Yesterday I spent the day in sunny San Diego. A couple of friends and I decided to drive down for the day to hit Comic Con. For those of you who aren't in the know, Comic Con is the largest comic book convention in the country. It is held every July in the SD Convention Center. It is like the auto show except instead of cars and models, there are comics and models. It seems that whenever there is a specialized type of show, models have to somehow get involved to make it more bearable for regular people. It is either that or everyone likes boobs. I am getting ahead of myself though. 
I might as well start at the beginning of the day. I drove down with two friends, Bruce and Ben. Ben was all about If you ever find yourself wanting to go to Comic Con, make sure you pay close attention to what I am saying. It will save you pain in the long run. For starters, the whole area - parking, hotels, and restaurants - gets really packed, so I suggest you call in sick and go during the week, not on a weekend. I would like to say that is what I did, but as we all know I don't work, so all days are the same. In addition to going during the week, you will want to park right under the convention center. This will guarantee you do the least amount of walking. This is a comic convention, not a day at the races. Please take everything I say with a boulder of salt. I really enjoy going to this dork fest, and this was my third year at the show. I think that makes me a level nine elf or something. Once I paid my admission fee (discounted after 4pm to half price), I hit the floor. It didn’t take long for me to learn I have nothing in common with any of the other patrons. I like to pretend I identify with people, but really it is all lies. I have never seen so many acid washed jeans in my life. Come on, people: wake up that was so last season.
I like comics but I can't tell you the minutia of the stuff that goes on behind the scenes. I don't know writers, artists, etc. To my credit I must say I did identify two people at the show. One of the writers on Batman was on the Real World San Francisco. Does everyone remember the season with Puck? Yeah a guy from that actually has a real career outside of MTV. Impressive enough. The other person I saw was Stan Lee. The king of all Marvel comics. The guy is 80 and cooler than I will ever be. He created Spiderman. Can't really beat that. The best part about Stan Lee is he had a posse with him. They almost trampled me coming in. Other than my shortcomings from not knowing enough, I had a blast. I break it down to three simple pleasure zones in my head: Humor, Intrigue, and Boobs. Let's discuss each item separately.
Intrigue - Upcoming comic related merchandise - This is where all the companies showcase their products for the upcoming year. I enjoy this because I get to see some future comic layouts, molds of new action figures, previews for comic/sci-fi movies, and amazing art from up and coming artists. Just check out these links to get an idea:
corysmithart
Lewis Helfand
Creatureco-op
Humor - Common People dressed up as fools - I am not sure what it is about the comic convention, but every Tom, Dick, Harry, Sally, Frank, Mike, and Suzy likes to come in their own home made costume. No one is paying them. They just want to show their support. I wish I had passion like that. True dedication.
Boob - Side Boob - There is one section of the convention hall where former playboy playmates like to set up booths. Here you can have your photo taken on your own camera with a playmate for the minor price of $5, $15 if you want a signed Polaroid. Tiffany is studying to be a police officer and likes ferrets. Angel is a new mother and use to be on Beverly Hills 90210. Sadly, I knew all of this before coming to the shows. In three years I have yet to say a word to these playmates or have a photo taken. I just kind of stare in the corner and wish I were rich/better looking.
So there you have it, Comic Con 2006. Do I recommend it? You bet. Even without the Ferraris, the day was well worth it. San Diego is a great city. Comics are always fun. If you have the means I highly recommend you valet park the Ferrari at a reputable garage and spend the day around a cast of characters you will never forget.
*Special thanks to Ben for taking the photos.
**Special, special thanks to Bruce's mother, Lillian for letting me take a picture of her when she wasn't feeling well.
No comments:
Post a Comment