COMIC CON 2016!!! THE CRAZY TRAIN KEEPS ON CHUGGING!!!

Hey hey hey!  Its the CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN!!!  That's right, we are another week closer to that glorious event that is SDCC!!!  I'm already building up endurance and getting my steps in so I can be properly prepared!  But before that, here's one last reminder about something very near and dear to me that's going on Friday night in Charlotte, NC...

For close to a decade now, I have contributed art to the Team Cul De Sac Art Auction held every year at HeroesCon in Charlotte, NC.  All proceeds go towards research in finding a cure for Parkinson's Disease, a terrible illness that has claimed many lives, including that of cartoonist Richard Thompson, the creator of Cul De Sac.  Below are the pieces I have sent in for the auction...

HERMIT CRAB HUNT: Alice and Mr. Danders have gone out hunting for usurping hermit crabs on the remains of the Bliss Haven Preschool.  Pen and ink mixed media piece illustrated on 9 x 12in. vellum paper and colored in Olo Markers and PrismaColor Colored Pencils. 

MIKE & MINDY: FRIENDSHIP IS CHAOS!!!: Mike and Mindy are back and taking their cartoony mayhem to unheard of levels!  Second grade just can't contain these loony tykes!  Pen and ink mixed media piece illustrated on 9 x 12in. vellum paper and colored in Olo Markers and PrismaColor Colored Pencils.

If you're going to be in the Charlotte area this, Friday, June 20, please consider attending the auction.  In addition to being a rare chance to own some CRAZY original art, it's also for a very noble cause.  Parkinson's isn't picky.  Anybody can get it and now, more than ever, researchers need funding to find a cure to this horrible disease.  So please make the rounds and drop some bids.  Trust me, there's gonna be some incredible artwork up for grabs.  Think of it as a duel prize: You get some cool art on your wall while Parkinson's Disease gets a swift kick in the ass!  It's a winning situation for all!

And now, we continue our trek to another huge show making its way to the stage, the one and only Comic Con!  Can you believe we are five weeks away from the grand daddy of them all?!?  It's enough to make me drop my deep-fried, bacon-wrapped pork belly on a stick just thinking about it!  (Sorry folks, the Fair's going on right now, so I'm also in foodie mode too!)  Think we can all stand to burn some calories right now, so let's fire up our 3DS' and bust out some Pokemon Go because the CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN is on!!! 

Megaman makes a mega impression!

Bert and Mary would like some stickers!

Friendly faces everywhere!

Humble folks without temptation!

A lotta folks would prefer Snoopy right now...

Have no memory of this show at all!  I'm sure it was fun though.

The Geico Gecko took over the Petco Park Interactive Zone!  They gave out really cool bags too!

He just wants some sharks with frickin' laser beams attached to their heads!

The Walking Dead booth.  Use to get some killer photo ops here!

End of the line for both NerdHQ and the Xbox Lounge.  They combined in 2016 to put on a mega offsite only to be pressured out by higher forces.

The well-intended but ill-fated ConX by Entertainment Weekly.  They had some great activations and killer swag but were ultimately just too far away for some attendees to hoof it to.  Oddly enough, the crowds really started showing up for the nighttime festivities they had there. 

Bespin smooth baby!

Little buddy!  You gotta help the Big Kahuna prepare for his surf-off against Zed and the other beach punks! (Bonus points to everyone that gets THAT reference!)

DONUTS!!!

And finally, Nickelodeon's shrine to the characters they continue to exploit through merchandising, but refuse to release through multiple viewing platforms despite a very clear demand.

And that was SDCC 2016!  A truly phenomenal year that saw lots of great panels, awesome swag and some of the best offsites ever held!  I was sad when this one ended.  We were all having so much fun that five days (Preview Night) just didn't seem like enough.  Christmas and Halloween span months now, why not Comic Con?!?  But, I suppose part of the reason that it is so special is because we only get it so briefly.  We just have to enjoy the time we get.

And so ends another week of this CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN, but hey!  There's still seven more posts to go, so be sure to come back next week so we can send June 2025 off on a high note!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch yall later!

COMIC CON 2015!!! MORE BLAST, INCREASED PAST!!!

