Scott Pilgrim Experience
I got in line first thing and waited for about an hour.  This is amazing.  First you get to make a t shirt, choosing the color and design.  Next is the flip books.  You have 7 seconds to do whatever you want.  A few minutes later you get an awesome color flip book.  They also have the video game playable and the occasional signing.  Outside is the garlic bread truck, where there is free garlic bread.

Xbox Room
On the second floor of the Hard Rock Hotel there is the Xbox room.  There are a bunch of TVs set up and games to play.  Most of the screens have the summer of arcade games set up to play.  There are two big screen with the Kinect to play (requires no controllers).  There is also free food, and OPEN BAR.

Flynn’s Arcade
You have to get a ticket from the front, and you can usually go straight into the line, which moves pretty fast.  When you walk in you get a bunch of really cool tokens that feature different games on them.  The first room is the old video games, with the Tron game being the door out.  After a few hallways the backroom is an awesome setup that has a few screens set up and techno music blaring.  There are free Coke Zeros and when the trailer type video plays the whole room changes colors.  This is must see.

They all sound pretty spectacular. Have you checked any of these out and if so what did you think?

I’m not a Comic-Con shopper. Outside of a few shirts and posters I don’t go around the con hunting for exclusives and collectibles. Still, I love free stuff and getting to try out video games and the chance to get my picture taken with awesome stuff makes Preview Night a must for me. So this year I braved the exhibit hall for a full hour and fought babies, wheelchairs, and annoying booth employees to bring you my thoughts.

The exhibit hall can easily melt your brain to goo so even though I’ve been out of there for a bit, I’m still a bit blurry on all the details. Thus I’ve made a bulleted lists of the best and worst stuff in this year’s hall that popped out to me. Also, I was so overwhelmed by all the awesomeness I only took a few pictures so I recommend Joblo’s awesome posts to get your picture fix. Part 1 is here and Part 2 is here. Let’s get down to it:

Cheers

• Lots of Free Stuff – Even though I didn’t stand in line for a long time to get a great spot, I still left the convention center with enough free stuff to satisfy just about everyone. Three bags, 4 posters, a poster tube, and much more. Booths seemed to have more of everything this year and few were left empty handed.
• Lots of Collector Stuff – If you’re the spending type there was a ton of great stuff to spend your money on. Everything from giant posters to limited comics to really random figurines lined the hall. Even though the hottest shops had huge lines, you know that Giant Galactus figure was worth it.
• Video Games – Almost every major game studio had a booth with many of the hottest upcoming games. Wait lines weren’t too long and the Playstation Move was surprisingly awesome. Plus they had Kids Bop the Game and some crazy dancing thing at the Ubisoft booth. Attendees + Dancing = Success.
• Marvel’s Booth – They recreated the freaking throne from Thor. It was gold and amazing. See video of it here. It was freaking shiny and epic. DC had a ton of free comics, but none of them were gold or shiny.
• Tons of Props – Thor’s Hammer. Cap’s Shield. The Iron Monger. Lego Hagrid. Etc. There are a ton of awesome things to get your picture with this year. If only there was no such thing as no touching rules.
• Variation – Booths like Fox’s Alien Anthology helped vary up the exhibit hall and give attendees a chance to do something different then sweating and being pushed places.

Jeers

• The Crowds – I know this is always a complaint but in some areas it was really unbearable. I couldn’t tell if people were waiting in line or trying to move. It’s pretty obvious how that could be a problem.
• The CBS Booth – CBS actually had a booth this year. They also hired the most obnoxious lady in the world to be its spokesperson. Then they made people wait in line 30 minutes for a lea. Really?
• The Kids – I’m a very tall person so to look down and see little ones crawling around my legs like insects was a bit disconcerting. If you avoid the more kid-centered booths this might not be problem but I love my Fanboy and Chum Chum.
• The Lines – Some things had very small lines. Some had lines that took 2 minutes to find the end. As expected, much of the awesome stuff was in that second category.
• Too Many Bags – It felt like every single booth wanted to give me a bag. Oversize bags. Plastic Bags. Leather Bags. I don’t need this many freaking bags. I sense giveaways in the future. Also, what was up with 70% of the giant bags being Batman: Brave and the Bold themed?
• Where Are the Shirts? – Walking through the hall multiple times didn’t yield a single free shirt. Hopefully they’ll be a lot more given out during panels since the shirts are my favorite free thing at the con. Speaking of awesome free things, full size posters please?

Thursday is an almighty slog through Hall H so remember to follow me on Twitter for instant reactions and I’ll make sure to update the site with the latest SDCC news and wrap-ups.

Having been away for the last week, I was unable to post a majority of Comic-Con news to the site. Now I’m back though, and ready to catch you guys up on everything that happened this week. I’m providing a brief wrap-up for each bit of news and if you want more, all you have to do is click on the description. First I’ll go through everything I haven’t been able to talk about at all, then I’ll re-post all of my news tweets for those of you who don’t follow me on Twitter. Read on and enjoy!

