COMIC CON 2026!!! GONE LIKE A FLASH!!!

Well, another Comic Con has come to pass.  Definitely one for the ages, in good ways and bad.  Don't get me wrong, I had a great time.  But things were very different this year.  But, y'all don't wanna hear about that.  You want to see some pics, and believe me, I got PLENTY of them!  So, for one last time this year, cap up those Code Red Mountain Dews and hold on to your Batman Underoos, because the CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN concludes!  Enjoy...

The Gaslamp Quarter on 5th Avenue was decked out like never before this year.  Even the famed Gaslamp Arches got completely decorated!  Apparently some thing called Avengers is coming out...

Gee Mattel, maybe if you had promoted the movie like this LAST YEAR, Masters Of The Universe might have succeeded!  And by the way, this movie was awesome!  Up until Spiderman came out last week, this was the best movie I saw this year.

Loves me some human chow!  Sadly, this was the highlight of the severely downgraded Hulu Animayhem offsite.  Think I'm just plain gonna skip this one from now on.

Nickelodeon delivered the goods this year with a much more open booth and a pretty cool offsite!  But more on that later.

AT EASE MAGGOT!!! IF SGT. SLAUGHTER WANTS A NOSE RING, THEN HE'LL WEAR IT WITH PRIDE!!!

Didn't get much time to explore the Petco Park Interactive Zone this year, but I would call it an improvement over last year.  Considering they literally only had a day to put it all together (The lot was being used for truck storage for a concert at Petco Park), pulling it off was an impressive feet.  Still, the five hour wait for the Magic The Gathering tent was downright ridiculous.

There was much excitement heading into SDCC wondering what thrills and experiences theFX Lawn had in store for us this year!  And what did they deliver?  An ice cream truck...  That wasn't a joke folks.  FX totally killed off their legendary offsite for a friggin' ice cream truck that handed out gross flavors!  To say this was a huge letdown would be an understatement.  This, coupled with Hulu's Animayhem relocation and downsizing, really left many fans with long faces.  With Abbott Elementary skipping SDCC as well, one has to wonder if Disney's recent budget cuts had an effect on their Comic Con offerings?  Marvel and Lucasfilm certainly didn't skimp on their booths, but the Hulu booth (My gig for the last seven years) was also gone.  I guess only time will tell how if this was only just for this year.

He's a cool but crude dude!

These young men came to learn about new technologies!

When meeting the King, you always bring an offering!

Party on dudes!

Even Santa Claus likes to enjoy warm weather every once in awhile!

Marvel returned to the San Diego Ballroom at the Marriott this year with a really cool gaming lounge that offered exclusive pins each day!  And yes, I got all four!

After a four year absence, Nintendo returned to SDCC, this time setting up shop at the Hilton.  Smaller and with less variety than their old Marriott location, this one was a lot of fun.  It was a long wait, but more tolerable than other lines as they had live gaming tournaments for us to watch, and it was pretty funny, especially when dueling Marios took to the stage!

Much will be said about the Widow's Bay offsite in the future.  It showed up mysteriously on Saturday morning and was gone by Saturday night!  Nobody seemed to know much about it, but everybody was buzzing about it once it was done!  Needless to say, these guys got it right, brief as it was!  And say?  What's that in the fire place?!?

So I mentioned earlier that Nickelodeon had a pretty cool booth this year.  Well, they had a bitchin' offsite as well!  Held at the park across the street from the New Children's Museum, it was actually pretty small compared to some of the other events that have been held there over the years.  But they had some cool swag and photo ops, and for a lucky few, they could even get slimed!  I was not one of them, but I did take my picture with an actual Kids Choice Award and was stoked to finally have a longtime childhood mystery solved: The Blimp Trophy does in fact have a kaleidoscope in it!

For the first time in nearly a decade, Discovery Channel came and celebrated Shark Week!  Long the comfort blanket we used to get over the shock of SDCC ending, it was nice to finally get some cheaply made shark swag again!

The Tin Man found his heart and his love with Rosie the Robot!

Always good times at the Adult Swim Carnival where I watched a Rick & Morty live table read and the premier episode of a new series!

