COMIC CON 2024... IN MORNING FROM 2023...

*Sighs*  Well, another Comic Con has come and gone.  How was it?  I honestly don't know.  As long time readers will note, I write these posts weeks in advance!  It could've been the greatest show ever, or it totally could've sucked.  We'll find out next week!  For now, let's just move on to the pics because even though Past Jon is writing this, he knows very well that Future Jon will still be VERY tired from the recent show.  Even in younger years, I didn't bounce back too quickly from SDCC.

So let's strap on our Airwalks and pound another Code Red Mountain Dew as the CRAZY Comic Con Countdown reaches its penultimate edition for 2024!  Enjoy...

After finally making it off the island, Gilligan and Mary Ann hooked up and have been living happily off of the Little Buddy's bartending earnings from Daddio's Beach Bar!  (Bonus points for whoever gets THAT reference!)

Despite the insanely humid weather, Willy Wonka, Charlie Bucket and the Ooompa Loompa all found ways to keep cool.  They also decided to skip any Scottish convention appearances in the near future!

Aye aye Cap'n!

After a weak year of photo ops, NBC came back in grand style with their offsite at Tin Fish Square in 2023!  I'm pretty sure they just cancelled all the shows they were promoting, but hey!  Hindsight and such!

The Empire is VERY shagadelic baby, yeah!

The massive Hulu offsite stands tall as FX's Shogun mightily wraps the front of the Hilton Bayfront!  Hulu gave out some pretty sweet swag, but it really wasn't worth the three hour wait for what was essentially photo ops that could easily been sped up. 

After a light post-pandemic return in 2022, the Petco Park Interactive Zone expanded things a bit in 2023.  More food trucks returned and the activations got a bit more immersive.

A lot of people say what's that?

It's PAT!!!

Weird Al has transcended everything to the point now that he's being cosplayed at conventions!

The Rocketeer is on patrol, keeping things safe on the boardwalk along the bay!

The Donut Bar had a popup shop at the Pendry Hotel on 5th Ave and J St!  A picture just isn't enough to convey how huge these things were in real life!  Both the Spider-man and Superman donuts were larger than my hand!  I gave the former to my brother because I knew he'd been stuck in the Marvel booth all day with no breakfast, and he wound up splitting it with the rest of the crew because it was just too big for one person!  

The Adult Swim booth was back in full force and ready to bombard would-be rodeo heroes with foam hotdogs as the rode the giant hot link!  As you can see, this rider didn't get too far!

The Voodoo Ranger dropped anchor again and provided lots of fun and liquid courage to con goers and passers-by alike!  This isn't a free activity as alcohol is served, but it does seem worth it!

We'll end things this week with a little nightmare fuel and a friendly reminder of why crystal meth is a very bad idea!

And that was Comic Con 2023!  After a soft return the year prior, SDCC hoped to make things big and loud again in 2023!  Unfortunately, they suffered a double whammy in the form of two Hollywood strikes from the Writers and Screen Actors Guilds.  Although stars could appear, none could promote and movies or TV shows while there.  In the end, only a handful of celebrities were able to fully take part as toys, books and comics were still fair game to promote, but few stars are involved in such deals.  With the strikes since settled, the future looks bright for now!

Well folks, that's a wrap on the month of July, but not a wrap on the CRAZY Comic Con Countdown!  That sad but necessary honor kicks off August, so be sure to come back next week and give SDCC the yearly sendoff it deserves!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

COMIC CON 2024 IS HERE!!!

 

IT'S HERE!!!  IT'S HERE!!!  COMIC CON 2024 IS FINALLY HERE!!!  Oh my I got so little to do and so much time to do it in...  Wait a minute.  That's totally the opposite if what needs to be done!  Regardless, we have reached the big week and I just want to get to the pics!  Long time readers know the drill by now.  Any tips or helpful hints will be noted as such:

Tip:

So, without any further interruptions, it's time to guzzle some Red Bulls and pre-wedgie those tighy-whities as we head back to 2022 because the CRAZY Comic Con Countdown is a go!  Enjoy...

Although it was a sellout, the first SDCC after Covid was a far more subdued event than it was in years past.  It may well have been the most cordial convention I've ever been to!

TIP: Crowds at SDCC are unavoidable.  It's always gonna be packed.  Best course of action is to just keep calm and be courteous.  And if someone is being that big of a problem, simply tell security.  Believe me those guys are itching for action.

Had to take a LOT of steps back to get this costume in full frame!

COOOOOOOKIE!!! INFLATABLE COOOOOKIE!!!

Johnny Bravo!  Man he's purty!

