Comic-Con International 2010 - San Diego, CA

[One Radical Dude]

All right, people, it's that time again! Some of the NF people and I will be returning to San Diego in under two weeks from now to have many adventures at the convention. This will mark my fifth consecutive year in a row at the con. I'm going to try to post as much of what happened at the con as I can each day, and I'm sure Cass, t, Howard, BBF, and anyone else that will be there will share the experiences this year. I'm leaving on the 17th for CA, and I'll be in San Diego from July 20-26.. If anyone else is going to be going, please post here. :)

[Ccook50]

Wish I were but I've been subjected to a life story over the past couple of years which has been "Where am I going and why am I in this handbasket?" I lived near San Diego as a kid and would love nothing more than to visit again, but perhaps another year.

[Howard]

Wish I were but I've been subjected to a life story over the past couple of years which has been "Where am I going and why am I in this handbasket?" I lived near San Diego as a kid and would love nothing more than to visit again, but perhaps another year.

That is so cool to live there as a kid. I was stationed there between 92 and 95. I miss it terribly, even though I am a 5 and a half hour drive away (AZ). Were you there (or near there) when PSA 182 went down?:'(

To the others - y'all know I am going to be there - I am bringing Cass with me.:blooevil:

[BluebottleFlyer]

Obviously you already know I'm coming (fingers crossed). First time I came back in '08 was a great experience, a real eye-opener, and hopefully this time'll be more of the same. Looking forward to meeting up with everyone. :)

[Ccook50]

Were you there (or near there) when PSA 182 went down?:'(
Nope. The family moved out here in 1965 after our dad passed away and we've been here since. As a kid I lived in Escondido for roughly three years.

[Howard]

Nope. The family moved out here in 1965 after our dad passed away and we've been here since. As a kid I lived in Escondido for roughly three years.

I was just curious. Escondido is pretty (I liked it). San Diego was one of the greatest places I have ever been stationed in my Navy career (which was shortlived after a major injury).:frankiesmile:

[cartman414]

I'll be going, naturally!

Just how I'll be going about it is a wild card, since for those of us going off on single day passes, we have to register for every day separately beforehand instead of all at once this time. :edmad:

[lucyrocks73]

I'll get there one of these years... There are times when I hate living on the east coast. And being poor.

-Marty :goo:

[Cassini90125]

For those who may not know, I'm stopping at Howard's place for six days, then we're driving from there to San Diego for the Con. My flight is leaving at 9:15 AM tomorrow morning; I'll be awake all night, in the hope that I'll sleep better on the plane. Unconscious is the best way to fly. :P After a layover in Detroit, I'll be landing in Phoenix around 1:15 PM local time, then spend about three hours poking around the area until Howard gets off work and picks me up. Hopefully I won't get lost in the meantime. :bloocross: After that, the fun begins. :blooevil: Y'all can expect plenty of pics after the trip, as usual, both on my profile page and in my dA gallery. Going to be a long vacation for me, but it'll definitely be worth it. Only a few set plans at present; mostly we'll play it by ear and see what comes up. :bloogrin:

[Cassini90125]

It's now a little after 6:00 AM; time to get going. Wish me luck. ;)

[taranchula]

Bon Voyage, see you in about a week. :D

[BluebottleFlyer]

Safe flight, Cass and Howard.:)

[One Radical Dude]

I will be flying to Southern CA later in the afternoon. This time around, I'm not leaving early in the morning. I will be heading for San Diego via train Tuesday, expected to be there after 12pm. We're getting closer! :bloogrin:

[Howard]

Cass is here with me, and we are taking a little roadtrip around AZ.

I want to thank you guys for the well wishes and we hope to see y'all at the Con next week. Play it safe people!:frankiesmile:

[Cassini90125]

It's hot here. :cheesegrin: The flight went well, and including a few shots from the airports I picked up 81 pics. The sunsets here are fantastic, as are the landscapes and plant life. More to say later; we're heading out to play in a moment. :bloogrin:

[iceberg210]

I'll be there again this year. I'll be there from Midday Wednesday to late Sunday evening if anyone is interested in meeting up like we did last year.

[Imaginary Light]

Yay, Con time again. :P I look forward to all of your guys' posts about what an awesome time you're having, and I hope everyone has a safe trip.:bloocross: Have fun!

[cartman414]

In case any of you are interested, one of the guys I met at Anime Expo just might pull a little Rickroll on the "Godhatesfags" protest on Thursday if he gets the chance.

[One Radical Dude]

I should almost be in California at the time of this reply, but due to a short delay, I had no way of going to my second flight to Orange County. Still stuck in Houston for 3 hrs and dealing with severe thunderstorms and heavy rainfall. I'm also ending up heading to Ontario (not Canada), the next closest airport. I am scheduled to fly at 9:15pm CDT. We shall see.

[Cassini90125]

In case any of you are interested, one of the guys I met at Anime Expo just might pull a little Rickroll on the "Godhatesfags" protest on Thursday if he gets the chance.

My camera can record short videos. If he'd like to be immortalized on YouTube, tell me where to be and when to be there. :blooevil: :bendy:

I should almost be in California at the time of this reply, but due to a short delay, I had no way of going to my second flight to Orange County. Still stuck in Houston for 3 hrs and dealing with severe thunderstorms and heavy rainfall. I'm also ending up heading to Ontario (not Canada), the next closest airport. I am scheduled to fly at 9:15pm CDT. We shall see.

Sounds like what happened to me on my flight home last year. Best of luck to you, dude.

Howard and I spent much of yesterday on the road. Among our stops was a place called Tombstone. There's an awful lot I could write about that place and about many of the other things I've seen thus far in Arizona but I'm barely awake enough to type this, let alone a full travelogue. I racked up nearly 200 pics before my camera's battery ran out; some will be posted eventually, but here's one now that was kind of interesting:

http://vejur.deviantart.com/#/d2u92ty

Hmmm... :bloocross:

[Ccook50]

In case any of you are interested, one of the guys I met at Anime Expo just might pull a little Rickroll on the "Godhatesfags" protest on Thursday if he gets the chance.
Dunno if it's related, but Mark Evanier says that a group called the Westboro Baptist Church will be at the Manchester Hyatt to protest Al Gore's appearance there Thursday (presumably because of his infidelity issue, but the group had planned this protest before that happened) and then make their way to the convention center to--as Mark tells it--just get some camera time for themselves when the TV stations cover the convention.