Apparently Mr. Roper has gone dimension hopping to find even more variants of wives who hate him!

The always popular Peanuts Museum that thankfully came back this year after fears somebody else rented the space.  Oddly enough, the place was packed this year!  One of the better things about this offsite has always been that it wasn't crowded.  Add one Super7 exclusive and it all goes to hell!  Good grief!

The Coneheads have infiltrated Star Fleet!

I've said it many times, and I'll say it again: The family that cosplays together stays together!

And finally, after years of Nicktoons dominating the Kids Choice Awards, I'm happy to say that Bubble Fox has finally dethroned that Bob made of sponge!  I will use this acrylic blimp kaleidoscope to draw power from it!

And that was Comic Con 2026!  This was a pretty odd year for the show.  Outside of Marvel's typical Hall H spectacular, not many huge panels or major news drops.  Offsites downgraded like crazy and the heat was so humid and muggy that many cosplayers just gave up.  I actually had a lot of trouble with the heat this year myself.  God bless the bartender at the Old Spaghetti Factory for giving me an ice pack to put on my neck.  He probably saved me from a visit to the ER.  I had a good time for sure, but it is time to start prioritizing certain things as I move on with the show, first and foremost, just plain ditching the offsites.  Some are fun, but most just aren't worth the wait.  Hopefully, things will be a little more agreeable next year.

And that's a wrap on the CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN 2026!!!  I hope y'all enjoyed the look back at Comic Con past and present.  It gives me much joy to go back and look at all these wonderful memories from a show I hold most dear.  It's a bummer that it's over, but hey, we're 50 weeks away from the next SDCC!  And WonderCon is just under eight months away, so Con coverage will be back before you know it, so stay tuned!  We'll be back next week with some fan art that'll have you tickled pink!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

COMIC CON... ANOTHER ONE DOWN, BUT FIRST...

Well...  Another Comic Con has come and gone.  How was it?  Hell if I know?  I type these out in advance!  Y'all know that by now!  But I can guarantee you this I and everybody who went are super exhausted right now and just want to sleep, so let's just skip ahead to the pics, shall we?

It's last year, it's San Diego, it's Comic Con and we are about to party like it's 2025!  Hang on to your butts because the CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN is still going!  Enjoy...

SHMINGDY SHMINGDY VIRDIBUEAU?!?  BORK BORK BORK!!!  As much as I love the Muppets and the Swedish Chef, it can't really be denied that he's the reason that five generations of fans think all Swedish people talk this way!

Google Play and Marvel teamed up for a pretty cool and surprisingly efficient offsite last year celebrating the Fantastic Four movie's release.  The movie may have been a glass half full at best, but the activations were fun at least.

For those looking to get some ass, the Adult Swim Block Party had plenty of it!  Literally!

I didn't see the new Naked Gun movie and am still on the fence about it.  Some folks really liked it while others really hated it.  It's just hard to see anybody BUT Leslie Nielsen playing Frank Drebin, even if it's technically Frank Drebin, Jr.  The role was iconic. 

The Ultimate Warrior takes some time to pose with a little warrior!

Shout! Studios offered me the chance to hangout in a crazy, mixed up place where anything could happen!  Just wish Terry hadn't flown into me while I was jumping!

Sexy Dumb & Dumber folks.  Rule 34 strikes again...

Always nice to see some friendly, and grouchy, faces from the neighborhood!

If I had known this would be the last time I'd be at the Super 7 Store, I would've savored the moment a bit more.  Last fall, Super 7 closed down their stores in San Diego and San Francisco, and it's been a sadder experience ever since.  And their Godzilla setup from last year was amazing!  Just look at that entrance!  We were robbed of future awesomeness.

And here's the Mattel booth with this awesome Castle Greyskull motif and yet no mention at all that a Masters Of The Universe movie was coming.  No toys, no posters, not even a lousy promotional postcard!  And they wonder why the movie, which was awesome by the way, flopped? 

Look!  It's the wizard that saved us!

The Twisted Metal offsite certainly saw its share of crowds throughout the week!  I didn't get the chance to do it, as the lines was just too long, but it did look like fun!

