THE CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN PLOWS THROUGH 2015!!!

 

We have come to it at last... The end of June!  What?  After all these years did you NOT think I wouldn't do another blog ending fake-out joke?  For shame CRAZIES!!!  But it's all good!  With June ending, that just means we are even CLOSER now to SDCC!  Rather than drag this on further, how's about we just roll on into the post?

The year is 2015, and all systems are go for a return to the San Diego Convention Center!  Hold on to your foam Cosplay armor!  The CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN is on!  Enjoy...

First up is a sentimental pick for me.  Those two tykes are my niece and nephew, Kristen and Dante, Jr.  They've been a part of the con experience with me for many years.  Dante graduated high school two years ago while Kristen graduated this month.  They're all grown up now so it's with a misty eye I look at this pic of us in younger years having fun at the Peanuts activation at the Petco Park Interactive one that year.

So THAT'S the kind of shrubbery he wanted!

The Dwarves of the Iron Hills don't mess around!

And here I'd always heard that George Lucas was super shy!

These Avengers were so stoked that Lego got the Marvel license away from Mega Bloks!

One of the cooler offsites was one that only a select few got to check out that year: Skeletor's Lair!  At the Mattel booth, they had a volunteer asking people who walked by if they knew what Skeletor's real name was.  When they asked me, it was so casual I literally thought the girl who asked just wanted to know, so I said "Keldor,' which it is.  She smiled and handed me a token and an address and boy I wasn't disappointed!  Though the walk was insanely long!  I still have the token and even bought a Mossman Chia Pet!

The Petco Park Interactive Zone did not disappoint that year, with sweet activations, an impromptu cosplay contest and even a drop tower ride that they rented from the San Diego County Fair that had recently ended the week before!

Not to be outdone, the FX Zone at Hilton Park also made their presence know outside of the con!

This is without question one of the best cosplays I've ever seen!  I loves me some obscure cosplay and it's hard to top The Brave Little Toaster!

Never fear folks!  The ambulance is just there as a precaution (Though they have been used at the show before sadly) and the crowd was merely being moved from Hall H to the Pops Site behind the Convention Center for an exclusive concert of Star Wars music after the Star Wars: Ep VII panel!

The Turtles were incognito that year!

My niece just couldn't wait to get a slice of that sentient cupcake!

Nothing like some failed movie hype!

Lastly, since wrestling cosplay is also awesome, here's Andre the Giant!

And that was Comic Con 2015!  A great year and a great show!  All sorts of awesome cosplay, some great offsite activations, even the swag seemed above average that year!  About the only bad thing that happened was a damn bee stung me while I was reaching into my bag, but it was dealt with swiftly!  These things happen sometimes.

And that's a wrap on June 2022!  We'll be back next week to kickoff July on the right foot with even more SDCC madness as the CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN marches on!  So be sure to come back!  In the meantime, take care and stay especially safe this weekend.  It's the 4th of July folks, so really resist the urge to put on your own fireworks display.  Plenty of professionals provide great shows for free!  Catch y'all later!

THE CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN CONTINUES!!! TO 2014!!!

We are back!  Again!  And less than a month away from the biggest show in the world: SAN DIEGO COMIC CON!!!  Yes, excitement is really picking up as we inch closer to the first REAL SDCC in three years!  But first, there's another event making its return after three long years.  Which show you ask?  Scroll down and see!

Just like SDCC, HeroesCon in Charlotte, NC is also making its long awaited return to the con circuit, and with it, the Team Cul De Sac art auction!  As I mentioned last week, this very worthy cause is back and looking to raise money to help find a cure for Parkinson's disease.  Parkinson's affects all of us.  It doesn't discriminate, it doesnt pick and choose.  ANYONE is fair game with this disease and if we can find a cure,  then we all benefit!  So if you're going to HeroesCon this weekend, make sure to check out the art auction! In addition to the piece above, already framed I might add, there will be dozens of other items up for bidding by artists from all over, including legends like Sergio Aragones!  So don't miss out on your chance to own some original CRAZY art and give Parkinson's a swift kick in the ass while you're at it!  For more info, click the link at the top of the paragraph!