[taranchula]

To get everyone into a further Comic Con state of mind, here is the annual Foxtrot CC related strip.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a359/Taranchula/imgsrvgocomicscom.gif

[Cassini90125]

Dunno if it's related, but Mark Evanier says that a group called the Westboro Baptist Church will be at the Manchester Hyatt to protest Al Gore's appearance there Thursday (presumably because of his infidelity issue, but the group had planned this protest before that happened) and then make their way to the convention center to--as Mark tells it--just get some camera time for themselves when the TV stations cover the convention.

Same group as the loonies that Cartman414 mentioned. Think of them as a sideshow. :weirded:

Howard and I are heading out to see the Arizona Crater shortly, to be followed by a barbeque later in the day. Turns out that the temperature varies widely in various parts of the state, although nothing below 90, except at night in a few spots. We encountered a few thunderstorms yesterday, and plenty of lightning. Heck of a light show. :bloogrin:

[One Radical Dude]

I did arrive at the Ontario airport. Unfortunately, my luggage did not. It went to the other airport, the one I was going to go. I will be picking it up soon.

[cartman414]

Well, it's good to hear that you're there in one piece, and I trust you've acquired your luggage since then.

[One Radical Dude]

Yep, I did receive the luggage. So I am definitely a happy person. :yeah:

[taranchula]

Hooray.

For me it's one more of day of work, then a day of final preparations and then I'll depart on Wednesday morning to the wild wild west.

[Cassini90125]

We went to the Arizona Crater today. Pretty impressive. Long drive both ways but definitely worth it. After that we went to the house of one of Howard's friends where, after some suspicions were dispelled, two dogs competed for my attention. 8D After that was a big meal of ribs, followed by a round of Wii-based bowling. I'm astonished that I did as well as I did. It continues to be distressingly hot but I'm managing well enough. More distressing were the four episodes of Johnny Test that we sat through. Sheesh, that show is as bad as everyone has said. 8D

[Howard]

I have been a resident of AZ for a long time and never been to the Meteor Crator until yesterday. And yes, JT is horrible to watch, but it was the only thing on while we ate our ribs. "Lost Clause" will be airing on the "Christmas in July" event on CN.:bloogrin:

[Ccook50]

If anybody plans on going to the beach in the next day or so, be careful. There are rip current conditions from Encinitas to Imperial Beach.

[Cassini90125]

Longhorn beetle:

http://vejur.deviantart.com/#/d2ucw01

Arizona meteor crater:

http://vejur.deviantart.com/#/d2ucydd

Enjoy. :)

[One Radical Dude]

Those are some really great shot there, dude. :)

Last night, I played a board game with several friends, and some of us pulled out our Droid phones and tried to take as many photos using the Google Goggles application to search for things. Today and tonight, I will be going out to see a film, eat out, and play video games with some friends. After that, I will need to hit the hay earlier, because I will need to be up to get ready to leave for San Diego (will be taking a Metrolink train at 8:27am, the next one isn't until after 1pm, and then stop in Anaheim and go on an Amtrak train to SD at the 10am hour).

[One Radical Dude]

All right, folks, I am officially in lovely San Diego right now. I made it through without any hassle. BBF's last plane was delayed and he had to get on another plane, so his arrival will be a little late, but he did last inform me on FB that he was boarding so that's great. I also did receive the Bloo costume (thank you, Sparky!). :)

[taranchula]

I am just about to turn in for the night, as I have a flight to catch at 9:30AM tomorrow.

If all goes according to plan, I should be touching down in San Diego (Via Washington D.C) at about 3:30 PST.

Now Maestro a little traveling music if you please...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UCrXJWvPuw

[Cassini90125]

Lentil and sausage soup:

http://vejur.deviantart.com/#/d2uh9w1

From an Italian place Howard and I hit the other night. We ate rather well. ;D

We plan on leaving Arizona around 5:30 AM PDT Thursday morning and arriving in San Diego sometime in the early afternoon. Once there we'll register, pick up supplies, and get settled in our respective hotels. Not yet sure what happens after that, but I'll figure out something. See y'all soon! :bloogrin:

[taranchula]

I have been in SD for a couple hours now, I would have posted sooner but first I wanted to get something to eat, second I can't get the Wi-Fi working in my room and third....Top Chef was on.

[BluebottleFlyer]

Been in SD since late on Tuesday, took three flights: an hour from Newcastle to Heathrow (stopped in a hotel for the night), 8 hours from Heathrow to Chicago, then about 4 hours from Chicago to SD (was delayed because the tail flaps on the original plane were dodgy, takeoff was aborted, was put on to a new plane). Been hanging out, bowling and shopping with ORD since.

[One Radical Dude]

Great to have you back in the USA, t! 8-)

Today, got up really early (after 7am, that's likely to be the norm throughout my time in San Diego), and there was light rain/drizzle in San Diego...which usually, no precipitation falls during the summer. It was another day that it failed to reach 70F, not really complaining at all, though the breeze made me wish I had a jacket at times. 8D I went to get my Starbucks Frappuccino, then BBF and I went to eat breakfast at a restaurant at the Seaport Village. Then we headed for a trolley ride to the San Diego State University area to at the Aztec Center and played three rounds of bowling, all three which I lost, though the last one was competitive. Still enjoyed it, though. Once we were done with that, we were on the trolley, I swore there was a guy sitting on the same trolley that looked a bit like Phil LaMarr to me. When Phil responded to my response on how I saw a look-a-like, he said on his Twitter page, "Look-a-like? I don't think so. Probably just one of my army of clon-droids I use for security & convenience." 8D We went to the Westfield Horton Plaza, picked up several things, got deserts, and just looked around. Later in the afternoon, I got my badge and this year, they're actually giving out those famous WB/Warner Bros. bags during the picking up of badges. There are 11 designs. I went to the floor, I went to the Uglydolls booth and picked up some stuff. I did go by the Cartoon Network booth. I didn't recognize anyone there, though it's good that they have a booth again. I also picked up one of the Google Android mascot (Android is a smartphone competitor to Apple's iPhone, RIM BlackBerry Palm OS, Windows Mobile, etc.) figures. I did run into one of my Facebook friends today. Long day, but I really was satisfied with how it turned out. I'm sure I will see a lot more familiar faces tomorrow and in the coming days. :bloogrin:

[Cassini90125]

It was another day that it failed to reach 70F, not really complaining at all, though the breeze made me wish I had a jacket at times. 8D

You have no idea how much it pleases me to hear this; it hasn't reached below 80F in Arizona since February. I've drank enough liquid to fill a small lake. :bloocross:

Final night here. Howard and I decided to cap this part of my vacation with a trip to the Outback Steak House, where we ate a ridiculous amount of food and could barely move by the time we were done. Gluttony is fun. :bloocross: It's been one hell of a good time out here, hanging out with Howard and seeing things I've never seen before. I'd definitely like to visit this state again. Anyway, I'll be turning in for the night soon; we've got a long drive coming up tomorrow. ;)

[One Radical Dude]

Day two, I ended up waking up before 7am. I went to get a frappuccino, a bagel, and a banana. I went to Sails Pavilion and was attempting to meet Tom Kane again (didn't see him at one of the autograph tables, maybe it was delayed or re-scheduled) and actor Stephen Tobolowsky (Groundhog Day). I did later on meet Tobolowsky, really nice guy, and I did get a photo of him. I did see a few friends that are part of the Artists Gallery area in the afternoon hours. I had lunch in the Gaslamp District. I ended up getting too much food. 8D I was not able to finish all the chicken strips, fries, and mozzarella sticks. I went to pick up another one of those Google Android mascot figures, but they were sold out until tomorrow. I then went to meet voice actor Steve Blum again at the Sails Pavilion. Finally, I went to see an Adventures in Voice Acting panel, featuring Yuri Lowenthal and a few others. Before I got off the trolley, I did briefly see iceberg210. Took me a bit to notice it was him on the trolley. 8D

Overall, not a bad Thursday, considering that panel-wise, this would probably be the slowest. It was also another day where I believed for a second I saw two different voice-over actors (regardless if they're actually attending or not this year). Maurice LaMarche and Keith Ferguson were the ones I were thinking when I saw a few faces from a distance, but a few features made me think "definitely not them". 8D Anyhoo, we gotta meet at some point. I believe we'll definitely be present for Worst Cartoons ever tomorrow evening.

Edit: And I'm 2011 ready; I went ahead and pre-registered. It's $105, up $5. They're also selling single-day memberships.

[BluebottleFlyer]

Well, after a nice little breakfast at the Village Cafe, I spent a bit of time this morning queuing up to get my Con badge, and just took a long walk around the whole exhibit hall, far too much stuff to even begin to mention, really.
I tried to get to the signing session for "The Big Bang Theory", but due to security being totally inept at designating a queue, and the fact that there was no mention that you needed to get a green dot stamped on your badge to be able to get into the signing, and that the booth was insanely crowded, I completely failed. Oh well, can't win them all.
I did check out the BOOM! Studios booth though, and bought a copy of their take on "Monsters Inc".
Aside from the Con, I had a look out to Balboa Park, very picturesque.

[Howard]

I too am registered for 2011!:bloogrin:

[narfcake]

Every year, I say I'm getting too old for this ... and yet, I've pre-regged for 2011. Just a FYI, parking is horrible this year (not that it was great prior years, but it is especially bad this year). I lucked out yesterday afternoon - FREE spot right at 1st and Island (equivalent to being just 2 blocks away).

Otherwise, my Thursday was spent ... not doing much. 8D Did my typical "wholesome meal for <$5 at Ralph's". Then I wasted 30 minutes of my life at the 'New Generation of Spike and Mike". But isn't it an hour long? Exactly.

This morning ... $30 just for parking at an open lot. Ouch.

[Ccook50]

Mark Evanier says that very few of the protestors from Westboro Baptist Church showed up and were pretty much shouted down by counter-protestors.

[Cassini90125]

Howard and I saw them briefly while driving by, and there weren't very many of them, nor were they overly active. They just stood there, holding their hate signs for oncoming traffic to see. I flipped off one of them but I don't think he noticed.

[narfcake]

I flipped off one of them but I don't think he noticed.

They've prolly seen too many already ...

Still, I have my Foamy [the Squirrel] 'fingers' shirt with me ... so if push came to shove. :bloogrin:

I'm in a decent mood right now, though; I'm wearing the FHIF all-over print shirt right now.

[Sparky]

Oh yeah, I knew there was something...if somebody could snag me a copy of the Worst Cartoons dvd if there is one this year I'd be grateful. I can get it online too but I'd rather not. I want the Monsters Inc comic too but that I should be able to find in town.

[narfcake]

I'll be on the lookout, Sparky - I still have your magnet from ... ummm, 2 years ago.

[Howard]

Cass and I took a drive today. I am really starting to know my way around again. Unfortunately when we drove out to Mera Mesa, our Frankie's Italian Deli had gone out of business. We managed to relieve the tears with a Popeyes fried chicken up the road. We are currently planning our next move.:bloocross:

[Sparky]

Oh yeah, I knew there was something...if somebody could snag me a copy of the Worst Cartoons dvd if there is one this year I'd be grateful. I can get it online too but I'd rather not. I want the Monsters Inc comic too but that I should be able to find in town.

GM just informed me that iceberg earlier offered to pick us up a copy of Worst Cartoons, so no one else needs to worry about it. Thanks anyways. :terrsmile:

[narfcake]

GM just informed me that iceberg earlier offered to pick us up a copy of Worst Cartoons, so no one else needs to worry about it. Thanks anyways. :terrsmile:

Well, I still owe you the magnet, then.

