Tag: Comic Con

Geekscape Roundtable: What We’re Looking Forward To At SDCC – General Experience, Memories, And Events!

by GeekscapeStaff

With San Diego Comic-Con just one week away, everyone here at Geekscape is getting prepared for our biggest convention ever. As always, there will be more to see and do in San Diego next week than is humanly possible, so each of us has been scouring the schedules and deciding exactly what is most important to us while we’re there.

While deciding what we need to do and see, and what we’d be okay with missing, we thought that we’d include all of you in the fun as well. Here’s part one of our pre-SDCC round table, where we share what we’re most looking forward to at San Diego Comic-Con. Today, we’re talking the general experience, memories, and coolest events.

Jonathan London

Easily my most anticipated thing about San Diego Comic Con each year is the Geekscapists. Yes, seeing all of the cool announcements and discovering new things to love on the show floor or on the streets of the Gaslamp District are great, but nothing makes the San Diego experience more rewarding than seeing old Geekscapists and meeting new ones. It’s insane to think that this will be our sixth Comic Con since starting Geekscape, and every year we make new friends and see old ones that we don’t get to see any other time of the year. At least a few times at each Comic Con, I’ll have someone come up to the booth and introduce themselves as a long time fan of the show or the site and it’ll make everything we do hear seem so that much more worth it. And the silent Geekscapists are everywhere, even in our seventh year! Heck, I didn’t even know Derek Kraneveldt EXISTED until a few months ago and he’s been a supporter since the Geekdrome days!

I always look forward to spreading the Geekscape name and making new friends. This year, we’re sharing our booth with the folks at Lion Forge comics and getting people hyped about their upcoming comic books, of which I’m writing one. We’ll also be doing some promotion for the upcoming Geekscape co-produced ‘Doc of the Dead’ and revealing the ridiculous first footage from our new project ‘Paul London: Hero of the Prophecy’! I only wish that Paul could be there to see it (but he’ll be off on another wrestling adventure)! Plus, we’ve got our two sponsored back-to-back Nerdtacular concert series, which will know doubt cement Geekscape into the hearts and minds of a fresh new batch of Geekscapists!

Oh, and I get to meet Derek Kraneveldt in person too… I’m excited for that because I’m not sure he exists. Hell, I’m still not sure Shane is real. And was Matt Kelly EVER real…?

Shane O’Hare

This is my 9th SDCC. I’ve been going since 2004, starting out as a lowly nerd who strolled up to the convention center and bought a 4 day kid’s pass to the “reporter” I am now. Comic Con will ALWAYS be the highlight of my summer. Forever the memories are ingrained of the random rave that kicked up while watching the masquerade performance and getting drunk and ending up at the wrong hotel on the otherside of town.  This being my first event as Press, the doors have opened up. The events and interviews are going to be crazy. Aquabats, My Little Pony, Power Rangers, The World’s End, Evil Dead and more. I cannot comprehend the how fun it is going to be to really work the Con. The Geekscape Co Sponsored event Nerd-A-Thon is also going to be amazing. I cannot wait!

Jake Lopez

Between my family members and I, the San Diego International Comic-Con is treated as a week long holiday. The joy and excitement this event brings simply cannot be measured.

I was 18 when I went to my first Comic-Con. As with every other first-timer, I unknowingly stepped into a huge culture shock. I’m sure I did not walk the entire floor my first day, or even my second day. That year also saw my first real interview with some of the minds behind the Halo universe, an interview you can still find today somewhere on the internets. I was young, excited, and amazed at what exactly I was experiencing there at Comic-Con. And that’s the thing, year in and year out, those feelings never change. You’ll always feel young when walking the floor (I mean that figuratively, not physically).

The next year at the Con, I witnessed the last panel for LOST, a panel that ended with Somewhere Over the Rainbow playing over the loudspeakers immediately after Damon Lindelof told the crowd of 5,000 strong that he’d “see us some other time.” This memory belongs to me, but is shared with thousands others that will all recite it with just as much enthusiasm and excitement as if it happened ten minutes ago.

Yes, I am one of the newcomers to the Con and no, I don’t remember what it was like before the big Hollywood studios came over to promote their lineups. It doesn’t make me sad. While I believe there are some unwarranted panels, it doesn’t exactly hinder the experience for me. If the Con didn’t begin to encapsulate more than comic books, we wouldn’t have the full world in which our people reside in. Geeks don’t love JUST comic books. We love video games, movies, television, anime, cosplaying, partying, AND comics. Comic-Con is expanding, and with each new year, and each new expansion, the event grows. The memories become more plentiful. You’ll meet more people, and above all, you have more fun.

My past experiences at the Con have made this convention the end all be all to the greatest gathering of media in the world, and it will be treated as such when I arrive in San Diego next week. Hope to see you there!

Derek Kraneveldt

Sadly, I’ve only been to one convention in my entire life: Emerald City Comic Con way back when I was a youngin. With that said, despite reading all of the SDCC tips and watching all of the SDCC videos across the entire internet, I still feel as though I have no idea what to expect. And I couldn’t be more excited.

I can barely imagine an event with that many attendees. Hell, more people go to Comic Con than live in the city I reside in. It’s perplexing to even think about!

I’m excited for everything. Checking out panels, scoring interviews, being fed by game companies while playing games that aren’t even out yet, covering things that would be impossible to cover from home. It all sounds like a blast, and it sounds like so much fun that it couldn’t possibly be real. What I’m most excited for, however, is clear: meeting the rest of the Geekscape team. That’s right, I’ve been working with these people for nearly a year, speaking with them constantly, some of them daily… and I’ve never met a single one of them! I’m beyond excited for that to change.

Aside from that, I’m excited for the future of Geekscape! With announcements coming from Doc of the Dead and Lion Forge Comics, It’s simply enthralling to be a part of this team.

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That’s it for today! Look for part two in the series on Thursday!

Readers, are you headed to the convention? What are you most looking forward to?