And now, it is that time again.  The year is 2014.  The place is San Diego.  The event is Comic Con.  I think y'all know what's next!  Keep a tight grip on that bag of Flaming Hot Cheetos because the CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN is a go!  Enjoy...

Not too many of the offsites had/have nighttime events, but the former Xbox Lounge at the Hyatt stayed open until 9pm and also had photo ops outside of the hotel for all to enjoy, like this monster from a game whose name escapes me at the moment! (Author's Note: After a fiasco at the Hard Rock Hotel in 2013, the Xbox Lounge moved to the Manchester Grand Hyatt and became an event open only to SCDD badge holders)

As I said last week, ad space is at a premium during Comic Con.  In addition to the buildings, trolleys, busses and sidewalks, even the sky is up for sale during this show!

Off in the distance, the Nickelodeon booth!  In recent years, Nick has done a great job of marketing their past onto tacky merchandise.  Too bad they refuse to listen the audience and market these shows on their actual networks and streaming service!  There's so much money waiting to be made off these old shows that people want to see again!

What part of the Labyrinth did they find him in?

Things are getting a little jenky over in Townsville!

WAAAAAAY off in the distance there, the legendary Assassin's Creed Parkour Challenge Course!  They had this set up for a few years along the MLK Promenade in Downtown, and it was always a blast to see it in action.  Many tried but few succeeded in finishing the whole thing.  The real highlight though were the two guys who dressed as Mario and Luigi and actually managed to run the table and make it through!

You don't see too much Gollum cosplay at cons, but when you do, it DEFINITELY ain't the Rankin/Bass version of the character!  bonus points for going with obscurity!

He ain't Gorilla Grod.  This guy literally just crawled around in an ape suit!

I don't remember what this was for exactly, but it looked really cool!

Behind the Convention Center, WB set up a small Godzilla offsite promoting the movie which had come out two months prior.  Needless to say, the lines weren't long for this one!

One attendee let their feelings be known about Godzilla 2014's noticeable lack of Godzilla in the movie!

Burt is such a helpful chap!  You should've seen the bathrooms BEFORE he took care of things!

The water feature in front of the Marriott isn't usually used for photo ops, but even they couldn't resist these awesome Avatar cosplayers!

We end today's post in Hall H!  It was the first time since 2009 that I'd been able to see a panel in their and boy was it a doozy: The Warner Bros Panel!  They have historically always kicked off Saturday in Hall H and 2014 didn't disappoint!  It started with the Mad Max: Fury Road that featured Chris Hardwick throwing a sick burn on some douche who actually tried to troll George Miller during the Q&A session.  Next we were surprised by Zack Snyder who showed us the first footage of Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn Of Justice and then immediately introduced Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman!  They topped it off with the The Hobbit panel which also didn't disappoint!  It was an amazing time for sure and I haven't tried to get into Hall H since!

And that was Comic Con 2014!  My first SDCC in my 30's was fun but not without some controversy on the work side off things going in, but I won't bore you with details of water long under the bridge.  The show was a lot of fun and it had some really cool offsites that year.  All in all, it was one for the books!

Speaking of books, another chapter's in!  We got one more week of June here and I promise we'll end the month on a high note. I mean, we're in the middle of the CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN here!  How can we not?  So be sure to come back next week!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

THE CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN!!! CRAZY LUCKY NUMBER 2013!!!

Another week in and the CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN takes us quite literally to the middle of June already!  Where does all the time go?  Probably to the San Diego County Fair!  It's back and all about heroes this year!  Speaking of heroes, there's something very special going on in Charlotte, NC in a couple of weeks that I'd like to talk about for a moment if you'll just scroll down a bit...