Right now, I'm just waiting for the Worst Cartoons to start ... this is the FIRST panel today that I was able to get into. CN - room filled. Peanuts 60th - room filled. Adult Swim - across the hall, down the wall, outside, and wrapped around the mezzanine an hour ahead of time already. Needless to say, my day hasn't gone on as well as I hoped; the shirt I'm wearing right now represents that mood ...

[frankie_fan]

I hope I don't violate forum rules by posting here since I can't go to Comic Con, but Cass, if you haven't been to the Tron Legacy panel:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBgFoac0M8s

[One Radical Dude]

Last night, I ran into Penn Jillette from Penn & Teller twice. I went to meet up with several FB friends to eat. I made a brief stop a Ralphs and tried mint-flavored water. It's what it says...it's water with a minty flavor. It wasn't bad.

I got out of bed early, I walked around the floor, I saw a Batman: The Brave and the Bold panel. I wasn't expecting much, but it was really good. Then, I got to see the Cartoon Network Comedy panel, which included Adventure Time, and previews of Regular Show and another series I forgot. I had almost a dozen people say "Adventure Time" when they see my AT shirt. I did meet with some of the cast and creators from the CNC panel: Pendleton Ward, Jeremy Shada, Tom Kenny, and J.G. Quintel. I met with t, the friends from FB I ate with last night, and a young woman from Florida that I met in 2006 at Comic-Con. Dang, I have a lot of contacts! lol I also got a photo of myself with Tom Kane at Sails Pavilion. I also got to see Phil LaMarr at a SoulGeek booth inside the exhibit hall. My FL friend found out what the tix are for that we received from the CNC panel, and it was one of those hats to resemble what Finn wears in Adventure Time. We had to go to the Marriott Hotel & Marina to get them. Later in the evening, I met up with t during the Wost Cartoons Panel. Great stuff there, they had an Oz cartoon that was included in the WCE event, probably the best one from this year. Jerry Beck did not have anymore of the discs, when we tried to purchase one. I think Beck said that later on, we should be able to purchase them via cartoonresearch.com (correct me, if I'm wrong, iceberg). After the panel, we talked and I met three people that iceberg knew. After that, it was back to the hotel room. The second full day was really good, and I look forward to day three. :bloogrin:

[Cassini90125]

I hope I don't violate forum rules by posting here since I can't go to Comic Con, but Cass, if you haven't been to the Tron Legacy panel:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBgFoac0M8s

I'm afraid my hotel's internet service isn't too good, so YT is currently more of a hassle than it's worth. Besides, the site is currently on my Hate list and will remain there until their incompetent and lazy staff get off their collective worthless asses and addresses the issue of the SOB who stole my videos and copied my username. :frankiemad: As for posting in this thread, it is not only allowed but encouraged. :frankiesmile:

Hell of a day today. As Howard mentioned, we drove a long distance to Frankie's Italian Deli, only to discover that it had gone out of business. We had a similar disappointment at dinnertime; we were planning on eating at La Strata, where we had the annual Forum dinner last year, only to find out that they'd suffered a kitchen fire on Thursday and wouldn't be reopening until next Friday. The glorious meal we had at Croce's, a block up the street, more than made up for it, though. Seriously, that was one heck of a meal; pan-fried black cod on a bed of green soba noodles, covered with assorted vegetables and a fine miso sauce, along with an equally amazing soup and/or salad course... wow. We got nothing done that was actually Con-oriented but managed to have a good time nonetheless, except for the part where I fell asleep in the car with my hand hanging out the window and got windburn. Ow. :bloocross:

Anyway, here's another pic. This one was taken yesterday in the Exhibition Hall:

http://vejur.deviantart.com/#/d2upep9

My Little Pony reborn, under the care and guidance of Lauren Faust. New episodes of the old children's series will begin airing sometime in October. :frankiesmile:

[BluebottleFlyer]

Pretty much tagged along with ORD today, so today was more or less ditto what he did. I hadn't seen either Batman: Brave and the Bold or Adventure Time prior to both panels, and they were definitely both pleasant surprises.
Got autographs from the Adventure Time crew, and also got a free Finn hat thanks to the ticket I got during the panel.
Had the honour of meeting Phil LaMarr for the first time too, a legend in every sense of the word, he even commented on the shirt I was wearing (it has my characters Bob & Flyer on it). Really, really cool. :D
Met with one of ORD's friends, and went to the Worst Cartoons Ever panel, and now I really wish I'd gone to that the last time I was here, because it was just hilarious. For me, it was between "The Magic of Oz" and the pelican cartoon (I forgot his name) for the best worst toon. Also met up with iceberg for the first time, plus some of his friends (one being a fellow Brit, I should add).
Definitely a good day, without a doubt.

[frankie_fan]

I'm afraid my hotel's internet service isn't too good, so YT is currently more of a hassle than it's worth. Besides, the site is currently on my Hate list and will remain there until their incompetent and lazy staff get off their collective worthless asses and addresses the issue of the SOB who stole my videos and copied my username. :frankiemad:

I may as well tell you what the link was anyway. It's the new Comic Con trailer for Tron Legacy. I don't know if it was shown at the panel, if you went to that panel.

[Ccook50]

What else did Jerry show this year in the Worst Cartoons? (The pelican's name was Paddy, BTW.)

[BluebottleFlyer]

What else did Jerry show this year in the Worst Cartoons? (The pelican's name was Paddy, BTW.)

Paddy, that was it, lol. They started with Mr Titan, there was also Johnny Sypher, Sam Bassett, Harry Happy, Bat Beagle (I think I heard that right), some "experimental film" with a really creepy looking stop-motion animated monkey, and the afore-mentioned two. Not sure if I missed any, I think that about covers it.

[narfcake]

Not sure if I missed any, I think that about covers it.

That sounds about right.

Stuck around for half of Spike and Mike's. It was meh. I started fading, so I bailed just after HTF.

Thus so far today, I've spent 90 minutes (8:30 to 10:00 am) in line to get into room 20. It's at least a 3+ hour wait now, and with very little hope for anyone even thinking of getting into Futurama.