SDCC 2013: A Veteran’s Tips For Navigating The Convention, Plus Some Choice Panels!

by AllieHanley

San Diego Comic Con has been around for many years, but for me the geek exodus began in 2007. That first year was a blur; I can hardly recall what I  saw or what I did. However, with each year that I’ve added to my belt, the experience of navigating the vast crowds, the convention floor and the Hall H line have become a way of life. The plan, -or lack of, because trying to plan every detail of the third largest convention in the world is tough. The reality is, for newbies, just go with the flow and try to pick a few things. For me that means a heavy investment of time in Hall H.

Last year I wrote a piece about the Comic Con experience, Press vs. Fan. I came up with the conclusion that I would rather forego the press tables (mostly happening at The Hilton next door) and focus on the fan experience, so with that in mind here’s a few panels I’m looking forward to, as well as some general tips.

Preview Night (Wednesday). The truth is… preview night is a nightmare. People go nuts. Either you have a plan and a mission (trying to buy an exclusive toy and score an exclusive giveaway) or you just let the crowd push you and pretend you are a leaf floating down a raging river. My crew have a mission. We divide and conquer with runs to Mattel, Dark Horse, and more. <If I tell you any more, I’d have to kill you> For an easier go of it – check out the TV pilots screening up in Ball Room 20.

Comic-Con and Warner Bros. Television proudly continue their annual Preview Night tradition, with exclusive world premiere screenings of the pilot episodes of three of the most highly anticipated TV series of the 2013-14 television season-Almost Human, The Tomorrow People, and The 100-as well as an encore presentation of the pilot episode of The Vampire Diaries spinoff series, The Originals, all in Ballroom 20.

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Thursday: In recent years, Thursday has been the day that Con officials slated as the day to get the “Twilight” movie stuff over. This created some really happy campers, and some pissed-off ones. The unhappy ones complained that the “Twi-hards” had bought all the convention tickets and were making the convention even more crowded. The reality, the con is just massively popular. Anyway, this year there is no Twilight and  so what did the officials plan this year in its place….what mega blockbuster will we be lining up the night before to sneak peek? ….NOTHING. I had been banking on having some sort of -get it over- blockbuster – lets-kick-things-off Hall H panel but this year the opening panels include:

Ron Diamond (program curator, president of Acme Filmworks and AWN.com) presents the best and newest in international animation. Included is Disney’s Oscar winning Paperman along with 10 animated shorts culled from the most notable festivals from around the world. Shows annually at Pixar, Dreamworks, Disney, ILM, Blue Sky, Sony, EA, UCLA, SVA, USC, SCAD, NYU, RISD, Harvard and CalArts.

Thursday July 18, 2013 11:50am – 12:50pm

Early AM Best Bet – Check out hottie Josh Hollaway from Lost – and the panel the features his new TV show “Intelligence” – As a matter of fact – Ball Room 20 has the coolest big bang – for your back all day Thursday.

Afternoon: However, it may be worth the fight – OR NOT – of heading back over the Hall H after lunch – getting in line – and trying to get in for Ender’s Game and Divergent. Harrison Ford will be on deck as well as that awesome young actor from True Grit, Hailee Steinfeld, as well as Abagail Breslin. Ender’s Game pictured below.

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In recent years I’ve seen a lot of cool celebs on Friday. At times, my entire crew has defected to the convention floor and smaller -but noteworthy- panels while I’ve stuck it out in Hall H. It’s a tough call because you want to see all the stuff, but then there’s that actor or director that comes out and makes it all worth it. In recent years I’ve seen Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson on the same panel… followed by Francis Ford Coppola (even had a chance to tell him that I liked his wine! …and I was standing 10 feet from Val Kilmer for about 20 minutes and didn’t even recognize him!)

Friday: I’ll definitely be in the front of Hall H (foregoing my round table experience at the Hilton) to see Simon Pegg and Nick Frost discuss The World’s End. No, it’s not another Pirates movie – it’s a comedy starting at 10 AM.

12:15 – Kick-Ass 2 and Riddick – First off. Loved Kick-Ass. Loved the panel for it a few years ago at SDCC and I can’t wait for it this year, but I will miss Nic Cage but even better is VIN DIESEL and the chic from Battlestar Galactica and the small but cancelled show Bionic Woman – Starbuck herself – Katie Sackoff. Ok, back to Vin Diesel. The epitomy of cool will be talking Riddick. As a fan of both movies, and the cartoon, I’m definitely down. The director David Twohy will be in attendance as well.

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Other panels that day include The Walking Dead, which should be ok. I attended last year in the same slot. Next up is Game of Thrones, – saw it last year – same slot. Then Sony Pictures will show off their new stuff, including The Mortal Instruments: City Of Bones – which to me looks pretty good (writers note – I am a young adult writer… so a film like this appeals to me but I know most of my geek friends cringe at the thought!).

However… hang in there because Sony will be showing off ROBOCOP! Loved it as a kid. Loved Peter Weller… loved the whole thing, can’t wait for the reboot. Samuel L. Jackson will be in effect… WILL HE or WON’T He – drop the “F-Bomb”???? I Hope he does!!!

They will also be showing The Amazing Spider-Man 2… – ugh. I know they were losing the rights to remake it – but DAMN, couldn’t we just have had a few more years without it?  Cast appearance has not been announced but last year Andrew Garfield showed up in the audience wearing a low-budget spidey costume… and then pretended to be a fan and ask a dumb question. It went over well, and I loved it – but later in the elevator at The Hilton – his press rep (or whomever represents him) was going off about how “F’-ing this” and “F-ing” that went, and causing a commotion in the elevator with everyone listening to his tirade on the phone all the while my ten year old niece stood there silently with huge eyes… shocked at the profanity rolling out of this guys mouth. Oh wait, that was 2 years ago! These things just roll together somehow after a few years.

Now for the biggee of the day!!! METALICA !!! yes, you read it right. The headbangers from back in the day are hosting a panel for their new 3D / IMAX  movie Through the Never.  All four band members will be in effect.

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Saturday: Only a few die-hards like myself will be making it in to the famed Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures line-up.

I can’t wait to see what a year has added to Godzilla. Last year’s tease – literally BLEW MY SOCKS off! Actually, the entire Saturday program last year blew my pants off! The insanity of Will Farrell and Zack G showing up unannounced, The Hobbit, with it’s HUGE triple wide screens, as well as Geekscape friend Travis Beacham’s Pacific Rim just utterly made the convention for me last year.