For quite some time now, Chris Sparks over at Team Cup De Sac has been putting on an art auction at HeroesCon in Charlotte to help benefit the fight against Parkinson's disease in honor of his friend, the late Richard Thompson, the extraordinary cartoonist behind the brilliant comic strip, Cul de Sac.  Thompson was an incredible artist and writer and his series was hands down one of the all-time greats.  It broke my heart when he had to retire and stop the comic and it hurt even more when he succumbed to the illness several years back.  Since 2016, I've been donating art to the cause, though these last couple of years I couldn't get anything in because the auction and convention couldn't be held due to COVID.  Things are finally looking up now though, and the auction WILL happen on June 24th, so if you're gonna be in Charlotte and plan on attending, here's your chance to own a piece of original, CRAZY art!  All proceeds benefit Parkinson's research, so not only will you get a chance to take some CRAZY home with you, you will also get the satisfaction of saying that you helped deliver the final boot to the ass of Parkinson's disease once and for all!  Foe more info, click the link at the top of the paragraph!

And now, we hop from one coast to another as we prepare to head back to 2013 and visit a Comic Con from the not-too-distant past!  Yank the strap of your underoos off of your forehead and brace yourself!  The CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN is a go!  Enjoy... 

The Ice King saw all in this massive booth that Cartoon Network had set up in the exhibit hall with a photo op inside!  I went in and got my picture taken, but they never sent it to me.  Cheap bastards!

Was honored to be invited to take part in the Hero Initiative's Drink-N-Draw event that saw dozens of cartoonists add their characters to a giant wall.  And look who decided to hangout right next to Mike & Mindy: RAPHAEL!!!  When I went back later to see how the wall was coming, I got the surprise of a lifetime when I saw none other than Kevin Eastman himself had drawn his famed turtle next to my tiny tykes!  Was a very humbling moment for sure!

GO GO POWER RANGERS!!!  This year, some one needs to broaden things and do some VR Troopers cosplay!

The legendary and much missed Xbox Lounge.  This would be its last year at the Hard Rock before moving to the much larger, and more professional Manchester Grand Hyatt.  Although it wouldn't last, the move was definitely a huge upgrade.

The Ender's Game offsite!  I actually did get to take part in this one and it was pretty cool.  Have still never seen the movie and have no idea what it's about, but the offsite was fun at least!

Ad space is at a premium at SDCC, even the sidewalks can be bought and marketed!

Tin Fish Square is the site of two SDCC traditions: The NBC takeover and those jolly, fun-loving souls from a certain church reminding us about how immoral SDCC is while acting immoral themselves.

Es el Doctor Quien!

This is a pretty badass Loki cosplay!  Totally looks like him!

Some sweet family cosplay at the hotel tram stop!

Mega Books was always there for those who couldn't afford Legos!

See?  Darth Vader did do SOME honorable things after turning to the dark side.  Not many, but some!

These guys know where the Star Wars fan tables are!

We'll end this week with a bitchin' ride: A custom Wolverine street bike!  In addition to cosplay and swag, the streets of Downtown San Diego are also awesome spots to see some really slick vehicles during Comic Con!

And that was Comic Con 2013!  A fun year that once again ran the table for me as I set it up, went to it and took it down!  Lot's of cool things went down that year.  Hard to believe how long it's been already.  It was also among the first years I had both my brother's kids with me most of the time.  Not always easy to wrangle up two kids hawked up on sugar and toy lust, but I managed!  They'd only get wilder with age!

That's a wrap for this week but fear not!  We got a LOT of past SDCC fun surfacing in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!  Until next time, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

THE CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN: ONWARD AND OUT TO 2012!!!

 

Welcome back CRAZIES!!!  We are less than two months away from the big shindig known as San Diego Comic Con, or SDCC as those on social media call it.  With so much to see and do, one post simply can't cover it all.  Seriously, this is like the ninth post I've done on this particular year alone since the blog started!  What can I say?  I take a LOT of pics when I'm at cons!  But that's neither here nor there.  It's time revisit a con from the not-so-recent past again, as we dial back a full decade to the year 2012!  (Jesus has it really been that long already?!?)  The world didn't end that year, but Comic Con sure happened and it was great!  So strap in and put the lids back on your Slurpees because the CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN is on!  Enjoy...

