Bye!

Though Comic-Con is an awesome place, it is also an odd place. People from every background and part of the world fill San Diego with costumes, experiences, and events that couldn’t happen anywhere else. In this post I’m counting down the five weirdest things that happened to me at SDCC this year.

1. Drunk Zombies – After a very busy Saturday at the con I sat down at a Japanese restaurant to have some dinner. Just as I started eating, a man and his girlfriend come in with full-on zombie makeup on. Bloody eyebrows, bleeding faces, the whole shibang. They were looking to use the bathroom but unfortunately had to purchase something to do so. Thus they ended up at the bar buying multiple beers and further increasing their already noticeable intoxication. As they joked with the bartender and sushi chef in a half-brained way it became obvious this was a pure Comic-Con experience. It was a fun way to cap off the day and definitely something I had never seen before.
2. Floating Bubble People – Though Skyline’s panel didn’t generate much buzz, their marketing around the con definitely sparked some interest. They set up a bubble machine that created human-shaped bubbles and sent them into the sky. These would pop when they were too high and people around the convention center were fascinated. It was totally eye-catching marketing and many people, including myself, were both intrigued and freaked out. LA Weekly snapped the picture above.
3. Stabbing Cosplay and Signs - It took a full 12 hours but by Sunday morning people were already busting out their costumes and signs relating to the Hall H stabbing. Signs included the popular “Take My Seat, Just Don’t Stab My Eyes” and the slightly mean “Save Ink, Use a Lightsaber.” Funny or Die captured this costume and posted it to their Twitter. The sign on the right expressed most people’s opinion on the matter.
4. Homeless Men Benefiting from SDCC – There are tons of articles about how much the San Diego economy benefits from the con but this year I saw two ways the city’s homeless population were also feeling the love. The first is when I was walking around the back of Flynn’s Arcade on Friday and saw the guard giving a homeless man all the Coke Zero cans that had been consumed the night before. Because this was the only drink available there were literally hundreds and hundreds of cans. Huge trash bags full of them were loaded onto the man’s cart and Flynn’s definitely made his day. The second was when I waited in line for the Scott Pilgrim Experience. After getting my piece of free garlic bread (which was quite good), I noticed two homeless men walk up to the truck. They were happily served and I could see they really enjoyed the meal. Job well done SDCC.
5. AT&T’s Made Up Network - As everyone on AT&T quickly noticed, their service at Comic-Con sucked. Being used to AT&T failing me at my time of need, I found this mostly expected and I wasn’t too sad. What weirded me out though, was when I checked to see how many bars I had on Saturday morning and found that an “o” symbol had replaced the 3G/E that is always located at the top of my iPhone. Though it reverted back to the normal “3G” symbol after a locking and unlocking, It still sufficiently confused and amused me. Here’s a screenshot I snapped:

Did you have any weird experiences at this year’s con? Share them in the comments.

Now that the attendees are back in their homes and San Diego has returned to its peaceful self, I’m tacking a look back at the highlights and lowlights of this year’s con. What blew SDCC away? What made every man, women, and child in Hall H shed a tear? Read on!

Best Moments:

1. The Avengers Assembled – Yes, it was just a bunch of actors and actresses. But it was also straight out of every Marvel fan’s dreams and encompassed what so many people have wanted to see for so long. It was not as much an appearance, as a promise to Hall H that Marvel will make their dreams come true.
2. Scott Pilgrim Screening – Universal could have just held a screening and people would have been happy. Instead they had the entire cast in attendance, live DJing before the screening, and a Metric performance after. Then they threw in two more screenings for good measure. Pure fan service and SDCC magic.
3. Big Bang Theory Theme Song Performance – The lucky few (thousand) that made it into Ballroom 20 on Friday were rewarded when the Barenaked Ladies lead a sing-along to the BBT theme. Getting the fans in on the action and creating a memorable con experience for everyone in the audience made this a must include on the list. See the video below.
4. Cowboys & Aliens – Most attendees were expecting Jon Favreau to come out on stage and talk about the movie. Maybe present a few images, but they were still midway through filming. Instead he brought the entire cast and an awesome 8-minute clip from the movie. Oh and that cast? It included Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig in their first SDCC appearances. This is how you bring a movie to Comic-Con.

