Been a while since I’ve posted here. I’m mostly over at Myspace of late. Barry finally patched my old web page with this site so I’m back in business.
Here is my Comic Con report.
AWESOME!!!!!
July 25, 2007
We leave for San Diego at 4:15p.m. I really tried to get things packed early so I wouldn’t be running around the last minute throwing things in the suitcases. But I was.
Chloe decides to help pack.
Straps…are….tooo….tight!!!!
We make it to the airport fine. Security although a farce went smoothly. Barry and I handed our I.D.’s too this lady and she literally never looked up at us. I didn’t say anything but Barry started laughing about it after we walked thru–in a nervous kinda way.
We let the kids do some playing around in the Orlando terminal while we waited for the plane to arrive.
Plane ride actually went pretty well. We went to Atlanta first. I booked it so we’d stay on the same plane (‘cuz Atlanta airport sux!), but as it turns out we had to make a made dash for the train and go to another flight next wing over. We made it barely!
Chloe had to make a break for the potty. That’s what held us up. We literally were the last folks aboard the plane.
Fox fell asleep for a couple hours which made things REALLY nice. About half way there he wakes up and throws a couple tantrums…2 year old, confined space…tantrums are bound to happen.
We land, get out luggage, get the taxi to our rental car (after schlepping 3 kids in and out of the Chloe mobile (aka PT Cruiser) a mini van was a treat!!! This one even had built in car seats!!! It was AWESOME!!
We make it to the hotel. Oh MY GOSH! Words cannot describe this place.
We booked a hotel way late and nothing was available in the area of the Con so we went out a ways. I don’t think I have every slept in a smaller room then this.
We had 1 double size bed for a family of 5.
The hotel had no cribs. First night Molly and I slept on the floor (believe it or not we ended with the better deal)
The next night we put her in a drawer from the cabinet (which she actually liked!!) and we all 4 slept on the stupid double bed lengthwise. Funny thing? The kids NEVER complained.
They were champs.
Our first room they tried to put us in was actually SMALLER then this one. Barry finally went down to the manager when we saw the door safety lock had been kicked off. The room was a TINY bit bigger…not much.
I can laugh about it now. But those were probably the most miserable 3 mights in a hotel EVER. I mean EVER!!!!
But ya know? It’s a memory. I enjoyed the crampedness just because it was fun to be with my family again. A couple times we just had to get out of the room in a hurry because it was too small, but inspite of everything I had a blast.
Can’t say I want to do it again… Next year it’s back to the OMNI across the street!
Barry gets Fox ready for the first day of the convention.
Various pictures of San Diego around the convention center.
This is Petco Park
It’s a really beautiful city. Lots to do around the area. The weather was beautiful. HOT, but beautiful.
The habitrail that IS the San Diego Convention Center.
The historic Gaslight district which is just steps away from the convention center.
From the parking lots they have these little rickshaw things that would carry you to the convention center. I wanted Barry and the kids to do it, but they never did. The only thing it costs were tips. Next year.
Lines. Lots and lots of LINES! Only to be followed by waiting…lots and lots of friggin’ waiting!!!
COMIC CON IS LINES, PEOPLE! lOTS AND LOTS OF LINES!!
When we arrived to pick up our tickets which had been prepaid for we saw lines everywhere. Turns out everyone had to wait in this friggin’ line that wrapped around the convention center. All. The. Way. Around. The. Friggin’. Convention. Center!!! The place is one of the largest convention centers there are!!! Thousands and thousands of people.
Again…I can laugh about it…now.
So we walk all the way around the building. Walking and walking. Along with all the other Con attendee’s. More walking and walking. Then we reach the end of the line…it would have been quicker and kinder just to send us around the building the other way, but for some stupid reason everyone gets sent the long way.
So we wait for 3 hours (did you read that 3 HOURS!!!) in the heat with 3 kids. Luckily I brought sun block but they still ended up burned!
These two guys were awesome! They were dressed as old western sheriffs. They walked by while we were in line. Their spurs where clinking, and they had on these AWESOME leather coats. Must have been totally miserable under all that leather! But they sure looked cool.
We never saw them inside the Con. Must have passed out from heat exhaustion.
Chloe takes a rest.
Fox is hot and tired and thirsty
Finally we get in the building for yet more waiting. Only be told 2 things that REALLY set Barry and I off:
1. We’d have to take our 3 sleeping kids OUT of the stroller to go up the escalator (what would they have done for a person in a wheelchair)
2. That we had kids we could have just come in!!
Oh my gosh…did a dark cloud descend on us then. We yelled at poor Edna (that was this ladies name) who told us this. We told her we waited with babies, there were OTHER people with babies out there and we only find out about this now?!? Ooooohhhh we were pissed!
Anyway, we finally get our stupid passes. And go into the dealer/artist room.
Now, I go to a LOT of conventions. TONS of conventions. The last time I was at San Diego Comic Con was back in 1997. MAN had it changed!! IT was huge.
HUGE!!!
Words can’t describe how huge the thing has got. Four days we spent there and I still don’t think we saw everything.
Everyone in the entertainment business has these incredible displays:
Sci Fi channel had this totally cool organic looking display
Pirates of the Carribean display
LucasArts had probably the largest display. It was HUGE.
DC area
Some DC toys
This is from the set of “Golden Compass”
The Mach 5 from Speed Racer
One of the Batmobiles
Fox is fixated on cars. It was HELL trying to get him away from all the car displays!