TIP: Although a badge pretty much grants permission for pictures, you should still always ask cosplayers if it's okay to take pics, especially if said cosplayers are kids.  And if a cosplayer is being mobbed by photographers, simply get in on the group effort!  They wanna see things too after all!

I loved Beavis & Butthead as a kid, but somethings just shouldn't be modernized.  They were very much mid-90's and the newer stuff just hasn't worked.

Employee of the Month right here! 

Did this show ever even premiere?  It was all over Downtown that year but I don't recall anything ever coming of it.

Al Borland at your service!  Though he's looking more like Wilson right now!

The FX Zone returned with a new setup in 2022, opting for a maze with activations hidden within as opposed one centralized starting point with activations surrounding.  It was a nice change.

TIP: The FX Zone WILL be back this year, though details of its theming are unknown at this point.  Last year saw it go back its more traditional approach and I can't see this year being any different.

Adult Swim opted not to return in 2022, but they did let us know in a very clever way that they were still thinking of us that year.

TIP: Adult Swim is expected to return this year.  However, children are NOT permitted, not even with adult supervision.  Everybody's gotta be 18, no exceptions!

The Dragonball Experience came back and proved once again to be one of the best offsites at SDCC!  It will be returning this year for its SIXTH run and will likely be a very poignant experience with the passing of creator Akira Toriyama back in March.

Funko Pops made there way to the Gaslamp Quarter and then had to make a mad dash when the collectors came calling!

TIP: Some of the best spots to find great cosplay photo ops is outdoors, especially on 5th Ave in the Gaslamp Quarter.  Offsites, the back steps and the Mezzanine Level of the Convention Center are also great spots for cosplay spotting!

The infamous House Of The Dragon offsite.  People waited as long as eight hours for this one and still never got in.  I'm sure it was cool, but it wasn't worth the wait.  No experience is worth wasting a whole day for.

TIP: Offsites are hit or miss.  Do your homework in advance to determine if they really are worth the wait.  Sometimes they are well-run.  Most aren't though.  Weigh the risks and rewards! 

NBC returned to their usual spot at Tin Fish Square, but toned things down considerably in 2022, offering simple photo ops instead of fully immersive experiences.  With the new LED Walls now taking up space, it'll be interesting to see how NBC fits things in this year.

There was no shortage of dropped jaws in the exhibit hall when Funko unveiled their massive experience! Dubbed, Funkoville, it took over most of Hall G and seemed more fitting as an offsite!

The Peanuts Museum returned to its usual spot at the Wine Cellar, with an exhibit honoring Franklin, the first black member of the cast and easily the most likable.  Seriously, Franklin was the only kid in the entire cast that treated Charlie Brown kindly!

With so many big companies skipping out on SDCC in 2022, Audible decided the swoop in and create their own beach along the MLK Promenade, complete with sand sculptures!

After three years away, it was nice to get back to work and add the Marvel LED Wall to my resume!  They totally stiffed me and my nephew on our pay, but at least it's another feather in my cap!

Amazon opted not to do any offsite activations in 2022, but Netflix decided to take advantage of the open space!  I'm not sure what is was, but they were making people sign liability waivers, so I decided not to tempt fate!

Finally, here's a shot of me giving my honest opinion of the Abbot Elementary offsite.  They gave out some pretty cool swag, admittedly, but it wasn't worth the three hour wait!

And that was Comic Con 2022!  A very subdued in many regards, but still a great return after two straight pandemic cancellations.  It's wild how easily we all fell back into the swing of things.  It felt like a high school reunion in some ways and a new beginning in others.  It was a nice way to ease back in.  It was also a special experience as I brought my nephew Lucas with me.  He'd been gone for a couple of years, so it was nice to reconnect. All in all, a good show.

And now, a few last tips:

TIP: Know the environment!  Bring plenty of water and sunblock and wear comfortable shoes, nothing open-toed.  The Convention Center no longer supplies water coolers in the rooms, but the Marriott does and that water is much safer than the lead pipe refill stations the Convention Center installed by some of their drinking fountains.  Sunblock is also a must, especially while doing offsites, so block up often!  If you value your feet then don't wear any sandals or Crocs!  You're going to be doing a LOT of walking and your feet WILL get stepped on.  It's just the nature of the beast.

TIP: Bring cash AND credit!  While almost all vendors still accept cash, all Convention Center concessions are credit only.

TIP: Bring a portable phone charger and be aware of the strength of your phone service.  With close to a million people in the surrounding area, it's going to affect your phone.  Again, it's the nature of the beast.

TIP: Use public transportation when you can.  The Trolley is cheap and very effective!