Besides Godzilla, we are looking at Seventh Son (fantasy adventure – one of my favorite genres!) with Jeff Bridges (will he be in person – not sure) and Julianne Moore…. as well as cutie from Game Of Thrones – Kit Harrintgon (Jon Snow) and the very sexy Djimon Hounsou.

Followed by 300: Rise of an Empire which stars of course – “Women who KICK ASS” Lena Heady (one of my favorite lady actors right now).

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Gravity: Starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney (highly doubtful they will be showing up and it’s not noted they are scheduled) however… I remember a few years back when Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie showed up for The Tourist. (or was it… her that showed up for Salt?) Anyway, you never know. If they say there are coming – then the already popular – INSANE day in HALL H would just be R I D I C U LO U S with fans!

Lego Movie – I have nothing interesting to say about this title except Will Farrell, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Liam Neeson and Morgan Freeman. If any one of them shows up (which I’m sure at least one will) then we are money! None are officially on the schedule… but a little birdie tells me we will be seeing at least one of them. BTW: I once rode a ski lift in Canada with Liam Neeson… nice guy and big!

I know you think this is just awesome but the day is just getting started…

Lionsgate will be showing off I, Frankenstein.  with Aaron Eckhart (Two-Face himself!). Can’t wait. The original “Frankenstein” story has so much heart and can still be molded into a story that has meaning today. Can’t wait to see what they’ve come up with.

And then also The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (the best book in the series – hands down). Will the cast be in attendance? Not sure. It’s not listed… c’mon Lionsgate – at least give us an exclusive souvenir or t-shirt!

Last year's 'Women Who Kick Ass' panel.
Last year’s ‘Women Who Kick Ass’ panel.

A L L I E ‘S    T O P    PICK – W O M E N   W H O   K I C K A S S

Fierce, fearless and flat-out fantastic, these female actors have left fans breathless. Michelle Rodriguez (Fast and Furious franchise), Orphan Black‘s Tatiana Maslany, Danai Gurira (The Walking Dead), and others open up about the power and privilege of playing women who redefine the rules and refuse to yield.

Incidentally – my wish list actress for this panel would be Sigourney Weaver… however I did see her a few years a go for the “Paul” panel and I loved her! She is ultimate “Kick Ass” actress for me. It would be hard to beat Aliens 2 and Sigourney’s role in it (as well as all the Aliens movies).

20th Century Fox – hasn’t announced their line-up officially on the schedule. but they have blocked 4:14 – 5:45.

6:00 – 7:00 Thor: Dark World and Captain America: The Winter Soldier – “Many surprise guests” listed as who will be in effect.

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7:15 After that panel Kevin Smith takes over fielding questions about Clerks 3 and other stuff. I will probably bag out for this.

Sunday: is kids day at the con. Thank God, they outlawed strollers on the convention floor this year. I have been run over, run down, and banged up by those things the past few years and people with their small kids are just out of control on the convention floor. It’s crowded but do you have to use your kid as a ram!? The floor will be packed with lots of kid friendly giveways but other booths will be getting the frantic pass it out – or haul it out – souvenir giveaways. All three days previously they’ve been on reserve…. having to make all the frebbies last…. Sunday is a free for all. Especially around 1 PM. It’s not guaranteed that you will score some uber cool stuff, but instead of giving you 1 item – they will suddenly be giving you several.

Best Bet – Summit and Lionsgate give out the coolest stuff. They change it up every hour, so keep going. Also, it’s a great day to get autographs (free ones) on the floor. Not in the mood for an autograph – just walk by. Tons of TV celebs will be posted every hour, at different booth signing and meeting fans. Just be prepared for families that create walls that block you from walking around. Imagine that irritating RV driving down the 101, and no lanes to pass – FOR MILES! That’s the convention floor on Sunday. The good and the bad of it. Sunday has always been a day that I have nabbed a lot of swag. Go for it.

Be sure to let me know about your experience on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/allie.hanley.5  or follow me on twitter at https://twitter.com/KaBoomSeattle! You can also meet me in person camping out in the Hall H line – Friday night!

Geekscape Interviews: ‘Wordburglar’

by Derek Kraneveldt

San Diego Comic-Con is fast approaching, and so is the Comic-Con Nerd-A-Thon! The two night event presented by Tiny Nightmare Productions, Geekscape (that’s us!), and Devil’s Playground Burlesque. Night one features geek rock and comic vixens with Nerf Herder, Kirby Krackle, and H2Awesome, while night two will host DualCore, Wordburglar, Danimal Cannon, and Mega Ran.

We thought that the week before the convention would be a great time to catch up with some of the awesome talent that will be performing at the party. First up is Wordburglar, the spectacular geek-hip-hop artist that we cannot wait to hang out with (and of course, see perform).

Look for more interviews in the coming days, and don’t forget to pick up your tickets to the Comic-Con Nerd-A-Thon! They’re selling out fast, so grab them here while you still can! Now, on to Wordburglar!

Geekscape: Is this your first SDCC? If not, what is your favorite SDCC memory, and how long have you been attending?

After years of waiting, yes, 2013 will be my first time at SDCC.

Geekscape: Besides the Nerd-A-Thon event, what do you want to do most while you’re at SDCC?

I love walking the floor at conventions and taking in all the craziness. I’m always on the hunt for cool new comics, t-shirts and the odd GI JOE figure too. But most of all I’m just looking forward to meeting some creators I admire and maybe getting a couple sketches. You’ll probably find me at a bunch of the comic book panels and anything that has to do with GI JOE haha.

Geekscape: What got you into music and how did you end up with your style?

As a kid I don’t remember a time where music wasn’t playing in my house. My parents had tons of records – The Beatles, Gordon Lightfoot, disco, motown, Michael Jackson, etc and I just always loved the melodies, beats etc. I discovered rap music at around age 6 or 7 and got hooked right away. My earliest rap heroes were Run DMC, Fresh Prince, Young MC, Public Enemy and Maestro Fresh Wes and I remember writing my first rhymes in grade six. My style evolved from years and years of writing crazy rhymes and having no one around to tell me to stop haha.

