Saturday, July 22
10:30 a.m.: Jorge Garcia and Daniel Dae Kim take a seat
at the table during their panel. For the uninitiated, that’s
Hurley and Jin from ABC’s “Lost.” They preview
some excerpts from the “Lost” season two DVD box set,
as well as discuss (but basically reveal nothing from) the popular
show’s third season. The biggest reveal, however, was the
release of the “Lost” figurines by McFarlane Toys.
Charlie, Jack, Kate, Shannon, Locke and Hurley have all been
immortalized as action figures, complete with props that go with
their storylines (for example, Kate comes with an airplane).
It’s too creepy for me: the likeness between the characters
and the dolls, especially Hurley, is a little too close for
comfort.
12:45 p.m.: Mike Mignola, most widely known for being
the author/artist of the Hellboy series, is signing at his booth,
so my friends and I quickly get in line. I’m mad that I
didn’t bring any of my trade paperbacks, so I buy a print
from the booth. Mignola quickly sketches Hellboy for me and signs
it. It’s worth the wait.
4 p.m.: Saturday is the busiest day of the Con, but
also the best because there are tons of people in costume. While
sitting and resting, I run into several people dressed in
character. Among my favorites was Batman, who was wearing a
homemade costume. Due to the amount of black duct tape and vinyl,
he was sweating profusely and drenching anyone who would pose with
him. There were also two Klingons from “Star Trek,”one
who bore an astounding resemblance to Burt Reynolds. The two
performed a play called the “Klingon Way of Life.”
However, they assured me that they are normal people during the
day: dressing up as Klingons is just a weekend activity. In fact,
one works for Toyota auto maintenance and the other is an
accountant.
5:45 p.m.: Rumor had it that there was going to be a
huge unveiling dealing with one of my favorite bands and my
favorite comic book publisher, Dark Horse. I head over to the
booth, only to find out that Gerard Way from My Chemical Romance is
working with Gabriel Ba on a comic series called “The
Umbrella Academy.”
I got in line with the rest of the people, mostly gothic-looking
teens, with the hope that I could ask Way a couple questions about
the new series. I was aware that he was an intern for comic goliath
DC Comics before, so I’m sure the quality of the work will be
good. He tells me that his biggest influences were Grant
Morrison’s Run on “Doom Patrol” and films along
the lines of “Amelie” and “City of Lost
Children.” Way had designed all the characters and written
the stories himself while killing time on tour and was excited to
work with Dark Horse, which was one of his favorite publishers
since the release of the “Alien” comic book series.
Sunday, July 23
12:30 p.m.: I dedicate the last day of the Con to
getting all the free stuff I can carry. Before I know it,
I’ve got shirts promoting “Hot Fuzz,” which is
the new release from Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost from
“Shaun of the Dead,” “Battlestar
Galactica,” and a company that gave me a shirt for naming a
videogame with comic book heroes in it (“Marvel vs.
Capcom,” anyone?). Comic-Con is great for getting new stuff,
including Harry Potter key chains, a make-your-own “Snakes on
a Plane” T-shirt kit and a Sci-Fi Channel superhero cape. I
don’t really know what I’ll do with this junk, but
it’s free so I’ll take it.
2 p.m.: As tradition dictates, I go to
Nordstrom’s Café for lunch each day of Comic-Con. While
walking there, what I can’t comprehend is that there is still
an extremely long line wrapping around half of the convention
center, even with just three hours remaining on the final day.
Sunday is traditionally the slow day, so it is mind-boggling to me
that there are so many people still in line just to buy
memorabilia, most of which is gone already.
5 p.m.: Comic-Con 2006 is officially over, though to
the frustrations of the frazzled announcer, no one seems to realize
it. Personally, my favorite part about this year’s announcer
is that she shuts off the lights promptly five minutes after
closing, causing the Convention Hall to go pitch black and leaving
only the light of the open exit doors as a guide. Maybe it’s
just one of those things that are funny if you’re in
attendance, and of course, I will be there again next year.