Going to Comic Con in 2007 was one of the best weekends I've had since
moving to Los Angeles and really one of the best weekends I've ever had.
I bought lots of great merch (convention-exclusive Harry Potter,
Nightmare Before Xmas and Futurama toys) attended an awesome Futurama
panel, caught the Terminator Sarah Connor Chronicles pilot six months
before it aired, and was part of such a fun and vibrant scene at the San
Diego Convention Center. I haven't gone back the last four years
because of scheduling, ticket buying fiascos the one time I was going to
go, money and my original Comic-Con partner in crime, Scott, moved
away. But every year when I see the photos, read the blogs and talk to
the people I know who went, I have a small regret about not returning.
When I found out Friday that Comic-Con's little brother Wonder Con had
moved to the Anaheim Convention Center this year (it's a one-time thing
because the Mascone Center in SF is getting renovated) (and it was this
weekend!), I was immediately interested. Fortunately, I learned that
there were plenty of cheap tickets (only $10 online) available for
Sunday and that Sunday's schedule included panels for my three favorite
TV dramas: Alcatraz, Fringe and Once Upon a Time (all in succession
beginning at noon in the main ballroom). So I bought a ticket Friday
night, stayed up way too late Saturday playing my new snowboarding game
on the PS3 and then got up early for the commute to Anaheim.
I'll do it snippety highlight style to get this moving:
• Parking was $12 at the nearby Anaheim GardenWalk outdoor mall and
chain-restaurant complex. So $22 total to attend and it was a short
walk. HOORAY!
• Since the doors opened around 11 a.m. Sunday and the first panel was
at noon, I decided to be there for the opening. That way I could check
out the convention hall with all the exhibitors hawking their scheit and
then hit the panels and then return and go shopping. No purse today
because I didn't think it'd be big enough. I went with my laptop bag
instead.
• Steampunk has apparently been gaining some serious sway in the geek subculture. I was totally unawares until today how pervasive it is.
So lots of people in great steampunk garb (think HG Welll industrial
chic) and lots of people selling threads and accessories. This brings me
to the quote of the day (non-celeb version): "It's a clothing
line, not a costume line." That was the owner of Hilary's Gothic, Fetish
and Steampunk apparel. Ironically, next to her was another seller of
steampunk garb. That place's name: "Pendragon Costumes." Apparently,
despite often being armed with guns and blasters, Steampunks are
pacifists because both were still standing after the weekend.
• The runner-up quote of the day was also steampunk-related. "Hey folks,
we're not a musuem, please feel free to touch everything in our booth,
except him and her [as he points to his associates]."
• You find all sorts of clubs at theses Cons, which is one of my fave
aspects. No one has to be embarrassed about the things that make them
squeal a little on the inside. Hell, at a place like this you can squeal
loud on the outside! (Well except maybe for people into the R-rated sex
comics. I didn't see anyone stopping by that booth, even though they
were amazingly drawn based on the posters hanging up at the booth.) My favorite club
was the homemade R2D2 builders. They remote-controlled three or four
lifesize, metal astromech droids around the hall. I'm not sure if this
link is them, but I think it is. PHOTO in the album at end.
http://astromech.net/
• Best shirt award goes to a young woman who asked a question at
the Fringe panel: "Neville would have done it in four books." I don't
actually agree with her, but it was really funny. One of the Fringe producers even gave her a shoutout on the shirt.
• Funniest panelists (tie): Joshua Jackson and John Noble.
The son and father team from Fringe had the easy-joking manner of a
well-rehearsed comedy team. They opened the Fringe panel with a
compilation of Walter Bishop's funniest lines (so lots of
straight-delivered talk of bodily functions, anatomy and food). Everyone
swore that John Noble is basically Walter in real life. Joshua Jackson
on what it's like to read one of the scripts (which get some edgy stuff
past Standards) for the first time. "I think there's a typo on page 13,
it says, 'vag-enda.'"
• Best quote (celebrity) was from Jorge Garcia. Someone asked him
whether his character on Alcatraz would be luckier in love than Hurley
on Lost was since Hurley's GF was removed from the show pretty much
immediately after they got together. There was some hesitation until
someone noted that the actress who plays his potential Alcatraz love
interest just got cast in a new pilot. "I got cockblocked by Kevin
Bacon." That one slayed the room.
• Award for almost being good goes to ME. I was making my final pass
through the exhibitors' hall and the exit doors were in sight when I
finally spotted some Futurama merchandise. The company that holds the
toy license wasn't at WonderCon (though Toynami always does Comic-Con)
so I figured I'd get out with only a $22 commitment and the gas. But
then I spotted some Futurama stuff and $20 later I am the proud owner of
the new talking Bender. And like most spenders, I thought happily of
the $5 I saved off retail, rather than the fact I spent $20 I had told
myself I wouldn't.
Oh well. A great time was had by all.
I don't like how Google has turned off Picasa for online photos and instead folded all photos into the DOA Google Plus.
So here's an old school link. It should work.
https://plus.google.com/photos/107517042636502797054/albums/5721479754277869217?authkey=CPK9qrHEnJbB8QE
No comments:
Post a Comment