A rare behind the scenes look is offered up here on a load-in day.  It was the year that The Hobbit trilogy started, so Weta Workshop had a lot of goodies set up in their booth, including the trolls that eventually turn to stone.  This was the first year I started setting up video walls and lights for SDCC, and it was an amazing experience.  After years of being jerked around, I'd finally found my niche at my job and I've been at it ever since!  I didn't set up this particular booth, but was just across the aisle at the Walking Dead booth where I'd hung the lights (And sliced finger pretty good too!) and the guys at Weta were kind enough to let us take pics.  It goes without saying that if you ever do get lucky enough to be in the exhibit hall during setup, ALWAYS ask first before pulling out your camera.  Besides being a common courtesy, many of these booths are saving their best for when the doors open and don't want spoilers.

Finn and Fiona!  For about four years, you couldn't go to ANY con without their being about five dozen Finns and Fionas!  Lumpy Space Princess was another popular Adventure Time cosplay.

The legendary Fox booth!  2019 was the year I finally got to set this one up and thank God they FINALLY switched to almost all LED walls for this one!  It simplifies things a lot, but in 2012, it was all LCD monitors and it was a pain in the ass!  My buddy Nate had to actually climb inside the truss and clamp the monitors in from behind as he was the only one of us skinny enough to fit inside!  Never a dull moment at my job!

Leave it to MAD Magazine to accurately depict the general consensus on the Watchmen movie!

It's pretty much an attendee requirement at this point to always get a shot of the SDCC Eye logo peering through one of the circle supports.

Just wouldn't be a post about SDCC 2012 without reminding everyone that the infamous Dawn Of The Con party was a HUGE letdown.  It wasn't so much the atmosphere sucked.  In fact, they had some damn impressive activations and photo ops even.  It was largely in how it was run.  None of these guys seemed to have a clue how to handle such an event.  They were charging $10 for bottles of Kirkland brand water and the supposed celebrity guests either no-showed or were gone as soon as they came, with "Host" Rob Zombie being the most blatant offender here.  That they never did the "Dawn OF The Con" ever again speaks volumes.

What?  You thought rainbows came from clouds?

One of these cosplays is not like the others!

The show Extra and Warner Bros. put on a really cool free offsite for all to enjoy at the Hilton Park in 2012!  With gaming tents, a stage that hosted celebrity interviews during the day and movies at night and every incarnation of the Batmobile up to that point, it was loads of fun to check out!  Between 2010 and 2013, WB hosted the site with Fox/FX taking over from 2014-on.  Now that Disney owns FX, it's hard to say if they'll keep it going, but I'd willing to wager they will.  Most of FX's programming wouldn't be a good fit for the D23 Expo in Anaheim.  

GET OVER HERE!!!

Daphne and Dorothy learn a valuable lesson about SDCC, and cons in general: ALWAYS wear proper footwear!

NOBODY BETTER COME AS THE CROW!!!  Actually, The Crow cosplay is totally cool and welcome, but it's rarely ever done, which is weird given how popular the movie was.

No trip to SDCC is complete without a stop at the Petco Park Interactive Zone!  And nothing says "bring the kids" like a Quentin Tarantino movie activation!  

Nice to see these guys getting along again.  Funny how large sums of money have a way of fixing things!  Talk about ending on a high note, eh?

And that's a wrap on Comic Con 2012!  One of my all-time favorite years at the show, I saw and did a lot!  Between building it and going to it, I got to experience the show from many angles!  There was one unfortunate note about this year.  A woman was sadly killed after being hit by a car while running across the street, fearing she was gonna lose her place in the Hall H line which was being moved from the public sidewalk to the park outside of Hall H.  It was two days prior to show and already had a line going.  Life is fragile and a rash decision can really alter things fast.  Overall though, still a lot of positives about that year's show and the pictures demonstrate!

And that's all for this week, but we'll back soon with more past SDCC as the CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN continues!  Until then, stay safe, take care and I'll catch y'all later!