Spring con wrap up!

Just finished 3 cons in about 5 weeks!

First up was Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle, which was another banner show, with the con improving yet again, at about 15k attendance, and my sales from 2 days being a near best ever. I keep telling everyone I know, again and again... do this con! Don't travel to Charlotte, or Chicago, or anywhere else, if you don't have this show on your list already, go there... it's that good.
Great show, great (spending) crowd, great location. 'Nuff said!

One of the best things about this show, was I got to meet an artist friend from DeviantArt, that I've been working on a little top secret something with... Yassir Rasan (aka seeso2d).
Yassir's an amazing artist, and as it turns out, very very nice guy. He's only been in the US and Seattle for just under a year (he's from Iraq), and this was his first ever comic convention (I think he was overwhelmed, naturally)!


Next up was Wondercon in San Francisco. I really like this show, and it's growing, and great, but, it's run by Comic-con International, just like San Diego, and that means big crowds for sure, but tons of mainstream attendees, not necessarily buying comics etc... but damn sure looking at big booths and panels.
It's a great location and a good show though, and I have many friends at it, plus the amazing Isotope comic lounge is nearby and hosts great con parties, and this year was no different. I just wish the sales were a bit better here, especially for as large as the show is (I think they do like 25 to 30k).



I had a great time with my friend Jack Stepp (creator of the self pubbed comic, The Elysian) who I'd met at local shows and known for years, and his neighbor, Jeff (the living embodiment of "the Dude") Prechtel (historical\fine artist), who I met en route to the show, road tripping from Portland and Eugene down 1-5 south...
We even stumbled into an epic roadside diner on the way home, north of Sacramento, Bill and Cathy's diner... like a time capsule from the early 70's, massive, and serving high quality breakfast (I recommend the chicken fried steak... it's fresh made)!


Then we get to Wizard Anaheim... the brand new show in the LA area from Wizard, part of their new pop culture con relaunch...
sigh.

I knew it was going to most likely be a scary proposition (the Wizard LA con was a downward spiral, and Reed's (promoters of the fabo NYCC) C2E2 was the same weekend), but being that C2E2 was sold out, and I had friends around LA (that I could crash and hang with), I went ahead and tried my luck.


As with most shows, the Friday and Sunday were down attendance wise, but Saturday was pretty busy. That said, sales were terrible, and the "crowds" that were there, were most likely there for the new freak show aspect of Wizard.
Now sure, they promote it as a big pop culture event, like a travelling Comic Con San Diego, accept, you know, without the ability to put on a similar type show. Instead you're left with literally half the floor of the con as an autograph area with such celebs as Kato Kalin, Peter Brady, and various wrestlers. Then the remainder of the floor is vendors that range from hooka pipes, to custom leather jackets, with some petrified bats here, and a smattering of comics there. No, really.
Oh, and of course, the large stage for hoochie mamas dressed in Star Wars/geek gear, performing routines live, for good wholesome family entertainment!

I'd guess the attendance to be around 7 to 10k (I'm sure, like always, Wizard will inflate the number with multi day sales and such to make it look much better, it's not), and the crowd, like with San Diego and Wondercon SF, mostly mainstream folks not buying comic stuff, but checking out the whole comic con thing, and even more so in this case.

My friends and I took to calling the new Wizard shows a traveling train wreck, or cluster f*#k across America.
So, if they're close to your town or region, consider them, but whatever you do, don't go out of your way to plan to attend or exhibit one!
Your mileage may vary of course, but I suspect not much.

But I did get to see Lavar Burton in the bathroom (now added to my celeb con bathroom encounter list with Adam West) and sell a print to Julie Numar(Catwoman)'s driver!


Thankfully Dan Mendoza, friend, collaborator, and current Zombie Tramp creator, and my good friend Javier Hernandez (and respectively family's/s-o's) made it a welcome stay and treated me to many a local attraction (Chronic Tacos, Amazing Comics, Geeks Comics, etc), or entertainment (Faster Pussycat Kill Kill, bootleg tv series, imported Japanese art books, etc) otherwise this would have been one epic fail! It was fun hangin with cool comic friends for a few days.
But, there's always many other benefits of cons, and I've already got a few new contacts and such in play too.
I gave it a shot, so no surprise there... Wizard is Wizard.



So to summarize...
ECCC = awesome!
Wondercon = good
Wizard Anaheim = WTF?!?