Non-Twitter News:

Oni Press has announced their entire Comic-Con schedule. This includes previously announced signing schedules and collectibles.

Lionsgate will be bringing their movie Buried to the con by providing the opportunity for attendees to simulate being buried alive. This will be at their booth in the exhibit hall.

Dark Horse Comics has started a campaign called #NotAtComicCon for their fans not attending the con. It will include special deals, giveaways, and announcements.

Angelina Jolie is confirmed to be in attendance for the Salt panel.

The decision on whether or not to move Comic-Con out of San Diego has been delayed until after the con is over.

Twitter News:

WB and Comic-Con have teamed up to provide every attendee with a giant WB bag when they receive their badge. Unfortunately they will be distributed randomly so you can’t choose which design to get.

WB has posted an entire schedule that includes all the autograph sessions at their booth.

The Terra Nova panel has been canceled because Fox didn’t want to reveal any details and they haven’t started filming yet. A Teen Wolf panel replaced it.

The Piranha 3D panel was eventually moved offsite so they could show uncensored footage. Whether anyone cares enough to go remains to be seen.

After rumors circulating both ways, WB confirmed that neither the cast or crew of Harry Potter will be at the con panel. A surprise appearance is still a possibility, but don’t bet on it.

And that’s it! Stay tuned as we will have a ton more awesome content before the con starts on Wednesday night.

CBS just sent out a press release detailing the panel and signings for this upcoming show. The really good news is that both Grace Park and Daniel Dae Kim will be singing autographs and attending the panel. These are the two stars that attendees really wanted to see so CBS was very smart to bring them out. Read the whole press release below:

HIS JUST IN…

“HAWAII FIVE-0″ SAYS ALOHA TO COMIC-CON

Panel Session with Series’ Stars and Creative Team on Friday, July 23 Kicks Off a Tsunami of H50 Celebrations

HOLLYWOOD, CA – July 1, 2010 � For the return of HAWAII FIVE-0, one of television’s most iconic series, CBS has assembled a team of genre giants: Executive Producers Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci (Star Trek) and Peter Lenkov (R.I.P.D.), Director Len Wiseman (Underworld), and stars Daniel Dae Kim (Lost) and Grace Park (Battlestar Galactica). They’ll be on site to celebrate all things H50 at this year’s Comic-Con in San Diego.

FRIDAY, JULY 23 – THE PANEL

H50: ALOHA EARTH (10:15-11:15 AM, Room 6BCF) – Lost castaway found! Battlestar Cylon becomes human! Star Trek writers return from space! A supernatural force has drawn some of sci-fi’s giants back to Earth – and they’re all gathering on a beautiful and mysterious island in the Pacific. It’s HAWAII FIVE-0, a modern day reimagining of one of television’s most iconic classics. The epic series, one of the most anticipated new shows of the season, will explore the origins of the Five-0 team and build on an already rich mythology. Join Executive Producers Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci (Star Trek) and Peter M. Lenkov (24), Director Len Wiseman (Underworld), and stars Daniel Dae Kim (Lost) and Grace Park (Battlestar Galactica) for an exclusive sneak peek at the series and an in-depth discussion on how they plan to marry their genre sensibilities with a classic police procedural.

In addition to the H50 panel – where fans will have an opportunity to win three cast signed collector’s surfboards — there will be autograph signings by the cast and producers at the CBS Booth (# 4129), exclusive giveaways and a chance to win a vacation getaway to the filming location of H50 on the tropical and vibrant island of Oahu.

For the latest updates on all things HAWAII FIVE-0 and behind-the-scenes coverage of Comic-Con 2010, follow us at www.cbs.com/HawaiiFive0, www.twitter.com/HawaiiFive0CBS #H50 and www.twitter.com/CBSTweet.

(Source of Press Release: The Futon Critic)

Titan Comics just sent out this press release detailing the unveiling of their new Torchwood comic at SDCC. Take a look:

Torchwood comic debuts at Comic-Con with Tommy Lee Edward’s signing!

Titan is pleased to announce that Torchwood comic will debut at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con International 2010, with a Comic-Con exclusive cover drawn by British comic book artist Ian Churchill and a signing by acclaimed artist Tommy Lee Edwards.

Following the announcement in June that Tommy Lee Edwards and John Barrowman are teaming up for ‘Captain Jack and the Selkie’, an original story for Titan’s new Torchwood comic, based on the hit BBC show, Titan will be giving Comic-Con attendees an exclusive opportunity to purchase Torchwood comic #1, before it hits comic stores on August 10, 2010.

