Every week from now until San Diego Comic-Con, we’re celebrating you: our readers! So let’s meet this week’s Attendee of the Week:
Tim Ely
Not the word Timely, like Stan Lee’s old comic company Timely Comics.
Where are you traveling from?
Las Vegas. But Houston is home.
How many years have you been attending?
This will be 30 year for me.
What was your favorite panel and why?
This is a hard one to answer, as each year has great panels. I could say the time Loki walked out on stage in Hall H, or the first time Harrison Ford ever came to Comic-Con. He was there for Cowboys & Aliens, and he walked out on stage in handcuffs with cops. It was great! Some of the smaller panels are just as good, if not better. One of my favorite panels was I Know That Voice, a documentary that put a face to the voices we all know and love, with John DiMaggio, James Arnold Taylor, Rob Paulsen, Dee Bradley Baker, and Tom Kenny, plus a few more guests. This panel made me want to support the movie, and if you are a fan of cartoon voice actors, check out this great documentary. It was a great panel.
What is your favorite exhibitor or artist booth and why?
NFR, Naked Fat Rave. A booth that has one of my favorite artist, Art Adams, Bruce Timm. It is one of the first booths I go to on Preview night.
What’s your favorite item you’ve ever taken home from the convention (swag, exclusive, merch, etc.)?
There so many cool exclusives and swag. It is hard to pick just one. So here are my top five:
1. Deadpool toilet set cover
2. Hasbro 25 years Soundwave Transformer
3. Bruce Timm drew Harley Quinn on a button
4. 2014 Godzilla Warner Bros. con bag
5. Ash Vs Evil Dead foam chainsaw
What was your favorite autograph session and why?
Ray Harryhausen. There are not many times in our short lives that we get to meet icons, and it was an honor to meet the man that made so many monsters that I enjoyed watching and pretending I was fighting when I was growing up. Gentle Giant also had a small bust of Ray Harryhausen that he signed.
What is your favorite con snack?
Well it is not the most healthy or tastiest, but each and ever year it gets my money on Saturday. HALL H PIZZA.
Tell us about your most memorable celebrity encounter?
I was walking past the Dark Horse Comic booth. When I saw Bruce Campbell was sitting there, I was not sure if it was him, so I asked the person who was in charge of the line, and he said yes that’s Bruce. I said cool and was about to walk away thinking that the signing was over, when he asked if I wanted to meet him. So I got to meet Bruce Campbell. He was signing his comic that he wrote, Man With the Screaming Brain. He was wearing a Hawaiian style shirt and so was I, and he said that he liked my shirt and made me smile. I said I like his. We shook hands and went on with the con.
What is (or was) your favorite offsite and why?
The Legendary Pictures Godzilla offsite. Why? I love Godzilla, my all time favorite movie monster. On the Godzilla Legendary Pictures website you could track Godzilla across the Pacific Ocean and it was heading to Comic-Con. Not knowing when or where Big G would show up, it was a fun time for any Godzilla fan. They had a full Godzilla suit in there, along with many other Godzilla goodies. My favorite part was at the end, when you entered what looked like an office and outside the window it was raining. You could hear the sound of Godzilla stomping. That’s when Godzilla walked past the widow and you thought you were safe but you were not! A couple of seconds would go by, and that’s when Godzilla’s head raised up in front of the window. Godzilla roared and that’s when you knew you were screwed. I did this two times.
What is your favorite restaurant in downtown San Diego?
Broken Yolk. One year it was The Hub headquarters. The restaurant was set up with My Little Pony and Transformers. What a fun way to start the day at the con with cartoons and pancakes, plus breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
What is your favorite Comic-Con memory/moment?
This is a easy one, for me it is Wednesday every year. It’s the feeling I get when I’m with my best friend and we are walking through the city and you start to see all the cool movies, TV Shows and offsites that are there for the Con. Then you see the Convention Center. I start to smile knowing that just inside it’s all about to begin. Then you line up with whatever WB bag you get, and you start to trade if you don’t get the one you want. Next you start going over your battle plan for the weekend. Then when the line starts to move, people start to cheer. It’s the moment you walk into the dealer room. Knowing that feeling that you made it. That is my favorite moment.
Do you have any advice on how for a first time attendee?
Well most of the Blog Members of the Week have covered most of the great tips. I for one, like and agree with what Shawn, from Parks and Cons, said about be nice to the people running the booths and lines, they’re working hard and have to deal with all us crazy fans. It’s not hard to say thanks you never know sometimes you might get a nice surprise. And make room for baby strollers and wheelchairs. Think about how hard it is to move around the con. Be nice to each other.
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