5. Green Lantern Oath – A young fan’s request to hear the Green Lantern oath turned into the cutest thing that Hall H has ever seen. Ryan Reynolds not only filled the kids request, but also made every person in Hall H smile and applaud.

Runners-Up – Flynn’s Arcade, Walking Dead Panel, Will Ferrell’s Megamind Costume, Scott Pilgrim Experience, 6,000 People Booing M. Night’s Name

Worst Moments:

1. Hall H and Ballroom 20 on Friday – For the first time in many years, attendees could simply walk into Hall H and sit down. No line waiting was necessary. This would have been great if Ballroom 20 wasn’t forced to stop people from even WAITING in line because it was so popular. Hopefully next year Comic-Con will smart up and put the bigger TV shows in H and the smaller movies in Ballroom 20.
2. The Glee Recap – If someone is attending the Glee panel, chances are that they have seen Glee. Still, Fox decided to put a 20 minute highlight reel of the first season at the start of the panel. Not only was this a complete waste of time when fans had waited hours to see the panel, it also left very little time for Q+A or discussion of any kind before the next show went on stage. 5, maybe even 10 minutes of a clip package is acceptable. But 20? And there’s not a second of new footage? Shame.
3. The Green Lantern Footage – Suffering from the complete opposite of Glee’s problem, the Green Lantern panel had a teaser trailer that was only about a minute long and consisted of one effects shot and no shots of the suit. This might be at least a little understandable if C&A and Captain America hadn’t gone on the same stage hours later with tons more footage to show at the same point in production. The final nail in the coffin is that WB didn’t even play the trailer twice.
4. Hall H Stabbing – Who knew that SDCC-attendees could be so aggressive. A simple seat dispute left one man going to the hospital with a pen in the eye and the rest of Hall H watching the slew of trailers that were shown earlier in the day. Giving con-goers a bad name and making people suffer through the trailers for Charlie St. Cloud and Gulliver’s Travels for a second time? That HP-shirt-wearing man is the bane of this year’s con.
5. Resident Evil Panel – Giving this terrible panel a prime Saturday spot in Hall H was just the first transgression. Attendees then had to suffer through 50 minutes of Milla Jovovich talking about how amazing the film was, Paul WS Anderson comparing 3D to the advent of color, and Wentworth Miller looking embarrassed to even be associated with the film. The one clip they showed was so ridiculously terrible and the 3D so very awful, it made Gulliver’s Travels look like a masterpiece in story-telling and technology.

Runners-Up – Skyline and Battle: Los Angeles (AKA the exact same movies), Green Hornet Panel, Harry Potter Panel, Scott Pilgrim Experience Wait-Time

What are your favorite and least-favorite moments of SDCC 2010?

TNT brought only one show to Comic-Con but whether you realized what it was or not, it had a big presence. Though many attendees might find it’s viral “2nd Mass” more recognizable, Falling Skies invaded the con and we got a first hand look at the viral, the stars, and the first footage from the series. Read on for what went down.

Viral:

Revolving around a group of human resistance fighters, the show named this group “2nd Mass” and has been promoting it in weird ways. In addition to the mangled Flip Cam that was sent to me before the con, signs and handouts for 2nd Mass surrounded the convention center on the Thursday and Friday leading up to the panel. The most interesting part of this marketing was the people dressed as homeless men on the streets around the Gaslamp. They held up 2nd Mass signs, had tattoos on their face with the logo, and truly made the viral feel realistic and interesting. All of these advertisements included QR codes that when scanned with a camera phone would bring you to the 2nd Mass site. This site would give you details on the panel, but more on that later. Overall, the viral helped peak people’s interest in a year when alien invasion themes were everywhere at Comic-Con.

Interviews:

Before the panel, SDCC Blog was able to join other websites to interview the cast and creative team behind Falling Skies. We found out a lot of new info on the series and what we should expect. I included the most interesting points from both interviews below.

