San Diego Comic Con 2010 Report
Hey Gang,
Here's my long overdue SDCC report for 2010. As I type this I realize I never typed up a SDCC 2009 report. If I can regather my pics and thoughts maybe I'll try and do a one year 'highlight' retrospective to make up for that soon!
So another Comic Con has come and gone. As my friend CJ posted on facebook, it feels like one spends months preparing and anticipating for the Con and before you know it, it's done and gone. It can almost be anti-climactic that way - which is strange to call an event that gathers approx 126,000 fans and takes place over four and half days with 18 plus programming tracks with such a description but that's how it feels!
At the Sunday Dr. Who Cosplay Gathering with John Levene!
Anyway that all said, it was a good time. Lots of fun meeting with friends and fans, representing characters I love in cosplay and checking out the cool new stuff that's out (or coming out). The only downside to cosplaying at a con is it usually means you miss out on the panels and screenings. I've found a long time ago that being in costume means it take 3-5 times longer to get anywhere because you keep getting stopped for photos - which means you're never on time for anything. Add to that (depending on your costume) it's usually fairly uncomfortable to be just waiting in line or sitting in a dark room at a panel in costume (and it kinda defeats the purpose when so few people get to see you in such a setting). You factor in the crazy long lines for the big panels at SDCC and it becomes clear the panels & screenings generally go out the window. I make an exception for 1 or 2 panels I really want to see like say the previous year's Doctor Who panel, or this year's 75th Anniversay of Shazam panel. Otherwise I read about it later on the fan sites or see the previews on youtube.
More info and pics
So with that all in mind here was how my SDCC went:
Wednesday:
My GF and I loaded up the car, ran our last errands and headed out to San Diego around 10AM. We arrived at our Hotel, the Town & Country, about 1:30PM. Check-In was fast and easy. I got room keys and shuttle passes for everyone in the room. This was the first year since 2006 that I was staying farther than walking distance to the con in Hotel Circle (Actually this exact same one!) thanks to the new hotel lottery sytem Travel Planners insitgated. Overall, the shuttles were fast and timely and it wasn't that much of a hinderence except when factoring in mid-day costume changes. We found ways around this but ideally for cosplayers it *really* helps to be within 6 blocks of the con. As a result, the Cyberman costume was 'benched' for this year.
We unpacked, started coordinating with our arriving roommates/friends and caught the first shuttle at 3PM down to the Convention Center. Once there, we met up with Batfriend (who some on this comm may remember as playing The Brigadier at Gally 2010 and Hartnell at Gally 2009) along with his wife Flibbertyjitz and got in line for our badges. Thanks to pre-registration online, this was pretty fast and painless too. We sorted out our bags and swag afterward and had time to kill (Preview night opens at 6PM). So we headed for lunch into the gaslamp to Horton Plaza which has a great food court.
After stopping to grab some stockings at Nordstrom's for Hystericblue42's Star Trek uniform we headed back just in time for the doors to open. My GF and I ended up under the rear mezzanine level where they let Pro passes in. We made a bee-line to the Underground Toys booth where I purchased a literal CARLOAD of exclusive Dr. Who figures for many folks on Gallifrey Base who could not attend.
UGT Booth on Sat with flibbertyjitz as Novice Hame
The new QMx Sonic Screwdriver Replica coming this Fall... ETA Retail $200 with lights and sounds.
Third Doctor Sonic Toy - the protoype unveiled at SDCC! Available for Pre-Order NOW!
Suggested Retail $30-$40.
Thank god they didn't have a daily purchase limit! They held the 12 or so cases I'd bought for me at their booth for later pick-up so we could freely wander. I looked longingly at the Cyberman 2-pack and the 11 Doctors Boxset but I had mine on hold for me here in LA already so I passed. Later on Sat I saw they revealed a Third Doctor Sonic Screwdriver TOY! With SOUND! Coming this Fall! Cripes who could have thought we'd see a Classic Sonic Toy hit the shelves? Talk about an answer to many Classic Doctor cosplayers prayers (and easier on the wallet then the high end versions that have been previously made available!).
The other booths were pretty cool this year. Alien sleep chambers, Giant Tron tanks & lightcycles (although I regret I STILL didn't have time to make it into Flynn's arcade this year!), an oversized Green Lantern battery, tons of cool replica props frm Star Trek and BSG on display and an awesome Factory Green Hornet booth that had replica stinger, gas gun on display along with a replica Scaramanga Gun (that breaks into it's seperate componenets) from The Man With the Golden Gun. At the BBC America Booth, they were raffling off a giant banner promoting Series 5 of Dr. Who as well as offering free bags that had sections of the original billboards used around town for the front portion of the bag. Looked neat, but sadly I never got one. Just too crowded in that part of the hall usually to deal with it.
Adipose Stress Toy was available for Pre-order (ships this fall) at the BBC America Booth.
I picked up a sketch book for a friend, a Firefly book and decided I wanted a Superman poster for Neal Adams to sign once batfriend brought up the idea - but that was the extent of my shopping. We stopped at the Profiles in History booth to check out all the original Iron Man movie armor and catch up with Brian Chanes. It was nice to put a face with a name since we'd previously corresponded on email.
At the end of the night, after a lot of wrangling getting free giant bags being offered at the booths, we trudged all of the Dr. Who boxes to Batfriend's car and got them back to the hotel. Saved me several shuttle trips! I was eternally thankful to have this chore out of the way. When we got back, we mat up with our roommate Dori (a frequent UNIT cosplayer in these parts) and we all boxed up 2/3'rd of the figures ready for shipping the next day.
Thursday:
The Money Shot
I got up at 8:00AM. While my GF and Dori got ready I brought the boxes to the local Post Office and mailed them out. The final third of the figures would have to be brought back to LA and shipped up here the following Tuesday. This chore which should have taken me 30 minutes instead took me 90 minutes thanks to faulty directions. Curse you mapquest!
When I got back, we quickly changed into Star Trek TOS costumes. A Science Officer for my GF (some mistook her for a Nurse Chapel 'stand-in') and Dr. "Bones" McCoy for me. We took the shuttle in and stopped off at the bank on our way in. Even with just the two of us- we were stopped several times for pictures. I passed by what I later learned was the groovy Scott Pilgrim screening line and said hi to Cheapasair. While I was getting cash at the bank we were stopped by several fans which was a bit awkward taking cosplay pics while I was on the phone with my bank straightening out some transaction info!
Klingons. I hate these guys....
He's Dead Jim!
