San Diego Comic-Con... We Went, We Saw and We Conquered!

Well, we did it! Four days of comics, toys, lots of people, people in costumes and even more people! Did I mention the people? It's just insane. I wish that I'd taken more photos, but once you're afloat in that crowded sea of humans, you kind of lose your bearings and don't think about such things as cameras. Especially, if you're weighted down with bags of purchased goodies!

Speaking of goodies, we were anxious to get our hands on two of this year's Comic-Con exclusives: a My Little Pony that has two different sides (one side is green, the other purple), for Tommy, and a Littlest Pet Shop super-hero kitty, for me. We got 'em, too! It's weird, though, because on the first day, in order to buy them, people had to be somewhere at a certain time to get a ticket just so they could get in line, then they had to wait in that HUGE line which looked like something you'd see at an amusement park. But the second day was completely different. Tommy and I just walked right up to the Hasbro booth and bought both toys instantly! No tickets, no line. I'm sure glad we didn't have to go through all of that first day rigamarole. If we had, and then saw how easily people could get them the next day, we would've surely been pissed!

One side of Tommy's two-faced super pony...

... And here is the other side.

Look! Is it a bird? Is it a plane?

No, it's my Comic-Con super kitty

from Littlest Pet Shop!

Another highlight, for me anyway, was shortly after we entered the convention on Thursday. We must've only been walking the floor for about 10 minutes when, suddenly, I spotted her... A lady dressed as Alice (in Wonderland) who also happened to look like Bette Davis! I mean, she could've been Bette's stunt double! Not that Miss Davis ever did a movie role that would require such a thing, but man, this lady could've done it! Check out the pics below, and then let me know if you agree...

Curiouser and curiouser... Is that Bette Davis in Wonderland?

I'm sure that must be the Mad Hatter on the left. And Bette

is clearly holding the Cheshire Cat, so who/what is that on the

right? A human Cheshire? Creepy.

She's ready for her close-up, Mr. DeMille...





Of course, there were also real celebrities in attendance for various reasons. Among them were Zachary Levi (Chuck), Johnny Galecki (The Big Bang Theory), Amanda Palmer (Dresden Dolls), Robert Pattinson (Twilight, duh!), Kristen Stewart (Twilight, double duh!), Tim Burton (Nightmare Before Christmas, super duh!), Johnny Depp (If you don't know what he's from, you probably aren't reading this because you're so out of touch with the world that you don't even have internet access, or a computer!), Lou Ferrigno (Incredible Hulk), Matt Groening (The Simpsons) and many, many more! I didn't get any photos of them, unfortunately.

Friday night, we went to an exclusive Disney Press cocktail party at a hip restaurant/bar in San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter known as Bondi. It's really neat. They have these huge basket pods you can sit in, like private booths! We didn't get to sit in one because we were in the bar, but they were sure cool to look at. And the ones that weren't "in-service" were actually raised up and hanging from the ceiling. I'd never seen anything like it! Here, take a look...

Bondi basket pods. I sooo wanted to sit in one of these!

Oh, well. There's always next year...

That just about covers the main highlights. I could bore you with a day-by-day itinerary, but I will spare you. Maybe, next year I will manage to take more photos. Ones of real celebrities, too!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

And beware of humans disguised as cats... Cheshire Cats.





"Meow."

San Diego Comic-Con, Here We Come!

It's that time, again!

Every Summer for the last decade or so, Tommy and I have been attending the San Diego International Comic-Con, here in California. For those of you who don't already know, Tommy Kovac is a comic book creator who writes and illustrates his own works for publisher, Slave Labor Graphics. So far, his body of work includes the books 'Stitch', 'Skelebunnies', 'Autumn' and, most notably, the highly acclaimed Disney Press published 'Wonderland'. That last one was a collaboration with artist Sonny Liew, who did all of the beautiful illustrations complimenting Tommy's well-crafted story. If you have any appreciation for Disney's 'Alice in Wonderland' movie, or Lewis Carroll's original books, you would probably like 'Wonderland'. Tommy based his tale on both, while creating something entirely new and inventive. You really should check it out!

Cover of the Disney Press 'Wonderland'

graphic novel.

(To be clear, SLG first published the story

as a series of 6 single-issue comic books.

Then, Disney Press published them all

together in one graphic novel.)

If you're not familiar with Comic-Con, let me enlighten you. The San Diego International Comic-Con is the annual convention for all-things comic related. And even some stuff that isn't! It's been drawing thousands upon thousands of attendees each year for about 40 years, now. You would not believe the crowds unless you'd been amongst them personally! It really is an "experience" being at the convention. And when we go, we always attend all 4 days of it, so I'm always more than ready to leave when the final day approaches! I do have some fun, and I like being a supportive husband, but 4 whole days of that craziness and crowd congestion is quite exhausting for most anyone.

This is but a mere taste of what it's like walking around

on the convention hall floor.

Here is what it looks like outside the convention center, at the

end of each day. It's chaos in the streets, I tell you!

One of the most entertaining things to see at the convention, is the people. Well, the people who are not afraid to wear a costume, anyway. You see all manner of dress, too! Everything from total head-to-toe Klingons (with those big prosthetic foreheads and face make-up) to barely there, skimpy, flesh exposing "outfits". And believe me, you don't want to see some of the people who choose to share their physical attributes! For some reason, they seem to think that they're quite a hot property, and most of them are soooo not...

Look at this gaggle of giddy girls in their goofy getups!

Of course, the skimpier ones are tame compared to some...

A Cylon from Battlestar Galactica attempts to intimidate his

way through the thick crowd of humans.

I rather like this one! I guess that

she's supposed to be like some kind

of burlesque interpretation of

Batman's Joker?

No, they're not martians. It's the Shreks, of course!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this one

actually is a martian! (...with a coordinating

green Starbucks drink, natch!)

O.k., I just threw this one in for the ladies...

No, I didn't. I really threw it in for the boys!

(But if the ladies enjoy it also, that's great.)

This one kinda scares me, and I'm not sure why. Is it some sort

of Super Panda Girl? What would her powers be, I wonder?

This one might be my absolute favorite! I mean, it's

Darth Vader on a rickshaw! I just don't think it gets

any better than this.

Well, that's about all I have time for. I still have to pack my suitcase and fill the gas tank so that we're ready to take off to San Diego tomorrow morning...

I know it's only mid-week, but have a great weekend once it gets here! I'll be having a weekend full of sensory overload, while wading through tons of people just like I've shown you.

Bye-bye!

All photos via Google Images