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! 

THE CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN 2019 MARCHES ON... TO 2012!!!

We are back!  Summer's in full swing here at the CRAZYVERSE and with any luck, I would've already made a trip or two to the Fair for some deep fried goodness!  Of course, the other big event of the summer is the real reason why you're likely here today, but first, just one more reminder about a very special event going on this weekend...

As I mentioned last week, I donated another piece of original art for the Team Cul De Sac charity art auction taking place at HeroesCon in Charlotte this weekend, Saturday I believe.  It's not only your chance to own a framed, hand-drawn work of original CRAZY art, it's also your chance to help give Parkinson's Disease a swift kick in the rear and send it packing once and for all as ALL proceeds go towards research for a cure!  So if you're gonna be in Charlotte this weekend, stop by and place a bid!  In addition to my art, there will be MANY other fine pieces looking for a new home to be displayed in!  So drop in and drop a bid!  For more info, check out the Team Cul De Sac Blog here!

And now, it's time to start the show!  We've set the Wayback Machine to 2012, the year it was all supposed to end, and put on our finest Batman Underoos so that the following pics can be viewed in absolute comfort!  Let the CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN 2019 continue!  Enjoy...

It's a Comic Con cliche these days to find Waldo cosplay, but huge props to the one guy that decided to go against the grain and dress up as Odlaw! 

The Ubi Soft booth, which has shrunk a bit in recent years.  Back in 2012, they were celebrating several big releases, including a new Assassin's Creed sequel, so they decided to go big, which included this LED wall that I can proudly say I helped build! 

The awesome Hilton Park display that Warner Bros put on for all to enjoy, badge or not!  These days, FX hosts it, although that could change with the Fox/Disney merger.  From 2010-2013, WB ran it and they put on a hell of a show and 2012 was no different!  They had all the different Batmobiles (up to that point) on display including my favorite one from the Tim Burton films!  Hot damn those were some bitchin' wheels!

Will the real Mad Hatter please step forward? 

The famed Gaslamp Quarter at a rare low point in the day.  I must've taken this pic fairly early in the day for the crowds to be this light!

The Frankenweenie offsite cohosted by Disney and HGTV!  Oddly enough, not a huge hassle to get into, but then again, the offsites were much better run when they first started doing them.  This one had life-size replicas of the animated sets and we all got a pretty nifty pin in the end!  Might have to dig that one out some day!  But the best part of the experience?  The whole tent was air conditioned!  Yeah, I was a big fan of this one!

The once great Nintendo Lounge.  This was its second year of operation and for a long time was a wonderful experience.  Last year, that all changed.  Hopefully this year, Nintendo can get their act together and make things right again! 

80's Mariachi fun here!  For those not old enough to know, those are the Noids and Rainbow Brite getting down in the Sails Pavilion with some random dude!  And yes, there WAS a Green Noid towards the end of the ad campaign.

Another very-missed offsite: The Shifty Look Retro Arcade.  It was a pretty cool little setup open to all at the Hilton Gaslamp.  That year saw the 30th anniversary of Dig Dug, so they were heavy in the theming Pookahs and Fygars all over the place!

As you might imagine, this room was popular! 

Sorry Slash, but there aren't any pianos for you to stand on while performing your wicked guitar solo! 

A nice overhead shot of the Hall H line, complete with fanatical zealots who think the people inside actually take this seriously! 

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOA!!! 

Galactus made his intentions clear: If Disney didn't get the Fox Marvel properties back in seven years, the world would end!  Luckily, Disney and Fox merged with three months to go, and we have all been spared!

And that was Comic Con 2012!  One of my all-time favorite years at the show!  Saw a lot, did a lot, collected a lot.  It was a LOT to take in!  Yeah I know, that's a horrible joke, but I've covered this year so many times now, its hard to find new ways to keep it fresh!

And that's all she wrote for this week!  Come back again a week from today for more old pics that are actually new!  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

COMIC CON 2012... NO PROPHECIES RUINED THIS ONE!