Geekscape: Would you call it a geek-centric style?

Haha well I’m definitely a geek – from music, to comic books, to video games to sports I get pretty nerdy about stuff. With my music I’ve always strived to be as honest as possible – which tends to manifest into obscure Valiant comics references and Toronto Blue Jays stats haha. But seriously, you gotta rap about what you know, right? So I rap about what I love – and a lot of that can be pretty geeky.

Geekscape: What makes you a geek?

Having lots of cool interests. And being a fan of the Quintessons.

Geekscape: Who are your geek heroes?

Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, Alan Moore, Larry Hama, George Lucas, Gene Roddenberry, Shigeru Miyamoto – creators who build entire worlds and characters where your imagination can just go nuts. I’m also a big Simon Pegg fan – I love Spaced, could watch that series over and over again.

Geekscape: Do you have anything special planned for the Nerd-A-Thon?

I’m planning a Galactus-level rhyming event. Bring an ultimate nullifier.

Geekscape: How do you approach writing/creating your music? Is it always from a geek mindset?

In terms of approaching songs with a committed obsession to making them awesome, yes, every time haha. With my latest album “Welcome To Cobra Island” it’s inspired by my love of old GI JOE comic books and cartoons, so I’ve definitely had to tap into my geeky side. Remembering weird tidbits of info, re-watching cartoons and flipping through old comics have all been key to making this record and turning these obscure things into songs. Which has been super fun. On 3rdburglar for example, some of the songs – like “Dude where’s my AT-AT at?” and “Drawings With Words” are very specific to Star Wars and comic books so I definitely came at them with a geek mindset. I’m making songs that I want to hear, so I guess in a way they’re already doomed to be geeky.

Geekscape: Movies, video games, comics, TV… what are the geek things you are into?

All of the above, but probably most of all comics. Right now I’m loving a lot of the BOOM & Image titles like Saga, Manhattan Projects, Revival, Deathmatch and Suicide Watch. Also just started reading The Wake from Vertigo which is fantastic. And I finally finished Sweet Tooth by Jeff Lemire – really great series. In terms of TV I like Venture Bros, Archer, Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, y’know the good stuff. Also I’m a huge LOST fan still. Movie wise this summer I was blown away by Star Trek 2 and I’m looking forward to Elysium. Games wise I’m a pretty classic gamer, I much prefer side-scrollers and old school RPGs to the new stuff. I also once held the record for NARC in Nintendo Power.

Geekscape: What is the geekiest thing you do when no one is around (be honest, we won’t tell anyone (in person)?

Trying to memorize all of the GI JOE characters real names. Ralph Pulaski is Steeler.

Wordburglar’s latest album, “Welcome To Cobra Island” is available here. Again, Wordburglar is performing on night 2 (July 20th) of the Comic-Con Nerd-A-Thon, and it’s going to be incredible. We hope to see you there!

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Geekscape At SDCC 2013: Visit The Booth, Check Out The Parties!

by Derek Kraneveldt

With just twelve days to go until preview night, San Diego Comic Con 2013 is fast approaching. All of us here at Geekscape couldn’t be more excited to attend the show again! We’ll have tons of coverage coming your way, plenty of incredible announcements about the future of Geekscape, a multitude of guest signings and appearances, some amazing parties for you to attend, and much more (as if that wasn’t enough). It’s set to be our biggest year at the convention ever, so be sure to visit us at booth #3919, and read on for all the details about the third annual Comic Con Nerd-A-Thon!

The Comic Con Nerd-A-Thon is a two night event (July 19th & 20th) presented by Tiny Nightmare Productions, Geekscape, and Devil’s Playground Burlesque.

Night one features geek rock and comic vixens with Nerf Herder, Kirby Krackle, and H2Awesome, while night two will host DualCore, Wordburglar, Danimal Cannon, and Mega Ran. Check out posters for each night of the event below, and head here for tickets. Be quick however, as these are selling out fast! Also, be sure to look for our full SDCC schedule as we get closer to the convention.

Night One:

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Night Two:

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Event Poster:

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Let us know if you’re planning to attend! We hope to see you there!

Toys R Us Reveals Incredible SDCC Exclusives!

by Derek Kraneveldt

My trip to San Diego later this month just got more expensive. Toys R Us has just announced their Comic Con exclusives, and unfortunately… I want almost all of them!

There is a multitude of exclusives and first-look opportunities (products available at SDCC before hitting store shelves) up for grabs, including items from awesome franchises like Adventure Time, The Walking Dead, Batman, Transformers, and plenty of others! Check out the items below, and be sure to let us know which ones you’ll be picking up!

Exclusives

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Toys“R”Us Exclusive San Diego Comic-Con Adventure Time™ Puppies from Jazwares®, Inc.
Jake and Rainicorn’s puppies have arrived and they’re heading to their very first convention! Say hello to Charlie, T.V., Viola, Kim Kil Whan and Jake Jr.! Fans will find these adorable puppies within the Adventure Time Lady Rainicorn with Pups plush item. Comic-Con goers can collect them all in this one, multi-piece, plush exclusive for $30.

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Toys“R”Us Exclusive San Diego Comic-Con WINX Club® Limited Edition Deluxe Daphne Doll from Jakks Pacific® Inc.Meet Daphne, Bloom’s sister, the eldest daughter of King Oritel and Queen Marion. Daphne shines golden, bound in Lake Roccaluce since being transformed into a spirit by a dark spell against her. This 11.5-inch doll is a limited edition, and can make its way home with Comic-Con goers for $30.

First-Look

Photographer Dennis Stylist Alfonse

Adam West Batmobile from Mattel®
It’s the iconic Batmobile in the style of the classic Batman television series! With room for two 6-inch action figures (sold separately), this classic television vehicle allows fans to send any dynamic duo into crime-fighting action! Comic-Con goers can take this fan favorite vehicle will home for $60.

