COMIC CON 2022: THE RETURN!!!

WELCOME BACK CRAZIES!!!  TWO!!!  TWO WEEKS AWAY FROM COMIC CON!!!  AH HA HA!!!  Alright, alright, we all gotta settle down here.  We are officially into crunch time as announcements are getting more frequent!  Some big names and panels have already been announced as have some of the offsites!  It's all so exciting, isn't it?  But, we still got a wait ahead of us, so why not enjoy some past Comic Con fun to tie us over until the big day comes?

We're heading back to the year 2022, a real crossroads for SDCC as the world was only just starting to return to normal after the horrible pandemic.  It was the first time since 2019 that the con had been held and people were eager to hit the aisles again!  So, cap up those Code Red Mountain Dews and hold on tight because the CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN is coming fast!  Enjoy..

This Vulture cosplayer found a unique way to follow the Convention Center's mask policy that weekend: Work the mask into his costume!

Hey hey!  It's Uncle Murph cosplay!  A whole generation of kids grew up with this guy on XETV Channel 6, then the local FOX affiliate in San Diego.  From 1990-1998, he was a fixture of local TV and when we heard that famous battle cry "CHANEL SIX-A-ROONIE!!!', we all knew it was time for cartoons and Power Rangers to start!

Offsites weren't a very big part of Comic Con in 2022.  Though outbreaks had slowed significantly and were practically nonexistent by the holidays, Covid was still very much a threat during the summer, so many of the producers of the popular offsite activations either scaled down or skipped the show altogether.  However, that just meant an uptick in building advertisements!  Many of which I've come to learn are illegally placed but the buildings put them up anyway due to the fines being mere pocket change to them considering the publicity they're getting!

The Fox/Disney booth!  My new home away from home during Comic Con load-in!  For many years, I had a pretty solid gig doing lights and monitors for the Hasbro booths, but they've cut down a LOT since Comic Con returned.  Luckily, in 2019 I made such a good impression on the dudes at the Fox booth that they inquired if I had survived the pandemic!  When my boss alerted them that I had, they brought me back!  And it's been happy times ever since setting up their video walls!  For three years now, they've claimed the booth is gonna get redesigned.  We'll see in a couple of weeks if they make good on that promise this year!

It just wouldn't be Comic Con without the Trolleys getting wrapped up!

Does this show even come on still?

One of the biggest shockers going into SDCC 2022 was the rather sudden announcement that the legendary Sideshow Collectibles booth wasn't coming back.  A true staple of the con, many fans were heartbroken over the news.  Boom Studios, who always bordered Sideshow, expanded their booth, but were hardly a replacement.  It's gonna be very interesting in a couple of weeks when Sideshow returns after a seven year hiatus!  Will they have their old spot back?  Is Boom getting shafted?  We'll find out in a couple of weeks!

As I said earlier, the offsites were not a big part of the show in 2022, but some still did happen, albeit on a much smaller scale, like the Petco Park Interactive Zone.  Sadly, the Zone has continued shrinking every year since.

Sorry Angelica.  I don't think that Cynthia doll is mint condition.

I have no clue what this was for, but it had a long line and folks seemed to enjoy it.  One of the few offsites that seemed to throw caution to the wind that year, along with the awesome Dungeons & Dragons tavern!

FX was all too happy to return and give folks nightmares with their giant advertisement for American Horror Story!  And if you think that sign is creepy, you should've seen the maze they set up!

So thankful that America's Ass was out on patrol that weekend!

Nintendo spared no expense building a giant Lego statue of Bowser for their booth!

Lastly, we'll end this week's post with this insanely movie-accurate cosplay of the Penguin from Batman Returns!  This poor soul could not have been comfortable in that San Diego heat, but he totally crushed it as Oswald!

And that was Comic Con 2022.  As I stated earlier, a very unique year in the show's history.  Having already been sold out since 2019, it was actually not heavily attended.  People were still very wary about the pandemic, despite things having improved drastically.  It didn't help that Hollywood was having issues of its own at the time that would come to a head a year later, but that's a story for another time, particularly next week.  Despite the unease, it was still nice to get out and cruise the aisles again.  What made it all even better was that my nephew Lucas hung out with me for a couple of days, getting some quality bonding time in with my ride bud while he was still young enough to think I was cool!

Well, that's all for now, but as you well know, the CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN goes until we got pics from 2026 to post, and that's still a few weeks out!  So be sure to come back next week as we explore what Comic Con 2023 had to offer!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

WELCOME TO JULY!!! AND MORE COMIC CON BLISS!!!