Later we met up with our Red Shirt friend and, by pure chance, a Lt. Uhura cosplayer who was game to join our crew and hang out with us most of the day! About ten minutes later Kirk, Spock along with our remaining Red Dresses showed up and we had a fun time roaming the con as the crew of the starship Enterprise. We took some shots at the Star Trek mural at the IDW booth where Tony Lee gave us a lot of grief for showing up there in Star Trek and NOT in Dr. Who costume of course. after all the waiting for us to come out and support the Who cause we turn up 'in bloody Star Trek uniforms!' LOL.
At the IDW booth
We also got some fun shots with other Who and Firefly cosplayers and quite a few Tribbles.
Uhura buying Tribbles- again
Spock and Bones Have thier Doubts
Kirk doens't agree with the 11th Doctor's Sonic
We made a point to stop by the Klingon booth in the mezzanine area and have some interaction with a TOS era Klingon cosplyer (who disruptor was ziplined to his holster thanks to SDCC security?!? I mean come on!).
The last big event was getting a very neat crew 3D shot with an alien landscape dropped in. I only have 'behind-the-scenes' pic of this for now but it was pretty cool and the booth used our photo as an example on thier table for the rest of the con!
Going 3D!
The final 3d image (in disappointing 2d scan...)
At around 3:30 we were wrangled to be part of some documentary/table book photography and interview sessions they were holding in the Marriot for cosplayers.
Getting recruited for the documentary
We got individual and crew shots taken of us in Trek Gear. Our Kirk, Red Shirt and Uhura went off to be interviewed while the rest of us had to jet to Batfriend's hotel.
Kirk and Spock weary of signing these Klingon treaties...
Getting the Documentary Group Shot
My friends and I only had 90 minutes to take the shuttle back, and hastily change into our Troughton, Pertwee and Zoe outfits and take the shuttle back to the Convention Center to meet up with everyone for the 6PM Dr. Who gathering (as I previously posted about here:
http://community.livejournal.com/dw_cosplay/546168.html).
(The Brig and Jamie)
(Femme Four gets a call from The Brig... or possibly Rose's Mom on a crossed line...)
(Big Bang / Fez Eleven!)
Zoe!
Two Pertwees and a Brig walk into a bar...
The Master Strikes!
We made good time but still ran about 15 minutes late. I was pleased there was such a good turnout for such a light Who year at SDCC. For those who didn't attend, there was no Who or Torchwood panels or signings this year. Just some new exclusive merchandise and a screening of the 2 part Series 5 finale that night. So I was pleased we had a good turn out of about 30 or so cosplayers!
(The Big Group Shot!)
(The Photographers!)
Here's a bunch of pics I had taken from the meetup - many of which were taken by Tony Lee who was nice enough to snap some for me while I was in the group shots.
The Gathering- Just the Doctors!
Followed by the Companions.....
During this meet-up my friend CJ recruited me to play a Doctor for a gag in his group's shadowcast performance of Repo The Genetic Opera on Sat. We almost chose my Four to do this joke, essentially having the Doctor REGRESS several regneerations, but I figured more fans would get the gag if I was Eleven instead. It also gave me an excuse to wear the Matt Smith costume I brought so I agreed.
(Venusian Akido! Hai!)
(The old Pertwee neck Rub)
(A Clockwork Man faces the 2nd Doctor in the Land of Fiction?)
(No wait- they're in The Death Zone!)
Around 7:00 - 7:30 everyone moved on to either the Dr. Who finale screening or elsewhere. My GF and I went back to the hotel, changed into our civvies and we got a late dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe in the gaslamp after a lot of wandering around. We were pretty indecisive by this point, worn down by Con fatigue. Afterwards we were dead tired so we called it a night.
Friday:
My GF and I got up early and finally suited up in our loooooong prepared Captain Marvel (Shazam) and Mary Marvel 1940's style (Tom Tyler Serial) outfits.
The Marvels!
My costume was made by The Magic Wardrobe who'd previously made most of my McGann and Tom Baker outfits as well as my Kirk Alyn 1948 Superman. The Mary Marvel had been made by Flibbertyjitz and she did a fine job. The Boots were by Duran Shoes. For those who haven't followed this on the Batman or Prydon forums these costumes were several months in the making. As I previously mentione in my Time Quest post, the Captain Marvel's been on my wish list for 4-5 years so I was happy to finally make it happen. (and yes BTW I do think Captain Marvel would whup the Kryptonian pudding out of Superman!)
Cap and Supes decide to settle that 50's lawsuit the old school way
R2-D2 fills in for Freddy Freeman
We got to the convention center around Noon and as we walked into the exhibit hall, we ran into a guy dressed as the 50's George Reeves Superman complete in Black and White costume/make-up. He seemed relieved to know we recognized him and he told me "I keep getting misidentified as Bizarro!" I told him I could relate from my Kirk Alyn Superman cosplay days. We got some fun pics with him.
George Reeves Supermen
Supes and Cap - Friends
Later, we met up with Batfriend and Flibbertyjitz and thier friend Alex in Batman, Catwoman and Robin costumes (1966 style) respectively.
It's always fun spending time as a superhero. We ran into several kids who were pretty pleased to see us. One little girl ran up to us to yell "Shazam! I just saw a story with you. You're cool" (I can only imagine she saw the recent Brave and Bold episode which featured Captain Marvel). This same girl talked to me for a few minutes like I was the actual Captain Marvel.... right when I was standing next to another guy dressed as Captain Marvel (wearing the spandex verion you can buy on ebay) which I took as a point of pride. She saw me as the real deal and dismissed the other guy as a fan in costume.
We later met an enthusiatic little girl Captain America and her brother who was clearly a Batman fan but very shy. Batfriend spent a little time with him to bring him out of his shell and in about 5 minutes he was suited up and ready to pictures with us. He seemed pretty thrilled to the Caped Crusader himself! He mimiced Batfriend's hand gestures for all the pics they took together. It was very sweet.
Batman with an attentive fan!
My GF got called Bloody Mary by this other little girl (shrug). I think she misheard her when she asked her name. And we had several people either say 'Wow- great old school Flash!" or "You look great! Who are you?" I guess the Big Red Cheese just doesn't have the popularity he used to.