To celebrate ‘Captain Jack and the Selkie’, Tommy Lee Edwards will be signing copies of Torchwood comic #1at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday July 24th in Autograph Alley (room AA20) from 11:00am – 12:30pm.

San Diego Comic-Con attendees can purchase Torchwood comic #1 with Comic-Con exclusive cover by Ian Churchill at the Titan booth (stand no. #5537).

Visitors to the Titan booth (#5537) at Comic-Con will receive a FREE exclusive Torchwood Comic bookmark.

For more information, visit: www.titanmagazines.com

Two new announcements on the DVD front today.

First, Superman/Batman: Apocalypse was revealed to be the next film in the DC Animated Direct-to-DVD line of movies. Releasing on DVD and Blu-Ray on September 28, 2010, the movie follows the comic arc of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman mentoring Supergirl before she is kidnapped by Darkseid and forced into becoming the new leader of the Female Furies. Bruce Timm has previoulsy stated that Comic-Con will have a panel all about the DCAU line of films so an official SDCC announcement and premiere trailer is expected at that panel. Take a look at the box art below and head over to Newsarama for more details!

Second, Fox just announced that The Simpson’s 13th Season DVD will be available at SDCC a month before it’s official release. All the sets sold at Comic-Con will also include a collectible limited edition lithograph for free. Most people agree that the show has been steadily declining in quality, but it still has many dedicted fans that are sure to want to pick this up. (Source: TV Squad)

So the con kicked off in full and crazy swing tonight with preview night! The first thing I noticed when I arrived at 11 AM, there were already 20 people lined up for twilight! THIS IS CRAZY! The other thing is people were already lining up to get there badges. So at around 2:30 I got my badge. The line was already huge and after waiting for three hours we were finally let in, into the madness!

It was by far the most crowded preview night ever and i would even wager that it is the most packed the exhibit hall will be all of the con. you could barely move around and when you could, you could barely control it. There were huge lines for everything but here are some highlights/lowlights about preview night at Comic-Con 2009:

(View all my photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/sdccblog/ – I will add titles/descriptions later)

1.- Long Lines! Remember that cool zombie shirt? 2 hours to get it! Giant WB Bags? Coulden’t even find the end of the line. There were lines everywhere any sometimes you wouldent even know what they were for. It was a bit insanse but i guess its just part of the con now!

2.-More games! Though video games have been at the con for a while this is the first year it has really been big. i played lost planet 2, lego rock band, and ratchet & clank but there where of 30 different games and they were at many different booths.

3.-Heroes? I believe NBC made a big no no. Though the premiere for the Volume 4 trailer was supposed to be at the panel Saturday it was playing nonstop at the booth. Is this a different trailer or did NBC just spoil the heroes panel? I guess we’ll know on Saturday!

4.-Shopping! There was lots of shopping. Everywhere you went there were tons of stores selling anything you could imagine. There was a lot of money being spent there!

5.-Avatar! The avatar mech was really impressive but i heard a couple people talking about how it was part of a last airbender marketing campeign! Time to get worried fox!

6.-Strollers and kids! Why did every parent have to take little kids and strollers. they would use them to plow through the con and the little kids would sneak between your legs and take the free stuff! those dang kids!

7.-Big Bags! though i didnt get one it seemed like everyone there had a giant bag. I guess because there the hot con swag item but it seems like now theyre being overproduced by every company there! We need less giant bags! They are conveinint but they take up so much space!

8.-Better Red Shirts! The security people (known for there red shirts) actually seemed pretty competent this year. They knew where to send you and when. They knew what to control and they actually helped out. This is a nice improvement and i hope it continues!

9.-Good booths- It seems like companys are really getting good at this booth stuff and now almost every major company has a great booth! My highlights:

- Miramax puts you inside the Extract Trailer

- Warner Bros. has a Where the Wild Things Are authentic wooden hut

- Sony has lots of giveaways all 360 degrees of their booth

- Lego has exclusives, lots of sets, building stations, and huge lego statues which are really cool!

10.-Fun! It was still a great time and it loks to be a great con!

Tomorrow is a crazy day for movies. Stay tuned to SDCC Blog for all the coverage you want!

Got your San Diego Comic-Con tickets and making a shopping list and game plan? One place you do not want to miss is Booth #4145, home of Mezco Toyz!

Below is a list of Mezco’s “2009 Summer Exclusives” along with a $5.00 off coupon that you can either print out and bring with you to the show or use online (click the links for bigger versions). Now that’s what I call a toy company with heart!

