COMIC CON 2019!!! ONE OF THE GREATEST EVER!!!

Welcome back my CRAZIES!!!  Comic Con 2019, or SDCC for those in the know, started two weeks ago this very day and actually ended a little over a week ago.  But we're finally covering it now and boy what a show it was!  With so many amazing things seen and experienced, it was a nearly impossible task to pick just a few photos to share this week!  Rest assured dear reader, more pics will be seen in the coming years, but for now, THIS was Comic Con!  Enjoy...

The fine folks at Funimation were back behind the Marriott again and knocked it out of the park with this year's version of the Dragon Ball World Tour offsite!  While not as ornately decorated as last year's offering, they did have WAY more activities this time around and also had a great scavenger hunt game that led to a fair amount of swag being passed out!  Definitely love the bag and lanyard I got!

The small grassy yard in front of the Omni Hotel has gotten an awful lot of usage in recent years with some surprisingly fun offsite activations, and 2019 was no exception!  The "Chilladelphia" carnival inspired by the DC film, Shazam, had long lines, but they went relatively quick as people played a host carnival games in an effort to win a foam lighting bolt finger.  Proud to say my nephew and I BOTH won them!

Anytime an OG like Cookie Monster comes to kick it, you know it's gonna be a good day! 

A family of Freddy's made the rounds upstairs at the Convention Center!  This was among my favorite cosplays of the Con! 

The Petco Park Interactive Zone was back at it again this year and considerably smaller than in years past.  Last year, they really blew things up by utilizing the entire lot and keeping it open longer.  This year, it not only reverted back to its original form, it was even smaller than in years past!  Hopefully next year they can expand once more.  Still, the experiences they did offer were worthwhile!  Ripley's had a used car lot of wacky, honest-to-God working cars on display.  Discovery Channel brought Sharkzilla back to promote Shark Week and destroy some stuff.  Pepsi had a giant unicorn pool floaty on display while Carpool Karaoke filmed actual show segments on the spot!  Probably the best part of the Interactive Zone though was the Gundam activation!  That was one of my favorite animes growing up, and it's a real trip to think the original series is now 40!  They had a really cool museum on display featuring toys and artwork and gave away some awesome collectors bags, without question my favorite swag of the entire Con!

The Keanu Brigade was there in full force on the streets of Downtown San Diego! 

It was a bit of a walk, but Legion M also put on a great offsite that I scored a TON of swag at!  In addition to the swag and a bar (not open though), they also had photo booths, phone charging stations and a handy and helpful cosplay repair station run by Spirit Halloween Retailers!  I know it's a bummer that summer's rapidly winding down, but Halloween is ALWAYS something to get excited about!  It's like a month-long Comic Con!  I can't wait until these shops start popping up at abandoned Blockbusters and Toys 'R' Us stores around San Diego!

Wednesday and Pugsley!  There was a LOT of Addams Family cosplay this year, which I'm always in favor of!  I loved the original show and the movies were straight brilliant!  Note to any cosplayers out there: If anyone wanted to dress up as Debbie or the Grangers, Becky and Gary, that'd be SOOOOO badass!

These Star Fleet officers weren't too happy about a Jedi trying to check out the Picard popup museum! 

Now THIS is awesome!  Wrestling cosplay is getting more popular at cons and I loved seeing this old school, WWF circa 1996 cosplay, though Mankind didn't start wearing the dress shirt and using Mr. Socko until 1998.  Totally dig the Goldust and Marlena cosplay.  A Paul Bearer cosplayer was the only thing missing here!

Amazon Prime went above and beyond this year!  Their offsite, which took over two weeks to build, was pretty insane, as the pic at the top of the blog no doubt shows!  The line to get in was relatively painless.  Both days I went, I got in in less than 30 minutes.  But the experiences inside were another story!  The Expanse activation took over three hours to do and nearly made me miss an autograph signing with Lisa Henson!  In all fairness though, that was on a Saturday when more people were able to go, as Amazon's offsite was open to all, badge or not.  The Carnival Row activation, however, went a bit more smoothly.  Early afternoon on Friday, people were still at work or school, so I got through the line in just over an hour.  And it was an interesting one!  The theming was amazing and the actors were really into it!  And now I can say I've seen a burlesque show starring a satyr and a pixie!  Not sure what kind of street cred that gives me, but hey!  It's an experience!