The next con for me is Phoenix Comicon, on Memorial day weekend, which is a new con for me, but I've heard great things! So I've got a few weeks to recharge, get my 2010 sketchbook set, and a cool new Lost fan art ready, among other things... to start it all up again this summer!!

(To see pics of some more con sketches from the shows just click the con label below or check out my DeviantArt gallery)

Wizard Anaheim con this weekend!

I'm heading further south into Cali tomorrow, for another show (after just traveling to the bay area for Wondercon), all the way to So-Cal this time!! Yeah, sun, smog, and plastic surgery abounds!

It's time for the all new Wizard Anaheim con, Friday through Sunday... somewhere near the mouse house I presume.

I'll be hanging in artist alley (space 1019) all weekend with my man, and Zombie Tramp creator, Dan Mendoza!

We'll have the Super Real graphic novel (with limited edition sketch plates), the last of the Pulp Girls 09 con books, and much much more!

After the show, my electric jetpack won't be recharged til Monday night, so it's off for a day of LA hangin' with my bud The Jav-Man!

See ya there!

Wondercon this weekend!

I'm on the road early Thursday AM to head south for the bay area and San Francisco Wondercon (where they'll have this snazzy Iron Man 2 print)!

This will be my fifth year doing the show I think, and I always look forward to it, it's a great show (run by the fine folks that do San Diego Comic-Con).

Last year I carpooled with a great group of artist friends, but none of them were able to make it back to the show this year, so now I'm doing the trip with some new friends.

I'll be in artist alley (space 71), selling books (the Super Real graphic novel, SRG Presents, Pulp Girls, Zombie Tramp, and more), doing sketches, selling prints, and having a good time!

Here are some sketches I did two weeks ago at Emerald City con!










And here's a new fan art collaboration I'll have as well.


In addition to all that, I'm also bringing down a portrait my friend Javier Hernandez did of our Chihuahua, Choco, as he's doing a gallery show in San Fran the same weekend!


It should be a busy few days, and fun! :)

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Links!

Couple cool things I saw recently...

1) My buddy Ed Pun's art blog, he's got several massive posts from the recent (epic) Emerald City Comicon, giving a great feel for the show, with pics of the hall, costumes, art, and swag! Check it out HERE

ECCC was phenomenal this year, and Ed's blog is pretty darn swell in general too!

(I'll be posting my own sketches from the show here shortly!)

2) Friend of a friend and all around cool creator, Otis Frampton, is someone I've had an eye on for a while, as his art has really evolved and he's also a one man multi-media artist guru inspiration... well he recently launched a new webcomic, PLANET NOWHERE, and not surprisingly, it's VERY GOOD! Check that out HERE and see what I mean!

Emerald City Comiccon this weekend!

I'll be in Seattle this weekend for the NW's greatest comic book event, Emerald City Comicon (they've even got Stan "the man" Lee this year, oh my!).

I'll be in artist alley table, B-20, doing sketches, and selling the hot off the press Super Real graphic novels, prints, SRG books, Pulp Girls convention books, Zombie Tramp comics, sketchbooks, and also, selling the Super Real Graphic novels (they're so pretty)!

I'll also have my friend, and insanely talented artist, Yassir Rasan, at the table with me, and my friends, the Metcalf's, will be hosting me for the event, offering up the use of their luxurious leather couch (and here's an insiders tip, Mr. Metcalf, another Jason btw, has a basement studio straight out of Mallrats)!!!

Hope to see you at the show!
(Did I mention I've got some graphic novels to sell ya?) ;)

2010 convention schedule

Just confirmed another show for 2010, so thought I'd post the shows I'll be at so far this year...

Emerald City Comicon (Seattle, WA) 3/13-3/14
Wondercon (San Francisco, CA) 4/2-4/4
Wizard World Anaheim Comic Con (Anaheim, CA) 4/16-4/18
Phoenix Comicon (Phoenix, AZ) 5/27-5/30

Space just opened up at Wondercon, so I'm glad to get back in there.
This is the first Wizard Anaheim, and I'm skeptical, but it works out well for me, so I'm doing it.
And this will also be my first time at the Phoenix show, which I've heard good things about... although I wish it was a 2 day show, and not the crazy 4 day schedule that they've got.

I'm also still trying to worm my way into San Diego/Comic-Con, and have applied for New York Comic Con, so we'll see.