Every major publisher was there…the displays were great. They were huge and they were cool. A lot of times they had actors dressed as major characters around their area. It was fun.
This is Lego’s display. R2D2 really made sounds. It was awesome.
Batman all out of legos.
A cool dragon sculpt from one company.
THe upcomming and already out Justice League action figures. Gotta feed the geek.
Artists alley shrinks every year. That’s not where the con makes it’s money, so it’s the first to suffer casualties. But we saw LOTS of cool artists and met lots of people that we’d printed books for.
The small press area was fun. I thought there would be more folks there…but again…that’s not where the con makes money.
Poor Fox crashes
These areas were MUCH bigger last time we were there. I only hope they will increase next year like it was rumored.
We spent quite a bit of time over at Randy Reynaldo’s table. He does one of the best books out there called: Rob Haynes: Adventure Strips Digest. Randy is also one of the best comic people out there. I HIGHLY recommend giving his book shelf space.
How I geeked out during the Con.
I have tons of artistic influences. One of my current favs is a cat from California by the moniker Gris Grimmly. One of the sharpest, talented illustrators out there. Just a touch of the twisted…gotta love him. I got his newest book which doesn’t hit the shops until Sept signed. I turned all girly mush when I met him. Yeah…I geeked. And he was nice. In a tweedy, stand-offish sorta way. Yeah, he wanted me.
Jericho. Ok, I’ve pleaded, bitched, cajoled and just about offered my first born to get folks to watch this show. In May word came down that it got canceled, then thru one of the biggest campaigns in history (NUTS!) got put back into production. Anyway, there was a special Jericho panel on Sunday. The room was filled to capacity. Barry and I totally enjoyed the panel (the only one we were able to get to). Skeetch Ulrich was there (tasty mosel), Ashely Scott, the incredible Lennie James (there was an audible gasp when he spoke for the first time…most folks don’t realize that he’s a total Brit). The guy had an incredible sense of humor. Love dem brits!
NCN (National Caricaturing Network) had a booth set up…kinda dumb when the space SHOULD have gone to a comic book publisher. But I got Chloe drawn by Joe Bluhme. I like it…Barry says she looks like an old woman.
Same with folks who sell jewelry and other nonsense in comic book artists alley. Away. Away with you I say!
Cool costumes we saw:
Still not sure if this blue thing is a chick or a dude. You decide.
TONS of stars where there. You’d be standing next to celebrities and not know it. I didn’t anyway…chalk it up to blondeness. But anyone who is anyone was there.
Famous people I saw:
This is Stan Sakai. Does a book for Dark Horse called “Usagi Yojimbo”. One of the best out there.
Guy who plays the sheriff from Eureka. Didn’t get a pict.
This is Katie Segal…Married with Children, voice of Leela on Futurama. Chloe was in Day care at the Con and didn’t get to meet her. Drats.
Sargent Slaughter–Damn, his jaw IS for real
The guy who played Apollo from Battlestar Galactica (the first series). We were waiting at a stop light with all the other Con attendee’s when this guy strikes up a conversation with Chloe. A girl next to me asks the guy if she can take a picture with him. After, I ask her who he was and she told me.
Most of the cast of Star Trek and Deep Space Nine
Below is Mareena Sertis–played Deanna Troy. By her is LaVar Burton–Jordy La Forge.
The guy who played “Q”. He said “hey there” to me. Squeek!
Bobcat Goldwait–stood right next to me…again didn’t get a pict.
Sunday we went back to the Con and had a lot of fun. Barry met other creators and spent some good will money. I walked around wishing I had a lot more money then I did. So many great things.
Things I loved about the show:
Cool folks in wacky costumes.
Amazing company displays.
Seeing old publishers/artist friends
TIME I GOT TO SPEND WITH BARRY AND THE KIDS!!!
Things I didn’t like so much:
Poorly planned entry into the Con. I could never have imagined a Con this size could start out soooooo horribly.
One of the most surprising things about our trip to California as my reaction to the geography. Mind you, I lived there and my Mom and sisters still live there, But I found the hills/mountains really REALLY unnerved me.
I also use to be a skier…I use to fling myself down mountains going outrageous speeds at least once a week. BUT there were a couple times when we were driving down these HUGE hills with the ocean in front of us that I got disoriented. It was the strangest, least expected reaction. Ever.
California makes it amazingly difficult to find grocery stores, places to eat, and gas stations.
We tried a couple times to find places off of 5 to eat…Chloe was craving Chinese (when isn’t she?). It was hell finding a Chinese buffet. Actually, I don’t think California HAS buffets…only in the lower class areas ; o )
We ate three nights at 2 different Mexican restaurants. As much as I love Mexican…I was getting tired of it.
We did go to In and Out Burger. If you’d never had one…OH MY GOSH! The best burgers and fries. Except for Tommy’s in LA. DEMS the best burgers with chili sauce and yumminess!
We’ve turned in the paper work for next year. I can’t wait to return. More about the California trip tomorrow.
After we closed the Con on Sunday we went up to Laguna Hills to be with my Mom for a couple days. I would also be able to introduce my children to my two sisters. I’ve felt really bad about that…my oldest is 3 and none of my kids have met their aunts.
I was so proud of the kids. They held up on the plane really well, they behaved themselves amazingly well (for the most part) during the convention.
I can’t wait for next year!!