This week, I'm in sunny San Diego, California. I'm here on business...but like some other posts, you probably don't believe that ; ) I'm here to attend the 2012 International Comic Con ("con" = "convention").
Let me try to explain what this is all about. The show started years ago as a nice collection of comic book writers, artists and fans. It has since grown into one of the largest gatherings for anything tangentially related - sci-fi, fantasy, animation, art, costumes...you name it. With over 100,000 people attending, there is a great deal to look at.
At this time of year, San Diego is like Mecca for nerds and geeks. Just like Mecca, all of the serious nerds make a hajj, or pilgrimage, to Comic Con.
Many people dress in costume - trying to look like their favorite movie/TV/comic book characters. Let me give you an example. Here's a picture of a group of friends...that decided to go together, and actually put some time and effort into their costumes:
Amazing...all amateurs...
Lots and lots of people dress in costume. They seem to understand that people are going to take pictures of them ; ) Here are a few examples...
Even girls get into the act...
But wait...I'm getting ahead of myself. I want you to understand just how big this really is. The event is bigger than just the San Diego Convention Center. For blocks and blocks around the convention center, there are people, cars, parties, demos, marketing teams handing out flyers, demonstrators...it's crazy!
A gigantic sign for an upcoming NBC TV show
Entire buildings were covered in ads...
Inside, the place is equally crazy...but fun. You have a mix of film studios, toy companies, publishers and game developers. There are booths dedicated to movie props, artwork, action figures, etc.
To give you another example - here's the booth for Marvel. It used to be about comics, but now it's about the movies that Marvel makes (Avengers, Thor, Iron Man, etc). They were showing all the Iron Man suits, in preparation for Iron Man 3. Stan Lee was visiting the booth - he's the one who created all these characters. See the mob:
Stan Lee is in the middle...I couldn't get near enough for a decent picture ; )
OK, I think I've made my point. I'd like to concentrate on the more fun parts of the shows. Each of the booths had products to show. Some were really fun...like the Hasbro booth:
G-Man loves these little guys....
At another booth, they had merchandise based on movies. There is a TON of product for Hunger Games...I didn't realize just how much:
It's fun to think that products based on the movie Christmas Story are still available...and popular ; )
I think I've overloaded you for now ; ) The next post will show you some of the work that I actually did here...and a few more fun things from Comic Con. Thanks for reading!
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