[Cassini90125]

Heading out to hunt autographs shortly. My sister-in-law wants signed pics of the guys on some ghost/vampire/whatever show that airs on the Travel Channel. :herrsleep: After that, I'm off o the Exhibition Hall, and then the line for Masquerade tickets. :bloogrin:

[narfcake]

Survived a half-day of room #20 (Chuck/Family Guy/The Cleveland Show/Futurama/The Simpsons), and then downstairs, ran into Maurice LaMarche (or vice versa, actually). A quick reminisce of the 15 years ... he's still got it.

I'll try for [Adult Swim] a little later, then Mythbusters ...

[Ccook50]

Paddy, that was it, lol. They started with Mr Titan, there was also Johnny Sypher, Sam Bassett, Harry Happy, Bat Beagle (I think I heard that right), some "experimental film" with a really creepy looking stop-motion animated monkey, and the afore-mentioned two. Not sure if I missed any, I think that about covers it.
No Spunky & Tadpole, eh? Jerry would have screened episode six of "Message To Marcia."

[BluebottleFlyer]

No Spunky & Tadpole, eh? Jerry would have screened episode six of "Message To Marcia."

Nope, didn't show that. Would've liked to see it myself.

[Cassini90125]

Howard and I looked at the line for tickets to the Masquerade, wisely said the hell with it, and wandered off to find lunch. Much to our surprise, we found that La Strata had reopened. Still one of the city's best restaurants. :bloogrin: Afterwards we poked around in the Exhibition Hall for awhile, at least until the noise and my dislike of crowds finally caught up to me and I had to get out. Not a happy moment. :P On the bright side I got the autographs my sister-in-law wanted and took a lot of pics, one of which really blew me away. ;D Eventually we had dinner at a Mexican place and decided to call it a day. I've got a bit of a headache but on balance it was a pretty good day. :)

[Sparky]

Random request for a friend: any photos of Adam Savage in Batman armor. Just throwing that out there.

[BluebottleFlyer]

Now I can say that I waited in a queue for almost the best part of an hour for no reason at all...that's what myself and ORD did, we were in the massive line for the Futurama panel, but I changed my mind and went off to do my own thing instead. Yesterday, I saw there was a booth selling the comic series "Bone", which I'd heard about but never read, so I decided to buy a big book of the whole Bone comic, plus a separate new one. $51, but hopefully it'll be worth it.
It turned out that Bone's creator, Jeff Smith, was there doing autographs, so I went for it, and he signed both the books I'd bought and my autograph book, very cool indeed.
Popped out to Hot Topic to buy myself a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles shirt. The inner geek in me pretty much took over me today, lol.
After that, met up with ORD again for the Cartoon Voices I panel, which featured a group of well-known voice actors, including April Winchell, Gregg Berger and Chuck McCann. I remember the Cartoon Voices panels in '08, and they were brilliant. This one was too, they did a cold reading of a Cinderella script, and the voices they were letting rip with were just priceless. There were also special guest appearances by Bill Farmer (best known as the voice of Goofy) and Joe Ruby and Ken Spears, the duo behind the Ruby-Spears animation company. After the panel I got Gregg Berger's autograph, too.
Last time I was in SD, ORD cosplayed as Bloo from "Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends", and he brought the costume this year, too, so for a good hour or so we both hung around the Convention Centre, with loads of people taking pictures and posing with "Bloo". I sort of cosplayed as well, with the Adventure Time hat I got, but ORD was way better at it. :nod: Also, we both ran into Maurice LaMarche and Billy West, brief but very cool.
Having so much fun here, I really don't want it to end.

[One Radical Dude]

Anyway, Saturday, I ran into Maurice LaMarche when I was getting some stuff from Starbucks at the Marriott Hotel & Marina. It was a brief visit. I did get in line to see Futurama. Later on, I changed my mind and tried to search for a few friends I haven't seen yet at the Con. Later on, I went to the Cartoon Voices I event, which included Gregg Berger, James Marsden, Candi Milo, Tom Kane, April Winchell, Chuck McCann, and others. Joe Ruby and Ken Spears made late appearances at the end. I was not successful at getting a photo with Candi at that panel, so I ended up catching the last bit of the Fanboy and Chum Chum panel and I did succeed in getting a pic with her (didn't do that the last time I met her). Around 5:30, I wore the Bloo costume. It was still a hit. I went through Hall B through E, and then I went up to Sails Pavilion. Once I was heading back to my hotel room, I saw Maurice again, and I finally met Billy West. :) For the first time in four years, I received a ticket to the masquerade (I didn't even have to wait in line to get it, I guess the line died down quickly). So I did that, even though there were not quite as many entries this year, I thought the costumes were better this year for a good part. I went to eat pizza at Ciro's on Market St. Over there, the store location has Cartoon Network on the signs with the current logo and some of it's current characters, mostly Finn and Jake from Adventure time and clips of CN programming. It was kinda neat. The pizza is actually not bad; at least I didn't think so. Not a bad Saturday.

[narfcake]

Overall, I was 5 for 6 yesterday. #6 was MB ... so sorry, Sparky - no pics.

I'm at Cartoon Voices II right now ... and then, who knows.

[Cassini90125]

Darth Vader:

http://vejur.deviantart.com/#/d2ut4yy

You cannot have a Comic-Con without a Darth Vader cosplayer. 8-)

No immediate plans for today, other than dinner. :)

[Sparky]

I don't suppose its possible for anyone to pick up the Darkwing Duck comics for GM and I? (Just one set for us to share, there should be two issues.) I didn't know they were there until last night, I think they are at BOOM.

[One Radical Dude]

They have sold out of DW comics. :( I went to that booth earlier.

