Stars show up all over - in Q&A Panels, autograph signings, and if you're lucky, just standing next to you on the convention floor.
Getting there was a challenge. Fran's flight back from New Jersey (work trip) was late due to storms. We ended up leaving our home in Los Angeles at 3am, arriving in San Diego at 6am, unpacked at the hotel, and headed off to Comic Con with little to no sleep. We were determined to make it, and glad we did. Even if it meant missing a little sleep.
We knew to expect huge crowds, so we researched beforehand what events we wanted to attend, and when & where they were being held. Mostly we wanted to sit in on Q&A panels for our favorite TV shows. We also wanted to walk the floor of the convention itself during breaks between events.
Getting in was a challenge too. But since we arrived in San Diego early, we were pretty close to the front of the huge line to get in.
With so many things going on and so many people, you better have a plan. Here was ours:
Fran & Marc's ComicCon Hit List 2006
| Lost | 10:30-12:00 | Ballroom 20 |
| Bradbury, Harryhausen, Ackerman | 1:00-2:00 | Ballroom 20 |
| Kevin Smith | 1:00-2:30 | Hall H |
| Cartoon Voices | 2:00-3:30 | Room 6CDEF |
| The 4400 | 4:30-5:30 | Room 6CDEF |
| Sony (Ghost Rider/Spiderman) | 5:00-6:30 | Hall H |
| Adult Swim | 5:30-7:00 | Room 6CDEF |
Alot of stuff happens in Ballroom 20. That's where we started with our first session: LOST. To paraphrase a line from Talk Soup, if you haven't heard of Lost, congratulations, you have a life!
This was a Q&A panel composed of:
Jorge Garcia - Hurley
Daniel Dae Kim - Jin
Damon Lindelof, Carlton Cuse & Bryan Burk - Producers
The format is the same for all sessions. First the introductions. Then some "sneak peaks" of upcoming episodes. Then discussion between the panelists. And finally, people from the audience line up to ask questions.
Questions asked:
"Are Rose & Bernard part of the Hanso Group?" (No)
"Is the black cloud made of nano-robots?" (No)
"Can I have a hug from Hurley?" (Yes)
Then there was a "guest appearance" by a Lost Experience conspiracy nut. She pretended to have a question then harassed the panel for associating with the "evil" Alvar Hanso.
Later on we caught them signing signatures in a booth at the show.
The Lost session was exciting, funny and interesting. It made the whole trip worthwhile.
Afterwards we took a break and had lunch. We walked around the convention exhibits, then back to the sessions.
We also spent alot of time in Room 6CDEF (three room joined into one). They don't clear the room between events, so if you get in to an earlier one, you can stay for the next instead of getting into a long line. Even better, you can move up to a seat closer to the front when other people are leaving.
Since we wanted to see a later event (The 4400), we sat in on some earlier ones which turned out pretty darn good.
Quick Draw
Famous cartoon artists are given random things to draw together on a page. This group included Sergio Aragones (yes, THE Sergio of Mad Magazine), Scott Shaw and Kyle Baker.
Cartoon Voices
Similar to Quick Draw, famous voice actors are given a previously unseen script and asked to read it in different voices. This was so hillarious, I was amost in tears.
And what a great group:
Maurice La Marche - Pinky and the Brain, Toucan Sam
Katie Leigh - Dungeons & Dragons, My Little Pony
Greg Berg - Muppet Babies, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Gregg Berger - Transformers, Duckman
Michael Bell - GI Joe, Transformers, "Butter"
Marvel Studios
The next session was about Marvel's upcoming movies. Wow, nothing like gettting a sneak preview right from the source!
Avi & Ari Arad from Marvel gave the facts and plans of future films including Iron Man, Hulk 2, Capt. America, Thor & Nick Fury. Edgar Wright (Director of the excellent Shaun of the Dead) is going to do Ant Man. Jon Favreau (he's so money!) is directing Iron Man (woohoo).
Since we sat in Room 6CDEF so long, we didn't go to Brad/Har/Ack or Kevin Smith. I also wished I could have seen The Man, Stan Lee.
But finally our patience paid off and we moved up to the second row in time for the next group:
The 4400
Joel Gretsch - Tom Baldwin
Jacqueline McKenzie - Diana Skouris
Patrick Flueger - Shawn Farrel
Megalyn Echikunwoke - Isabelle Tyler
Ira Steven Behr - Producer
Craig Sweeny - Producer
It was cool to see the cast up close in person. Jacqueline McKenzie was surprised so many people showed up. Ira Steven Behr has a blue beard. I don't know why.
The 4400 is a great drama/action/sci-fi show on the USA network. It has great characters that are each interesting and unique. And their stories are interconnected in a number of ways, which are revealed over several episodes. It's not just "people running around with lasers", as I've heard some other science fiction shows described.
We were starting to get sleepy (remember what time we drove to San Diego?), but we managed to stay up for the final session in the room...
Adult Swim
Dave Willis & Matt Maiellaro - Aqua Teen Hunger Force
Jim Fortier - Squidbillies
Dino Stamatopoulus - Morel Orel
Brendon Small & Tommy Blacha - Metalocalypse
Set Green & Matt Senreich - Robot Chicken
Jackson Publick - Venture Bros
Adam de La Pena, Todd James & Peter Girardi - Minoriteam
Tim Heidecker & Eric Wareheim - Tom Goes to the Mayor
I'm a big fan of ATHF (it took a while, but it grew on me) and Robot Chicken (Loved the Alien/Predator dating bit), but not so keen on the others. I was disappointed that Harvey Birdman, Space Ghost and Sealab 2021 weren't represented. By the way, if you have no idea who these are you obvious are either too old or don't stay up late enough.
Some of the Adult Swim guys got a little out of hand - one jumped on the table acting crazy (drunk - no really, drunk!). Another showed up painted all green like the Hulk, and got everyone singing the theme song of the old Hulk TV cartoon (if you're too old for Harvey Birdman, you should definitely remember the Hulk cartoon!). These guys were very entertaining to watch. In the second row, I felt a little too close to the action - kind of like sitting in the front at a Sea World show.
A Comic Con tradition, The Masquerade is the on-stage costume competition held on Saturday night at 8:30 in Ballroom 20 at the Convention Center. Sadly we were just too tired to try make it. Definitely next time. We did see plenty of people dressed up around the convention center. Some really cool costumes, some silly, some just inexplicable.
We also missed Sony's big Ghost Rider and Spider Man event (with Nick Cage and Sam Raimi), and the Battle Star Galactica Q&A session (was Friday before we could get there). But thanks to camcorders and YouTube, we'll get to see what went on.
The next day we slept in ('till 10!). Well rested, we headed over to La Jolla for some biking around the streets and paths of this beautiful coastal town. Then we topped off the day with a tasty meal at the Bull & Bear.