Cast-

• The audience and characters are both in the dark about how the invasion began. They will both discover new information as the series continues.
• Ethical issues such as kids in combat will be raised.
• The relationship between Noah Wyle’s character and his son is very important and central to the plot.
• The characters are still discovering each others personalities in the first few episodes.
• Combat with the aliens will get up-close and personal.

Creative Team-

• The series does have dark themes but a main focus is hope.
• The family element to the series is very important.
• The show is very character focused but still contains action in each episode.
• Since the resistance fighters are normal civilians, they will behave more like average people and less like the military.
• Each episode will focus on a mission or battle while still developing the mythology of the show.

Panel:

Finally there was a panel for the show where the first trailer was unveiled. Much of the trailer focused on a little girl talking about and drawing descriptions of the alien ships that invaded her home. We also see shots of the resistance team as they avoid and then finally fight the invading forces. Cuts were quick so it didn’t include a clear view of the aliens but they appeared to be large, mobile, and arriving from ships. Combat looked frenetic but also sometimes avoidable as much of the action included people running away. The trailer was brief so it was hard to judge quality but a War of the Worlds influence was easily felt, as was the human element described in the interviews. Finally, the cast and creative team discussed the show and mentioned how Moon Bloodgood’s character is much less of a fighter at the beginning of the show and slowly grows into it. Wyle’s character is in more a leader role and takes this very seriously but both actors hinted that a relationship between to the two is a very likely occurrence.

All three of these things definitely made me more interested in Falling Skies then I had been previously. Unfortunately the show doesn’t premiere until Summer 2011 so fans will have to wait a while before they can see the series on TNT.

The final day of Comic-Con 2010 ended with a bang in Ballroom 20 with some of the biggest shows at the con trotting out talent, clips, and overall awesomeness. Read on for all that occured.

Smallville – The cast and crew, including Tom Welling, was in attendance to preview the show’s 10th and final season. Attendees really enjoyed hearing the panel talk about the upcoming season and reflect on how great the show has been for them. They were asked what their favorite episodes have been and the answers ranged from “Roulette” to “Checkmate.” Finally, the fans were thanked and spoilers for the upcoming season were revealed. Those looking for this spoileriffic info can head over here to see that.

Supernatural – Continuing its tradition of being fun and funny, the Supernatural took the Ballroom by storm as they revealed info for the new season and made attendees laugh. The panelist announced that Season 6 will take place a year after 5 ended and will feature chaos and action. They also enforced that the show will return to its monster-a-week formula with minor new mythology each week. More of a female presence in Season 6 was confirmed and a Season 5 Gag Reel was shown at the end of the panel.

American Dad – This panel didn’t really have much of a con presence as the cast and crew went on stage and talked about the show to an audience that was mostly waiting for Glee. Still, Seth MacFarlane was funny and cheery as usual and a never-before seen episode was screened and pleased the crowd.

Glee – Though some of the shows bigger stars were disappointingly absent, this panel was still a big hit with its rabid fan base. After an agonizingly long highlight reel, the creators and stars went on stage and talked about a ton of stuff. The major reveals include a Britney Spears episode confirmation, the return of Kristen Chenoweth, and a Rocky Horror Picture Show episode. The panel also commented on the show’s massive popularity and its place in pop culture. Finally, the stars talked about the high tension singing for Oprah and their pet peeves, including videos of them working out. For Season 2 spoilers head over here.

Sons of Anarchy - This panel included a short trailer for the upcoming season and very little new information but was still fun for fans of the show. Attendees got to see their favorite stars talk about the show and drop such minor tidbits as the presence of three prospects in the new season. The highlight of the panel for many was when a fan asked if Empire Strikes Back was an influence and then listed all the similarities with the SoA finale. Funny or Die captured Ron Perlman’s reaction. Take a look below:

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia - Sunny fans got a big surprise when FX screened a full upcoming episode of the series. The audience loved it and expressed their fandom with massive amounts of applause and laughter. Unfortunately this left the panel with very little time to answer questions so the Q+A was short and sweet. They even brought David Hornsby (Cricket) onstage to say hello to the audience. It was great fan service but really needed a longer panel (it was stuck in with SoA) to get the most out of its hilarious cast.