 

Welcome to July CRAZIES!!!  And a Happy Canada Day to all my wonderful Canadian CRAZIES!!!  We're a few days off from our own Independence Day and I've celebrated a few times by heading to the San Diego County Fair for some deliciously unhealthy food!  It's all good though.  I made sure to get my steps in those days!  The Fair may be ending this weekend, but there's something else on the horizon that will help me get over it quick: COMIC CON!!!  What?  You thought I wouldn't bring it up this week?  We're in it deep now!  We gotta see it through!  So let's cut the jibber jabber and get to the pics!

Time?  July 2019.  Place?  San Diego Convention Center.  Slather up the sunscreen and hoist up those shorts because the CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN is a go!

Oh my word! The party can really get started now that Ruby Rhod is here to host a live episode of Radio Cosmos at SDCC!

Stinger's here!  And he's...  Wait, I'm being told that's actually The Crow.  My bad.

2019 was easily the year of Amazon Prime.  They spent nearly a month building this massive offsite in a parking lot across the street on 1st Avenue and boy did they nail it!  Nothing was gonna top the experiences they delivered.  Maybe that's why Amazon hasn't been back since?

Fox Broadcasting offered a nice little carnival setup in the park near the Children's Museum.  Lots of cool swag, some fun games and a ferris wheel that was free for all, badge or not!  Sadly, I didn't have time to ride it, but it was cool to see it spin with Downtown San Diego as its backdrop.

2019 was a big year for Gundam as the classic anime series celebrated its 40th Anniversary installations setup all around the COMIC CON campus.  This particular activation was at the Petco Park Interactive Zone.

Akatsuki vs. Stormtroopers...  My money's on the guys that AREN'T bad shots!

It just ain't SDCC without making friends with at least one junebug.  By the way, Crunchyroll were the ones passing out weed dispensary wristbands for their activation!  But more on that later.

Hello neighbor!

"Dick Tracy to headquarters!  My movie deserves more credit than it currently gets!"

The SyFy Trivial Peddle Bar...  God I miss the SyFy Channel's street teams!  They totally made COMIC CON every year!

For the first and possibly only time ever, Hamilton cosplay!

Never bite the hand that feeds!  Or the finger that picks!

So my nephew, Dante Jr, and I took part in a pin quest that Crunchyroll was hosting in the Convention Center.  If you collected all four pins, you were rewarded with a challenge coin and a wristband for entry into their exclusive lounge!  The wristband had been left over from a weed dispensary and in the end, we went, played a few games and then got tossed into a pit full of un-sanitized teddy bears.  Is it any wonder I got pneumonia the day after SDCC ended that year!

And finally, we'll end this week with the greatest hero of them all: FARTMAN!!!  Smell that?  That's justice!  That or a bean burrito!

And that was COMIC CON 2019!  Easily one of my five best con experiences!  It was the last one pre-Covid, and would also be the last one until 2022 when the pandemic finally cleared up.  We did't know what was on the horizon.  Having had such a good time at the 2019 show made the 2020 and 2021 cancelations all the more bitter.  Thankfully, we've had good years at SDCC since.

And that's all for this first week of July, but more past COMIC CON fun is coming, so stay tuned!  Have a happy and SAFE 4th of July CRAZIES.  Leave the fireworks to the pros.  In addition to personal safety, stray explosives can cause wildfires too, and those are pretty awful.  Until next time, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

JUNE GLOOM LEADS TO COMIC CON BLOOMS!!!

 

WE'RE BAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!  That's right CRAZIES, it's a new week which means it's a  new post that just so happens to coincide with the end of the month.  Don't be sad that June is over.  Be happy that COMIC CON is that much closer!  I know we're all getting pretty excited here, so I'm just gonna jump right into the pics!

We've landed in the year 2018 thanks to the Wayback Machine and I am finishing up my adobada street tacos at Lolitas as I get ready to head to the convention center.  Swab up your Old Spice CRAZIES, because the CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN is on!

My niece, Kristen, proudly sports her watermelon armor and sword as she poses with the Asgardians!

2018 was the debut year of the Dragonball Experience behind the Marriott Marquee!  A lot of us were heartbroken that it didn't come back last year after five great cons.  Due to certain policies, Toei, Bandai and Crunchy Roll couldn't afford to ship the props out, despite having had the space reserved for over a year.  They did retain their deposit on the space, so there is hope for this year at least for a return.  I guess we'll have to wait and see...

The Laika Experience at the old Dick's Last Resort building.  It was a pretty cool experience that started well over a week before SDCC, so it was nice to get a head start on some offsite fun!

Catra and Hordak.  They just don't make villains like them anymore!