We are back CRAZIES!!!  And hey!  It's opening day of the San Diego County Fair!  Granted, I can't go due to work, but that just means I'll have more to spend when I do go!  So, yeah, you may have heard a little thing called Comic Con is rapidly approaching, but first, there's something else important that precedes it...  

For close to a decade now, I have contributed art to the Team Cul De Sac Art Auction held every year at HeroesCon in Charlotte, NC.  All proceeds go towards research in finding a cure for Parkinson's Disease, a terrible illness that has claimed many lives, including that of cartoonist Richard Thompson, the creator of Cul De Sac.  Below are the pieces I have sent in for the auction...

HERMIT CRAB HUNT: Alice and Mr. Danders have gone out hunting for usurping hermit crabs on the remains of the Bliss Haven Preschool.  Pen and ink mixed media piece illustrated on 9 x 12in. vellum paper and colored in Olo Markers and PrismaColor Colored Pencils. 

MIKE & MINDY: FRIENDSHIP IS CHAOS!!!: Mike and Mindy are back and taking their cartoony mayhem to unheard of levels!  Second grade just can't contain these loony tykes!  Pen and ink mixed media piece illustrated on 9 x 12in. vellum paper and colored in Olo Markers and PrismaColor Colored Pencils.

If you're going to be in the Charlotte area on the night of June 20, please consider attending the auction.  In addition to being a rare chance to own some CRAZY original art, it's also for a very noble cause.  Parkinson's isn't picky.  Anybody can get it and now, more than ever, researchers need funding to find a cure to this horrible disease.  So please make the rounds and drop some bids.  Trust me, there's gonna be some incredible artwork up for grabs.  Think of it as a duel prize: You get some cool art on your wall while Parkinson's Disease gets a swift kick in the ass!  It's a winning combination!

Now, it's time to head back to the surprisingly distant past for anther Comic Con long gone.  The time is 2015, the place is San Diego.  Hold on to your Flaming Hot Cheetos CRAZIES!!!  The CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN is on!!!

Another very rare behind the scenes shot during load-in, this time in Hall C.  It's wild to think how cavernous the building can be with no booths in it!

The FX Experience!  Quite possibly the longest running offsite at this point, it has become a grand tradition for all to enjoy at SDCC, badge or not! 

If only a baseball bat were enough...

Thank God for the Joker!  He spits some real truth!

Some ponies spreading some happiness with a little one!

Stormtroopers marching their way towards what would become a very legendary Hall H panel for Star Wars! 

The much loved and much missed NerdHQ!  Got some killer swag and snacks there!

A true power couple right here!

Another Nickelodeon Legend!

Always something really cool going on at the Petco Park Interactive Zone!

Suddenly Mario...

Is here to provide yooooooooou...

So Gandalf, a Spaceball and apparently Jeff Hardy walk into a bar...

Would you look at that?  Odlaw and Wizard Whitebeard!  Someone finally thought outside the box with their Where's Waldo? cosplay?

Dr. Hammond spared no expense for this date!

And that was SDCC 2015!  A pretty legendary year, largely because of the epic Star Wars panel and concert that followed.  This is another one that is such a blur now despite doing some really cool things, though I did get stung by a bee while taking part at the Hero Initiative's Drink 'N' Draw event!  I recovered though and spent some quality time with my nephew and niece, as seen in the pic at the top of the post.  They're all grown up now, but still have fond memories of getting fro-yo for breakfast with Uncle Jon!

 Well, another post bites the dust, but there's seriously nothing to worry about folks.  We got LOTS more Comic Con coverage coming, so hang tight and come back next week!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

THE CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN 2025 IS HERE!!!

JUNE!!!  Sweet, glorious and insanely busy JUNE!!!  We have made it to summer CRAZIES!!!  And you know what that means: BBQ's!  The beach!  Theme parks!  The San Diego County Fair!  And, of course, COMIC CON!!!  It's been a long time coming, but we are finally a mere weeks away from the biggest pop culture event of the summer!  But first, there's another con-related tradition that must be tended to...

For close to (WOW!!!) a decade now, I have contributed art to the Team Cul De Sac Art Auction held every year at HeroesCon in Charlotte, NC.  All proceeds go towards research in finding a cure for Parkinson's Disease, a terrible illness that has claimed many lives, including that of cartoonist Richard Thompson, the creator of Cul De Sac.  Below are the pieces I have sent in for the auction...

HERMIT CRAB HUNT: Alice and Mr. Danders have gone out hunting for usurping hermit crabs on the remains of the Bliss Haven Preschool.  Pen and ink mixed media piece illustrated on 9 x 12in. vellum paper and colored in Olo Markers and PrismaColor Colored Pencils. 

MIKE & MINDY: FRIENDSHIP IS CHAOS!!!: Mike and Mindy are back and taking their cartoony mayhem to unheard of levels!  Second grade just can't contain these loony tykes!  Pen and ink mixed media piece illustrated on 9 x 12in. vellum paper and colored in Olo Markers and PrismaColor Colored Pencils.

If you're going to be in the Charlotte area on the night of June 20, please consider attending the auction.  In addition to being a rare chance to own some CRAZY original art, it's also for a very noble cause.  Parkinson's isn't picky.  Anybody can get it and now, more than ever, researchers need funding to find a cure to this horrible disease.  So please make the rounds and drop some bids.  Trust me, there's gonna be some incredible artwork up for grabs.  Think of it as a duel prize: You get some cool art on your wall while Parkinson's Disease gets a swift kick in the ass!  It's a win/win scenario!

Okay, now is the moment you've all been waiting for!  It's been a long ten months, but we are FINALLY back!  I know you're all eager to get to it, and believe me, so am I!  We're setting the Wayback Machine all the way back to July of 2014!  Cap up those Code Red Mountain Dews and hang on to your Batman Underoos!  The CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN 2025 IS ON!!! 

A very rare behind the scenes shot of Hall G looking towards Hall F and the wall that separates it from Hall E.  Takes a LOT of effort from many teams to pull this show off in a matter of days!

A truly awesome moment for me as I got into Hall H and saw the Warner Bros Panel.  Definitely one of my favorite SDCC moments!

The Riddler and Hair Guy pose for an action shot in the aisles!

The old Fox booth!  It's become my new summer home really come load-in week, but man am I glad they don't do the TV tower anymore.  That thing was such a pain in the ass to build!

Much has been said about the DCEU, and continues to be said actually.  Frankly, it was always gonna be an uphill battle for that franchise, but I gotta say, seeing all the neckbeards lose their minds when they showed the first footage from Dawn Of Justice at the WB panel is a memory I'll always cherish!  These same guys mockingly calling out "Batfleck" online suddenly couldn't be any nicer.  It clearly didn't last, but it was a nice moment at least!

Game... Blouses...

Wonder Woman and Elvira...  The team-up we didn't know we needed!

The 2014 Godzilla movie should've been titled Godzilla: Blue Balls.  It was nothing more than a tease!

Aw, the Xbox Lounge.  If any one offsite ever deserved to come back...

Adult Swim used to have a large presence in the exhibit hall, but 2014 would be the last hurrah before setting up a much grander stage in the lawn behind the Convention Center.

The hidden Pixels Arcade!  The movie totally blew, but at least the offsite was cool!

Did this even get released?

From 2012-2014, WB hosted the offsite on the Hilton Lawn.  These days, FX holds the lease, but Warner's did some cool things too in their time.

The Nintendo Lounge!  Back when it was still fun!

He's not finished...

The legendary Meatwad Dome!  Back before Adult Swim got their own carnival, they'd just shack up over at the Petco Park Interactive Zone!  The less refined era of the Zone was a pretty fun one!

Nickelodeon Legend!

Don't even remember what this was from, but NBC hyped it up big!

And finally, what better way to bring an end to my SDCC 2014 posts than with some Blankman cosplay?

And that was SDCC 2014!  It doesn't feel like it was 11 years ago, but it really was!  So much of it is a blur now, but I do remember it being a fun week and collecting TONS of swag!  Actually, that every year!  It was my SDCC in my 30's though, so that counts for something!

And that's all she wrote for opening week, but fear not!  We got LOTS to go with the CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN in the coming months, so be sure to come back next week and check it out!  In the meantime, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!