Wizard World Chicago Comic-Con this weekend

I'll be in Chicago (Rosemont, IL) all weekend for the big comic show, formerly Wizard World Chicago, now called Chicago Comic-Con.

The show starts Thursday 8/6, for preview night, and runs through Sunday 8/9.

I'll be exhibiting in artist alley, space 4228.

I'll have the new Pulp Girls convention books (limited to 250 copies, and going going), the Pulp Girls limited silk screen print (limited to 150 copies), Super Real comics, SRG Presents Gnome and Wolves of Odin books, fan art prints, sketchbooks, and more!
Of course I'll have and be doing sketches.
Also, I'll have copies of my buddy Dan Mendoza's Comic-Con sellout, ZOMBIE TRAMP, in a new "SR DISTRO" printing (SR Distro is a new direct sales distribution model I might try out)!!!

Lots of cool stuff!

Can't wait for the show, and to see all the cool friends, fans, and comic book fiends!

I may even get to check out Chi-town a bit on Monday before my flight (fun fact, I was born in East Chicago) ;)
and of course deep dish pizza, and White Castles are on my to-do list (along with maybe seeing some family).

Phew, I'm worn out just thinking about it!

See ya there!

Here's a couple pre-done sketches I'll have at the show and a sample of the Pulp Girls convention book sketch page (and sketch):

SDCC 09 update

I'll be tweeting Comic-Con updates on Facebook...

If you're so inclined.

SUPER REAL NOTES: SDCC 09 info

Hey everyone!

Been real busy finishing up the Super Real graphic novel and final issue special, it's coming together very well... and also getting my new project, Pulp Girls, ready to debut at the big summer cons. Which brings me to...

I'll be exhibiting Super Real Graphics at booth 5331 in the independent publisher area at San Diego Comic-Con for the entire show, 7/22-7/26

That's right, this year I've moved over from small press, to a full booth (no promises for next year though)!!!

At the booth with me will be:

Dan Mendoza - artist - Super Real, Pulp Girls
Dave Dwonch (Friday and Saturday) - creator - SRG Presents Gnome
Grant Gould (Thursday-Sunday, first hour of each day) - creator - SRG Presents Wolves of Odin
Jerry Gaylord (limited times) - artist - Super Real, Pulp Girls
and maybe John (Super Ugly) Williams - cover artist - Gnome and G4TV SDCC correspondent... if we're lucky (for all you star fuckers out there!) ;)

And maybe some other folks, it'll be a bit of a revolving door of SRG friends.

We'll have:

A special pre-sale offer for the Super Real graphic novel (see below for details)
SRG Presents Gnome and Wolves of Odin
and my new project debuting at the show, Pulp Girls



If you can't make the show, the Pulp Girls con books are available via the website too here
Check that out, it's really cool stuff man!

All artists, including myself, can of course also do sketch commissions and signings.

Hope to see you at the show!

Next stop... Wizard World Chicago!

_____
SUPER REAL GN PRE-SALE DETAILS:

Since the books aren't ready for the big show, I'm having a special offer for those who haven't already signed up for it with their shops (which I'll also offer for a limited time via the site for those who can't make the show).
If you pre-pay for your copy of the book, you'll get:

The book shipped to you, free shipping
A pre-sale only sketch plate, with an original character sketch
And a free copy of either SRG Presents Gnome, or Wolves of Odin

PULP GIRLS DEBUTS at COMIC-CON '09

My new project, that I've been developing over the last year, Pulp Girls, is debuting next week at San Diego Comic-Con!

But just what is Pulp Girls?

Well, besides being really cool and exciting, let me give you a better idea...

Pulp Girls is a collection of concepts - inspired from grindhouse cinema, pulp heroes, and similar genre roots - in small cliffhanger style format, all with a female-centric twist.
In your face, fun, dangerous, colorful, short, and sweet.

GIRLS + WEAPONS x DANGER = PULP GIRLS

Ever since the release of the Grindhouse double-feature, there's been a shift in the pop-art/comic world, and a move to the more subversive genre fare that inspired that film. And while it didn't set any box office records, it's impact can be seen everywhere in comics, from the pulpy books on the rise, to the retro color effects and cover designs seen industry wide.
Pulp Girls is a celebration of that spirit, taking it to another level.
The artists, concepts, characters, and themes all share a similar drive, that provides for both unique stories and art, that also complement each other perfectly!
Rock'n'roll midnight movie serials.