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MY LITTLE PONY NIGHTMARE MOON from Hasbro®
Available for the first time in a large scale, the MY LITTLE PONY NIGHTMARE MOON figure is the majestic ruler of the dark in EQUESTRIA. Vowing to have the night last forever, this sister pony of PRINCESS CELESTIA is a dark unicorn Pegasus princess that stands 8.5 inches tall. Push her moon-shaped cutie mark, and the NIGHTMARE MOON figure will play sounds and phrases as her midnight blue, sparkle wings illuminate and move. Her purple mane can be styled with the included comb and barrettes. This pretty pony can gallop home with fans for $25.

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MY LITTLE PONY RAINBOW DASH SHADOW BOLT from Hasbro®
Ready for the fun-filled NIGHTMARE NIGHT festival, RAINBOW DASH pony dressed as a SHADOW BOLT villain is all set to pull off her next prank! Fans can now own aMY LITTLE PONY SHADOWBOLT figure of their own with this three inch, purple and black figure inspired by the popular series, My Little Pony Friendship is Magic. This collectible SHADOWBOLT figure features RAINBOW DASH pony’s signature rainbow mane and tail, glow-in-the-dark accents and a SHADOWBOLT cutie mark, and can be purchased for $15.

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The Walking Dead Comic The Governor’s Daughter Penny from McFarlane Toys™
Nothing is stronger than a father daughter bond, as we see with The Governor and his daughter Penny. Infected early on with the zombie virus, Penny has been cared for and fed by her unconditionally loving father. Penny features 12 points of articulation and includes a bucket of fresh body parts (severed leg, severed foot, severed hand, intestines, heart and Rick’s severed hand) that the Governor feeds to her. Figure also includes a fish tank with trophy heads collected by her father, one of which can be used as an alternate head for Michonne’s Pet Zombie Mike, allowing users to build Michonne’s second pet and Mike’s best friend, Terry. Fans can grab this first look item for $20.

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TRANSFORMERS Masterpiece Acidstorm from Hasbro®
Little is known about the mysterious air warrior Acid Storm. He serves quietly and anonymously under his commander Starscream and Lord Megatron. He speaks rarely, but when he does, it is in passionate defense of the Deception cause. His oratory skill is so great that those few who have heard him speak believe he has a great future among the Deceptions. Acid Storm has no ambition other than to soar high in the sky, seeding clouds with deadly corrosive rain that gives him his name. This sneak peek item can fly home with Conventioneers for $75.

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TRANSFORMERS Masterpiece Soundwave from Hasbro®
Behind his impassive expression, Soundwave is as cold and ruthless as they come. He cares nothing for right or wrong, for the advancement of a cause, or the welfare of his fellow Deceptions. He cares about information, and he acquires it any way he can. He spies on everyone, from the lowliest Autobot scout to Megatron himself. He hoards information the way a miser hoards gold, sharing it sparingly, if at all. No one knows what the true purpose behind his obsessive data collection is, but all fear him for the secrets he keeps. This first look item can be picked up by Comic-Con goers for $120.

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World War Z Gerry Lane from Jazwares®, Inc.
World War Z revolves around United Nations employee Gerry Lane, who traverses the world in a race against time to stop a pandemic that is toppling armies and governments and threatening to decimate humanity itself. Fans can recreate the intense action of World War Z with the new 6-inch Gerry Lane figure from Jazwares for $15. The figure is articulated and includes accessories.

That’s it! I’ve definitely got my eye on that exclusive Adventure Time set. What about you? Remember to visit us at booth 3919!

Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo 2013 Announced, Tickets On Sale Now!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Stan Lee’s Comikaze, the largest regional multi-media, pop culture, comic, horror and gaming convention around, is coming back for more!

2013 dates have just been announced, and whether you’ve attended dozens of conventions, or have never been to one, Comikaze is an event that you won’t want to miss. Over 45’000 people attended the event in 2012, and this year is set to bring in even more.

Save the date. This year’s expo takes place at the Los Angeles Convention Center from November 1st to 3rd. Highlights for this year include:

-Over 400 vendors and up to 100 panels
-Largest collection of Marvel movie props ever assembled, curated by Stan Lee, including never-before-seen in public items from his own personal collection
-Elvira’s unique pop-up macabre signing area, complete with art gallery and other “spooktacular” delights
-Guest appearances: LeVar Burton of “Star Trek” and “Reading Rainbow” fame, and famed anime voice actor Kirby Morrow (“Dragon Ball Z”), among many others that are soon to be announced
-Cult lifestyle brand, Tokidoki, will host a special area on the show floor, offering one-of-a-kind exclusives
-Famed special effects company Stan Winston’s Legacy Studios (“Jurassic Park,” “Avatar” and “Iron Man”) will be showcasing props
-Cosplay contest with over $5000 cash prize confirmed
​-Much much more to be announced.

Tickets are available now, and are bound to sell out fast. For the first 72-hours of availability, $45 will get you a 3-day pass, while $20 will cover a single day. Head here for more information, and here to secure your tickets!

Comikaze CEO Regina Carpinelli recently sat down with Jonathan on Geekscape 275: her episode is a must-watch for anyone interested in Comikaze, or conventions in general. Check it out here!

Are you planning to go this year? We’ll be there!

comikaze

Featured image by Heather Mairi Photography

WonderCon 2013 In Pictures: Day Three Cosplay

by GeekscapeStaff

Another year, another WonderCon. 2013’s convention was an amazing one, full of new and old friends, incredible news and panels, and plenty of memories.

To all that visited, we thank you, and we hope to see you again next year (if not sooner!). Check out the highlights from day three below, and let us know what you think! We’ve also got huge cosplay galleries from day one and two of WonderCon 2013. Let us know which cosplay was your favourite!

A fitting evening for some 'Game of Thrones' cosplay.
A fitting evening for some ‘Game of Thrones’ cosplay.
And a zombie cosplay that's 100x better than tonight's 'The Walking Dead' finale!
And a zombie cosplay that’s 100x better than tonight’s ‘The Walking Dead’ finale!

And here’s a gallery filled with plenty of other amazing cosplays! Click an image for a larger version!

WonderCon 2013 In Pictures: Day Two Cosplay

by GeekscapeStaff

Day two of WonderCon 2013 has come to a close, and was of course an amazing experience. Our tireless team again combed every facet of the show floor (and some incredible panels, including Pacific Rim and Evil Dead), so keep your eyes peeled for a plethora of WonderCon content in the next few days.

