JUNE GLOOM LEADS TO COMIC CON BLOOMS!!!

 

WE'RE BAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!  That's right CRAZIES, it's a new week which means it's a  new post that just so happens to coincide with the end of the month.  Don't be sad that June is over.  Be happy that COMIC CON is that much closer!  I know we're all getting pretty excited here, so I'm just gonna jump right into the pics!

We've landed in the year 2018 thanks to the Wayback Machine and I am finishing up my adobada street tacos at Lolitas as I get ready to head to the convention center.  Swab up your Old Spice CRAZIES, because the CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN is on!

My niece, Kristen, proudly sports her watermelon armor and sword as she poses with the Asgardians!

2018 was the debut year of the Dragonball Experience behind the Marriott Marquee!  A lot of us were heartbroken that it didn't come back last year after five great cons.  Due to certain policies, Toei, Bandai and Crunchy Roll couldn't afford to ship the props out, despite having had the space reserved for over a year.  They did retain their deposit on the space, so there is hope for this year at least for a return.  I guess we'll have to wait and see...

The Laika Experience at the old Dick's Last Resort building.  It was a pretty cool experience that started well over a week before SDCC, so it was nice to get a head start on some offsite fun!

Catra and Hordak.  They just don't make villains like them anymore!

The Petco Park Interactive Zone expanded into the Experience At Petco Park!  And expand they did as nearly the entire lot was used and it even had nighttime programming for the first time!  Sadly, they'd revert back to the old Zone the following year and have shrunk ever since.

These princesses know what a real hero looks like, and it ain't Prince Charming!

COBRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

Ms. Frizzle was there and ready to lead her class on another unauthorized and potentially dangerous field trip with a group of minors!

Admittedly, I was never a fan of Courage The Cowardly Dog, but this is a great cosplay!

Before the Peanuts gang claimed this space as their annual popup museum, the boys from South Park were raising all sorts of hell in the building!

WOOOOOOOOO!!!  Ol' Nature Boy's a little on the wild side these days, but in his prime he was the good kind of crazy!

Who wouldn't want Dot Matrix's mask from Spaceballs?  I actually worked with Lorene Yarnell once at a show in Escondido, and she really was just the dearest, sweetest lady.

GO GO GADGET AIR CONDITIONING!!!  It was too hot for a trench coat that weekend, but Inspector Gadget suffered anyway so that we could be entertained by his antics!

And lastly, we'll end things this month with a sight I hadn't seen in 25 years: The Rock-Afire Explosion performing in San Diego!  Google them if you don't know, but back in the day, if you had a birthday at a joint that had a Rock-Afire band at it, your playground cred skyrocketed!  Imagine my shock as I was setting up the Hasbro booth when I looked across the aisle and saw a Deadpool animatronic being set up with Fats Geronimo, Mitsy Mozzarella and Billy Bob?!?

And that was COMIC CON 2018!  Had a blast at this show!  Saw and did so much, with the real highlight being my niece proudly walking around in the watermelon armor I built for her.  She even made it on the Jim Jeffries Show show on Comedy Central!  Definitely a show for the ages!

And that's a wrap on the month of June, but don't worry.  We got plenty more coming and will kickoff July the proper way as the CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN continues into the new month!  Until next time, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

JULY IS HERE AND SO IS COMIC CON!!! ALMOST!!!

We are back CRAZIES!!!  And welcome to July!  It's been a long wait, but we are finally close to the homestretch!  Comic Con 2025 is a mere weeks away!  But before that, we gotta relive some past fun while we wait on the new fun, and I'll try and be quick because I know we're all in a barbecue mood right now!  So lace up those Converses and cap up your Code Red Mountain Dews as we head way back to Comic Con 2018!  The CRAZY Comic Con Countdown rallies on...

MACHO MADNESS TAKIN' OVER THE GASLAMP!!!  OOH YEAH!!!

My niece, Kristen, rocking her watermelon armor and sword in the East Village as we made our way from the 12th & Imperial Trolley stop towards the Convention Center.

Had a feeling our lord and savior's ideals might not line up with theirs...

The Ghostbusters activation at the Petco Park Interactive Zone!  It was a pretty awesome year for the Zone, which expanded immensely with more activations, a beer garden and even night time programming!  Alas, it would only last this one year, but there's always hope for the future.  I didn't get to explore much last year, but they seemed to have more offerings than they'd had since coming back from the pandemic.  Hopefully this year will see further expansion.

The Lucasfilm booth heralding the home video release of Solo!  It's a damn pity this movie got swallowed up in the aftermath of The Last Jedi, as Solo was a genuinely fun movie that felt like old school Star Wars!  Fans seem to appreciate it more now at least.

Uh oh!  Better wake up!

The Jack Ryan activation at the Amazon offsite!  2018 was the year Amazon seemed to finally figure out their offsite before really nailing it in 2019!  Sadly, they haven't had one since...

Deadpool and the Rock-afire Explosion was a team I didn't know we needed!  All kidding aside, most of the kids there had no clue who the Rock-afire were and kept asking which X-Men were a gorilla and bear?

Not sure what Captain Caveman was on in this pic, but I don't want any of it!

Green Lantern John Stewart keeping the streets safe during the con!

The much beloved and much-missed SyFy Street Team...  If any executives at NBC-Universal or the SyFy Chanel are reading this: PLEASE BRING IT BACK!!!

Do the Bartman!

This cosplayer figured out the premise of Deadpool & Wolverine six years before the movie even came out!

Lastly, the Fast Food Avengers!  A truly tasty cosplay if there ever was one!

And that was Comic Con 2018!  A great year for cosplay and offsites, with my niece's watermelon armor in particular stealing the show, and a pretty good year for swag too!  So much of it is a blur now, but I do remember it being one of the most fun times I've had at the show.  