That said we had a nice handful of people really compliment us. There were a few folks saying we were either the best Captain/Mary Marvel they'd ever seen or we were the best looking costumes they'd seen at the con. Considering the other amazing costumes there we were pretty flattered. The big fans of Cap seemed pretty pleased we were representing the Golden Age/Tyler or WHIZ Marvels as they sometimes called it. Two guys went so far as to scrutinize the capes and give us a thumbs up on our fabric choice. Not a common feedback from a fan on the floor, but it was nice to know someone appreciated the effort. Two guys with tattoos of Mary Marvel fawned over my GF's costume a lot. She was often asked if the wig was her own hair.
Mary Marvel with a tattooed fan
Another guy counted my cuff ringlets and say "It's about time someone did the Tom Tyler Captain Marvel!"
The Power of Shazam brings forth a... TARDIS?
Because of some last minute issues with my costume, the sash kept wanting to ride down so I was constantly having to pull it up and be aware of my poses so it wouldn't slip while I was stopped for photos. It became annoying and something we would get to correct that night.
We spent some time around the Factory booth checking out the Green Hornet stuff again. I said hi to Jason Palmer (an artist I usually buy Firefly art prints from), got the last of the Dr. Who figures I promised to pick up that UGT were holding for me and made a swing through artists alley so Alex could meet Jerry Robinson. We ended up in the Sails Pavilion for an hour. By this time, my feet were just murdering me, so my GF and I made an early exit back to our hotel. We had plans to meet up with several members of the 66batboard at Buca Di Beppo in the gaslamp so we needed time to change.
Batfriend as the Green Hornet at the Britt Reid Garage they mocked up across the street. (These GH shots were taken much earlier in the day before he changed into Batman nearby and met up with us again)
With the Hornet Girls- they were pushing this movie pretty hard folks...
We had a really nice dinner and it was great to meet up with several folks that I normally only chat with online. The only regret was they ran out of Ravioli (my favorite dish there) so we had to opt for the Manicotti instead. An adequete substitute but just...not the same thing when you've been looking forward to eating it for months!
Batfriend as Hornet with a Kato and friend Ruben Procopio and his new Green Hornet action figure sculpts
Catwoman and Mary face off!
Robin Discovers why he's called the World's Mightiest Mortal...
Afterwards back at Batfriend's hotel, we stayed up late while Flibbertyjitz made adjustments to the sash and tunic of my costume, adding some snaps to lock it in place and re-positioning the hook closure so I can cinch it in more. It wasn't perfect but it did the job. I spent half the time checking out the Zorro outfit Batfriend would be wearing the next day, wearing the cape and holding the sword. Zorro was one of the first costumes I ever did as a kid so it tickled the 6 year old in me. Special shout out to fibbertyjitz again here as she made most of the Zorro outfit in a record 4 days. The Sat before SDCC Batfriend only had the fencing foil, hat, boots and some of the fabrics. By Wednesday after many hours at the sewing machine, the costume was complete. Amazing stuff. She made most of the Star Trek tunics and dresses as well. What can I say? She's awesomely talented. Afterwards they were nice enough to give us a ride back to our hotel and we crashed.
Flibbertyjitz as Catwoman looking over my cape florets... (she was cursing the little gold things when she sewed them on the Mary cape weeks earlier) not realizing she'd be fixing a problem with my sash that night!
Saturday:
Like the day before, we got up early and re-suited up as the Marvels. We made a slightly earlier start so we could hit the 75th anniversary of Shazam panel which promoted a new book on the Golden Age of Captain Marvel. Thankfully the sash adjustments worked well and it seemed to stay put today. We arrived a few minutes late (to get a picture with Spider Man), but unlike the mammoth Hollywood Panels in Hall H, it was no problem getting and finding a seat.
MARVEL Team-Up indeed!
It was dark and they ran a slide show of images form the upcoming book which looked pretty cool. It showcases many of the comics and merchandise from the peak era (1940-1953) of Captain Marvel when he outsold Superman on the comic racks. I certainly plan on buying one in the fall. I made a point to stand up when the lights came on and I could tell that the presenters were eyeing me up while they talked (the room wasn't that big).
At the Shazam Panel
They stopped taking questions for a minute to announce us as 'Special Guests Billy Batson and Mary Bromfield everyone!" To which one of the others said "Man, I love Comic Con. Only here can you meet the heroes." After the panel several people snapped our pics and Chip Kidd who wrote the book got his picture with us.
With Chid Kidd- the writer of the upcoming Shazam: The Golden Age of the World's mightiest Mortal book
It Tickles.
After that we moseyed over to the Sails Pavilion where we met up with our friend Kelly as the Creeper and our other friend Sam as Captain Marvel Jr. and we got a few Marvel Family photos.
Cap and Hawkman awaiting the arrival of the Justice Society...
The Marvel Family!
Mary's First Apperance- the cover shot
SHAZAM!
Our friend Kelly as The Creeper!
Then Batfriend showed up in his Guy Williams Zorro costume. The fake moustache and make-up flibbertyjitz worked on had proven quite a success as even Kelly didn't recognize him.
Batfriend as Zorro! The Publicity shot
After half an hour or so, we made our way to the Dealer Floor where we bumped into Tony Lee at random, who was yet again disappointed not to find us in Dr. Who costume! Soon after, we met Flibbertyjitz in her upgraded Novie Hame outfit/make-up.
flibbertyjitz in her Novice Hame Mark 2.0
She got a lot of compliments even from people who don't know Dr. Who. I know one Ten cosplayer with a Rose actually stopped eating thier lunch and ran down from the mezzanine to get pictures with her.
Ten and Rose pelting down corridors of SDCC to get a picture with Novice Hame
Our friend Chris, who normally cosplays Three with us, was on camera duty by now and we wandered the floor getting fun shots at the Marvel Odin Throne for the upcoming Thor film. I made sure to get one of us kneeling waiting for the Wizard but the shot didn't come out quite right.
The not-quite-right kneeling before The Wizard Shazam's throne shot.
Gods vs gods Thor doens't like Cap messing with Odin's Throne.
We both got some fun shots yelling 'Shazam' and of course one of me taking the Wizard Shazam's place. Looked very cool.
The Zorro shots looked great as well like he'd found his way into an Inca temple of Gold or something.
Ah-HA! Zorro in the Aztec Temple!
Later we got some various Superman crossover shots, and pictures with some vintage Zorro and Captain Marvel Posters.
This one booth had a rare 1941 Captain Marvel linen backed 3 sheet. Really nice piece but it was $3,000 and definately out of my range!
Cap approves of his own poster
Maybe if I sold a lung... or my lung and a kidney, I could buy this thing and take it home...
The Zorro poster was from a 1978 theatrical re-release of one of the edited 50's TV episodes- as such it was only $30 and Batfriend snapped it up.