[Sparky]

We were able to get issue #2 at a comic shop today, but it seems Monsters Inc isn't actually released publicly yet so no luck there. :P

[cartman414]

Well, most of the con went smoothly. Got into the Tron: Legacy panel though I got in line just two hours in advance of Megamind, and it was sweet. Met most of my favorite VAs, including Yuri Lowenthal, Tara Platt, Steve Blum, Tara Strong, Tom Kenny (he confirmed he was the "p@nis whisper bandit" guy from Mission Hill, and of Futurama, Lauren Tom (told her I was high school friends with a one time fellow cast member of hers; she ran into her last weekend!), Billy West, John DiMaggio, Maurice LaMaurche, and Phil LaMarr. Passed by Grey Delisle a moment before realizing it was her, and I was all, "DOH!", because I have never been able to meet her once in my life. I did also meet Mindy Sterling, longtime Groundling member and Frau from Austin Powers. Fantastic in person, and she also remembers a high school friend of mine who was once part of the Groundlings' Sunday company. Encouraged me to go with it and take classes there as part of my VA training. She did confirm that Chowder was cancelled. I also ran into Patton Oswalt as he was right about to leave the Marriott, which was awesome since I'm a huge fan of his (he's also been covering the big Disney panels, including this year's Tron, and will be in one of the new episodes of Futurama).

Saturday was sort of hit/miss. I did get into Ballroom 20 because I camped out rather early in the morning, as I was interested in both Chuck and Futurama. Glad I didn't bother ditching my spot there after the former for the signing, since it filled up at 9:50, even though the panel began 10 minutes later and the signing itself wasn't until noon! Really, what is it with those WB staffers? Anyways, Futurama panel: totally worth it, especially since Lauren Tom and Phil LaMarr dropped by in addition to the regular four: Katey, Billy, John, and Maurice. Wish I could have asked David what kind of mathematical/linguistic/etc. geek nuggets we could expect in the future. Missed the Guild panel, but I did get to see the Legend of Neil, which was ridiculously funny. Just missed the chance to meet Felicia Day though, as she had to take off right before I had the chance. (Eerie part: last person who talked to her asked her what she thought of working with Sarah Michelle Gellar, with whom I share the exact same date of birth. Oh, that and my brother has also worked with her in the past.) Missed the last train back due to the LoN panel, so I had to stay until this morning.

[One Radical Dude]

2010 San Diego Comic-Con International is completed. It was certainly a blast. The final day was the usual with me going to Starbucks and getting a few things for breakfast. I forgot to mention that yesterday, I ran into Lori from CN while she was doing portfolio stuff. She wanted me to tell anyone that has talked to her in the past that she said "hi" to you guys. Well, this morning, I saw Lori again, this time, it was while I was getting Starbucks inside the Marriott Hotel & Marina. I met up with a few friends in the Artists Gallery area. Next, I went to see Cartoon Voices II. This panel consisted of Phil LaMarr, Tom Kenny, Janet Waldo (Judy Jetson, Penelope Pitstop, etc), and a few others. Briefly, I ran into Matt (CG's ex-boyfriend), after he got out of another panel. I also ran into Melody (one of Keith's closest friends, AKA Hygena from Who Wants to be A Superhero?, Season 2) briefly. I went to one more panel, called Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil. I ran into Khaki Jones over there. She now is, at least for now, working at Disney (she said that her position right now isn't long-termed, but there's a possibility that it may change.). After that, it was one last walk at the exhibit hall, and I did briefly say hello to Doug TenNapel. As I was exiting the convention, I briefly met a friend of mine from Mexico that does comic work (click here (http://www.wyliman.com/) for his stuff). Finally, I ate at an Italian restaurant. Most of us were there, except for cartman (who left SD this morning) and iceberg (not sure if he's still in SD at the time of this post. Great day, sad to see the convention end. I look forward to 2011! :bloogrin:

[BluebottleFlyer]

Final day of Comic Con, kicked it off with myself and ORD heading to the Cartoon Voices II panel, which featured another group of famous voice actors including Phil LaMarr, Tom Kenny and the original voice of Judy Jetson, Janet Waldo. It was great, and just like the first panel, they too did a cold reading of a Cinderella script, with some more hilarious results. Ran into Tom Kenny again after the panel, to say goodbye, he commented on the Bob & Flyer t-shirt I was wearing, and with words to the effect, he said if it were ever made into an animated show, he'd do an audition. I have to admit, that kind of blew me away, having the voice of Spongebob SquarePants say that about my creations. :smed:
After that, I met up with two DA buddies, Kaaziel and MSPainterman, for the second time (we met back in '08 as well), they were done up as Leela and Zap from Futurama, and they sure looked the part. Kaaziel also made a couple of sketches for me and I also made a little sketch for her in return. We then just had a long look around the exhibit hall, just taking in the sights. I bought a little comic called "The Winged Tiger and The Dragons of Hawaii", a little stab in the dark, its cover caught my eye. I also got an autograph from its creator, Phil Yeh, really cool dude.
After the Con, myself and ORD met up with the rest of the Never Forgotten group, including Cassini and Howard, to have a meal, we ended up going to an Italian restaurant called La Bocca. We all had something different, I went for a spaghetti based dish, which was spaghetti plus fresh tomato sauce and basil (forgot the name of it). It was different to normal canned spaghetti, and while it was just a little spicy, it was really tasty, and it certainly filled me up. It was great talking to the group too, even if I didn't say that much. I gave ORD, Howard and Cassini sketches that I did on the spot, as well (To taranchula and narfcake, sorry I didn't do the same for you, I didn't know what to sketch). A nice way to end the week.:)

[One Radical Dude]

Well, today, it was a day that I had to be up and get ready to leave San Diego, not exactly my kind of day. I had to get the Bloo costume shipped and I had to ship something else. I had to board on the train by 3pm. Before I did that, however, Cass and I did agree to meet one more time to have lunch, we ended up going to the Grand Central Cafe, only a few blocks from Santa Fe Depot. Food wasn't bad at all. Once it was 25 min before going, I had to say farewell to Cass. I hate goodbyes. Thanks for joining me earlier, Cass. :) It made my afternoon better. Since almost 6pm, I've been hanging around friends that live near L.A. I definitely miss the city and those that I've seen at the con, but I will be back! It is nice to get a little break from all the walking, though.