TIP: Not all restaurants accept reservations during SDCC due to high demand, so do your research on which ones do/don't.  Also, restaurants tend to be at their lightest between 11am-1pm when many of the big panels are happening.  The further out you go, the more available restaurants get, so don't be afraid to explore.

TIP: Finally, BATHE every night!  Seriously, it's not gonna kill you to miss an hour!  Hygiene is more important then ever now!  Easiest way to keep from getting sick is to simply be more clean!  Hand sanitizer and multivitamins are also a must!

And that's all she wrote for now, but we still got a couple more posts to go before wrapping this thing up for the year, so be sure to come back next week and check it out!  If you're going to SDCC, keep an eye out on my Twitter (@JonsCrazyTweets) and BlueSky (JonsCrazyBlues) feeds for updates on my whereabouts, though admittedly, I'm at the mercy of T-Mobile's 5G service, so we'll see how that goes.  I'm always Hppy to meet up with friends and fans!  Until next time, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all at Comic Con!

COMIC CON 2019!!! AN EXTRAVAGANT EXTRAVANGANZA!!!

 

ONE!!!  ONE WEEK TO GO!!!  Okay, okay, I gotta calm down, I'm getting too excited here!  But can you blame me?  The greatest week of the year is literally seven days away!  How can I not be excited about it?!?  I think the best option is to just get straight to the pics, agreed?

We've woken up in the year 2019 and somehow have already found our way to Downtown San Diego!  Hold on to you Code Red Mountain Dews CRAZIES, because the CRAZY Comic Con Countdown is on!  Enjoy...

What happens the Akatsuki squares off with Stormtroopers?  I don't know, but my money's on the Sexy Bounty Hunter!

Thursday morning and the SDPD are getting their pep talk and moving into their hiding spots.  In addition to patrolling the streets and exhibit hall, the cops are well-hidden throughout the nooks and crannies of Downtown San Diego, making sure the city's well guarded on its grandest stage.

My nephew Dante Jr. and I hamming it up at the Petco Park Interactive Zone with the giant animatronic megalodon shark promoting the coming of Shark Week on the Discovery Channel!  This thing was pretty crazy.  It ate quite a few things during week, including a jet ski!

The Gundam franchise had a big anniversary in 2019!  In addition to a huge activation at the Petco Park Interactive Zone, they also had a huge booth inside the exhibit hall and another display at the Marriott Marquis!  And it that weren't enough, they even had a flatbed driving around Downtown with a life-size Gundam mech lying in the back!

The double decker Karaoke Bus from the SyFy Fandom Crew!  Can't say enough how much I miss these guys strolling around the Gaslamp.  In addition to busses and ground crews, they also had trolleys and peddle bars.  They really created a great atmosphere for all.

The Jean Luc Picard Pop-Up Museum!  Promoting the upcoming Picard series, this offsite was small, but fun and gave away some really cool pins of the Picard family coat of arms!

Working some Dance Magic out side of the Convention Center!

Pickle Rick parties on with the Meeseeks at the Adult Swim Cosplay Contest!  It was a hilarious outing, the highlight of which had the crowd repeatedly chanting "Camel Toe" at the Meeseeks!  The fun ain't always PG-rated folks!

No trip to SDCC would be complete without a stop at the FX Zone!  2019 was definitely one of their more intense offerings as I saw many people run out the American Horror Story activation screaming!  Clearly whatever it was they were doing in there worked!

Amazon Prime did not disappoint with what has so far turned out to be their final offsite!  A multilevel LED Wall structure that took nearly a month to build and featured further activations on the ground for shows like The Boys and Carnival Row, every square inch of this offsite cooked!  I know part of Amazon's disappearance in recent years has been due to them not investing as heavily into TV production as they did pre-pandemic, but a part of me feels that maybe they looked at this setup and said to themselves "How do we top this?  It's impossible?"  It never hurts to try at least!

I don't know how I missed this crossover between The Golden Girls and Gundam, but I really wanna see it now!

Me and my nephew again hamming it up in a pool full of stuffed animals!  We won entry into Crunchy Roll's exclusive offsite by collecting all of their pins from various booths!

It's time to paint a happy little man!

Finally, we'll end this week with a special moment.  Comic book icon Neal Adams began screaming about some A-Holes that were annoying him.  Then these guys showed up.  Looks like he's surrounded!

And that was Comic Con 2019!  One of my all-time favorite shows, I almost saw it all that year!  I walked out of that one thinking too myself "Man, how are they gonna top this?"  Nothing's come close since, but who knows?  Maybe this year will finally top it?  Guess we'll find out!

Well, next week is THE week!  We'll be kicking things off a little earlier than usual with the new post happening on Monday, giving y'all plenty of time check it out and learn some tips and tricks!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!