Holding the Zorro Poster!
Pic was taken when I was meeting the owner of an original Tom Tyler Tunic!
Out of character? you bet!
Afterwards we wandered to the Marriot pool Cave area to get some photos.
Zorro! Zorro!
Perry Dodge thrust!
Cape Flowing!
We tried to mimic some of the Tom Tyler photos and Golden Age comics.
In the Temple!
Discovery!
Testing the biceps...
The Master Publicity Shot
Dramatic Lighting!
Afterwards, we stopped up to get some more shots with the Documentary crew in the Marriott. But they had technical difficulties and ran late. As such they got what I felt were two poorly staged photos from us. I wish I'd insisted on something more heroic. There was little
time though by now.
At the Masque Photo Stage
We dashed back to Ballroom 20 and were the 3rd people on the Masque Photo Stage for test shots. They asked us for some poses so we ran through a number of the ones we'd settled on throughout the day based on Golden age Comic Panels and Republic Serial stills.
When I re-positioned my GF's arms for a Shazam! moment we got some chuckles on who the 'director' really was.
Afterwards they called us back while Batfriend stepped up as Zorro. We had some fun shots clowning around while they finished setting up the lights.
Cap forgets his own strength...
Greetings Seniorita...
Zorro is messing with the WRONG guy's sister....
Then we had to bolt back to the hotel. My GF changed into civvies and I changed into the Eleven costume. I forgot my wig hadn't been re-styled or trimmed between the Smith publicity pics it was based on and the airing of Series 5. So it was pretty messy and not-quite-right. Oh well, it was only going to be seen breifly anyway. We caught the 10PM shuttle, made in time for a fast dinner with Batfriend, our friend Cliff (previously seen on this comm cosplaying Eight with us) and Flibbertyjitz (still in costume by the way) at the Hard Rock Cafe. Right after we ran to the Gaslamp Theater to Meet CJ for the Shadowcast performance of Repro the Genetic Opera.
Repo! Shadowcast- Special Guest- The 10th doctor!
I was run through the motions pretty quickly and before I knew it the show was starting and I was brought to a seat in the front row. Within a few minutes of the film opening, CJ worked in a gag about coming on as the 10th Doctor talking timey wimey business to the Organ corporation, then he got shot by one of the minions after which I sprang up as a regenerated Matt Smith. I acted crazy, shouted about having fingers and toes and not being a girl. I Sonic'ed at the guards and I ran off. It got a good laugh and CJ told me afterward that many thought it was one of the best parts of the show. Nice to appease the Who fans!
No wait- He's regenerated!
We thought about staying, but I was wiped out so we went home soon after. I grabbed a few shots in costume next to the Green hornet Black Beauty stationed outside for myself. The whole night only a waiter at the Hard Rock and one of the guys waiting in line for the shuttle recognized me in costume. I think some people in the Gaslamp laughed at me wearing the bow tie and tweed combo though. Not very sheik for a hip nightlife setting.
11th Doctor stops by the Green hornet's Black Beauty
Sunday:
Just the Doctors- The Sunday Best
This was the day I finally brought out my old Standby of the 4th Doctor. My GF decided to wear her Black Canary from 2009 again. She proved quite popular with the male fans.
My GF as The Black Canary
We got to the Con Center ahead of schedule and met up with Flibbertyjitz in her Novice Hame again:
(She wasn't going to wear it two days in a row but at the request of many Who fans she decided to make the sunday costume gathering after all).
Enjoying Jelly babies amongst Doctors
Batfriend was in his civvies acting as photographer. It was nice to see an equally good turnout for Sunday as there was for Thursday. Although I helped spread the word to any passing Who cosplayer I saw on Fri and Sat.
Sunday Group Shot Mark 1!
Sunday Group Shot Mark 2!
Estelofmediris, scifichix, hystericblue42 soon arrived in Torchwood costumes.
Torchwood
Soon after I ran around to the table where John Levene (Sgt. Benton!) was signing and asked him to join us. He did and we got some great shots! John told me later he regretted not wearing his Benton uniform at the con now but thought everyone would think of him as a sad sod if he did. Well there's always next time.
Group Shot Mark 3- With John levene!
Photo by Scott Sebring
John was very nice to stop by and pose with us!
Goofing Off With the Dalek Girl
The Villains!
Daleks in Vegas- the sequel to Daleks in Manhatten
Facing Down a Showgirl Dalek
Never to be left out of any action Jack steps in
We spent the rest of the day wandering the con floor.
With the mad hatter
WHO Ya Gonna call?
I bumped into some fellow browncoats, got Neal Adams' autograph, got pics in the Giant Boba Fett action figure Card,
Novie Hame is not pleased...
The Doctor has been trapped by the Celestial Toymaker again...
Then we said hi again to Tony Lee at his signing and got a picture with Alaina Huffman (Black Canary on Smallville).
With Alaina Huffman - Black Canary on Smallville
I made a couple of last minute con purchases, we stopped for a last Mrs. Fields cookie in one of the table corners and finally we headed home as they announced the hall was closing. SDCC 2010 was now over. A relief, but sad too.
You're My Only Hope...
We changed back at Batfriend's hotel. He put the idea of my GF and Flibbertyjitz doing Electra Woman and Dyna Girl next year and showed her some clips since my GF was unfamiliar with the show. I think the agreement is if we can get my friend Simon to be GlitterRock it might become a reality. Ideas about Nicholas Hammond Spider-Man, The Lone Ranger, Isis, and The Avengers (Steed & Mrs. Peel) were also bandied about for SDCC next year. Jury's still out on these. To be honest I'm more concerned about costumes for the next Gallifrey One (and my ongoing Doctor upgrades) at this point!
Afterwards, we grabbed dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory (which was nice to know was still there, we thought it had shut down a few years back) and then finally off to bed. We had to be up early to pack up, check out, grab lunch and make the long ddrive home. Thank god I got wise and started taking the Monday after SDCC off. It's just a killer trying to go to work after that!
The Cat Eating the Canary!
All in all a fun convention. At least we were spared the crazy lines for Hall H. I prefer reading about those panels after the fact online anyway. A little different with the farther out than usual hotels accomodations, but nothing too bad. It's always great to meet new fans and see old faces. It felt strange not having all 10 (11) Doctors in a group again this year though. Maybe for 2011? Maybe we'll add Cushing and Jackson Lake... or maybe not. We'll see.
Until Next Year....
That's all folks!