I'm always big on wrestling cosplay, and it was cool to see the hardcore icon, Sabu, get honored months after his death.

And finally, we'll end things with one of the coolest experiences I've ever had at an offsite, the Clown In A Cornfield maze!  I have no clue if this is a movie or a show, but the atmosphere was incredible, from the sets and props down to the actors and costumes.  And then their was the chase through a mock cornfield by a chainsaw-wielding  clown looking to add our heads to his collection!  I can't say enough about how ridiculously over-the-top this all was and oddly enough, it wouldn't be the last time last year that I got chased around by clowns with chainsaws!

And that was Comic Con 2025!  Easily one of the best experiences I've ever had at the show.  I got all the exclusives I wanted, found every classic comic and toy score I was looking for and nearly got into all the offsites I tried for.  All in all, a great year that felt like the cons of my youth.

And that's a wrap on July 2026, but not the CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN!!!  We still got one more week to go in this madness, but I assure you we'll be kicking August off right as we head into summer's finale starting with coverage of Comic Con 2026!  So be sure to come back and check it out!  Until next time, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

IT'S HERE!!! COMIC CON 2026 IS GO!!! BUT FIRST....

 

WELCOME BACK CRAZIES!!!  IT'S HERE!!!  AFTER A LONG YEAR, IT'S BACK!!!  COMIC CON 2026 HAS COME!!!  Alright, we gotta keep our cool.  It's actually in two days as we're posting a bit early as is typical Comic Con week.  But how can I keep calm when the greatest week of the year is here?  Disneyland? Christmas?  Super Bowl?  Child's play!  For me, SDCC is the grand daddy of them all and I think it's time to dive right in and get started!

As we look back today, we'll also include helpful tips to make your Comic Con experience a bit smoother, especially if you're a first timer.  For now, though, we are heading back to 2024 and yet another unique experience for SDCC weekend just happened to fall on the same weekend that the Summer Olympics in Paris opened up!  So polish off that bag of Cheetos and slap on a fresh pair of Batman Underoos because the CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN is a go!  Enjoy...

The Ghost With The Most shows Lydia some of the Gaslamp Quarter's finer hole-in-the-wall dining options!

TIP: Best time to grab a bite is between 11am and 2pm.  Hall H and Ballroom 20 are usually drawing large crowds during those times so restaurants aren't as packed.  Also, most restaurants in the Gaslamp Quarter DON'T accept reservations during SDCC due to the demand being too high.  It's also worth mentioning the further out you're willing to walk, the less crowded restaurants are, and there are some solid spots past Market Street.

Even at Comic Con the greatest of enemies put their differences aside and have fun!

Doctor Octopus was hoping hoping the extra arms would nab him some extra swag!

TIP: When cosplaying, take weather and bathroom/meal breaks into account.  It is VERY hot in San Diego year-round and a heavy costume will only add to that heat.  If you need to sit for any reason, your costume should allow for an easy exit.

Didn't get much of a chance to explore the Petco Park Interactive Zone in 2024, but it looked bigger and cooler than the stripped down slop they presented last year!  Hopefully this year's offerings will bring the Zone back to its past glory.

Google Play brought a Ferris Wheel back to Comic Con for the first time since 2019!  I didn't go on it but people seemed to enjoy it more than the infamous Mr. Robot Ferris Wheel from 2016!

Star Trek and Doctor Who combined for a fun little popup museum on 5th Avenue showcasing props and costumes from both shows!

The Peanuts Museum celebrated A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving with life-size displays of Snoopy and Woodstock fixing up a feast that only Peppermint Patty would complain about.  Seriously, with diets like these, how the hell is it that Snoopy's brother Olaf is Peanuts' only fat character?  Those kids should all be on Rascal Scooters and have reaching claws!

Through some of the sheerest dumb luck I've ever had, I got into Paramount's The Lodge thanks to a very kind bystander with an extra ticket!  I don't know where that lady is now, but your kindness still humbles me.  Overall, it was a pretty cool experience.  Just wish their ticketing system was more fair.

TIP: There are MANY free offsites and activations offered throughout the weekend, a few even start before the con starts and run after it ends!  However, not all of them are simply walk-in and enjoy.  A few require reservations that fill up quick while others offer standby lines.  Some of these lines may last longer than the offsite's operating hours.  So, take into account the risk/reward factor of getting in line.