The project features many talented creators, from across the globe...
England, Ireland, Germany, Norway, France, Mexico, and of course, the good ol' U S of A!
Just to name a few.

Creators like:
The Boo (Transformers Animated), Jerry Gaylord (ID Comics), Grant Gould (Star Wars the Clone Wars online), Josh Howard (Dead@17), Jason Martin (Super Real), Dan Mendoza (Zombie Tramp), Hector Sevilla (Marvel Assistant-Sized Spectacular), Nate Stockman, Bob Strang, Justin Wayne, and many more!

Basically, the same contemporary, colorful, animated house style I employ with Super Real Graphics.


Pulp Girls will be debuting at San Diego Comic-Con 2009, at the Super Real Graphics booth, 5331 (in the independent publishers area at the front of the hall).

We'll have a limited edition 2009 convention book that showcases the upcoming series available at the show, while supplies last.

The books are limited to 250 copies, and are an over-sized 8.5x11" perfect bound format, in full color, and feature 72 pages of Pulp Girls content!

They're $20 each (plus US shipping), come with a sketch, and you can pre-oder a limited number of them now if you can't make it to the show, right here via PayPal:

The 09 convention books have several of our complete serials, early versions of others, as well as some teasers, and pinups, in addition to an art section from our cover artist, the astonishing Bob Strang.
It’s really like an art book with comics, and as such, the book will make a great addition to both your reading stack, and your bookshelf!
We truly have some amazing artists, characters, and stories featured here.


Stay tuned to PulpGirls.com for more details on the developing project soon!
There's much more on the way!!

Jason Martin
(Super Real Graphics - Pulp Girls creator/editor)

SUPER REAL NOTES: SRG Gnome cover artist on ATTACK OF THE SHOW, named SDCC correspondent!!!

The first SRG Presents volume, Gnome - by Dave Dwonch, sported a cover by his friend, bay area rapper/artist, Super Ugly (aka John Williams). We all just did a room share for Heroes con, and John had submitted for G TV's SDCC 09 guest correspondent contest... "Dark Horse Pop Culture Fanatic"

Turns out John was announced as the winner live on ATTACK OF THE SHOW today!!!

Video Game - E3 2009 - Attack of the Show

Congrats Ugly!!!!

So, John should be doing some of the on camera work for G4/AOTS during their hours of live Comic-Con coverage... NICE!

You can find John/Ugly's art HERE
and music HERE

Dave and John also do a pod cast, The Geek Savants, for which I was a guest during Heroes con... check out the podcast HERE

That's right kids, comic book dreams really do come true!!!
Now let's get some SRG love on G4 baby!!!!!

SUPER REAL NOTES: Heroes Con this weekend!

I'll be in Charlotte North Carolina for the big Heroes Con, this Friday thru Sunday at small press table 840.


This will be my first time at the show, and I'm looking forward to it, as I always here such great things!

I know quite a few friends will be there, and a few others I've yet to meet, so should be good times!

Here's to a good show, and if you're there, please come by and say hello!

I'll of course have comics, sketchbooks, prints, and be doing sketches.

SUPER REAL NOTES: ECCC this weekend!

Hey!

I'll be at the world famous Emerald City Comicon this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, in rainy dreary Seattle, exhibiting in the artist alley! Come by, say hey, and look over prints, sketchbooks, comics, art, or get a sketch!

This was a con sketch preorder for my version of the James Jean golden age Sally Jupiter pinup from the Watchmen movie...


I'm looking forward to it!

WONDERCON 2009

I'll be hitting the road late tonight with my friends Randy "Rantz" Kintz, Jason Metcalf, and Brian Randolph... we're trekking 10.5 hours south on I-5 for San Fran and the big Wondercon this weekend.
This will be my fourth straight year, and I'm hopeful the show will go over as well as NYCC sounded...
Either way, I'll be all set with all Super Real and SRG Presents books, prints, and a brand new sketchbook!

We're all neighbors in artist alley along with my man Dave Dwonch of Gnome fame, and Gnome cover artist Super Ugly.

Doods, drawing supplies, massive crowds, and the bay city...
should be good times!!

Come on down!