Til next time,
-honorarydoctor
Here's my long overdue SDCC report for 2010. As I type this I realize I never typed up a SDCC 2009 report. If I can regather my pics and thoughts maybe I'll try and do a one year 'highlight' retrospective to make up for that soon!
So another Comic Con has come and gone. As my friend CJ posted on facebook, it feels like one spends months preparing and anticipating for the Con and before you know it, it's done and gone. It can almost be anti-climactic that way - which is strange to call an event that gathers approx 126,000 fans and takes place over four and half days with 18 plus programming tracks with such a description but that's how it feels!
At the Sunday Dr. Who Cosplay Gathering with John Levene!
Anyway that all said, it was a good time. Lots of fun meeting with friends and fans, representing characters I love in cosplay and checking out the cool new stuff that's out (or coming out). The only downside to cosplaying at a con is it usually means you miss out on the panels and screenings. I've found a long time ago that being in costume means it take 3-5 times longer to get anywhere because you keep getting stopped for photos - which means you're never on time for anything. Add to that (depending on your costume) it's usually fairly uncomfortable to be just waiting in line or sitting in a dark room at a panel in costume (and it kinda defeats the purpose when so few people get to see you in such a setting). You factor in the crazy long lines for the big panels at SDCC and it becomes clear the panels & screenings generally go out the window. I make an exception for 1 or 2 panels I really want to see like say the previous year's Doctor Who panel, or this year's 75th Anniversay of Shazam panel. Otherwise I read about it later on the fan sites or see the previews on youtube.
More info and pics
So with that all in mind here was how my SDCC went:
Wednesday:
My GF and I loaded up the car, ran our last errands and headed out to San Diego around 10AM. We arrived at our Hotel, the Town & Country, about 1:30PM. Check-In was fast and easy. I got room keys and shuttle passes for everyone in the room. This was the first year since 2006 that I was staying farther than walking distance to the con in Hotel Circle (Actually this exact same one!) thanks to the new hotel lottery sytem Travel Planners insitgated. Overall, the shuttles were fast and timely and it wasn't that much of a hinderence except when factoring in mid-day costume changes. We found ways around this but ideally for cosplayers it *really* helps to be within 6 blocks of the con. As a result, the Cyberman costume was 'benched' for this year.
We unpacked, started coordinating with our arriving roommates/friends and caught the first shuttle at 3PM down to the Convention Center. Once there, we met up with Batfriend (who some on this comm may remember as playing The Brigadier at Gally 2010 and Hartnell at Gally 2009) along with his wife Flibbertyjitz and got in line for our badges. Thanks to pre-registration online, this was pretty fast and painless too. We sorted out our bags and swag afterward and had time to kill (Preview night opens at 6PM). So we headed for lunch into the gaslamp to Horton Plaza which has a great food court.
After stopping to grab some stockings at Nordstrom's for Hystericblue42's Star Trek uniform we headed back just in time for the doors to open. My GF and I ended up under the rear mezzanine level where they let Pro passes in. We made a bee-line to the Underground Toys booth where I purchased a literal CARLOAD of exclusive Dr. Who figures for many folks on Gallifrey Base who could not attend.
UGT Booth on Sat with flibbertyjitz as Novice Hame
The new QMx Sonic Screwdriver Replica coming this Fall... ETA Retail $200 with lights and sounds.
Third Doctor Sonic Toy - the protoype unveiled at SDCC! Available for Pre-Order NOW!
Suggested Retail $30-$40.
Thank god they didn't have a daily purchase limit! They held the 12 or so cases I'd bought for me at their booth for later pick-up so we could freely wander. I looked longingly at the Cyberman 2-pack and the 11 Doctors Boxset but I had mine on hold for me here in LA already so I passed. Later on Sat I saw they revealed a Third Doctor Sonic Screwdriver TOY! With SOUND! Coming this Fall! Cripes who could have thought we'd see a Classic Sonic Toy hit the shelves? Talk about an answer to many Classic Doctor cosplayers prayers (and easier on the wallet then the high end versions that have been previously made available!).
The other booths were pretty cool this year. Alien sleep chambers, Giant Tron tanks & lightcycles (although I regret I STILL didn't have time to make it into Flynn's arcade this year!), an oversized Green Lantern battery, tons of cool replica props frm Star Trek and BSG on display and an awesome Factory Green Hornet booth that had replica stinger, gas gun on display along with a replica Scaramanga Gun (that breaks into it's seperate componenets) from The Man With the Golden Gun. At the BBC America Booth, they were raffling off a giant banner promoting Series 5 of Dr. Who as well as offering free bags that had sections of the original billboards used around town for the front portion of the bag. Looked neat, but sadly I never got one. Just too crowded in that part of the hall usually to deal with it.
Adipose Stress Toy was available for Pre-order (ships this fall) at the BBC America Booth.
I picked up a sketch book for a friend, a Firefly book and decided I wanted a Superman poster for Neal Adams to sign once batfriend brought up the idea - but that was the extent of my shopping. We stopped at the Profiles in History booth to check out all the original Iron Man movie armor and catch up with Brian Chanes. It was nice to put a face with a name since we'd previously corresponded on email.
At the end of the night, after a lot of wrangling getting free giant bags being offered at the booths, we trudged all of the Dr. Who boxes to Batfriend's car and got them back to the hotel. Saved me several shuttle trips! I was eternally thankful to have this chore out of the way. When we got back, we mat up with our roommate Dori (a frequent UNIT cosplayer in these parts) and we all boxed up 2/3'rd of the figures ready for shipping the next day.
Thursday:
The Money Shot
I got up at 8:00AM. While my GF and Dori got ready I brought the boxes to the local Post Office and mailed them out. The final third of the figures would have to be brought back to LA and shipped up here the following Tuesday. This chore which should have taken me 30 minutes instead took me 90 minutes thanks to faulty directions. Curse you mapquest!
When I got back, we quickly changed into Star Trek TOS costumes. A Science Officer for my GF (some mistook her for a Nurse Chapel 'stand-in') and Dr. "Bones" McCoy for me. We took the shuttle in and stopped off at the bank on our way in. Even with just the two of us- we were stopped several times for pictures. I passed by what I later learned was the groovy Scott Pilgrim screening line and said hi to Cheapasair. While I was getting cash at the bank we were stopped by several fans which was a bit awkward taking cosplay pics while I was on the phone with my bank straightening out some transaction info!
Klingons. I hate these guys....
He's Dead Jim!
