Is it me or do you detect a package there? Dude does NOT look like a lady!

A decorated Darth Vader helmet display. We liked the Carmen Miranda one the best!

More Darth Vader helmets:

Where they find this chick? The role she was born to play! She's supposed to be Rose McGowan's character in "Planet Terror" (first movie from Tarantino and Rodriguez's homage to sleazefest flicks"Grindhouse"). As expected, many clogged the aisles at this uhh, interesting sight.

Utilikilts, based in Seattle, WA. These skirts are pretty expensive - $200 and up. Touted as being comfortable and practical, Bert wouldn't wear one though. A relatively blood free Gloomy Bear. Normally, his claws and mouth are bloodstained from killing people:

Simpsons memorabilia for sale:

Domokun, a popular cartoon character (mascot of NHK TV station) in Japan.

Bobby Rubio drawing Katara from Nickelodeon's "Avatar: The Last Airbender" for TC.

The Con T-Shirt. The only sizes they had left were L, XL, XXL. I was bummed, I wanted one too.

Peter Mayhew, aka Han Solo's trusty Wookiee sidekick Chewbacca from Star Wars. I didn't even realize he was there until Bert pointed him out. I wish I could have seen him standing up (he's 7' 3"). I believe he was shilling autographed photos of himself - $20+ a pop.

Evil Ice Cream:

View from the escalator:

Star Wars scene made completely of Legos:

Pee Wee Herman doll at the Spike & Mike Festival of Animation booth. I used to have a Pee Wee Herman watch!

Meet one of the newest Uglydolls, Uglyworm. What sucked this year about the Uglydolls booth was that they did not a lo of the colored plush toys. Instead, they were colorless (all white), deemed as SDCC exclusives. They did NOT have the $10 Little Uglys, just the big size ones that cost $20 each. That was way too much to pay, so I bought the mini keychain size Uglys instead ($5 each). TC and I have Gato Deluxe, Uglyworm (pictured), Toodee, Chuckamucka, Big Toe, Peaco, Moxy and Babo.
Star Sightings - None really. Sorry, Peter Mayhew doesn't count. I wonder if Lou Ferrigno (The Incredible Hulk, TV) counts?

You see more movie and TV stars on Saturday (which we avoided because it's the Con's busiest and craziest day).

Interesting outfits - The Cardboard Samurai, various members of Hogwarts School of Wizardry, including a girl in a Slytherin outfit holding a sign that said, "Free Beatings". We saw a black Green Lantern, a lot of Supermans, a group of teenagers who went as characters from Avatar (they had really nice handmade costumes), Pokemon, Dragon Ball Z, plus the plethora of Darth Vaders, storm troopers, girls dressed in Japanese school girl uniforms, Sailor Moon characters, Jack Sparrows and various other Pirate-related outfits.

The girls enjoyed themselves. We took them to a drawing workshop where they learned how to draw faces how and where to place the eyes, nose and mouth. The original 1:30 workshop was cancelled but they hung out in the room until the next one, resting as well as drawing with the materials provided.

Thane and I were talking about how the Con didn't seem to have as many costumed people as before. Perhaps it was that the Con has grown in scope and size since the past decade that the number of sightings is few and far between, diluted by the sheer magnitude and larger number of "normals" (or non-costumed) of this event. We're jaded Con goers I suppose.

Update - Here is a rant by David Walker, creator of one of my favorite 'zines, Badazz Mofo. I remember seeing his 10- years ago in a dashiki and a giant afro wig. He's been MIA for the past few years working on other project. He sums up what's been hapenning at the Con this last decade. When Bert and I started going in the early 90's, the convention center was half the size it was now. It was mostly Comics - rows and rows of booths selling Golden and Silver Age comics, not movie-related toys and big Hollywood companies touting their latest flicks. At the time, we were both into Sandman (courtesy of Supe) which is produced by Vertigo, an offshoot of DC. I was also into Yikes! by Steven Weissman. The Con was also a place to meet favorite authors - I remember standing in a long line to meet Clive Barker , author of "The Books of Blood", "Weaveworld", "Imajica" and director of "Hellraiser". I had him sign several of my books.