[Cassini90125]

Always a pleasure, dude. :bloogrin:

After ORD and I parted company I wandered around for awhile, eventually stopping at a 7-Eleven before calling the hotel for a shuttle ride back home. This evening I went out again, walking all the way to the Gaslamp Quarter and back, which is roughly a 3-mile round trip. Actually, it was closer to 3.5 miles; on the return walk I overshot my hotel by a considerable distance and had to stop at a bar for directions (and a badly-needed restroom break). Got a bunch of new pics along the way, and some exercise, so I'd say it was worth the effort. :)

[Howard]

Well what can I say? Pretty much what the other NF members (who were there) said. Cass and I enjoyed the next four days of San Diego mayhem. Actually we drove outside the city and paid a visit down to where I used to live while stationed here - Imperial Beach. I showed him some other places of photographic interest (we all know what a shutterbug he is). The Con itself was wonderful with the exception of two incidents (which did not have any affect on us). The Western Baptist hatemongers were protesting near the Convention Center. They were outshouted by the counter protesters, who sent them home with their tails tucked between their legs. The other inceident was two attendees who got in a fight over a seat in Ballroom H, and one of the two was stabbed in the eye with a ballpoint pen. The other part of our wonderful adventure was the eating...and eating. We caught up with ORD, BBF, Tarantula, and Narfcake and we had a wonderful NF member dinner. I do have some pics, which I will post here and on dA. I left Sunday night at about ten pm, and got back to AZ at 4 am. I slept and relexed the rest of the day. I went back to work today. Uhhhh...I guess that is about it. I want to thank BBF for his wonderful sketch of Frankie he presented me.:frankiesmile:

[taranchula]

I was going to post about my con going experiences last night but I was so exhausted after 15 hours of traveling, the only words I could manage were ugh and Uh. Which would not be an enjoyable read in the least, unless someone on the forums is fluent in :"Cave-Man"

Anyways to sum it all up I think that this year was no doubt the best overall experience I've ever had at the Con.

The hotel was nice, a little out of the way but very comfortable on the whole.

The food was fantastic, even the fast food. Man I wish we had In & Out Burgers up here where I live.

The panels I went to were all great, my overall favorites are a seven way tie between: Capcom 2010 and Beyond, Penn and Teller. (I am now in the small percentage of the total population of the world who know what Teller sounds like.) Batman: Brave and The Bold, CN Comedy (I too got a free Finn hat and made a lot of Con Goers jealous), F/X's Archer, Worst Cartoon's Ever, Cartoon Voices 1 and last but not least the Yoshitaka Amano panel.

And of course it was great to once again hang out and meet with my friends from the forum, sorry to those of you whom I missed, I was busy through most of the con and didn't have much in formal lines of communication. (Save for the hotel computer)

All in all Comic Con 2010 was a great experience and an experience that everyone who have love all things Comic's, Cartoons, Movies and Video Games should try and take at least once in their life.

BTW for those who want to make for next year better start planning now because every year this event sends out faster and faster, they sold out of 4 Day (With Preview Night) passes even before this years show ended.

[Cassini90125]

BTW for those who want to make for next year better start planning now because every year this event sends out faster and faster, they sold out of 4 Day (With Preview Night) passes even before this years show ended.

:o Are you serious? The 4-day passes with Preview night for the 2011 Con are gone already?? :o

[Sparky]

BTW for those who want to make for next year better start planning now because every year this event sends out faster and faster, they sold out of 4 Day (With Preview Night) passes even before this years show ended.

:[ Seriously, they are way overselling this thing. Maybe we'll skip another year. -_-

[One Radical Dude]

I've heard that, too. We'll soon find out when they start opening registration for people that decided to wait and for people that were not able to pre-register at the 2010 SDCC. 2011 will definitely be in SD, but 2012 is very uncertain. We were supposed to know what will happen with Comic-Con International before SDCC 2010 started. Here we are after the 2010 Con ended and we still do not know anything. It is sad that the memberships are selling quick each year. It's a high-demand event (and it's not gonna go away, unless CCI does something that would decrease interest), and more and more people are interested in attending Comic-Con. If SD is to keep CCI, they really need to expand. This is not something that will occur quickly and easily. There's a good chance CCI may be elsewhere in 2012. The move could be a great thing for CCI or it could hurt the Con. I do want to know its future before the SDCC 2011 begins.

[Howard]

BTW for those who want to make for next year better start planning now because every year this event sends out faster and faster, they sold out of 4 Day (With Preview Night) passes even before this years show ended.

Yikes!:macwor::o. I am glad I registered when I did. I will bet the four day passes will be sold out in a week!

[cartman414]

Ditto. I also jumped on it Saturday afternoon.

I think Anaheim might be a good alternative.

[taranchula]

I think Anaheim might be a good alternative.

The Disney people would certainly love that idea.

[Cassini90125]

Anywhere is fine with me, so long as I don't have to fly to get there. :bloocross: :P

Another nice day here, slightly warmer than the last two. Lunch was at an English pub not far from my hotel; very good, and inexpensive. For dinner I finally made it to that Afghani place in the Gaslamp Quarter; also very good, and a lot pricier than the pub. No idea where I'm dining tomorrow, although I'm very tempted to hit Croce's again. :bloogrin:

Glowing blue glass:

http://vejur.deviantart.com/#/d2v0s7n

If something is crystalline and glowing, I'm very likely to stop and photograph it. :cheesegrin:

[One Radical Dude]

That is beyond cool, Cass! :bloogrin:

[Sparky]

I just received a giant box with a certain blue costume in it. Ffff, I thought I was rid of that thing. I miss my closet. :cheesegrin:

[One Radical Dude]

*slaps forehead* Crud, I should have said something before I did anything. :P My fault. If you want, I can pay to have it shipped to my place. Believe it or not, I paid only around $35 from my hotel stay.

[Sparky]

I'll keep it another year, anyways.

[One Radical Dude]

Thanks, Sparky. Keep the money, BTW. If you need it for the site, use it. Do what you want with it.

I'm going to be posting pics on my DA page from the convention. Not sure I will do all of them, but I will try to get as many posted for people to see. For those on my FB page, they're already posted.