SDCC 08 update 2 - Friday THE LOST CON UPDATE

Okay, so, with all that happens at the con, I try to upload the days shots and keep a live update going, but this year, my shots got tricky to format with software, so I never posted this, and update from last Friday...
Since it's now almost a week later, here you go (and it is a live blog entry, so it's a bit rambling after a night out and the days events, but here it is uncensored):

Yesterday I just dropped a slide show of booth crap, the big media cool stuff of sorts...

Today, lets name drop, both cool creator friends, and celebrity/comic celebrity... as well as give a taste of my SDCC exploits...

So, aside from the cavalcade of geek cool, comics, movies, TV, games, toys, etc etc, and trying to convert folks to your product, in my case independent comics, SDCC is not about sales, it's mainly, the single best place to network, meet kindred spirits and new contacts of every variety.
Sure, you can join online communities, and foster multitudes of great new connections business or personal, but nothing beets face to face, and sharing a beer, or a meal, or many beers, or whatever your social thing is. And SDCC is the best of all cons for that. The most people, of the widest variety, not to mention fans, and a totaly accesible city with endless eateries and bars within walking (or even train) distance.
Blah blah blah

Anyways, that's cool.
Cuz it's cool to meet and share with people that get your otherwise decidedly different world views...
blah blah, yadda yadda

Shit, I got off track (it's approaching 2AM and that happens, but I want to get the blog pics up in the PM rather than the AM so I can make it to the con hall earlier than I did today)....

My point was, none of the above, that's another point, my point was, I thought I'd share some of the geek cool celebrity-ish sitings I've had in the last 24ish hours...

Yesterday, small geek moment, taking the shuttle from the Sheraton Suites hotel to the con, we wind around downtown, and there outside the window, is Stan the man Lee, by himself, walking at a good clip, happy as a clam, looking around, passerbyes none the wiser...
I've seen Stan up closer before, but he's perhaps the biggest geek thrill, I'd really like to meet him. Regardless of his questionable past with his artists, he's undeniably an icon, and maybe genius, in his own indemetable way, at marketing. And I very much respect him for building the house of ideas...

Moving on, or fast forwarding to yesterday late evening, or early Friday AM, returning to the hotel after going out post show Thursday, I get to the hotel lobby, and there's Richard Hatch, original Appolo, sitting at the free internet computer... doing his thing. Just was, ya know, when you see people from TV etc, you don't expect to see them doing such mundane shit...

Skip back to today, or early Friday...
I grabbed some crappy breakfast sandwich from the hotel (no thanks on that again), and proceeded to the shuttle stop... I was already anxious after leaving much later than I wanted, and there was a good cueue for the bus, which is a good thing most likely, meaning it may be coming sooner than later. But, I didn't feel like waiting and quickly headed off on foot, as I wanted to pick up a some juice or decent stuff to hold me through the day en route anyway. From my hotel it's a good 14 blocks or so, a bit of a walk, but doable, and downhill to the con. Plus, it's Friday, and the con turns into a giant traffic cluster fuck with 125 thousand people descending to it on the weekend days... and shuttles can get held in limbo on approach.

A nice panoramic shot coming up to the massive con center, with folks buzzing in from everywhere.

Any way, meet a guy on the way that runs a bobble head vendor, or company, talk bobble heads, turns out Benders the shows best seller, and they have some Sleestack exclusives too, with a top secret appearance from Sid or Marty Kroft (I forget which)... ya know Will Ferrel and crew are doing a new movie that sounds pretty cool, especialy to someone of the right age like me, to have watched that crazy shit as a young child.

Just as he excuses himself to finish his cigar prior to crossing the main street and train track to the convention center, I notice a big backdrop with crew and cameras etc staged off to the side in the park block area that proceeds the street across from the con, at the main pedestrian route in... It's the new Kit car for the new Knight Rider show, about to be unveiled (and probably sit there the rest of the day or con)...
So I took this spy shot, just for you all...
Getting into the con, even though I've not much time till it opens, I start to look around, talk, check out, and snap pics...
I stumble on some kind of Greatest American Hero booth, I'd heard William Kat, and practically the whole cast of the 80's psuedo superhero show were there, including the old dood that played the FBI agent or whatever, who must now be really up there... Well low and behold it's (a quick IMDb check reveals) Robert Culp (and also reveals he's only 78 now)... I always dug him, so I ask if he's cool with me taking his picture, he's busy hanging Greatest American Hero posters on the front of the boot and says sure, "As long as he doesn't have to stop working"
I wanted a better shot, but he really was crouching and not photo ready, and time was short, so there ya go.
From there I tried to find some more cool stuff I hadn't captured, including this Clone Trooper that didn't come out good yesterday, nor today, but there ya go, crappy pictured number 3...
Found this cool life sized Cylon, complete with scrolling red LED visor...
Got back to the table and Grant (Gould) called, he'd come by to pick up preview copies of his Wolves of Odin book I'm publishing, but I wasn't there and he could find them...
So I had to jet down to the other end of the massive hall to his spot in artist alley drop them off (and the show had just opened, which meant things were going to get nasty)