The Petco Park Interactive Zone expanded into the Experience At Petco Park!  And expand they did as nearly the entire lot was used and it even had nighttime programming for the first time!  Sadly, they'd revert back to the old Zone the following year and have shrunk ever since.

These princesses know what a real hero looks like, and it ain't Prince Charming!

COBRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

Ms. Frizzle was there and ready to lead her class on another unauthorized and potentially dangerous field trip with a group of minors!

Admittedly, I was never a fan of Courage The Cowardly Dog, but this is a great cosplay!

Before the Peanuts gang claimed this space as their annual popup museum, the boys from South Park were raising all sorts of hell in the building!

WOOOOOOOOO!!!  Ol' Nature Boy's a little on the wild side these days, but in his prime he was the good kind of crazy!

Who wouldn't want Dot Matrix's mask from Spaceballs?  I actually worked with Lorene Yarnell once at a show in Escondido, and she really was just the dearest, sweetest lady.

GO GO GADGET AIR CONDITIONING!!!  It was too hot for a trench coat that weekend, but Inspector Gadget suffered anyway so that we could be entertained by his antics!

And lastly, we'll end things this month with a sight I hadn't seen in 25 years: The Rock-Afire Explosion performing in San Diego!  Google them if you don't know, but back in the day, if you had a birthday at a joint that had a Rock-Afire band at it, your playground cred skyrocketed!  Imagine my shock as I was setting up the Hasbro booth when I looked across the aisle and saw a Deadpool animatronic being set up with Fats Geronimo, Mitsy Mozzarella and Billy Bob?!?

And that was COMIC CON 2018!  Had a blast at this show!  Saw and did so much, with the real highlight being my niece proudly walking around in the watermelon armor I built for her.  She even made it on the Jim Jeffries Show show on Comedy Central!  Definitely a show for the ages!

And that's a wrap on the month of June, but don't worry.  We got plenty more coming and will kickoff July the proper way as the CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN continues into the new month!  Until next time, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

THE CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOW: MAKING THE OLD NEW AGAIN!!!

 

Welcome back CRAZIES!!!  We are past the halfway point of June and that much closer to COMIC CON 2026!!!  I know it's a long wait, but thankfully, there are other things to keep us preoccupied while we late, like posts about COMIC CON!!!  So why don't we jump right in, shall we?

The Wayback Machine's dial is spinning uncontrollably here, but it seems to have finally settled of the year 2017, which makes perfect sense as we went to 2016 last week!  Put down that Cheeto dust encrusted Playstation controller and hold on tight, because the CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN is a go!

Here's another rare sight not often seen by casual attendees: Hall H in the buff!  I've Hall H's evolution from simple to intense to sheer spectacle over the decades.  It's insane to see the levels it's reached from its relatively humble origins

Tin Fish Square in the Gaslamp Quarter gets the NBC treatment!  Although there were still activations last year, it was downright shocking to many that NBC weren't the sponsors.  They practically owned the space they ran it for so long!

A pretty cool walk-thru activation for the theatrical release of Kong: Skull Island!

Can't be easy running an offsite activation for a show you know is going fail...

A lot can be said about the DCEU both good and bad, but I think we can all agree that Ben Affleck's Batman was definitely among the highlights.

Nickelodeon put out a call for a massive Hey Arnold cosplay photoshoot, and these girls were all that showed up.  I don't think this is an indictment on the show's lasting legacy as much as it is an indictment on Nickelodeon for hiding all their beloved old IP's to the point that people are forgetting them and new audiences can't rediscover them!

Even Superman gets tired of flying at some point.

The beloved and much missed Gentle Giant booth.  Though technically still present as part of the newer Jazzwares booth, the new company just doesn't compare.

A certain group of folks who don't enjoy comics and movies took to the streets and began harassing folks Downtown.  Unfortunately for them, they didn't count on the Hip Hop Stormtrooper and his pals showing up to upstage them and make them look foolish!

They got into a lot of trouble because they got high...

The beginning of the end for the Nintendo Lounge.  This was the year they started doing reservation-only and it just jammed things up.

Modern MST3K has been a mixed bag as best, but Joel Hodgson will ALWAYS be the man to me!

I don't even wanna know how Tyrone Biggums got Wonder Woman's shield!

And finally, we'll end this week with Deadpool, who apparently was the original Brony!

And that was Comic Con 2017!  This one's becoming more of a blur now sadly, but I do believe it was a fun show.  Lots of cool cosplay and I definitely snagged some cool exclusives.  Sometimes not being able to remember much has its positives.  If I can't remember anything bad happening, then it must not have!

Another week down as we head towards July, but don't fret!  We'll be back next week with more past COMIC CON action to close out June properly with the CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN!!!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!