Today, we hosted Heroine Legends and Nobility signings, arm wrestled with Batman for prizes, and of course, caught up with some old friends, made some new ones (here’s to you, Asian Blade), and had an absolute blast. Check out the highlights from day two below (and day one here), and don’t forget to come visit booth #953 tomorrow!

AsianBlade 2
Asian Blade is the shit (no really, that’s what he called himself).
Just a few of the folks involved with 'Heroine Legends'
Just a few of the folks involved with ‘Heroine Legends’

And here’s a gallery featuring plenty of other amazing cosplay! Click an image for a larger version!

 

 

WonderCon 2013 In Pictures: Day One Cosplay

by GeekscapeStaff

We’re a third of the way through WonderCon 2013, and what an absolutely fantastic first day we’ve had! Jonathan, Kari, Shawn, Molly, and Eric spent hours scouring both the show floor and a multitude of panels, so look for plenty of WonderCon content in the coming days.

Thanks to all the cosplayers and fans that visited the booth, and if you didn’t get a chance, come tomorrow! Again, you’ll find us at booth #953. Come say hello, get something signed, and take some photos! Check out the highlights of Day One below, and let us know what you think!

Paul London signing for fans at the Geekscape booth.
Paul London signing for fans at the Geekscape booth.
Streetpassin' like a ganster at the Geekscape booth.
Streetpassin’ like a ganster at the Geekscape booth.

Click an image below for a larger version!

Check Out This Long Lost Unaired Episode Of ‘Dexters Lab’!

by Shane O'Hare

The rumors, and myths were true. After being aired UNCUT at a Comic Con long ago, the guys over at Williams Street have put the legendary episode up online for all to see! It’s full of bleeps and boops, but you can guess why this was never aired during CartoonCartoon!

 

Geekscape 271: The Geekscape 6th Anniversary Party!

by Jonathan

Here it is! Geekscape’s 6th Anniversary Party episode! We talk The Hobbit, Spider-Man, comics, videogames and SO MUCH MORE! Guests in this jam-packed episode include Geekscapists Brian Gilmore, Ben Dunn, Eric Diaz, Hong, Molly Mahan, Shawn Madden, Scott Alminiana and more! Guests include Ash Paulsen, Garrett Medina, Matt Raub, Sam Weller, Tom Pinchuk, Coco and Kelly Quinn, Jon Schnepp and plenty more! Gilmore talks about marrying Ben’s sister and my wife talks about being married to me! And of course… there are tons of big announcements along the way! This is it! Enjoy!

Subscribe to the show on iTunes!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:18:14 — 49.4MB)

Could There Be An ‘Iron Man 3’ Teaser Attached To The End Of ‘The Avengers’ Re-Release?

by Shawn Madden

Earlier today it was announced that Marvel Studios would be re-releasing The Avengers into theaters for one week. But something stood out and lingered in my head throughout the day. When they made the announcement they released this image:

And with the image they stated:

Marvel’s The Avengers is back in theaters for Labor Day Weekend!

Don’t forget to stay through the credits…

Now obviously by now we’ve all stayed through the credits and we’ve seen both the Thanos scene as well as the shawarma scene. One does not simply leave a Marvel movie during the credits!

So, why make it a point to state that and already show the picture of Thanos? Could they be attaching an Iron Man 3 teaser with the re-release? They do already have the footage that they screened at Comic-Con and trust me when I tell you that it looks great. That alone would be a way to pack theaters once again.

Just earlier this month a trailer description leaked out online indicating that indeed a trailer was prepared for the upcoming movie. Another thing to note is that MovieFest attendees in Dublin, Ireland will be treated to some exclusive Iron Man 3 footage on the weekend after Labor Day. This could just be the Comic-Con footage being shown in Ireland for the first time, but could very well indicate that Disney prepared footage for a trailer for the re-release which is only taking place stateside and then decided MovieFest would be another good opportunity to show it.

Guess we are going to have to wait until tomorrow to find out!

Delicious Eye Candy in This Assassin’s Creed III Engine Demo

by Shane O'Hare

We at Geekscape are excited for Assassin’s Creed III. No wait, we are EXTREMELY EXCITED for Assassin’s Creed III. I can safely say, lest there is some game ending bug, this will be a runner for Game of the year for most reviewers. Well today the folks over at Ubisoft have given us another little morsel to tide us over until Gamescom. Check out this overview video of the new engine that ACIII is built around. AnvilNext.

We finally get a peak at what Ubisoft has been talking about. The expansive environments that the lead dev at comic con said “Are as big as they are in real life” look amazing. The number of AI was just an arbitrary number until this video. To actually see all of those people on screen at once is such a good feeling.

So what is your favorite part of this video? What are you most looking forward to in Assassin’s Creed III?

Exclusive Interviews From Comic-Con 2012: Mark Z. Danielewski!

by Allisonnnnn

Mark Z. Danielewski is the author of the cult classic, House of Leaves, as well as its companion novella, The Whalestoe Letters, and the poetic Only Revolutions.  Danielewski is known (and loved) for his intense and emotionally impacting work as well as his use of unusual type-setting and beautifully convoluted burying of passages and codes within his books.  We were able to sit down with him at this year’s Comic-Con and hear about his latest release, The Fifty Year Sword.

MZD: This is my first Comic-Con.  I’ve been hearing about it for years and finally I did it.  It’s such a sea of possibilities.  Different tidal currents and you enter into different places.  But I feel a little like I’m coming in much later.  Like when I went to Burning Man for the first time last year.  It’s sorta similar in a way, in the sense that it’s highly organized.  The way it started was like a communal pit where everyone would deposit their effluence.  But now it’s like a town with wonderfully groomed streets, you know, and it was a blast but I can’t say that I’m a Burner.  And I’ve been talking to some of these people that have gone to Comic-Con for sixteen years now.  It’s great.

A:  I’m glad you’re enjoying it.