When there, I forgot to snap a shot of him at his table, but I did run into my bud Jason Kruze, creator of The World of Quest, which got picked up as a kids WB cartoon series that now airs...
I met him as a neighbor at the infamous one and only Las Vegas Comic-Con, long story, lost of creators, no attendees...
He was an animator that turned me onto using blue Col-erase pencils... and had just finished World of Quest for that show (it later became a Komikswerks webcomic and trade, then book publisher graphic novel and cartoon)
Any way, he's good people, but as this pic shows, he had a rough go of getting to con this year...

I really wanted to try and get shots of friends/creators, because I'm bad at doing that, so I snapped these shots of Hector Sevilla and Dave Dwonch sketching this morning...
and here's Gnome cover artist and underground rap superstar Super Ugly hammin' it up with the Star Wars gals...

Fast forward again to the end of the day, and I was heading out of the con to try and catch a shuttle to the hotel, but again, it's a peak day, and travel out of the con towards Gas Town, is FUBARed
As I realized I went outside at about hall A/B, and my shuttles at about D/E (a long ways folks) things weren't looking good.
Then, as I tried to hustle to the shuttle, I noticed just about everyone was looking up in the sky, trying to read...
Turned out there was a skywriter, big deal, it's comic-con, who knows what crazy shit they're pimping, move along.
But as I kept trucking, I go curious as folks started to get more engaged, looked like some kind of LOST tie-in...

The wrote "seek the six" in the sky over the con.
Pretty cool. (turns out it was a viral promo leading to some TV show remake on the web)
Adding to the only at comic-con cool, I happened upon another crowd, mobbing and posing for pictures... After slowing down to get a loook, it was G4 TV's Olivia Munn. She, co-host of the cool Attack of the Show, a regular view of mine since before Kevin Perrera was more than a mere man-child, and through the numerous changes... When they brought in Oliva a couple years back, she seemed like eye candy, that annoyingly couldn't read a teleprompter to save her life... And with the whole show live via teleprompter, that was annoying as hell. But something happened, she got hooked on phonics and widdled down her stumble to one or two a day, and built a genuine rapport with KPer and the viewers...
Anyway, I snapped a few shots, in case they didn't come out, as she posed with all comers (while they ran tape)...

Then of course a giant fat Darth Vader had to make his way into the shots...



By now I'd reached my shuttle, and got in line, only to find out there were two lines, mine being wrong (even though it started where the shuttle door was), and we had to move to the back of the longest shuttle line ever...apparently nobody rides anything but green...
As a group gathered behind me though, I could here them asking about who the girl was, taking all the pictures, "Who is she?", then one girl said, "I think she's a porn star"
Ha ha!
I let em know, but it was damn funny...

So, I figured if I didn't make the first bus, I'd walk or cab, and sure enough, it was a no go...

You see, I needed to meet up with my wife, and head to a Hollywood type party... I was supposedly put on the list for a certain talent agency shin-dig at the Hard Rock Hotel, but I didn't get many other details beyond that. You see after con last year, I got in talks with a certain 3 lettered agency (aren't they all 3 letters, that end in A as in Agency?) regarding interest in Super Real from a certain "family programing network"... I didn't think Super Real was a great fit there, but what the hell, how knows, the concept is certainly broad enough to spin any way...
Any way, low and behold it didn't work, but I've kept in contact with said agency, and I thought it was best to check out their swaray...

So, I headed to the hotel on foot, actually passing the Hard Rock hotel, where the packed patio bar was roaring and then cheering as someone made their way down the street by me (across from the action)... it was Mark Hamill, flanked by security and followed by cameras, apparently all of it being staged (come on, cheering for Mark? Flanked by security?!? Even for Luke Skywalker at comic con, that's a bit much)....
And I wasn't able to get a decent shot of it...