Thanks for reading the Comic-Con 2010 recaps and stay tuned to the site for more SDCC updates!

Movies (Hall H):

Green Lantern – Barely any footage was shown and no shots of the suit were included so it was very hard to judge quality. Still, what was there looked promising and Ryan Reynolds was fun during the Q+A. B+

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – The footage they presented was epic, impressive, and a huge hit. Unfortunately the only cast member they had in attendance was Tom Felton and he talked for only a few minutes. B-

Sucker Punch – Many people found the footage to be awe-inspiring and epic, but unfortunately I found it life-less and numbing. Some of the action did really impress me but most of the trailer seemed to be more like a music video. The Q+A was a bit boring but fans of the film might have found it more impressive. C+ (For Me)

Let Me In – Positively surprising many people, this remake of a swedish film blew attendees away with dark and well-made clips and trailer. The writer/director Matt Reeves took up most of the panel with semi-interesting behind the scenes info though, and left the actors little time to speak up. B

Resident Evil 4 3-D – I’m really not the target audience as I don’t play the games or watch the movies but this panel still succeeded in disappointing me. The clips and trailer seemed entirely ridiculous and downright stupid action filmed with 10 movies worth of slo-mo. The Q+A came down to a lot of talking about how awesome they thought the movie was. C-

Paul – This panel was filled to the brim with comedy heavyweights and they mostly succeeded in being their hilarious selves. The SDCC-exclusive trailer was ridiculously funny and the only downside was a short panel that didn’t allow the whole cast to be utilized. A-

Cowboys & Aliens – Universal trotted out stars such as Sam Rockwell and Olivia Wilde for this panel but the big surprise was Harrison Ford’s first Comic-Con appearance which turned attendees into a giddy mob. Though the production is only halfway through filming, the two scenes they showed were both fantastic. The only drawback was almost no Q+A and discussion as the clips were long and the panel was short. A

Captain America – A teaser trailer that included 1-second of costume test footage was included in this panel along with a rough-cut of a villain scene (without cap). The suit had me worried in the tests but the clip was quite good and restored hope. There was even a bit of interesting discussion from Chris Evans. B+

Thor – Marvel rolled out a big 3D sneak peek for this film and it mostly hit its mark. I was unimpressed with certain parts of the trailer but others absolutely blew me away. Some interesting Q+A questions along with an appearance by Natalie Portman were also included. A

Avengers – Newcomers Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye) and Mark Ruffalo (Hulk) were brought on stage along with previously announced people such as Robert Downey Jr. When the whole cast and Joss Whedon were finally on together, the crowd was cheering like never before and it was really a landmark experience. A+

TV:

Chuck – Though they didn’t top last year’s live Jeffster performance, a GaGa music video and casting announcement for Linda Hamilton definitely pleased the fans. More details here.

Fringe – Packing the short panel full of info and discussion, the creators and stars used their panel wisely. More details here.

No Ordinary Family – The pilot didn’t blow anyone’s minds but it’s quality entertainment and definitely has a fun factor. Wether that is enough to make superhero fans tune in will probably depend on the viewer.

V – The cast and crew revealed a new global view for the show in addition as previews of upcoming conflicts. They seemed to be happy to oblige fan demand for info on the new season and that is very commendable. More details are here.

Vampire Dairies – Much like V, this show provided fans with details on the conflicts and plots of their upcoming seasons while still talking about fan favorite topics. More info is here.

Community – This panel wasn’t the laugh riot some expected but it was still fun and constantly amusing. The cast was all there and each got to contribute a bit. A live performance of the spanish rap definitely bumped it up on the awesome scale a bit.

The Event – Though the pilot might have confused a few too many attendees, others were caught up in the rush and loved this new show. Unfortunately the cast and crew were unable to talk much for fear of revealing unwanted information.

Check back tomorrow for a TV recap (as there are no movie panels on Sunday).