[Sparky]

Thanks ORD. I may use it for the site, actually.

Also, I'm going to keep an eye on the CCI site, but as soon as anyone notices the 2011 passes are on sale, please post so everyone will know. GM and I still want to go next year even if we can't do preview night, we plan to hit up LA or San Diego before or after the con for other fun things anyways.

edit: Also its cool there is an iPhone app for CCI, it extends to APE and Wondercon as well. In addition there are San Diego parking and restaurant guides, etc, that look useful. I only have an iPod touch so I need wifi to use these things but still.

[One Radical Dude]

I will definitely let folks know when registration opens, as soon as I see it. Also new for 2010 was being able to personalize your own schedules this year, which I'm sure we'll get to do again for 2011. http://sched.comic-con.org/help

[Cassini90125]

;D Captain Marvel. (http://www.deviantart.com/#/d2v31ah) ;D

One of my three favorite cosplay pics from the Con. Yes, the other two will be uploaded soon. ;)

[Sparky]

I really should try to come up with a good cosplay for next year. I still want to be the Bowler from Mystery Men, maybe I should do that. I can get the ball and everything, but then I'd have to carry it around, lol.

[One Radical Dude]

I'm working on uploading on DA right now, but one I wanted to post is one with Candi Milo and me (http://oneradicaldude.deviantart.com/art/ORD-and-Candi-173161253) (this is the first image of Candi I have, even though I met her in 2006). She's using my image of the two of us as her profile image for now. ;)

[Cassini90125]

Time to pack up and head for home. I'll check in here when I arrive, presumably sometime early Friday morning Eastern time. See you then. :frankiesmile:

[One Radical Dude]

Have a safe trip back east, dude. ;) I'm not far behind, as I have two days left before I go back to AR. I wish I can say I'm looking forward to it, but for the most part, I'm not. :bloosad: Don't get me wrong, I look forward to being around friends and family locally. I don't look forward to everything else, such as the oppressive heat and humidity and going back to that job (on Tuesday; I do not miss the high stress and stuff I put up with). :P

By the way, for those wondering about BBF, he arrived in Seattle on Monday after departing San Diego. He's there for a week. :bloogrin:

[Cassini90125]

I'm home. I want to go back to San Diego. :bloocross:

The flights were largely uneventful, although the plane from San Diego to Atlanta arrived late so I had to hustle to make my connection. During the flight from Atlanta to Hartford we passed by a thunderstorm and were treated to quite a show. Lightning everywhere, illuminating the clouds for miles around every other second. Absolutely spectacular. :bloogrin:

On the down side my apartment stored up all the heat from the heatwave that I missed; it goes without saying that I turned on my air conditioner the moment I got home. And may the stars smile on my AT&T DSL line. It's nice to be able to go online again without a five-minute wait between pages. ;)


http://vejur.deviantart.com/#/d2v689t

Further comments by me would be pointless. 8D

[One Radical Dude]

I'm glad you made it safely, Cass. :bloogrin: I want to go back, too!

My final evening in CA, I went bowling with a few friends. I was in last all three rounds, but I didn't care. Like the last place I bowled, it was at a university (Cal State Univ. in Fullerton). The surface is a bit different from SDSU. In the same area, people were filming a movie (either an indie film or a film project from the university). On our way back from Fullerton, we ran into a suspected reckless driver. He/she nearly hit us, and the lights on the vehicle were not on. We dialed 911, and my friend reported the description of the vehicle and approximate locations. We certainly did not want anyone to get hurt.

[One Radical Dude]

Well, everyone, I'm going to be heading to the airport shortly. My first stop will be a 2+ hr journey to Denver, which I will be there for 3 hours, and then a 2+ hr flight to Little Rock. I expect to be home after midnight CDT. Not looking forward to it, but I do look forward to sleeping after arriving. Wish me well.

[Howard]

Well, everyone, I'm going to be heading to the airport shortly. My first stop will be a 2+ hr journey to Denver, which I will be there for 3 hours, and then a 2+ hr flight to Little Rock. I expect to be home after midnight CDT. Not looking forward to it, but I do look forward to sleeping after arriving. Wish me well.

Have a safe flight, and I look forward to crossing paths with you next year.:):bloogrin::frankiesmile:

[One Radical Dude]

I'm back in hot and humid AR. Can I go back to CA now, please? :P It's terrible. Thank goodness for air conditioning. My two flights (Orange County/SNA to Denver, and Denver to Little Rock) went smoothly. It was my first time to ever be in Denver, so I took some pics. I ran into a Filipino girl that wanted to go to Comic-Con this year, but wasn't allowed to go alone by her family (she was still under 18). I told the lady she may go someday, and I advised her that she should try to register early, too. When I arrived in Little Rock, another woman noticed that I had that Comic-Con bag, she wanted to go, too. Fewer issues this time, except having to wait over 30 min for the luggage to arrive. Trip is complete, I am home, and then I will focus on my future and get ready for next year.

[Howard]

I lived in Denver when I was young. It does not impress me today though. I love Colorado, but more Southwest, and central of the state. I am glad you made it home. Do not worry 2011 will be upon you before you know it...:bloogrin:

[Cassini90125]

;D Sailor Scouts. (http://vejur.deviantart.com/#/d2vec38) ;D

#2 of my three favorite cosplay pics from the Con. :bloogrin:

[BluebottleFlyer]

Just to let everyone know I arrived back in the UK yesterday from my 2 week trip to both Comic Con and Seattle (might talk about that in a different thread). Took 4 flights (2 hours from Seattle to SD, 2 1/2 hours from SD to Dallas, 9 hours from Dallas to London, 1 hour from London to Newcastle) to get back, was long and tiring, and the last two flights were quite rough, but I made it.:)

I had an awesome time meeting you all at Comic Con and just getting to be there, good times. And just for the record, Seattle was great too.

Will be posting my pics from the Con, and maybe Seattle here soon.

[Cassini90125]

Supergirl. (http://vejur.deviantart.com/#/d2wtoxm)

I had a huge crush on her years ago. Best picture I took during the entire Con. :frankiesmile: