Wednesday, July 27, 2022

COMIC CON HAS PASSED... BUT WE HAVE A NEW POST ANYWAY!!!

 

Here I sit all broken hearted.  Paid my dime and only... Wait a tic, that was something I read on the wall of a men's room once!  Yes, yes, I am sitting here sad and going through con withdrawals as SDCC ended three days ago.  Well, I'll likely be anyway as I'm actually sitting here weeks before the show typing these things out well in advance because that's how blogs work!  And if I'm REALLY being honest, I'll probably be past my breaking point with exhaustion by the time Comic Con ends to even be sad about it at first!

I think it'll help us all if we just get straight to the post, am I right?  So let's don our favorite anime shirts and bust out some Doritos as it's time to go back to 2019 and Comic Con!  Enjoy...

2019 marked the 80th anniversary of the classic MGM version of The Wizard of Oz!  In addition to an amazing theme at the San Diego County Fair the previous month, there was plenty of Oz cosplay happening at cons that year too!

Without question, Amazon Prime had the best offsite at SDCC that year.  With truly immersive activations and a massive multi-level video wall display that could be seen for blocks, there were more people trying to get into Amazon's offsite than the con itself!  Just to give you an idea of how big it was, they started building it on June 28th, nearly three weeks before it opened!

Come on everybody!  It's time to do the Mario!
Swing your hips
From side to side...

Remember kids, a mechanical hot dog is NOT easier to ride than a mechanical bull, as this poor lady found out the hard way!

The SyFy Karaoke Bus!  One of the more popular things to do outside of the con, I've often thought about hopping on, but I'm not legally allowed to sing!

OOOOOOOOOOOH YEEEAH!!!  SNAP INTO A SLIM JIM!!!

The Meeseeks were a very popular part of the Adult Swim Cosplay Contest!  They performed their hearts out, but ultimately didn't win, all the while having to put up with the constant chants of "Camel Toe" being hurled upon them by the enthralled crowd!

The super cool Chill-adelphia offsite that promoted SHAZAM!  And yes I got one of those foam lightning bolts!  The games were surprisingly challenging! 

Unlike the supposedly-not-promoting-Mr. Robot-but-totally-was-promoting-it-Ferris-wheel from the Petco Park Interactive Zone in 2016, the Ferris wheel at the Fox Carnival in 2019 was FREE!!!

Discovery Channel was back in full force in 2019 promoting their legendary Shark Week block!  Much like the year before, Sharzilla was a huge hit!

COWABUNGA DUDES!!!

Not often you see a Gundam being transported!

The FX Zone definitely didn't disappoint!  The American Horror Story activation in particular had people running for their lives!

Because I can be a bit of a ham at times, we'll end this week's post with a special pic I got at the What We Do In The Shadows activation!  It was a pretty cool deal they did.  They built the vampires' lair and had all sorts of swag and photo ops!

And that was Comic Con 2019!  Of all the years I've been going, this year is easily in my Top 5.  Such a great year for swag and offsites, not to mention I finally got to meet a few longtime Twitter pals in person for the first time!  As I went home after loading it out, I remember thinking to myself "How're they ever gonna top this year?"  Hopefully next week's post will prove me wrong!

And that's a wrap on the month of July.  But fear not!  We got ONE last SDCC post to go as we kick off August the proper way by ending the CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN on a high note with a look at THIS YEAR'S show!  So be sure to come back and give it a look!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

Monday, July 18, 2022

IT'S HERE!!! COMIC CON 2022 IS HERE!!! BUT FIRST, COMIC CON. 2018!!!

 

We have made it my CRAZIES!!!  We have FINALLY made it to Comic Con 2022!  It's been a very long time coming and I can't even begin to convey how excited I am!  Which seems like a good time to transition into the post, don't you think?  As we look back, helpful tips and tricks will be peppered throughout as well as at the end of the post, denoted by the TIP tag!

The year is 2018.  The place is the San Diego Convention Center.  The event, of course, is Comic Con!  Hold on to your Batman underoos and crack open a Code Red Mountain Dew, because the CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN is a go!  Enjoy...

First off, the obligatory shot of the SDCC logo throughout the circular support!

TIP: This is a very popular photo op for many con goers and their are plenty of safe ways to get it, namely on the very slow moving escalators. Please don't hang over a railing just to get a picture.  It seriously ain't worth the risk!

GREAT SCOTT!!!

Deadpool meets Sandia, The Watermelon Warrior!  My niece Kristen had long wanted to cosplay and finally got the opportunity in 2018! Her watermelon armor was quite the challenge to build, but it looked so cool when it was done!  Everybody wanted their picture taken with her and as an added bonus, weeks later, a clip of her wearing the armor was on the Jim Jeffries Show!

TIP: For those of you new to cosplaying, bear in mind you'll have to hit the restroom at some point, so try to keep things simple in your costume design so that the costume is easy to get in and out of.  Having a pal tag along as a handler isn't a bad idea either!

The Council Ricks don't approve!

As always, ad space is at a premium at SDCC!  These buildings make a fortune off of having these giant posters plastered all over them!

Whatever you do, do NOT give this guy cocaine!

You never know WHERE the Rick Mobile will show up?!?  Actually, it typically winds up behind the Convention Center at the Adult Swim Block Party, after making the rounds!

TIP: As of this writing, there's yet to be any confirmation that Adult Swim is returning to their usual spot, but the best bet is that they will.  It's also literally adults only, so no kids!

Thankfully, the Infinity Nuggets aren't as powerful as the Infinity Stones!

The Marchin' Marges were out on patrol outside the building and around Downtown!

TIP: The best place to get cosplay pics isn't always inside the Convention Center.  Outside the lobby doors and really all around Downtown and at the offsites are some of the best places you'll find to have chances at getting some truly great shots!

Remember that thing I said about ad spaces being at a premium during the show?  Well, the trolleys get in on it too!  Conan O'Brien's show always took full advantage of this!

TIP: As of this writing, it's not looking very likely that Conan's returning to SDCC.  With his show ending and Warner more or less killing all original programming on their cable networks, despite promising specials, the future's looking kind of bleak.

Comedy Central did their booth up rather interesting in 2018 with a South Park trivia contest where contestants had to avoid getting vomited on by Randy Marsh.  Needless to say, the line was pretty long. 

Lord Zedd is here and not too happy with the lack of Power Rangers media on TV!

The Good Place had LONG lines! Never  got to experience this one!

TIP: Despite the Tin Fish recently being sold, there WILL be an event hosted by NBC before the new operators start changing things over.  The lines tend to be very long with some waiting as long as five hours WITH a reservation for the 2019 edition.  Point is weigh the risks and the rewards before hopping in any lines!

Me and my brother's kids really wanted that surfboard, but Sharzilla had other plans!

TIP: The Petco Park Interactive Zone IS back and, as always, IS free!  Not much has been revealed as of this writing, other than Nintendo has a rather large activation planned for it.  Does this mean the Nintendo Lounge at the Marriott is dead?  Hard to say.  Given the demand, they very well could be doing two different spots.  Guess we'll see come Thursday! 

For those of you who needed to cross Sexy Inspector Gadget off of your cosplay bucket list, here you go.

Demogorgon photo bomb!

You can always count on the SyFy Street team to unearth some true gems, like these guys that look an awful lot like Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner!

TIP: As of this writing, no word yet on whether or not the SyFy Channel will be doing their cool block party deal again.  I'd certainly like to think they will, but the pandemic's changed a lot of stuff.  Hopefully they'll be back.

Damn out of town drivers!

The Dragonball Experience held behind the Marriott was a lot of fun and had some great swag!  The DB team is REALLY blowing things up this year!  Bigger than Cell even!

SMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOKING!!!
Had to end things with some color folks!

And that was Comic Con 2018!  A fun year over all with an impossible amount of things to see and do!  It's hard to top the proud feeling I had seeing my niece walk around in the watermelon armor I built for her and all the people going nuts over it!  As a creator, it's always a big deal to see such a positive reaction.  Hopefully someday I'll get to build some more cosplay armor!

And now for some final tips and tricks...

TIP: Bring water bottles and drink LOTS of it during the show.  The Convention Center has a new policy about not providing water unless a client pays for it, so refilling at water coolers in rooms may not be an option this year, so heads up.

TIP: Wear sunblock and re-block regularly, especially if you're doing the outdoor activities.  San Diego's a tourist spot for a reason.

TIP: Wear PROPER shoes!  No sandals or crocs. Feet are gonna be stepped on, it's the nature of the beast, so dress accordingly!

TIP: With so many people in one spot, cell service ain't gonna be the greatest, so don't expect to get too many calls or messages out.  Also, you probably won't be doing too many social media updates either, so be prepared.

TIP: Bring cash!  While many booths do take credit and debit now, WiFi at the Convention Center is far from reliable.  Most vendors prefer cash for that very reason, so keep that in mind!

TIP: Be wary of scammers!  Plenty of people out on the streets of Downtown are looking to score some quick cash from unsuspecting victims.  In particular, be aware of the guys selling CD's.  They're blank.

TIP: Masks ARE a requirement, vaccinated or not!  COVID is still a thing folks so be wary of the people you're around and follow the con's rules.  If cosplayers can wear masks, then so can we!

TIP: Be courteous!  SDCC is a massive undertaking with LOTS of people, both attendees and workers, being involved.  Yes, there's always gonna be a few bad eggs that slip between the cracks, but it's much easier to ignore a pest than engage them.  And if someone's being a problem, report them!  Plenty of overzealous security guards are on patrol and happy to oblige!

And that's all for this week!  As I mentioned above, cell service is shady at SDCC, so I'll update when I can!  For those going, have a safe and fun experience and be courteous to your fellow con goers.  There's no reason we can't all have fun at the greatest show on Earth!  And if you see me, say hi!  Until next time, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

Wednesday, July 13, 2022

COMIC CON 2022 IS ONE WEEK AWAY!!! BUT FIRST: COMIC CON 2017!!!

 

Welcome back CRAZIES!!!  We are at a fever pitch here at the CRAZYVERSE as SDCC 2022 is now a WEEK away!  After three long years of waiting and laying low, we are finally back to full strength!  My mind is already all over the place as we get ever closer to the big show!  So instead of needlessly stretching things out, how's about we just jump right into the post, sound good?

The year is 2017.  The place is the San Diego Convention Center.  The show is Comic Con!  Hold on to your $400 Galaxy's Edge Lightsabers because the CRAZ COMIC CON COUNTDOWN is locked and loaded!  Enjoy...

Cosplay has long been my favorite part of any Con I go to.  The artistry and detail involved is always so amazing.  If memory serves, the guy in the above pic won best in show for the Masquerade that year!

Even more amazing cosplay!  In addition to the costumes, I'm a big mark for makeup and props too!

You know it's gonna be a good show when Tom Servo shows up!

I honestly don't remember where I saw this at as I'm almost certain it wasn't in the exhibit hall.  Looked cool though!

IT'S MORPHIN' TIME!!!

Funny that you'll see more Disney cosplay at San Diego Comic Con than you'll see at WonderCon in Anaheim, which is literally next door to Disneyland. 

He's his own best friend!

That is seriously a really cool dad!

The SyFy Street Squad!  For many years, the SciFi (Now SyFy) Channel had one of the coolest booths in the exhibit hall!  It was sleek, curved and just so damn sexy looking!  Totally otherworldly!  But, it took a lot of abuse during that time and in 2008, it straight collapsed in several spots!  As the network was about to rebrand anyway, they elected to give up their booth space and focus more on panels.  With the news that NERD HQ wasn't coming back in 2017, SyFy decided to pick up their slack and bring the offsite directly to fans!  Taking over the streets of Downtown San Diego for blocks on end!  It's been a blast ever since as they give out the best swag at the show!  No word yet on if they'll be back next week, but here's hoping!

60's Batman!  Yeah it was goofy as hell, but for that era, it works!

No look back at SDCC would be complete without a stop at the Petco Park Interactive Zone!  I don't remember much about the Xfinity activation, other than they were giving people free TV dinners!

At the Kong: Skull Island activation, my nephew and niece get up close and personal with the original Kaiju himself!

As I've said many times, the family that cosplays together stays together!

And we'll finish things up with a true cosplay rarity: The Horned King!  For some of you no doubt scratching your heads, he was the villain in the doomed Disney film The Black Cauldron from the mid-1980's.  Based on a series of books, Disney tried to cram it all into one film at a time when their animation department had been greatly depleted.  Although things would eventually and spectacularly improve by the end of the decade, the film was a massive flop, grossing less than the Care Bears Movie even!  Disney was loathe to even mention the film for many years before finally releasing it on home video in the late 1990's.  To this day, Disney's still iffy on the film, though they have had further releases and still own the film rights to its source material.  So naturally everybody went nuts when they saw this cosplayer!  I'm always a fan of the obscure!

And that was Comic Con 2017!  Another good year at the show, I picked up more books than ever at that one!  Lots of cosplay, lots of swag and some pretty cool offsites, though some had downgraded a bit.  At a show like SDCC, less definitely isn't more!

Well, we're almost there!  Just one week to go!  We'll be posting a couple of days early next week for maximum Comic Con enjoyment, so be sure to come back Monday for even MORE past SDCC pics and even a few helpful tips for experiencing the sights and sounds of it all!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!