Another fun offsite was the Fox Fan Fair!  This activation had numerous games to play for prizes and even a Ferris wheel that stayed open later than most of the other activations in Downtown!  One of the highlights was watching these two college dudes really going at it on Connect Four.  I kid you not when I say these guys spent nearly 45 minutes trying to win! 

Well, that's one way to be fairest of them all! 

HALT!!! IT'S TURBO TIME!!!  Jingle All The Way is actually a halfway decent Christmas flick.  The opening's a spot-on parody of Power Rangers! 

After years of trying, I FINALLY got into the Adult Swim Carnival!  And my patience was rewarded by watching a Meeseeks ride a giant, mechanical hot dog while people watching threw foam hot dogs at him!  Why can't EVERY day be like this?!?

There's just something very meta about spotting Rainbow Brite in a frozen yogurt shop!  Still, I loves me some 80's cosplay!

It's the Juggernaut!  Some insane detail went into this costume.  Even the skin looked realistic! 

FARTMAN IS HERE!!!  Probably should've done a bit of censoring with this photo, but God damn is this hilarious!  The F lit up and yes, he had holes cut out in the back!  Hell, I'm old enough to remember Howard Stern doing this originally at the 1992 Video Music Awards! 

Somewhere, there's Star Wars fan fiction that totally depicts Prince as a Jedi! 

We close things out with the totally awesome booth that Netflix had setup for The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance!  I built the Fox booth this year which wasn't too far away from Netflix's space.  As I saw them putting up the walls then saw them bringing in the Skeksis puppet, I knew that I was gonna be doing this experience.  The wait was insanely long, almost three hours, but totally worth it! This show is gonna be amazing!  So thrilled that this story's being revisited!  The original film would've benefited from an additional hour, so to do this as a series, there's a real chance to do some world-building here!

And that was Comic Con 2019!  Well, sort of.  There was a LOT going on!  Bigger and better always seems to be the case every year, and they certainly delivered the goods this time around.  For the first time in a long time, I wasn't playing Uncle Dad this year, so I was largely on my own and I almost got to do everything there!  Despite pre-registering, I skipped the Brooklyn 99 offsite as the wait was as long as five hours and that's just plain ridiculous.  The Detective Pikachu offsite was another one I would've liked to have walked through, but the lines were just too long.  Also wish I could've checked out The Orville popup museum, but alas, time just wasn't gonna allow for it.  All in all though, SDCC was a big success for me this year and I certainly hope all who went had as much fun as I did.  Between the experiences, the swag, my purchases and meeting new pals while catching up with old ones...  I'll be talking about this one for years to come!  What does the future hold?  Who knows?  I recently sent in my paperwork to renew my professional status, so fingers crossed things will continue to work out.  Come what may, thanks again to all my wonderful friends for making this year's Comic Con among the best I've ever been too!

And so, that's a wrap on the CRAZY Comic Con Countdown 2019.  I hope y'all enjoyed the past two months of looking back on SDCC of years past.  It's always a joy to share these pics and hopefully, we'll be back next year too.  Next week, things return to normal with the return of the CRAZY art to get August off on the right foot, so be sure to come back and give it a look.  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

COMIC CON MAY BE OVER, BUT WE'RE STILL GOING!!!

And so it is that another Comic Con has passed.  And it was...  I don't know!  As of this typing, it hasn't even happened yet!  But if it's anything like past Cons, I've probably cocooned myself in my bed and won't emerge until August!  So rather than ramble on, let's just jump to Comic Con 2018 and keep the CRAZY Comic Con Countdown 2019 rolling, sound good?  Here are the pics!  Enjoy...

It's Dr. Roxxo, the Rock 'N' Roll Clown! YEAH YEAH YEAH!!! 

There's always celebrities to be found out and about during Comic Con! 

The Rick Mobile!  Just in time for Ricksgiving!  Portable popup shops are awesome! 

Me, my niece and her friend got interviewed for the local CBS affiliate!  And then they only used footage of me for some reason!  I guess this guy never got the memo that cute kids should win out!

I realize the caution tape is necessary, but it totally kills the illusion of 5th Ave! 

Kane took a break from his Mayoral duties to come to Comic Con! 

Go-Go Gadget Comic Con Badge! 

These two are VERY excited about the new Netflix show! 

This always looked so much easier on TV! 

Cosplay Boxers! 

OOOOOOOH YEEEEEEEAH!!! 

There boots were made for walking. 

Nice to see the Average Joes got the right uniforms this time! 

The Cosplay sensation that started it all: Cholo Thanos!  There were some very creative and inspired cosplay entries last year and this one was definitely in my Top 5!  She (Yup, it was a girl under the makeup) even inspired copycat cosplayers!  We now have cosplay of cosplayers!