Click for a Bigger Version of the Ad

Click for a Bigger Version of the Coupon

]]> http://sdccblog.com/check-out-the-mezco-toyz-exclusives-and-get-a-coupon-sdcc-comiccon/143/feed/ 0 http://sdccblog.com/zombieland-plans-to-kill-it-at-san-diego-comic-con-2009-sdcc-comiccon-zombieland-zombiewalk/130/ http://sdccblog.com/zombieland-plans-to-kill-it-at-san-diego-comic-con-2009-sdcc-comiccon-zombieland-zombiewalk/130/#comments Thu, 16 Jul 2009 21:42:02 +0000 Zack http://sdccblog.com/?p=130 This fall’s top anticipated horror-comedy film, Zombieland, will hit theatres on October 9th, but attendees to the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con Conference will get an early taste of what’s to come. Once on the convention floor, watch out for groups of sexy scandalously clad zombies who come baring free gifts. Check out these Zombieland Comic-Con 2009 Memorabilia shirts, that you can only get from the Zombie Hotties at SDCC:

Zombieland Comic-Con 2009 Shirt:

Additionally, Columbia Pictures has teamed up with Zombiewalk: San Diego to take over the streets of Downtown San Diego on the evening of Thursday, July 23rd. Comic-Con attendees will be invited to get “Zombified” for free with

the help of a team of professional special effects makeup artists at the Sony Pictures Entertainment Booth (#4313) inside the San Diego Convention Center all day Thursday, July 23rd beginning at 10am. SDCC’s Zombie population will take to the streets at 7:30pm. Participants in the Zombieland Zombiewalk will have the opportunity to score VIP Tickets to a Zombieland screening in their hometown, plus additional Zombieland merchandise. For more details on the Zombieland Zombiewalk, please visit www.sdzombiewalk.com.

Check out the trailer for Zombieland at www.zombieland.com. In theatres October 9th.

Don’t frelling miss this! Farscape creator Rockne S. O’Bannon will be signing a one of a kind collector’s “Scorpius Edition” of the FARSCAPE Vol. 1 Hardcover that is exclusive to Comic-Con 2009 attendees. This exclusive hardcover edition will be limited to 500 copies and is priced at $50. This exclusive will only be available at the BOOM! Studios Booth (#2543) —where you can find Rockne S. O’Bannon signing Friday at 2pm and Saturday at 3:45pm!

O’Bannon will be joined with FARSCAPE comics scribe Keith R.A. DeCandido — who will be at the BOOM! Studios booth all week during Comic-Con signing a limited supply of single issues of the multiple sell-out, critically acclaimed mini-series FARSCAPE, FARSCAPE: STRANGE DETRACTORS, and FARSCAPE: D’ARGO’S LAMENT. DeCandido will also be available to sign during O’Bannon’s scheduled signing times.

Rockne S. O’Bannon will also be appearing as part of the FARSCAPE 10th Anniversary Panel during Comic-Con ’09 on Friday, July 24th at 10:15am in Room 6BCF with FARSCAPE television show stars Ben Browder (John Crichton), Claudia Black (Aeryn Sun) and executive producer/director Brian Henson. DeCandido will be moderating the 10th Anniversary Panel which helps celebrate the re-release of the critically acclaimed TV show to DVD this coming November.

In addition, O’Bannon and DeCandido will appear on Saturday, July 25th at 2:30pm for the BOOM! Studios FARSCAPE Comics Panel in Room 10 to talk about the smash hit comic series of 2009 with FARSCAPE comics editor Ian Brill.

Following both panels, O’Bannon and DeCandido will appear together at the BOOM! Studios booth (#2543) to sign the Exclusive Comic-Con ’09 FARSCAPE Vol. 1 “Scorpius Edition” Hardcover. Keith R.A. DeCandido will be appearing at the BOOM! Studios booth throughout the show.

While 2009 sees the 10th Anniversary of the celebrated sci-fi action series; this year has also seen a resurgence of the FARSCAPE franchise in comic book form from Top Ten comic book publisher BOOM! Studios.

Premiering with a four-issue FARSCAPE series in December of 2008, the FARSCAPE comic book took fans by storm as the series saw unanimous critical acclaim and multiple sell-outs and reprints. The initial FARSCAPE comic series was quickly followed up by FARSCAPE: STRANGE DETRACTORS, FARSCAPE: D’ARGO’S LAMENT and the forthcoming FARSCAPE: D’ARGO’S TRIAL.

The initial FARSCAPE four issue series and FARSCAPE: STRANGE DETRACTORS picks up directly where the television miniseries FARSCAPE: THE PEACEKEEPER WARS left off. Fans everywhere have enjoyed show creator O’Bannon steering their favorite characters into new and original stories, keeping with the existing canon — and extending it! Using O’Bannon’s unique vision and richly detailed story, DeCandido has worked with BOOM! Studios and The Jim HensonCompany to bring fans the best comic this or any universe has ever seen!

Under the watchful eye of O’Bannon, DeCandido has brought two all new D’Argo stories — completely told in series continuity — with the smash hit mini-series FARSCAPE: D’ARGO’S LAMENT and the soon-to-be-released FARSCAPE: D’ARGO’S TRIAL.