i can think of a dozen guys who'd give their right arm to be where i am this week--and all of them would deserve to be here more than me--but i'm going to comic-con, which opens thursday here in san diego, where we're vacationing with our daughter demi. it wasn't in the plan, but comic-con is happening, so demi got my wife and me tickets to the big show. the tickets themselves are very hard to get and are often sold out way ahead of time, so what can i say?--two sexagenarians are going to be walking through the convention-center door on friday. while i've seen pretty much all of the recent marvel and DC movies and was a DC fanboy in the '60s, i really have no right nor purpose to be here, ha ha (well, i think i'll go find and interview the pinoy illustrator alex niño, who's attending). might as well do a piece on it for the STAR. i'll be something like a windows guy going to macworld, but i'm sure it'll be fun. demi already got us star wars T-shirts to wear--watch out, storm troopers!
Even if you're not a comic fan, I would imagine it will still be a very interesting experience for you and your wife. As you already mentioned, the recent hollywood films and tv shows have already introduced some of the comic-universe to people who never read the comics. Soak it all in and have fun there! A bit OT but I was just reading a story recently about how Anthony Mackie (who portrays the falcon in the recent avengers/captain america/ant-man movies) attended a much smaller comic-con event but wasn't recognized by the fans attending that event, and a fan even mistook him for Don Cheadle (who plays War Machine in the Iron Man films).
wow! I am planning to go there next year! please post/blog sir butch what goes on at the convention floor. i am a big comic fan but they said the comics are becoming less and more toys/movie stuff.
Thanks for the heads up Sir Butch. My eleven year old daughter is an aspiring animator / comic book artist. She would love to go there. We were just in LA for our yearly vacation, and we were talking about how we should have gone to the Comic Con in Vegas. San Diego is closer, so this will be definitely be on our to-do list next year! Looking forward to your updates sir!
My daughter is attending with her American boyfriend, and i cringe(!) at the thought that i'm not attending...she sent me photos of their tickets and i'm like "naglalaway" so i told her to get me one helluva boba fett helmet if she sees one...or maybe darth vader's...or even just a bb-8 replica but not a funko pop please (i have one already)...or even a signed poster from some guy named Mark Hamill, or somebody more famous than he is... they both have Star Wars caps so i guess they know that i'm really gonna be pissed i wasn't there...the wifey, OTOH, would probably opt for a walk somewhere else...like Hollywood Boulevard...
yes, he's booked at the hotel where my daughter demi works (san diego's premier hotel, the US Grant) there are "conan" signs all over san diego. demi also tells me that ALL hotels and motels in san diego are filled to capacity, and that serious comic-con fans book their rooms a year in advance (when they come here, they book again for the next year); and the rates are astronomical--a room that might normally go for $200 is now $500. so folks, plan ahead (and start saying hi to your pinoy uncles and aunts in national city). it's a good thing demi has lived and worked here for almost ten years now, so at least we get our board and lodging free, ha ha (in little italy, about a 25-minute walk from comic-con). and the entry badges were already sold out--thankfully demi's hotel had some "priority registration codes" in reserve. the registration process is pretty elaborate (you don't just walk up to a booth to buy tickets--you sign up first for a member ID, then get a registration code, then claim your badge, etc.). see here for more info: http://www.comic-con.org/cci/badge-faq
Valerian and The City of a Thousand Planets! Woohoo...just got the footage from the Comic-Con floor... Guess that standing ovation makes it a much-anticipated blockbuster...
we're marching into the convention floor in a couple of hours--we just have a one-day badge (my son-in-law has a four-day pass but is at work and can't use it until the weekend, sayang!) so will make the most of it.
Have fun! I'll be there somewhere, volunteered again this year (para libre pasok) so I'll probably be ushering, watching doors, lines, etc-- won't know exactly 'til assigned There will be long lines at Hall H, line up early if you're a fan of Fear the Walking Dead (12nn-1pm), The Walking Dead (1-2pm), Game of Thrones (2:15pm-3:15pm).
When it rains it pours--just had a killer interview with graphic artist Whilce Portacio, and then my daughter called in some favors and now I'm in line for a live taping of Conan interviewing the cast of "Suicide Squad"! So maybe I don't deserve this but heck, I'll take whatever comes!
Ha ha saw that but also seeing the kilometric queues and this being possibly my one and only day at Comic-Con in my whole life, I decided to hit the booths and exhibits instead. What fun! Will post pics after the Conan show.
okay, the pics: first, the all-important badges you need to get into the convention floor: comic-con takes place at the huge san diego convention center and spills over to nearby hotels. conan signage is all over town: the action begins right outside--heck, it's everywhere: you can be whomever you want to be: and here are my supergirls: and after the conan live taping (too bad we couldn't take pics of the taping itself, of course), every member of the audience got this giveaway--a funko conan stormtrooper figurine that's now selling for $200 on ebay (people were trying to buy them just outside the theater, but i saved mine for my daughter demi, to thank her for the comic-con and conan tickets). ang saya!
okay, here's a few more here's the scene outside the convention center--masses of people on the street. at the booth of alex niño, one of the pioneering pinoy artists who's worked for both marvel and DC (that's not alex but his son jules): lots of signings by movie and TV stars (i don't even know who these people are!)--very long lines for these events: you tell me who this character is: here's whilce portacio, one of the most accomplished fil-ams in the industry (he's coming over next month for the local comic-con at MOA): who's that on the escalator? and just more scenes at random--enjoy!