And that was Comic Con 2018!  One of the best shows I'd had in a while, I scored some great swag and exclusives last year and saw LOTS of incredible costumes!  Down year for offsites, but hopefully those'll return to form this year.  Also had some killer foot pain after this one, but that's fixed now too!  I've said it many times and I'll say it again here: WHERE PROPER SHOES TO THESE THINGS!!!  And that includes proper insoles!  They make a world of difference!

That's a wrap for this week!  We'll be back next time with a look at this year's show and to finish up this year's edition of the CRAZY Comic Con Countdown!  So be sure to come back for the proper sendoff!  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

COMIC CON 2019 IS HERE!!!

It's survival in the city...

When you live from day to day...

City streets don't have much pity...

When yer down that's where you staaaaaay...

Sorry CRAZIES, but this year's Comic Con splash just really put me in a Joe Walsh kind of mood!  The big day is upon us folks!  Well, it's actually on Wednesday, but given that the chaos of the Con will be kicking in sometime around 1pm that day, I figured it'd be wise to post early so folks will have a chance to relive and relearn.

But yes!  This week is in fact the kickoff of Comic Con 2019!  We've waited all year for the show of shows and now we can finally let our fan instincts off the leash!  As I post pics today, I'll offer handy tips as I have in the past whenever relevant.  To distinguish, a bold TIP: icon will appear in its own paragraph.  Well, now that that's been said, tighten the caps on those Code Red Mountain Dew bottles, polish up those vintage GI Joe action figures and hold on to your Batman Underoos because the CRAZY Comic Con Countdown 2019 is locked, loaded and heading back to Comic Con 2017!  Enjoy...

The Mattel booth!  2017 saw it get a major upgrade in terms of layout and appearance.  Although it's displays are now much bigger and very impressive, the original booth was much more open and easier to navigate.  Still, they had a great slate of toys ready for the coming fall and winter movies they were promoting.

TIP: Mattel and Hasbro are among Comic Con's most demoralizing lines after Hall H and Ballroom 20.  However, if you're patient and don't have hopes too high, there is one way to get in without getting one of those coveted raffle tickets.  By Friday evening, most of the really big ticket items sell out and because of that, the lines practically disappear.  In Mattel's case, I've even walked in on Thursday evening and had luck!  Point is, keep a close eye out every afternoon between 4pm-7pm.  You just might get in and you just might get the exclusive you want. 

 Where's the Dude and Walter when you need them?

Hello there children! South Park just hasn't been the same without Chef. 

After a down year in 2016, the Petco Park Interactive Zone returned with a purpose in 2017 and delivered big!  The Ice Cream Citadel was a pretty amazing experience.  Not only did they give us free ice cream, they even gave us a few minutes to stand inside the near-freezing citadel for a minutes and escape the blazing temperatures outside!

TIP: As I've said many times over the years, you don't need a pass to enjoy Comic Con.  There's PLENTY of free events going on outside that can easily lead into an entire week's worth of entertainment for anyone!  The Petco Park Interactive Zone is the biggest of these free events and is also a great spot to see some cosplay!

Hotels aren't the only ones that get in on the wraparound act.  The trolleys do too!  And this year, Conan took total control!

TIP: Parking is crap in Downtown San Diego even when there ISN'T a major show happening.  Easiest and cheapest way around this problem is the Trolley.  They pick up all over the county and drop off at two very convenient spots: 12th and Imperial and the Gaslamp Quarter.

TIP: Conan O'Brien is coming back this year!  While the tickets are free, it's a raffle system similar to how you get Comic Con badges, so, don't get your hopes up!

ROCKOOOOOOOO!!!  All-time favorite Nicktoon! 

The Alien Covenant booth.  I was setting up the Hasbro Booth while the Fox crew set this one up.  They left the doors open while testing things and scared the hell out of a few poor cleaning ladies that were walking by and didn't know the monitors were on!

TIP: Many booths offer walk-through experiences like the one above.  Some lines are longer than others, depending on how cool the experience actually is.  It should also be noted that not all these experiences are age appropriate!  Though the folks at Fox had no trouble letting six-year-olds into the trailer, their parents sure weren't too thrilled when they walked out with screaming kids afterwords.  Moral of the story?  Use common sense before getting in a line.  This isn't Disneyland, there aren't warning signs! 

The Kong: Skull Island offsite!  At least the Monsterverse had one decent movie in it! 

The infamous Amazon offsite.  Packed, poorly run and frustrating beyond belief.  Fans AND The Tick deserved better!

TIP: Offsites in recent years have seen a bit of a down turn in proper handling.  Lines have gotten longer so be aware that you could be waiting in a line for an entire day and still not get to experience what it was you were hoping to do. 

The Master would approve, Torgo! 

Aaaaaaaaalrighty then!

TIP: Cosplay is a fun way to meet folks and break ice.  For those looking to try it for the first time, don't be afraid to give an obscure character a try!  Those tend to get a LOT of attention!  Also, always ask first before taking a picture.  Yes, it's a given that merely showing up to Comic Con pretty much means permission is granted, but it's still a polite thing to do. 

Given that no one is allowed on the top of the Entertainment Earth booth, there's a decent chance that might actually be Paul Stanley.

TIP: Plenty of celebrities roam the floor in street clothes and without security entourages.  If you come across one, don't call attention to them.  They're just fans like the rest of us trying to have fun and would probably still be happy to take a selfie with you, possibly even more so because you treated them normally! 

What're you lookin' at, butthead?!? 

Pepsi really sheered out a lot to make the Petco Park Interactive Zone THE event of the Con!  The one thing they didn't spend money on?  A permit to sell food!  They got busted on the fist day and could only give out sodas and ice cream for the rest of the weekend!

TIP: Despite Pepsi's folly, plenty of other food trucks in the Interactive Zone DO have their paperwork in order and can sell food!  The prices are fairly reasonable and there's a good variety of choices.  Some of them, like the Hello Kitty truck, even offer exclusives! 

Justice League had many pros and cons, but I do feel that Ezra Miller made a great Flash!

TIP: It gets insanely hot in San Diego during Comic Con.  If you're gonna dress up, really make an effort to use lightweight materials.  Some cosplayers even work in tubing systems that allow cold water to be poured in and control the temperature!

Doofus Rick! 

Amen brother! 

The Adult Swim Carnival!  Provided it's back this year, I hope to FINALLY get to check it out!

With NerdHQ gone, the SyFy Channel has really stepped up in bringing the fun to the streets for all to enjoy!  In addition to the Trivia Trolley, they also do a double decker Karaoke Bus!

TIP: With 5th Avenue shut down for several blocks, the streets are open for all sorts of activities.  If you're looking to score some great swag or get cosplay pics, hang around 5th Ave between Harbor and G Street and you won't be disappointed.  The SyFy crew is always on the prowl!

David the Gnome Cosplay!  Maybe this year we'll finally get some Pinwheel costumes!

And that was Comic Con 2017!  It was a pretty insane week!  So much went down, it really is hard to keep track of everything!  It was another one that was hard on the feet, but I pulled through and really had some great experiences.  Also a phenomenal year for cosplay too!  Just gets me even more excited for Wednesday!

Well, that's all for now, but before we go, here's a few final tips:

TIP: Drink LOTS of water and bring a refillable water bottle.  All the Convention Center and hotel meeting rooms have have water coolers and are constantly being refilled.  They are there for your benefit so take advantage!

TIP: Where sunblock and re-block every few hours, especially if you're doing the offsites.  It gets hot and sunburns aren't fun!

TIP: Wear REAL shoes with good arch support!  You're gonna be doing a LOT of walking and standing over the weekend!  There are also over 100,000 people coming to this event.  Feet are going to get stepped on, it can't be helped!  Sandals, high heels, slippers...  You may as well just let a car run over your foot in advance!

TIP: Bring cash!  Not all booths accept credit cards and even the ones that do don't often have very reliable internet due to the Convention Center's spotty WiFi.  And speaking of tech, bring a portable charger.  Your phone's gonna need it!

TIP: Be hygienic!  Shower ever day and use deodorant!  Seriously, it only takes a few moments and your fellow attendees will appreciate it!

TIP: Finally, be courteous to others.  It's hot, it's crowded, things we wanna do we likely won't get to.  It's easy for tempers to flair.  But if we all just keep calm, be understanding and let cooler heads prevail, there's no reason we can't all have a good time.  And if someone is causing trouble, just report them!  Believe me, security at Comic Con is VERY overzealous and itching for action!  No jerk is worth losing your badge over!

And with that, I'll see y'all there!  With any luck, I'll have phone service in the building, so keep an eye on my Twitter (@JonsCrazyTweets) for updates!  Until then, have a fun, happy and safe Comic Con and I'll catch y'all later!