Looking back at Comic Con 2008

by Glenda Glass

People who haven’t been to Comic-Con often think it’s just for comic enthusiasts. The Comic-Con has panels of the stars and makers of upcoming Sci-Fi and Action movies, as well as Sci-Fi television shows, old and new and returning favorites. Clips of upcoming films and television shows are previewed. There is a huge hall full of booths advertising the aforementioned, and handing out lots of awesome free things and booths selling a myriad of items including collectibles, photos of your favorite stars, t-shirts and more! Fans abound, dressed in their favorite costumes and makeup, despite the warmth of summer days in San Diego. You also never know when a star might put in an unexpected appearance somewhere, or you might even literally bump into one at the main hall! 

 

A few tips for the newcomers: Some of the really popular shows can have people lining up hours in advance and winding around outside, so bring a ballcap and sunscreen just in case. They do sell refreshments, but they can get pricey, so bring your own food and drinks with a screw-on cap. Depending on what’s going on, (panels, autograph signings, etc) the crowds can be formidable and children could be easily lost. I’d advise getting a babysitter and leaving the kids at home, but if not, take preventative measures, arrange a meeting place, have cell phones or some communication devices, and keep those kids close. And have an awesome time!

The girls of con!

by: Sarah Chiafos

Whenever you go to a convention there tend to be beautiful girls everywhere.  Where do they come from?  Some from companies, some there to buy gear from their favorite anime, some just hang out.  Therefor, for your approval, I submit these types of girls to be on the lookout for at every con!

1)The booth bunny- These girls are paid to bring people into a specific booth to increase sales and promote products.  Companies figure that while you’re going over to snap a picture of them, you might as well see what they have to offer as well. Always smiling and always ready for a picture.

2) The booth promoters- Similar to booth bunnies, but they tend to wear more clothing. These girls keep their cool when organizing crowds of people and handling special events.

3) The group girls- You know they are promoting something, more then likely a website, but you really have no idea who they are.  Snap a picture anyways.  They’re cute.

4) Media- You see them with folders and clipboards walking around video cameras and helping behind the scenes (or in front of the camera) while promoting at the same time.

5) The Cosplay girl- a favorite at cons.  These girls make (or sometimes buy) costumes and spend enormous amounts of time getting their look just right to pull off video game, anime or movie characters.  They get TONS of pictures taken of them and they are always happy to pose.

6) Fan Girls- These girls are generally cosplay as well, but they tend to be REALLY into one particular game, anime or movie.  You’ll often see them hopping around the latest anime toys and generally being adorable.

7) The working girl- She’s stuck behind a table selling shirts all day.  She’s tired, shes under appreciated, but she’s still really cute.

AND LASTLY…

The NONgirl- these are guys who wear short skirts and makeup over their 3-day-old facial hair.  Please note I have no pictures of them.  I will keep it that way.

There are many other types of sights to enjoy at conventions, but undoubtedly the girls of con are one reason we keep going every year! <3

Friday the 13th

I just got back from the Sunday panel for the new Friday the 13th movie. It is a reboot of the series and from the trailer they premiered at the panel it looks to be quite awesome. The panel was mostly the trailer followed by a short Q&A with the audience followed by a second showing of the trailer. The people making the movie seemed to really love the series and were excited to have the rights to make the movie. They are basing it roughly off movies 2-4 which means we will be seeing Jason as the main killer and not his mom, even though there will be a small back story to explain why is the way he is, and how he gets the mask this time around. When asked if they would be making a sequel the response was that the ending they planned was finite but if demand was high enough they would try to make a sequel. One of the last question asked was if they planned to redo any other classic horror movies to which they replied yes and stated their next project was a remake of The Birds, an Alfred Hitchcock classic.

Mortal Kombat VS DC Universe Gaming Event

By Leland Bonaparte

I got chance to talk with Sarah Moschea about one of the most exciting games coming out this year. Midway made sure that you were into the game, and they really pulled out all the stops to ensure that everybody had a good time.

There will be 14 playable characters with real time damage. I was a little worried about the whole DC aspect of it , but now I’m OK. Superheroes will not be able to do fatalities, but will be able to do brutalities. The DC people worked hand and hand with the Mortal Kombat people to ensure that each character does what they suppose to do. The villains, on the other hand, will be able to do fatalities. It’s not just a button mashing game, and the 360 looked just as good as the PS3. No DS or PSP version was talked about.

They also had Wheelman and other titles, but everybody was on Mortal Kombat. The crowd was loud and really got into the game with the oohs. I got to talk to the designer of the game and trust me there is more to come. So I would like to thank club Onyx and Midway for the chance to experience the game. A September release date was announced.

Photos of this event can be found here.

Dark Horse ROCKS. Period.

This year at ComicCon, the big thing at Dark Horse is the limited edition Domo that is for sale. It’s really nothing that spectacular, but being as it’s a con exclusive I would say it may not be a waste of money. Their panel this year was pretty good. Some announcements were made about awards given out for several series. A little bit of Buffy here and there. I was never really a fan of the series, but it does have a good following.  It has a bunch of new writers on it so expect a few new releases on those. Umbrella Academy 2 is out in November, and apparently (another series I don’t follow) any answers you needed will be in this series. This new version has more of an American feel in comparison to the European feel of the first Umbrella Academy. At this point Jeremy was given the microphone and after a few technical problems (the powerpoint wasn’t working ;_; ) he announced the Dark Times book and of course they throw out the Dark Horse FREE comics on Myspace. People have to check that out, free comics is always win.

Hellboy has obviously gotten a little more popular than before since the second movie has been out. A new book is being made dealing more with the future of Hellboy. I hope it does well, because after seeing the Golden Army I was pretty much hooked with the character of Hellboy. What got applause was Doctor Horrible…apparently a screening was held for it, BUT it was closed off quickly. I wish I knew what it’s about, but I’m pretty much in the air about it. I’ll be sure to check out the short story they have of it. OR maybe there’s a way for me to get a chance to see it myself. Another big applause for Conan and now they’ve finished 50 issues and now have started the next chapter of Conan’s life. It’ll be called Conan the Cimmerian, make sure to take a look at that.

The creators at Clamp have a release coming for Clover next year and it’s an Omnibus of the whole thing. On top of that, sometime next Summer there’s new 80 page manga being released, which is a first, and should take off really well. The best thing about this panel came when Jeremy announced Bruce Campbell. BRUCE CAMPBELL!!!!!!! Yeah, I’m a big friggin fan. He was there to talk about his new movie, My Name Is Bruce out in theaters soon, and to talk about some other team ups with Dark Horse. Awesome! It seems we will be seeing a lot more of Mr. Campbell this year and the next. The rumors of the movie being unreleased here is not true. IN FACT, because of the reshooting we will get even more than the original take on it had. Bruce says it’s more like a Galaxy Quest for the horror fans. “It’s always gotta start with some teenagers wanting to have sex in a graveyard”, as stated by Bruce himself. We were then shown two clips, one for the beginning of the movie and the other introducing Bruce’s character…Bruce and how much of a douche he is lol After the little preview we pretty much went into questions and joking around insued. I’m so glad I didn’t miss this panel