Bert was still into actual comics back then since the graphic novel had not yet come of age or was a relatively new format. There were more people dressed up in Star Trek outfits. This year, I didn't even see one Klingon! Anyways, it's sad in a way that the Con has gotten so large as to dwarf the original intent of the convention. And I'm not even a hard core fan - I was just someone who went to support my future husband's interests.

Comic Con Part 3

The guys at this booth have been at the Con for the past couple of years. They're these Filipino dudes who make robots and other creatures out of spare metal parts. You can see a scorpion on the edgeof the table as well as R2-D2. These are some of the small sculptures.

Son of Jor-El, KNEEL BEFORE ZOD!!!

I never knew that Zod was played by "The Limey" (aka British actor Terence Stamp, who was also the old drag queen in "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" and Supreme Chancellor Valorum in the awful Star Wars prequel "Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace"). But I digress...Here's that Vulcan I mentioned earlier, complete with ears and all. This was earlier while we were waiting for the floor to open. This guy is sporting what is called a Utilikilt. Yes,you read that right. There was a booth selling these "Utilikilts". According to their website, "Utilikilts are progressive, alternative, handmade kilts made out of tough, functional fabrics, from cotton camoflauge to canvas duc cloth, ideal for men who are active and like the freedom of motion an unbifurcated garment can afford". Hmmm...okay...

From what I recall, solids and various patterns were offered for sale, as well as the traditional plaid. I just checked the website. You can buy a leather one for $700! Yikes! This fellow here has good ole camo' on. Some models of the Utilikilt are equipped with a plethora of straps, pockets, and metal buckles and shit so as to make the wearer appear more MANLY and not like a tranny. Who wants to look femme? Not this guy!!! There's a difference you know! Hey, those pleats must be a bitch to iron! Bounty Hunter Boba Fett...
Cuddles the Rabbit from the show Happy Tree Friends.

This is San Diegan Bobby Rubio's booth for "Alcatraz High". He's Filipino American and has worked for Disney and currently works for Nickelodeon. He's a story board artist for "Avatar - The Last Airbender". He drew a picture of Katara (one of the female characters) for TC on Sunday. He has 3.5 issues out of Alcatraz High and named his son after Han Solo. Actually, he named him "Harrison".

Oota Toota Solo?

(translation, "Going anywhere Solo?)

Thus were the last words spoken by the hapless bounty hunter Greedo (a Rodian) before being gunned down by Han Solo at the Mos Eisley Cantina.

Comic Con Part 2

Here are some more pix from last Thursday's Con visit. This sign was on a stuffed mannequin with an animal head...I thought it was quite funny. This was spotted at the Slave Labor Graphics (SLG) booth which is an independent comic book company that specializes in offbeat, dark-humoured gothic stuff. I used to buy Roman Dirge's "Lenore - The Cute Little Dead Girl". SLG is also home to "Johnny the Homicidal Maniac" by Jhonen Vazquez.

Here are a few enthusiastic fans. You can see a rather un-buff
looking Aquaman with the black Wonder Woman. Gosh, I
don't know who the woman in the purple mask (Black Canary? Bert's guess) is supposed to be as well as the top hatted person next to her (Miss Majestic?). You can see Batman and some figure in green. Superman, help me out here! Green Lantern? I know, sacrilege. I know I'm wrong! Wait, Bert says it's " The Spectre". All right now....cue the theme for the "Imperial March"...Darth Vader here passing through...Make way for his Imperial Blackness. Man, this formatting sucks! Or is it me who lacks the proper HTML skills? I think this next photo is Voltron. Wait a minute, EXCUUUUUSE ME!!!! It's OPTIMUS PRIME from the TRANSFORMERS. Apparently, he's the head honcho of the Transformers. Geez, I can't help that I never watched this stuff back in junior high. Maybe it's because I wasn't a 12 year old boy! Thanks to Bert for the correction.

Don't look! You'll turn to stone! It's Medusa from "Clash of the Titans"!It's the Ugly Dolls booth...Several new characters were introduced. See the cute Ugly Dolls here. I bought three on Sunday: the very cute OX (pink version), Ice Bat and Target. TC and I will share our new playthings.
Toys on sale....who buys this stuff anyways? You'd be surprised!
The Ugly Doll creators, David Horvath and his wife Sun-Min Kim signing at the Ugly Dolls booth.
On Thursday, the trashbins were overflowing with Ugly Dolls. By Sunday, they were half-filled.