MZD:  Yes.  Pantheon has me here for The Fifty Year Sword.  The Familiar is coming out in a few years.  It’s a ways off.  I’m writing this twenty-seven volume creature.  I finished volume nine recently and on Monday I’ll start the next.  Anyway, The Fifty Year Sword is probably what we should focus on because people can actually read it in October.  There’ll also be a tour around the United States and for the last two years running, I’ve done a shadow show and a reading of The Fifty Year Sword at the Disney Concert Hall, so we’re going to do it for the last time this Halloween— we’re going to have two shows.  We may do a version of in Seattle, and we may possibly do it in Chicago or New York.  It depends.  And Chris O’Riley who is a pianist who does arrangements for Radio Head and Elliot Smith and is also an NPR host for From the Top is going to be playing the piano with music that he’s composed and actors will be reading to it, so I’m pretty excited about that.

A:  I fortunately got a copy of The Fifty Year Sword just before Comic-Con.  It was really interesting.  I liked it, though I wish it had been in color.

MZD: The final one that is coming out is 288 pages, it’s full-color, and has about 88 images.  The heroine is a seamstress who is recovering from a divorce and she goes to this Halloween party and along comes the Storyteller and she ends up basically shackled to these five orphans and slowly but surely she realizes that the Storyteller is full of malice and the children are in jeopardy.  A lot of it is how we stitch together stories and how they unstitch us.

To create the artwork you’ll see in the book, I started sewing paper and eventually I had two other people helping me and we were sewing endlessly in these big sheets of paper all sorts of colored thread that were very specific to the colors of the book—the quotation marks.  That was a really challenging experience, how we created those pieces, and yet it was very exciting because it wasn’t just, “Oh, we’re going to illustrate the text.”  For me, it was creating pieces that were integral to the text, so you see that even this piece [on display], which is towards the end, is all sewed paper with red thread.  The text sort of interplays with all of that, and the book is going to be beautiful.

A: I figured it would be.   I have Only Revolutions and House of Leaves— I’ve had them for many years.  They’re both gorgeous books.

MZD:  Yes, we even did the same thing as with Only Revolutions where we have a cover with an orange jacket and underneath we have actually this piece printed, but on a higher quality.  And there’s going to be a special edition, just a thousand copies, that has a Nepalese binding and it’ll come in an orange box that has five clasps.  The Nepalese binding is the stuff I really love.  The spine is sheared off so that you can see the actual thread that binds the paper.  We’re getting the thread red, so you’re going to have the glossy photographic images of that on the front and back and then you’ll actually have the red thread.

There’s a lot of play, too, with what’s thematically represented and what is actually literal.  We have literal thread and literal cuts in the paper and, with that, you’ll have this image, this representation of it.  And it’s that constant play, as within all of my books, between the story that’s told and the context in which that story lives.  Because we all know that world around us far exceeds any story we can tell.  So there’s that presence throughout the book that this is a representation of sewing, and that there are threads holding everything together… or are they?  Language, which is amazing, is the purest form of all of that.  The words, as soon as you put them in your ear, dissolve and immediately become a part of your mental genetics and that’s what’s really exciting for me.

A:  So you picked “Chintana” as the main character’s name.  And that’s Hindi?

MZD:  There are all sorts of things.  I won’t parse all the names because there’s a lot of fun, as you can imagine, with them and how they’re pronounced.  She’s Thai, so the way everyone in the reading pronounces it is Chint-ahna, which is the way an American would pronounce it, but one of the actors we have is of Thai descent and she pronounces it correctly, which is Chin-tihn-a.  And, of course, there are meanings to that.

A:  And then there’s a misspelling of it, which looks like what you’ve done your previous works.

MZD:  Yes, there are no misspellings. [laughter]

A:  I figured.  While I was reading it, I was thinking to myself, “Oh god, it’s like I’m reading James Joyce right now.”  There’s definitely more of an awareness for me now of your work, after reading Joyce and going back to your books, how he plays with text.

MZD:  Joyce is such a pleasure to read.  And the specificity of his work.  Something that seems like a mispronunciation can be a reference to The Odyssey.  Especially in Finnegan’s Wake, there’s all this word play where you realize that “Oh, that sounds out the name of an Irish king or a river,” but at the same time it means something else.  But you have to be as responsible as you can so it influences a text correctly, which is certainly part of The Fifty Year Sword.  It’s not long, and to come up with that specificity and yet keep the playfulness of it and, you know, it’s sort of an eerie story.

What did you think it was finally about, or how did it live with you?

A:  It was different.  I usually review horror movies and, academically, I’m studying the memetic nature of fairy tales so, while I was reading this, I combined my horror-love with the fairy tale background.  Going through that knowledge base and looking at the structure of the story that the Storyteller told Chintana and the orphans and how he used a lot of the classic motifs but still totally broke away from them in a surprising way… and I’m still trying to figure out what cultures that it drew from, if any.  And it’s very Rime of the Ancient Mariner.  Almost that kind of curse.

MZD:  Coleridge is a good example.  That’s definitely an influence.  Poe, Coleridge, even people you wouldn’t think of as horror writers— Whitman and Wordsworth, are in there.  One writer I would check out is Aimee Bender.  Aimee Bender wrote The Girl in the Flamable Skirt—incredible use of fairy tales.

And since you write about horror, I think one of the things that fascinated me the most about The Fifty Year Sword is that a lot of art’s experience of horror and fear is about anticipation.  The actual gorefest tends to be funny and maybe shocking, but the fear is always in that anticipation, so there is something strange about a story in which a blade inflicts its wounds on the fiftieth birthday and you’re dealing with kids.  In a little way, you’re going, “Well, they’re still young, they’re still going to get a full life.  So who cares?”  Yet how terrifying is the notion that your life could be cut short at that moment, that some disaster will be there that would be known and certain? And what is that particular agony?

I think that horror is a wildly complex weave and yet when you start to pull it apart you realize that there are many different types of horror.  Different shocks of violence and fear and incongruities in the way we negotiate our anxieties.  I think the particular thread—all puns intended on the thread thing—that is important in The Fifty Year Sword is the fear and the anticipation of a certain death, a certain wounding, and how that’s really what’s at stake for people.

A:  It’s interesting that it also calls back, at least to me, the things you do when you’re little that come back and end up killing you later.  Little injuries, little damage, and that’s you stamped with your death date.  Right there.  That you achieved, you know, when you were seven years old.  And then you’re gone.