Welcome back CRAZIES!!!  We are now one month into our two-month CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN!!!  We've seen some pretty cool pics so far, but now it's time dive into what may well be my all-time favorite Comic Con, back in 2012!  As Mr. T would say, it's time to "cut the jibber jabber" and jump right in!  Enjoy...

Fiona and Finn!  Between 2011 and 2013, every con I went to was filled with Finn cosplay!  As the show's popularity has waned, so too has its cosplay.  Last week I talked about how Regular Show made the all too rare but wise call to end the series while still on top.  Well, Adventure Time, sadly, really should've taken a page out of RS' book.  That or quit trying to make a stories out of fever dreams!

Tin Fish Square at the Gaslamp Quarter has regularly been taken over by NBC every year since 2012.  It's a free event with some pretty cool swag, so as you might imagine, the crowds line up quick!  It's a great place to get memorabilia from shows that are usually cancelled by the spring.

The WB booth!  The one year I got to set it up also happened to be the year the first Hobbit movie came out!  Being a big fan of all things Middle Earth, I was thrilled to work on this booth!

Kato!  He beat up several people who mentioned The Green Hornet movie to him!

This might take some explaining here.  Basically, Michael Jackson made a movie called Moonwalker that was, well, something to behold.  It was really nothing more than an anthology film that attempted to string together several Jackson music videos from his Bad album.  The videos were actually quite good; this is Michael Jackson after all.  The linking scenes, however, had little to no narrative to them, with anything even close to a plot not surfacing until midway through the movie!  At the end, he's revealed to be a Transformer and morphs into a spaceship and blasts off!  If you need to reread that last sentence a few times, it's all good.  I did too and I'm the one who typed it!  Anyway, this was the mask he wore at the start of the transforming sequence before it switched to stop motion.  A booth had this and many other props up for sale at highly inflated prices.

The Rogues Gallery.  You'd think with all the Batmen running around at this place, these guys wouldn't be so active!

A Comic Con rarity: Safe For Work Disney Princesses!

A Spartan with the Keyblade...  I think a Halo/Kingdom Hearts crossover game would be pretty badass!

These guys caused quite a ruckus in the Gaslamp Quarter!  Where's a hero when ya need one?!?

The always popular Nintendo Lounge at the Marriott!  That's the video game voice of Mario posing for pics!  And I still have my Golden Mario Shirt!  Nintendo's one of the few companies that seems to understand that some people where XXL sizes!

Rosie the Robot!  This is the only know occurrence of Jetsons cosplay at a comic con.  And yet I've seen dozens of Fred Flintstones!  And yes, you can totally see the face through Rosie's mouth!

I don't recall what this was promoting, but it had a ton of stunts happening throughout the weekend and I think a concert or two as well!

The debut year of the Xbox Lounge!  Last year, they switched gears and instead of setting up a lounge, they co-sponsored the free Nerd HQ mini con.  It was a pretty good deal, but I missed the Xbox Lounge.  They gave out some really cool swag and had awesome displays!

With Spider-man Homecoming a mere weeks away, I figured this would be a good pic to end today's post on.  If there's one hero there's never a shortage of at SDCC, it's Spider-man!

And so ends our look back Comic Con 2012, a show that will always be my favorite!  I had so much fun walking around with my nephew and niece and doing all the off site stuff.  The only downer really was the Dawn of the Con party, but even that had a few cool things at it.  It was also the year of my ultimate nerd purchase: The Star Wars Carbon Chamber Set that included a hidden figure of Jar Jar Binks frozen in carbonite!  It wasn't cheap, and I had to endure walking around with a pony bag for several hours, but it was worth it to get that figure!

And so ends the month of June here at the CRAZYVERSE!  But fear not!  We got five more weeks Comic Con Mayhem to keep us going well into the show and beyond!  And next week, we'll be kicking July off right with another look back at SDCC 2013, so be sure to come on back and share a laugh!  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

KID LIT AND COMIC CON… CLASSIC FUN ABOUNDS!!!

