As I close out my coverage of the San Diego Comic-Con, it’s time to do what I did when I attended the New York Comic-Con in February. Anyone pitching their stuff to me on the floor gets a mention here. The floor was much busier this time, but I still got to talk with some talented artists here and there. Here’s what I came across in random order:
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Experience a new kind of gangster at Hollyvoodsite. They’ve got an impressive video preview showcasing their very first comic. Vem, one of the writers, sent me a preview of issue #1 after the con. I’m not a fantastic critic when it comes to comics/graphic novels and I’m rather easy to impress, but visually this is rather catching. The detail in the artwork is incredible and really captures the sinister, dark feel of the story. The main character, Krikor, escapes from Tblisi, Georgia and starts a new life in the sinister side of Hollywood, aka the gritty ethnic neighborhood of Russians, Armenians, Ukranians, and Mexicans pursuing the American Dream. The first issue details Krikor’s less than ideal adjustment to his new life and how he gets his first glimpse into the underworld of gangs and prostitution. So far Hollyvood looks like it’s getting off to a promising start, and I recommend giving it a try.
Galaxy Publishing was passing out its promotional poster of scantily clad Sheena: Queen of the Jungle, which is now on my seven-year-old boy’s wall. Devil’s Due Publishing is selling the Sheena comic books on its site, along with many others including Obama comics, Family Guy, and G.I. Joe.
The woman at this booth looked so lonely and bored, so I stopped to talk, curious as to what in the world she was selling that no one wanted. She represented Collectibles Insurance Services, LLC. Yeah, it wasn’t glamorous, but surprisingly the collectible insurance business is growing. When someone smacks down $1,000 for a rare first edition comic, they’re actually figuring out it’s wise to insure it. Of course Collectibles Insurance Services covers anything that’s considered collectible, and were wise to point out that homeowner’s insurance won’t cover the losses. I was sold. I’ll use their services should I ever be nuts enough to pay that much for something like that. I’d rather have a classic Mustang, but that’s just me.
I was thrilled to see a highly visible booth for Titan Publishing. Friends of mine contribute articles for Titan’s Supernatural magazine, but Titan also does magazines for Smallville, Star Trek, Star Wars, Lost, and other titles. They lost me at the full-color glossy bookmark of Jensen and Jared, so I didn’t check out much else (although I picked up a Smallville bookmark with Tom Welling for my daughter). New titles come out for Supernatural magazine September 22 and November 24th. For the rest of the titles and release dates, go to their website.
I can’t give this a proper description. They’re balls of string called VooDooBabies. Just go to the website. They’re different.
Anyone heard of the online game Army of Two, The 40th Day? You have now. You can even follow them on Twitter at @ARMY_OF_TWO (of course you can follow my cat on Twitter too) or play at their website.
Enter the Multiverse of Magic: The Gathering. On the flyer it says “Explore endless worlds of the Multiverse and the stories of the Planeswalkers who battle across them – all in an endless quest for greater power and glory.” Have no idea what I’m talking about? You’ll have to explore it all yourself. They offer novels, a trading card game, and digital games.
Profiles in History had on display many props from the TV show Lost that were really cool to see. These items are scheduled to be auctioned off when the series ends in May 2010. While this was a really great display (I loved all the Dharma stuff and Charlie’s guitar), I was a little dismayed to find that these were being auctioned for profit and not to benefit any charity. They did say that the show will be sending some items, like chandeliers from the set, to the local YMCA for auction when the show ends. For more information, go to their website.
Final Thoughts
Considering this was my second Comic-Con, but my very first San Diego one, I have to say it was both what I expected and nothing like what I expected. The main exhibit floor was almost the exact layout of the New York one, albeit a little larger. The main differences were the longer lines and inability to get into the marquee events, not to mention a much greater Hollywood presence. I didn’t even attempt Hall H, but Ballroom 20 was no picnic either. Neither was room 6BCF. In the end, I attended only two sessions. I was lucky enough to get into five press rooms, though, and came away with a wealth of information to share and a pretty big personal thrill.
Comic-Con San Diego is too big. Even though my family traveled with me, they didn’t go to the con because they couldn’t get tickets. My kids really want to go next year, but I have reservations about that. I’d rather take them to a smaller one like New York, where they can focus on the comics and the spirit of the con as originally intended. Would I go again myself? Absolutely. I had a blast. I met so many people that I’d only talked with via email and it was worth the trek.
But now, I can finally put all this Comic-Con stuff to rest and go back to what I do best, being a total obsessive over Supernatural. Only 33 days, 4 hours, 41 minutes and 14 seconds to the premiere. Thanks everyone for letting me share my experiences. I hope you found this useful and entertaining.
Read more: http://blogcritics.org/culture/article/comic-con-wrap-up-all-the2/#ixzz0wtiXteT1
