Friday of San Diego Comic-Con had everything from the SDCC15 Hall H line cheering when the doors opened for their line to start moving, to artists sketching, to cosplayers and so much more… that is just the morning hours. When a day at San Diego Comic-Con is to busy to fit all of it within one story what do you do? You split the day up of course. With that in mind we bring you without further ado… Friday Morning of SDCC15.
I rarely am near the Hall H door when it opens in the morning, but this time I was. The looks, the cheers, the joy on faces as the line began to move and they were at last heading inside to see the panels and celebrities they waited so very long to see. I sometimes envy those that attend a panel in Hall H. Often they see somebody or something I wish to see but am not willing to dedicate that much of my visit to SDCC waiting in line. These brave souls experience things the rest of us may be jealous of but what they give up to have the experience is some of what I will share here for all to see. Though they may not experience the slow zombie like shuffle on the Con floor, or the bobbing and weaving as you rush to get to a booth or panel room in time for a scheduled event, they can still enjoy the visuals as captured by our cameras while we do the shuffle or bob and weave in their stead.
Once through the doors the WETA booth is never a disappointment. This year was no different. Looking up at the dwarven warriors, the armored knights and warriors carries one off to scenes from our favorite films or for those of us that enjoy a good role playing campaign… dreams of dungeons and dragons. If you ever have the chance, take a wander through their booth to view the display items. Marvel at the craftsmanship that goes into bringing our fantasies and dreams to the screen with props and armor that makes cosplayers drool with envy. I even crossed paths with a friendly young dwarf, although he brandished his weapon I believe it was with pride of having an axe of his own while I was only armed with a camera. I think he is better prepared should Orcs or as is more likely at SDCC, Zombies were to attack. I think I shall leave defending the realm to him while I simply document the event.
A break in the crowd and what did I spy but this sweet ride at the HotWheels booth. Sadly when I asked if I could borrow the keys to the Bat vs Superman car to take it for a test drive I was informed that they had not been trusted with the keys. So no joy ride in that sweet car for me. That would have been a fun car to take for a spin around the block, once I got it beyond the crowds and street detours around the convention center that is. Imagine the looks it would get while cruising the 5 or 8 freeway.
And since this is COMIC-Con let’s not forget the comic books. Yes they do exist at Comic-Con! Though there are many more than this piece will mention I did manage to snap a shot with two of my must read titles to share with you.
Am happy to report, that although the SDCC variant of Hacktivist volume 2 issue 1 from Archaia arrived late to the show, it did arrive and is sitting at my home. Definitely was worth the wait but more about Hacktivist in another story, including an interview with the writers, Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing.
Lantern City is another great book that fortunately for me was sitting right next to Hacktivist making that my favorite corner at the Boom! Studios booth. Not to say the rest of their books aren’t great but these two are among my favorites and definitely on my list of must read books.
SideShow Collectibles is another booth to take your time in. Imagine having just a few of those collectibles in your home, especially the life-size ones. Some of them are a bit difficult to get a clear photo of because the crowds and displays do make it hard to back up enough when you are trying to fit all of the life-size T-800 life-size Terminator Endoskeleton in your frame. (Still waiting for my email letting me know that I won it so I can set him up as the guard at my front door lol). So many amazing statues, I know I missed a few as I had to weave in and out of the drooling horde.
A day at Comic-Con just is not the same for me when I don’t manage to swing by certain booths to say hi to friends made over the years, fortunately Friday permitted me the time to make those visits (again) so we have the Broadsword Comics booth with Jim Balent signing and chatting with fans (when he isn’t sketching for them that is). There was the corset tying conga line (only way to describe the visual) as Shara was tightening somebody’s corset and Holly Golightly was in front of the corset wearer offering stability for them. If you have never had a corset tightened you don’t understand how important somebody or something in front of you to hold onto can be during the tightening process.
Then there was Billy Tucci, I didn’t think he would stop laughing or smiling when I was trying to take a photo of him sketching. Never realized just how many of the artists I know can be silly when a camera is near. He spotted the camera and immediately was “on” when I was looking for a candid, or at least a candid appearing, photo. I think we did fairly well considering how big his grin was to start with. Had the same problem when I swung by to say hi to Raphael Navarro. Am telling you, candids of artists can get tricky. The passion for what they do shows more when they aren’t paying attention to the photographer and to me that is when we see the real artist, not when they are posing for the camera.
Then it was the zombie shuffle through the crowd to make my way over to Top Cow Productions. Always good fun to see the folks at this booth and with a few new faces this year still was no different. Lots of talent, lots of fun and good friends. Not sure if I enjoy getting the goofy photos or the rare serious photos of Linda and Stjepan Sejic more. Will say, getting the serious ones are a challenge and rarely happen if they know I am taking the photos. They are two of the wackiest most fun people I have had the pleasure to meet at Comic-Con and it was a pleasure seeing them back again this year. Strangely, that wackiness is just a part of the passion they have for what they do. With these two, I think any serious shots I did manage to get will be the ones where people will think they actually posed (and were told to behave LOL).
Since I had an early lunch meeting, at the Fox Sports Grill at the Hilton Bayfront, we even have a stroll through the FX Fearless Arena set up in park in front of Hilton. They have been putting this space to good use the past few years for Comic-Con, not only giving us a break from being indoors, but also for those that did not manage to get a badge for SDCC it gives them a taste of being there. This year what impressed me was the canopied area with seating and even a sunblock dispenser, for those that did not plan on being outdoors while at SDCC, a good idea that I hope they repeat in future years.
On the way back to the convention center I stumbled upon an epic cosplay… the Cersei Lannister’s Walk of Shame from the Season 5 finale of Game of Thrones was being played out in front of the convention center. This was definitely a crowd stopper and probably the easiest way to get through the sidewalk crowd if one was willing to go to that much effort to get through it. This was not group cosplay and all the players did their roles well. Though I don’t believe they expected to be crashed by some other cosplayers from a different realm altogether. They handled this with humor and class and had a blast with the intrusion as did the crowd which had a good laugh.
Once inside we have a few more cosplayers for you to enjoy, including a very patient mermaid who waited while we had somebody step into the shot while she was holding her pose. Believe it or not, this seriously was just the morning hours for my Friday at Comic-Con this year. The afternoon/evening will come soon have lots of photos to go through and many memories to relive.
For now though, they say a picture is worth a thousand words so enjoy the novel below with more photos from SDCC15 Friday Morning.
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