WOOOOOOOOO!!!  JULY IS HERE!!!  SO IS COMIC CON!!!  Okay, okay, I gotta calm down.  But how can I?  It's Comic Con month!  My favorite month of the year!  Every week this month, we'll be looking back at past Comic Cons as we count down to the grand daddy of them all!  But first, there is some art to show off before the awesome commences!  So let's get to it...

Sure to be lost in the con excitement of July is the art I'm doing this month, based off characters from classic kids books.  These are all from the Daily Doodle and first up is the often-mentioned-but-never-seen Snozzwanger from the classic Roald Dahl book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  Longtime readers know I'm a big fan of all things Dahl, so I jumped at the chance to draw one of these beasts!  Quite proud of the colors on this one.  Hard to believe Oompah-Loompahs are easy pray to these guys.  They don't appear to be all that bright or fast!

You waited patiently, and now the payoff!  Last week, we ventured to Comic Con 2011, so this week, we hop into the time machine and fast forward to 2012!  Lotta great moments that year, so lets catch up!  Enjoy...

WONDER WOMAN!!!  Batman v Superman certainly split fans down the middle, but I think we can all agree that Gal Gadot was a pretty good Wonder Woman at least.

By Merlin's beard!  It's Merlin!  Disney Merlin no less!  Maybe this year we'll FINALLY get some Mad Madame Mim cosplay?

I don't think this Power Ranger needs a Zord.  He seems capable as is! 

Ninja Gecko!  Sorry bud, I already got insurance! 

Glamtrooper!  May the force be fabulous!

 The infamous "Dawn Of The Con" party held at Petco Park.  It's been mentioned several times over the years what a letdown this event was.  Security was overzealous, they were charging nearly $20 for bottles of water and host Rob Zombie showed up for roughly 20 minutes, said nothing and left.  If nothing else, I at least got a cool shirt and a sweet photo op with the Munsters' car (as seen in the pic at the top of the page) out of it.  They had a nifty retro arcade set up too.  See?  There's always a silver lining somewhere.

SEEEEEEGAAAA… Aw how I loved hearing that every time I fired up this game on my Genesis!  Sega had a free gaming lounge set up at the winery across the street from the Convention Center.  They had many arcade classics set up! 

Don't always have time to wait for a table at a restaurant during Con.  Luckily, these kind folks promoting a TV show gave me a nice snack to tie me over for a bit!  (On a side note, that foot actually got moldy over the course of several days!  I had to throw it out eventually!) 

Events at the Hilton Park outside the hotel are always fun!  This year saw every Batmobile up to that point on display and free movies and concerts by the show, Extra, took place too!  It should be noted the Batmobile from Batman and Robin was plastered in spit by the week's end!

Many celebrities were in attendance that year.  Even Toadie made it out of the Mushroom Kingdom for a day of fun!

 TICK PHOTO BOMB!!!

The Nintendo Lounge is always a blast.  Free and relaxed, I know people who had badges that spent the entire weekend there playing games! 

 Not to be outdone, Microsoft opened their pocket books and put up a free Xbox Lounge at the Hard Rock Hotel!  It was the first year they offered one and man was it great!  Unfortunately, some creeps showed up hoping to grab some free food and drink and wound up causing a lot of trouble.  Now, you need a badge to get in.  Only takes a few to ruin it for everybody.

Darkwing Duck at the Shifty Look Lounge!  Shifty Look was an awesome site that promoted comics based on classic Namco games and characters.  Sadly, they only lasted about a year and walked off into the sunset.  For one glorious year though, they rocked!  And the arcade they set up at SDCC 2012 was my favorite freebie that year!

My feelings exactly when it comes to the religious zealots who like to harass con goers every year.  Right on sister!  Right on!

And there you have it!  Comic Con 2012 was an awesome year and a big improvement over the previous year when personal problems were making it impossible for me to enjoy the show.  It was also awesome for me because I got to set up some pretty cool booths like Warner Bros., The Walking Dead, CBS and Ubi Soft among others!  All in all, a great show!

Well folks, that all for this week.  We'll be back next time with some "Well-Rounded" art that hopefully won't leave you feeling "Flat" and even more photographic fun from Comic Con 2013!  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!