Later we met up with our Red Shirt friend and, by pure chance, a Lt. Uhura cosplayer who was game to join our crew and hang out with us most of the day! About ten minutes later Kirk, Spock along with our remaining Red Dresses showed up and we had a fun time roaming the con as the crew of the starship Enterprise. We took some shots at the Star Trek mural at the IDW booth where Tony Lee gave us a lot of grief for showing up there in Star Trek and NOT in Dr. Who costume of course. after all the waiting for us to come out and support the Who cause we turn up 'in bloody Star Trek uniforms!' LOL.
At the IDW booth
We also got some fun shots with other Who and Firefly cosplayers and quite a few Tribbles.
Uhura buying Tribbles- again
Spock and Bones Have thier Doubts
Kirk doens't agree with the 11th Doctor's Sonic
We made a point to stop by the Klingon booth in the mezzanine area and have some interaction with a TOS era Klingon cosplyer (who disruptor was ziplined to his holster thanks to SDCC security?!? I mean come on!).
The last big event was getting a very neat crew 3D shot with an alien landscape dropped in. I only have 'behind-the-scenes' pic of this for now but it was pretty cool and the booth used our photo as an example on thier table for the rest of the con!
Going 3D!
The final 3d image (in disappointing 2d scan...)
At around 3:30 we were wrangled to be part of some documentary/table book photography and interview sessions they were holding in the Marriot for cosplayers.
Getting recruited for the documentary
We got individual and crew shots taken of us in Trek Gear. Our Kirk, Red Shirt and Uhura went off to be interviewed while the rest of us had to jet to Batfriend's hotel.
Kirk and Spock weary of signing these Klingon treaties...
Getting the Documentary Group Shot
My friends and I only had 90 minutes to take the shuttle back, and hastily change into our Troughton, Pertwee and Zoe outfits and take the shuttle back to the Convention Center to meet up with everyone for the 6PM Dr. Who gathering (as I previously posted about here:
http://community.livejournal.com/dw_cosplay/546168.html).
(The Brig and Jamie)
(Femme Four gets a call from The Brig... or possibly Rose's Mom on a crossed line...)
(Big Bang / Fez Eleven!)
Zoe!
Two Pertwees and a Brig walk into a bar...
The Master Strikes!
We made good time but still ran about 15 minutes late. I was pleased there was such a good turnout for such a light Who year at SDCC. For those who didn't attend, there was no Who or Torchwood panels or signings this year. Just some new exclusive merchandise and a screening of the 2 part Series 5 finale that night. So I was pleased we had a good turn out of about 30 or so cosplayers!
(The Big Group Shot!)
(The Photographers!)
Here's a bunch of pics I had taken from the meetup - many of which were taken by Tony Lee who was nice enough to snap some for me while I was in the group shots.
The Gathering- Just the Doctors!
Followed by the Companions.....
During this meet-up my friend CJ recruited me to play a Doctor for a gag in his group's shadowcast performance of Repo The Genetic Opera on Sat. We almost chose my Four to do this joke, essentially having the Doctor REGRESS several regneerations, but I figured more fans would get the gag if I was Eleven instead. It also gave me an excuse to wear the Matt Smith costume I brought so I agreed.
(Venusian Akido! Hai!)
(The old Pertwee neck Rub)
(A Clockwork Man faces the 2nd Doctor in the Land of Fiction?)
(No wait- they're in The Death Zone!)
Around 7:00 - 7:30 everyone moved on to either the Dr. Who finale screening or elsewhere. My GF and I went back to the hotel, changed into our civvies and we got a late dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe in the gaslamp after a lot of wandering around. We were pretty indecisive by this point, worn down by Con fatigue. Afterwards we were dead tired so we called it a night.
Friday:
My GF and I got up early and finally suited up in our loooooong prepared Captain Marvel (Shazam) and Mary Marvel 1940's style (Tom Tyler Serial) outfits.
The Marvels!
My costume was made by The Magic Wardrobe who'd previously made most of my McGann and Tom Baker outfits as well as my Kirk Alyn 1948 Superman. The Mary Marvel had been made by Flibbertyjitz and she did a fine job. The Boots were by Duran Shoes. For those who haven't followed this on the Batman or Prydon forums these costumes were several months in the making. As I previously mentione in my Time Quest post, the Captain Marvel's been on my wish list for 4-5 years so I was happy to finally make it happen. (and yes BTW I do think Captain Marvel would whup the Kryptonian pudding out of Superman!)
Cap and Supes decide to settle that 50's lawsuit the old school way
R2-D2 fills in for Freddy Freeman
We got to the convention center around Noon and as we walked into the exhibit hall, we ran into a guy dressed as the 50's George Reeves Superman complete in Black and White costume/make-up. He seemed relieved to know we recognized him and he told me "I keep getting misidentified as Bizarro!" I told him I could relate from my Kirk Alyn Superman cosplay days. We got some fun pics with him.
George Reeves Supermen
Supes and Cap - Friends
Later, we met up with Batfriend and Flibbertyjitz and thier friend Alex in Batman, Catwoman and Robin costumes (1966 style) respectively.
It's always fun spending time as a superhero. We ran into several kids who were pretty pleased to see us. One little girl ran up to us to yell "Shazam! I just saw a story with you. You're cool" (I can only imagine she saw the recent Brave and Bold episode which featured Captain Marvel). This same girl talked to me for a few minutes like I was the actual Captain Marvel.... right when I was standing next to another guy dressed as Captain Marvel (wearing the spandex verion you can buy on ebay) which I took as a point of pride. She saw me as the real deal and dismissed the other guy as a fan in costume.
We later met an enthusiatic little girl Captain America and her brother who was clearly a Batman fan but very shy. Batfriend spent a little time with him to bring him out of his shell and in about 5 minutes he was suited up and ready to pictures with us. He seemed pretty thrilled to the Caped Crusader himself! He mimiced Batfriend's hand gestures for all the pics they took together. It was very sweet.
Batman with an attentive fan!
My GF got called Bloody Mary by this other little girl (shrug). I think she misheard her when she asked her name. And we had several people either say 'Wow- great old school Flash!" or "You look great! Who are you?" I guess the Big Red Cheese just doesn't have the popularity he used to.