That's all for now, but there's no need to fret.  PLENTY more Comic Con action is coming your way, so be sure to come back next week for more!  Until then, take care and especially stay safe this weekend as we celebrate the 4th of July!  Leave the fireworks to the experts and hitch a ride if you indulge in too many brews!  Anyway, catch y'all later!

COMIC CON 2018!!! IN FOR THE LONG HAUL!!!

TWO!!!  TWO WEEKS!!!  AH HA HA!!!  Excitement is reaching a fever pitch CRAZIES!!!  We are nearly in the home stretch here as Comic Con 2024 rapidly approaches!  It's busy times here at the CRAZYVERSE, so why don't we cut the small talk and shoot right into the main pitch!

We have passed through the Time Tunnel and landed in the year 2018!  The music's playing and the lights are lit!  The CRAZY Comic Con Countdown is on!  Enjoy...

My niece Kristen proudly hamming it up with Bananaman in her watermelon armor!

If you make a left at the Fork In The Road, you'll be right at the Convention Center!

Disco Darth thinks these Harry Potter cosplayers are pretty wizard!

The SyFy Fandom Crew!  How I miss the presence SyFy Channel used to have at SDCC.  They brought so much energy to the show.  They made the outside of the con more fun than anything that was going on indoors!

In hindsight, naming these guys the Jizz-Wailers may not have been so wise!

2018 saw a very significant addition to the Offsite offerings at SDCC.  It was the debut of the legendary Dragonball Experience! Easily one of the best, and most accessible, offsites at the show every year!  And it's officially coming back this year!

So... Sal and Jackie?!?

Walter certainly abides!

Petco Park itself isn't used much for offsites anymore, but occasionally stuff still happens there.  Not exactly sure what this was though.

My Little Pony and Inspector Gadget...  When 80's icons collide!

South Park took over Comedy Central's booth in 2018 where people lined up for hours on end so they could get the chance to have Randy Marsh projectile vomit onto them.  I only wish I was making that up!

No matter the year, Hall H is always a downer for many!

If there is one thing I have always said that Comic Con needs more of, it's more rabbits.  Really fat rabbits at that!

We'll end things this week as Doug and Judy Funny hang out with the Wonka Kids while sharing Honker Burgers and Wonka Bars!

And that was Comic Con 2018!  It's wild how it really wasn't that long ago and yet so much of it really is just a blur now.  Don't get old if you can help it kids.  Still, I remember it being a fun show that left my feet needing a vacation by the time it was done!

That's all for now folks, but the Countdown keeps on rolling next week as we inch ever so closer to the big day!  So be sure to come back and check it all out!  Until next time, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

THE CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN 2023: TO 2018 AND BEYOND!!!

 

NEXT WEEK!!! COMIC CON 2023 IS NEXT WEEK!!!  Okay Jon, gotta calm down.  You still got a job to do, even though this blog is free and you don't get paid for it.  Integrity matters most!  Alright, I've yammered on enough.  One week from today, I WILL be cruising the aisles at SDCC, but for now, we gotta head back to the not-so-distant past!  That's right kids.  Tighten the velcro on those light-up Nike's.  The Wayback Machine is set and we are heading back to Comic Con 2018!  Enjoy...

I'd be remiss if I didn't post a pic of this costume I built for my niece Kristen.  It was the last year she could get in for free and wanted to cosplay as a grand finale, so we came up with this idea for armor and weaponry made from watermelon rinds!  It was a silly idea, but everybody loved it!  Took me nearly two months to build, but well worth the effort.  Everybody wanted a picture with her and as a final cherry on top, she was even featured on Comedy Central's The Jim Jeffries Show!  And for those wondering "What offsite was this at?"  Well, my front yard hosted no official SDCC programming, but it's always Comic Con at my house!

The Rampage offsite near the Omni Hotel!  Pretty fun popcorn flick!

Kira and Fizzgig!  Watch your fingers!

The offsite promoting the short-lived DC Universe streaming service!  Why the hell can't Warner Bros ever leave well enough alone?!?

Totally dig this Pink Panther/Black Panther crossover!  The sly cat was pretty heroic too!

Cyclops and Wolverine getting down at the Petco Park Interactive Zone!

Watch out!  It's Gossamer!

This is why cars aren't allowed on the streets during SDCC!  Actually, this was promoting the nearby Castle Rock offsite and I really do regret missing this one.  The YouTube vids I've seen looked really cool!  If they ever invent a time machine...

Disco Darth gets groovy at Hogwarts!

Balrog's here and looking for a fight!

Amazon had been setting up an offsite along the MLK Promenade for several years but in 2018, they REALLY upped the ante!  I didn't make it into this one, but folks were raving about it to the point that I went the following year and wasn't disappointed!  They haven't done an offsite since...

Little Beetlejuice and is here and ready to show off!

It's Arcade Man!  With the power to munch quarters and kill friendships in a single game!  And yes, his DigDug display was playable!

Finally, we learn the answer to a question that has plagued mankind for over a decade now: Deathstroke IS in fact a Bronie!

And that was Comic Con 2018!  A fun show where I was literally being shaken down by relatives and friends left and right to get their kids in for free!  Normally I don't mind, but there are limits to even my notorious patience!  Especially when I actually make it into a panel!  This was also the year my pal Riki had an interesting experience walking around the Gaslamp, but that's tale only told verbally!  Over all though, one of my best years at the show!

That's all for now, but we'll be back next week with a HUGE post a few days earlier even (MONDAY) so that y'all can have a head start on the awesomeness that is Comic Con, including tips and tricks for an easier experience!  So be sure to come back and check it out!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!