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?

Movies (Hall H and The Goon):

Drive Angry 3D – Nic Cage started out Hall H with a bang. Attendees were left impressed with the insane and practical (no CG) action used in this driving/revenge flick. It might not have revolutionized the con, but it definitely left attendees excited for this fun flick to hit theaters. B+

Skyline – No one knew anything about Skyline before the con and this worked to to the movies advantage. The alien-invasion plot might not be at all original, but the visual flare and “magical light” concepts give the plot a fresher feeling. They didn’t show off a ton of footage but what they did generated some excitement. B

Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark – This movie scared Hall H attendees like they had never been scared before. Any that’s pretty much all there is too it. Mission Accomplished. A

Super – Though it looks a bit too much like Kick-Ass, the eclectic cast made for an awesome Q+A. The footage was extremely dark yet funny and man is Rainn Wilson a funny guy when behind a microphone A-

Priest – Leaving many attendees worried yet a bit happy, Priest showed some promise with decent footage and an interesting animated intro. Not enough was really shown to get a confident idea though, and the film definitely has a Jonah Hex vibe going on. B-

The Other Guys – Pure hilarity. Ferrel, Mendes, and Whalberg had the audience bursting with laughter after a very memorable Q+A experience. The footage they showed was pretty good and the cast was amazing. A

Green Hornet – It’s never a good sign when attendees start walking out during the footage. Unfortunately this is just what happened when Seth Rogan and crew failed to ignite the SDCC buzz. C-

The Goon – This film hasn’t even gotten made yet but the reel created for studio buyers was great and the panel was a lot of fun. In addition, having Paul Giamatti on a panel makes it that much better. A

TV (Ballroom 20 and 6BCF):

Hawaii 5-0 -Though it brings nothing new to the table, the series looks like an interesting re-imagining with a large scope. Daniel Dae Kim provided some interesting anecdotes about Lost such as mentioning his favorite episode was the first season finale and that he was satisfied with the ending.

Walking Dead – This show looks awesome. Totally cinematic and scary, the trailer they showed looked like it was really blending the lines between TV and Film. Look for this one in October.

The Big Bang Theory – This was a panel of pure fun that included a Barenaked Ladies performance and sing-along. Everyone in Ballroom 20 was left with a smile as the cast was hilarious and the great atmosphere was infectious. The top of its class in TV panels.

Caprica + SGU – Read the full recap here but both sound like they left fans satisfied with new info and stars.

True Blood – Again, you can read the recap here but the panel sound like a treat for fans with footage and reveals.

Head back here tomorrow for A Saturday recap!

Everyone at the Scott Pilgrim panel today got a huge surprise when Edgar Wright announced on stage that a portion of the audience will get to see the completed version of the film a mere hour from when the panel ended. Read on for what went down.

An assortment of buttons were handed out at the start of the panel and when Wright announced that only attendees with a certain button design could go to the screening, some hearts were crushed and some (like myself) were instantly lifted. After confusion on the location of the theater, a huge group of people composed of the button-holders finally made there way to the Balboa theater for the screening.

Cameras had to be checked and free popcorn was quickly handed out as attendees streamed into the theater and a DJ spun music on stage. Then at eight the movie started and suffice to say, minds were blown. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is my favorite movie of the year and should appeal to every attendee. I plan to write a full review when I get more time (Sunday at the latest) but I just wanted to let you guys know you should really see this movie.

In addition they had the entire cast come out after the screening to thank everyone. Finally, the band Metric, who wrote a song for the film, came on stage and played a mini-show for the entire audience. It was an amazing night and though you won’t be able to experience the whole thing, you can still get into a screening at the con.

Edgar announced that they will be holding two more screenings before SDCC is over. One Friday at 6:30, the other Saturday at 6:30. Both of these don’t require any tickets or special requirements but you will have to wait in line if you want a seat. The Balboa theater is pretty big but I’m expecting both of the screenings to be a completely full house. If you have the time though, I highly suggest waiting in line. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World just became the hottest thing at Comic-Con and it would be terrible to miss out on.

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.