That said we had a nice handful of people really compliment us. There were a few folks saying we were either the best Captain/Mary Marvel they'd ever seen or we were the best looking costumes they'd seen at the con. Considering the other amazing costumes there we were pretty flattered. The big fans of Cap seemed pretty pleased we were representing the Golden Age/Tyler or WHIZ Marvels as they sometimes called it. Two guys went so far as to scrutinize the capes and give us a thumbs up on our fabric choice. Not a common feedback from a fan on the floor, but it was nice to know someone appreciated the effort. Two guys with tattoos of Mary Marvel fawned over my GF's costume a lot. She was often asked if the wig was her own hair.
Mary Marvel with a tattooed fan
Another guy counted my cuff ringlets and say "It's about time someone did the Tom Tyler Captain Marvel!"
The Power of Shazam brings forth a... TARDIS?
Because of some last minute issues with my costume, the sash kept wanting to ride down so I was constantly having to pull it up and be aware of my poses so it wouldn't slip while I was stopped for photos. It became annoying and something we would get to correct that night.
We spent some time around the Factory booth checking out the Green Hornet stuff again. I said hi to Jason Palmer (an artist I usually buy Firefly art prints from), got the last of the Dr. Who figures I promised to pick up that UGT were holding for me and made a swing through artists alley so Alex could meet Jerry Robinson. We ended up in the Sails Pavilion for an hour. By this time, my feet were just murdering me, so my GF and I made an early exit back to our hotel. We had plans to meet up with several members of the 66batboard at Buca Di Beppo in the gaslamp so we needed time to change.
Batfriend as the Green Hornet at the Britt Reid Garage they mocked up across the street. (These GH shots were taken much earlier in the day before he changed into Batman nearby and met up with us again)
With the Hornet Girls- they were pushing this movie pretty hard folks...
We had a really nice dinner and it was great to meet up with several folks that I normally only chat with online. The only regret was they ran out of Ravioli (my favorite dish there) so we had to opt for the Manicotti instead. An adequete substitute but just...not the same thing when you've been looking forward to eating it for months!
Batfriend as Hornet with a Kato and friend Ruben Procopio and his new Green Hornet action figure sculpts
Catwoman and Mary face off!
Robin Discovers why he's called the World's Mightiest Mortal...
Afterwards back at Batfriend's hotel, we stayed up late while Flibbertyjitz made adjustments to the sash and tunic of my costume, adding some snaps to lock it in place and re-positioning the hook closure so I can cinch it in more. It wasn't perfect but it did the job. I spent half the time checking out the Zorro outfit Batfriend would be wearing the next day, wearing the cape and holding the sword. Zorro was one of the first costumes I ever did as a kid so it tickled the 6 year old in me. Special shout out to fibbertyjitz again here as she made most of the Zorro outfit in a record 4 days. The Sat before SDCC Batfriend only had the fencing foil, hat, boots and some of the fabrics. By Wednesday after many hours at the sewing machine, the costume was complete. Amazing stuff. She made most of the Star Trek tunics and dresses as well. What can I say? She's awesomely talented. Afterwards they were nice enough to give us a ride back to our hotel and we crashed.
Flibbertyjitz as Catwoman looking over my cape florets... (she was cursing the little gold things when she sewed them on the Mary cape weeks earlier) not realizing she'd be fixing a problem with my sash that night!
Saturday:
Like the day before, we got up early and re-suited up as the Marvels. We made a slightly earlier start so we could hit the 75th anniversary of Shazam panel which promoted a new book on the Golden Age of Captain Marvel. Thankfully the sash adjustments worked well and it seemed to stay put today. We arrived a few minutes late (to get a picture with Spider Man), but unlike the mammoth Hollywood Panels in Hall H, it was no problem getting and finding a seat.
MARVEL Team-Up indeed!
It was dark and they ran a slide show of images form the upcoming book which looked pretty cool. It showcases many of the comics and merchandise from the peak era (1940-1953) of Captain Marvel when he outsold Superman on the comic racks. I certainly plan on buying one in the fall. I made a point to stand up when the lights came on and I could tell that the presenters were eyeing me up while they talked (the room wasn't that big).
At the Shazam Panel
They stopped taking questions for a minute to announce us as 'Special Guests Billy Batson and Mary Bromfield everyone!" To which one of the others said "Man, I love Comic Con. Only here can you meet the heroes." After the panel several people snapped our pics and Chip Kidd who wrote the book got his picture with us.
With Chid Kidd- the writer of the upcoming Shazam: The Golden Age of the World's mightiest Mortal book
It Tickles.
After that we moseyed over to the Sails Pavilion where we met up with our friend Kelly as the Creeper and our other friend Sam as Captain Marvel Jr. and we got a few Marvel Family photos.
Cap and Hawkman awaiting the arrival of the Justice Society...
The Marvel Family!
Mary's First Apperance- the cover shot
SHAZAM!
Our friend Kelly as The Creeper!
Then Batfriend showed up in his Guy Williams Zorro costume. The fake moustache and make-up flibbertyjitz worked on had proven quite a success as even Kelly didn't recognize him.
Batfriend as Zorro! The Publicity shot
After half an hour or so, we made our way to the Dealer Floor where we bumped into Tony Lee at random, who was yet again disappointed not to find us in Dr. Who costume! Soon after, we met Flibbertyjitz in her upgraded Novie Hame outfit/make-up.
flibbertyjitz in her Novice Hame Mark 2.0
She got a lot of compliments even from people who don't know Dr. Who. I know one Ten cosplayer with a Rose actually stopped eating thier lunch and ran down from the mezzanine to get pictures with her.
Ten and Rose pelting down corridors of SDCC to get a picture with Novice Hame
Our friend Chris, who normally cosplays Three with us, was on camera duty by now and we wandered the floor getting fun shots at the Marvel Odin Throne for the upcoming Thor film. I made sure to get one of us kneeling waiting for the Wizard but the shot didn't come out quite right.
The not-quite-right kneeling before The Wizard Shazam's throne shot.
Gods vs gods Thor doens't like Cap messing with Odin's Throne.
We both got some fun shots yelling 'Shazam' and of course one of me taking the Wizard Shazam's place. Looked very cool.
The Zorro shots looked great as well like he'd found his way into an Inca temple of Gold or something.
Ah-HA! Zorro in the Aztec Temple!
Later we got some various Superman crossover shots, and pictures with some vintage Zorro and Captain Marvel Posters.
This one booth had a rare 1941 Captain Marvel linen backed 3 sheet. Really nice piece but it was $3,000 and definately out of my range!
Cap approves of his own poster
Maybe if I sold a lung... or my lung and a kidney, I could buy this thing and take it home...
The Zorro poster was from a 1978 theatrical re-release of one of the edited 50's TV episodes- as such it was only $30 and Batfriend snapped it up.