The Voodoo Ranger and Abbot Elementary...  Two iconic moments from SDCC 2024!

TIP: Because alcohol is served, the Voodoo Ranger is NOT a free experience.

Sucks being a Red Shirt...

Hilda cosplay!  How quirky!

TIP:  Be sure to wear comfortable, closed toe shoes!  You will be doing a LOT of walking on concrete and asphalt.  High heels and sandals are without question the WORST shoes you can wear!  Also, your feet WILL get stepped on!  It's nothing personal, just part of the risk of being in a building with close to 200,000 people inside and millions more outside of it trying to join in.

Well this doesn't seem too ominous!

A true hidden gem of SDCC 2024 was the Planet Of The Apes offsite!  I don't even like those movies and I came out of this with a greater appreciation of the series!  Well run, tolerable lines, air conditioning and a live hawk...  What more could you really want in an activation?

Abbot Elementary has seen a growing presence since the con returned in 2022, and Ava Fest certainly took that presence to a whole other level.  The lines actually went pretty quick and they gave out some nifty swag.  So, naturally, last year they screwed everything up with an asinine queuing system that just left people hot and bothered.

I still don't really know what The Bear is, but this activation was SDCC 2024's most popular offsite and also featured the most coveted swag of the con!  People were literally fighting each other over tee shirts rolled up like burritos!

TIP: Water and sunblock!  Bring PLENTY of both!  You will be in the sun a lot, especially if offsites are your primary focus, and it's gonna be hot outside, so hydrate properly in between lunchtime binges of soda and energy drinks!  And although the Convention Center won't put out coolers anymore unless clients order them, the surrounding hotels all have water coolers in the rooms and are okay with people refilling their bottles, especially the Marriott.

If only Orco could have cast a spell that would've made Mattel, Amazon and MGM better promote the Masters Of The Universe movie!  Then again, this is Orco we're talking about here.  He'd probably still find a way to screw it all up!

The Deadpool Unicorn Brigade.  It was a very hot day...

TIP: BE COURTEOUS!!!  Yes, it's hot, it's crowded and there are certain people there not being upstanding citizens, but you know what?  We're all in the same boat.  Sometimes, it is much easier to ignore a pest than it is to engage them.  And if they are really being that bad, there's about 1,000 overzealous police academy rejects working security that are more than happy sweep that pest out.  No jerk is worth losing your badge and going to jail over.  Just try to keep your cool and be patient when dealing with certain attendees.

Can't stress enough that you really don't need a badge to experience Comic Con.  There are literally five offsites in this picture behind the Convention Center alone!  Free for all!

Powerline stopped by to make sure everybody was seeing things Eye 2 Eye!

TIP: Bring a portable charger and cable!  Wall outlets are at a premium with that many people on hand!  Also, don't expect to be making too many phone calls or getting social media posts out as cell service is pretty spotty at SDCC due to the crowds and Convention Center WiFi is slow and terrible! 

Lastly, since Halloween is on deck after SDCC, I'll leave you with this little bit of nightmare fuel: A Walk-Around Rainbow Brite costume!  Seriously, how hard would it have been to find a few little blonde girls to dress up like Rainbow Brite and give them and their families weekend passes so they could switch out every few hours?  That suit above looks like the first demon to greet you at the gates of Hell!

And that was Comic Con 2024!  Hard as this may be to believe, I really don't remember too much of it. I was so busy in the weeks leading up to it that I've largely had to go back and look through pictures to try and piece things together.  It looks like I had a good time, so I'll just have to go with that!

And that's another week down in the CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN, but fear not!  The show may be over soon, but we ain't stopping 'til we got pics for this year, so keep coming back until we are done!  If you're heading to San Diego this weekend, be sure to say hi if you spot me!  I'll try my best to update y'all on Twitter and BlueSky as my cellular service will allow.  As of right now I'm not on any panels, but you never know?  I wasn't expecting to be at a booth either and last year, there I was!  Until next time, take care, stay safe and I'll see y'all at Comic Con!