Back to the hotel then, to get ready and take a cab with the wife to the Hard Rock, when we get there and find the right entrance for the party, they inform us it doesn't start til 10pm, and it's about 20 til... So, since we hadn't eaten yet, we got next door to a cool Hard Rock coffee shop hat was really a nice swanky diner, with good food to boot.

We head back to the party entrance, and see a big line, after checking, sure enough we need to wait in it. It took a good half hour or longer, with much of that time being spent beneath a fryer vent of some sort, blasting warm fish/burger air upon us...

As we get up, show ID and make our way to the check in, the gal in front of us was heard told, "I'm sorry mam, your name's not on the list, do you know who was supposed to put you on it...", the exact frase I knew we'd hear...
And sure enough, no Jason Martin on the list.
God damn it.
It's one thing to say you'll do it, and not, but to make us wait on line, in fish fry vapors, that's fucked up.
Of course, I'd forgot my phone and couldn't call the man with the power to fix it, so we had no choice but to leave, as they would do nothing to check on it from their end.
I could see where he looked on the list, Avatar Press and Devil's Due, with names... fuck.
So, turning around back out the door, to pass backwards though security, there was a bit of hub bub, someone was making a stink about getting it... I quickly realized it was Carlton Cuse, Lost producer (from their story so far specials etc), po'd and storming off... and could hear someone say "He tried to get a minor in..."
Ah, comic con, you strange hybrid beast of psuedo celebrity madness...

What to do now, well, hit a bar, it's Gas Town, and there's literally endless choices...

Walking, we passed the dood that plays Brian Posehn's gay partner on the Sarah Silverman show (Steve Agee, again, IMDb), at an outdoor bar... I'd seen him earlier at the con...

I needed to pee, and there was a Bucca De Bippo handy, so we ducked in there, after finding my was to the bathroom, admidst winding corridors, and passing several comic types... I returned to the bar to find my wife waiting, they closed at 11...

So, onwards, towards the hotel, but more towards the main strip of bars... Passing Joe Quesada on the crosswalk, and settling on a pretty cool tiki bar. Whilst hanging there, Dan Didio came in and past us, then returned back out a minute later, now mysteriously wearing a Padres ballcap he didn't have on before, and smiling at my wife (dirty old man)...

No, sightings at the 7-11 though, and no 80's sci-fi actors in the hotel lobby, but there you have it, 24 hours that can only be had at San Diego Comic-Con!

So, I left all the "Ooh, look who I saw" crap in there, cuz, that's the fun of doing the con, so for those who can't make it, that's what it's like, pretty fun...
Tune in tomorrow for my final pics and tidbits to share from Comic-Con 08!!

SDCC 08 update 1 - Wednesday/Thursday

Here's a quick update from San Diego Comic-Con 2008...
wish you were here dear readers!

This first update is all the best booth stuff I could fit on my old pig of a digital camera.

First up we have the new Bond car with a cool ginormous Craig/Bond banner
Then we have a life size prop from the big upcoming Watchmen, that is so cool, the Nite Owl's ship... it even has a full interior too!And yes, if you're at the show, you too can win a Nerd Herd mobile (from Chuck, I love that show!)Apparantly the truly awesome Feast, the recent Project Greenlight winning monster horror flick that's Tremors meets Tarantino, has a sequel coming (cool!) and this is one of the creatures!!!
Lost Boys are back all of a sudden 21 years later, and have this RV setup at the con... Probably Corey's Feldmen's home, just parked in the booth space...Lots of Transformers stuff at one of the toy booths (Hasbro?)... a cool giant logo, 8' stands of the cartoon Optimus and Bumblebee, and I think this last thing was from Transformers? Anyone?
Hasbro (again I think) also had some cook action figure displays, they had a big diorama featuring scenes from all 4 Indy films, this was the Raiders... and a cool Cloverfield display complete with NYC carnage and copters!Iron Man is also everywhere, here's a cool life size movie armor!! (wouldn't it be cool if you could wear it? just think of the lines for that, the Iron Man experience)... and also the mark 1 armor...He-Man fanatics rejoice... a life size bronze statue of the man of he, and life size Grayskull!!!As always, lots of cool Star Wars stuff... here's a life size AhsokaThat's all I could fit on the ol memory card, tune in tomorrow for more, and hopefully some friendly faces...