Holding the Zorro Poster!
Pic was taken when I was meeting the owner of an original Tom Tyler Tunic!
Out of character? you bet!
Afterwards we wandered to the Marriot pool Cave area to get some photos.
Zorro! Zorro!
Perry Dodge thrust!
Cape Flowing!
We tried to mimic some of the Tom Tyler photos and Golden Age comics.
In the Temple!
Discovery!
Testing the biceps...
The Master Publicity Shot
Dramatic Lighting!
Afterwards, we stopped up to get some more shots with the Documentary crew in the Marriott. But they had technical difficulties and ran late. As such they got what I felt were two poorly staged photos from us. I wish I'd insisted on something more heroic. There was little
time though by now.
At the Masque Photo Stage
We dashed back to Ballroom 20 and were the 3rd people on the Masque Photo Stage for test shots. They asked us for some poses so we ran through a number of the ones we'd settled on throughout the day based on Golden age Comic Panels and Republic Serial stills.
When I re-positioned my GF's arms for a Shazam! moment we got some chuckles on who the 'director' really was.
Afterwards they called us back while Batfriend stepped up as Zorro. We had some fun shots clowning around while they finished setting up the lights.
Cap forgets his own strength...
Greetings Seniorita...
Zorro is messing with the WRONG guy's sister....
Then we had to bolt back to the hotel. My GF changed into civvies and I changed into the Eleven costume. I forgot my wig hadn't been re-styled or trimmed between the Smith publicity pics it was based on and the airing of Series 5. So it was pretty messy and not-quite-right. Oh well, it was only going to be seen breifly anyway. We caught the 10PM shuttle, made in time for a fast dinner with Batfriend, our friend Cliff (previously seen on this comm cosplaying Eight with us) and Flibbertyjitz (still in costume by the way) at the Hard Rock Cafe. Right after we ran to the Gaslamp Theater to Meet CJ for the Shadowcast performance of Repro the Genetic Opera.
Repo! Shadowcast- Special Guest- The 10th doctor!
I was run through the motions pretty quickly and before I knew it the show was starting and I was brought to a seat in the front row. Within a few minutes of the film opening, CJ worked in a gag about coming on as the 10th Doctor talking timey wimey business to the Organ corporation, then he got shot by one of the minions after which I sprang up as a regenerated Matt Smith. I acted crazy, shouted about having fingers and toes and not being a girl. I Sonic'ed at the guards and I ran off. It got a good laugh and CJ told me afterward that many thought it was one of the best parts of the show. Nice to appease the Who fans!
No wait- He's regenerated!
We thought about staying, but I was wiped out so we went home soon after. I grabbed a few shots in costume next to the Green hornet Black Beauty stationed outside for myself. The whole night only a waiter at the Hard Rock and one of the guys waiting in line for the shuttle recognized me in costume. I think some people in the Gaslamp laughed at me wearing the bow tie and tweed combo though. Not very sheik for a hip nightlife setting.
11th Doctor stops by the Green hornet's Black Beauty
Sunday:
Just the Doctors- The Sunday Best
This was the day I finally brought out my old Standby of the 4th Doctor. My GF decided to wear her Black Canary from 2009 again. She proved quite popular with the male fans.
My GF as The Black Canary
We got to the Con Center ahead of schedule and met up with Flibbertyjitz in her Novice Hame again:
(She wasn't going to wear it two days in a row but at the request of many Who fans she decided to make the sunday costume gathering after all).
Enjoying Jelly babies amongst Doctors
Batfriend was in his civvies acting as photographer. It was nice to see an equally good turnout for Sunday as there was for Thursday. Although I helped spread the word to any passing Who cosplayer I saw on Fri and Sat.
Sunday Group Shot Mark 1!
Sunday Group Shot Mark 2!
Estelofmediris, scifichix, hystericblue42 soon arrived in Torchwood costumes.
Torchwood
Soon after I ran around to the table where John Levene (Sgt. Benton!) was signing and asked him to join us. He did and we got some great shots! John told me later he regretted not wearing his Benton uniform at the con now but thought everyone would think of him as a sad sod if he did. Well there's always next time.
Group Shot Mark 3- With John levene!
Photo by Scott Sebring
John was very nice to stop by and pose with us!
Goofing Off With the Dalek Girl
The Villains!
Daleks in Vegas- the sequel to Daleks in Manhatten
Facing Down a Showgirl Dalek
Never to be left out of any action Jack steps in
We spent the rest of the day wandering the con floor.
With the mad hatter
WHO Ya Gonna call?
I bumped into some fellow browncoats, got Neal Adams' autograph, got pics in the Giant Boba Fett action figure Card,
Novie Hame is not pleased...
The Doctor has been trapped by the Celestial Toymaker again...
Then we said hi again to Tony Lee at his signing and got a picture with Alaina Huffman (Black Canary on Smallville).
With Alaina Huffman - Black Canary on Smallville
I made a couple of last minute con purchases, we stopped for a last Mrs. Fields cookie in one of the table corners and finally we headed home as they announced the hall was closing. SDCC 2010 was now over. A relief, but sad too.
You're My Only Hope...
We changed back at Batfriend's hotel. He put the idea of my GF and Flibbertyjitz doing Electra Woman and Dyna Girl next year and showed her some clips since my GF was unfamiliar with the show. I think the agreement is if we can get my friend Simon to be GlitterRock it might become a reality. Ideas about Nicholas Hammond Spider-Man, The Lone Ranger, Isis, and The Avengers (Steed & Mrs. Peel) were also bandied about for SDCC next year. Jury's still out on these. To be honest I'm more concerned about costumes for the next Gallifrey One (and my ongoing Doctor upgrades) at this point!
Afterwards, we grabbed dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory (which was nice to know was still there, we thought it had shut down a few years back) and then finally off to bed. We had to be up early to pack up, check out, grab lunch and make the long ddrive home. Thank god I got wise and started taking the Monday after SDCC off. It's just a killer trying to go to work after that!
The Cat Eating the Canary!
All in all a fun convention. At least we were spared the crazy lines for Hall H. I prefer reading about those panels after the fact online anyway. A little different with the farther out than usual hotels accomodations, but nothing too bad. It's always great to meet new fans and see old faces. It felt strange not having all 10 (11) Doctors in a group again this year though. Maybe for 2011? Maybe we'll add Cushing and Jackson Lake... or maybe not. We'll see.
Until Next Year....
That's all folks!
Til next time,
-honorarydoctor