MZD:  And you know it.  Why is it so important to protect ourselves from that?  And it is, in a way.  I was at a showing of Danny Elfman’s music and he was being interviewed by Elvis Mitchell and Elvis Mitchell had a wonderful description about the playfulness of Danny’s music, that it was a combination of menace and fate.  I love that use of the word, “fate”.  Because that’s what it is in The Fifty Year Sword, that expression.  It’s fitting because, as soon as you’re fated, there’s a horror to that.  You’ve suddenly been marked and what a weight that is, what a fear.

 

The Fifty Year Sword will be available for purchase on October 16th, 2012.  

Comic-Con 2012: Peter Jackson’s Final Production Blog From ‘The Hobbit’

by Shawn Madden

So, while not showing all of the footage that was shown at this years San Diego Comic-Con (sorry guys)…this does feature the 11-minute opening that we were shown that gives a behind the scenes look at the filming and touches of new footage. This video also does feature some extras shot by Peter Jackson at this years Comic-Con.

I know that not everybody gets to Comic Con, so I thought I’d bring a little bit of Comic Con to you! Here’s a bit of what I saw in San Diego, and what those in Hall H got to see of The Hobbit! This is THE HOBBIT Production Diary #8, covering Comic Con and the final days of principal photography on the film. – Peter Jackson

Source: Peter Jackson

The Man Of Steel Trailer From Comic-Con Leaks Online!

by Shawn Madden

So, there has been a few leaks of this footage but not really any clear ones. Yesterday we gave you two teaser trailers and now we have the full trailer from San Diego Comic-Con. While it may go out of focus a few times I saw this in person and was blown away. You can definitely tell by fans reactions how good this looked. But why am I still writing? Watch and judge for yourselves!

Zack Snyder’s Man Of Steel hits theaters June 14th, 2013.

Official Teaser Trailer For ‘Man Of Steel’!

by Shawn Madden

If you haven’t seen The Dark Knight Rises in theaters yet you may not have seen this. Or maybe you just want to see it again. The teaser trailer for Man Of Steel is now online. If you like this…just wait until you see the stuff we saw at Comic-Con!

Kevin Costner voice over:

Russell Crowe voice over:

In the pantheon of superheroes, Superman is the most recognized and revered character of all time. Clark Kent/Kal-El (Henry Cavill) is a young twenty-something journalist who feels alienated by powers beyond his imagination. Transported years ago to Earth from Krypton, a highly advanced, distant planet, Clark struggles with the ultimate question ‘Why am I here?’ Shaped by the values of his adoptive parents Martha (Diane Lane) and Jonathan Kent (Kevin Costner), Clark discovers having extraordinary abilities means making difficult decisions. When the world is in dire need of stability, an even greater threat emerges. Clark must become a Man of Steel, to protect the people he loves and shine as the world’s beacon of hope – Superman.

Man Of Steel hits theaters June 13, 2013.

SDCC 2012 Wrap up: The Aquabats Super Show!

by Shane O'Hare

The legendary group of super powered teenagers return for their 2nd SDCC, this time with an entire season of their hit show “The Aquabats! Super Show!” in the can. Come with me, we’re going to dig into what went on during their panel, roundtable interview and the concert at the House of Blues!

The day started off fantastic, working the booth in my Aquabats! gear feeling pretty much a pimp. Time for the panel and interview and I am walking at a nice pace towards the meeting room. High as a kite, so excited to see what great things will happen, when the absolute worst happens! My SD card in my phone imploded. All my pictures and notes from the week were toast. Gone. POOF! My big Aquabat fanatic heart sank. Then it fell even further into depression when I saw the line. It went down the hall, around the corner and looped back THREE times. I slumped down in the hallway and nursed the dieing battery in my phone. Sadness overcame me. I was defeated even before I started. Then I spied the guys from Toddland. The great group of guys that make the new Aquabats! merchandise! I walked over to say high again and to chat more about their products. I walked up and talked to the head beard himself, Todd Masters.

Shane: “So how did you guys come about making this new merchandise for the Aquabats?”

Todd: “Well we all are the old Paul Frank Kids. We created the original belt for the Aquabats. So we were already fans.”

Shane: “Now all your products I’ve seen on the floor are REALLY cool. Where do the designs come from and what is the logic behind them all?”

Todd: “Well we basically make things we like, we make the shirts and wallets and sweaters for us and like minded people are attracted to us. Also everything kind of goes together, the Aquabats wallet goes with the Adventure Time sweater and so on.”

Todd assured me they were just fans making gear for a group they appreciated. Being able to make the pajamas from the “Floating Eye of Death” episode was really really fun for them.

After our brief chat I returned to my wall charger of despair. Knowing I’d never be able to make it into the panel, I was just going to wait for the press round-table. Then again, my eyes spied another friend. JP from The Hub wandered into view. I ran up to say hello and he recognized me and quickly pushed me into the panel. Then my bad luck with my busted SD card started to balance out when I saw our own Matt Blackwood up front saving a seat for me! PLUS HE HAD A WORKING CAMERA!

Photo Credit Todd Williamson/ Invision for The Hub/ AP Images.

The panel started out with normal ‘bat vigor. The lights went out and the opening from the Super Show! played on screen while the ‘bats ran up and took their places. Also joining them were directors Matt Chapman (AKA Strongbad) and Jason deVilliers. The most surprising guest was the panel moderator. Gerard Way!

Photo Credit Todd Williamson/ Invision for The Hub/ AP Images.

The panel went smoothly. Finding out how Matt Chapman met the Aquabats and conversely how they met Gerard Way. Way back when, before MCR, Way was making vinyl figurines in a small shop in New Jersey. One day the Homestarrunner crew came in and wanted some of their own. The rest is history.

We saw some funny bloopers and clips, and even were able to see a commercial that was removed from air just DAYS before the episode went out. It was one directed by Mega64 and it was called “Garage Door Escape”. It was a product that mimics some of Indiana Jones greatest escapes. We see a kid hit his garage door close button, and run through an obstacle course consisting of skeletons, poison darts, boulders and magma. The ultimate goal is to slide under the garage door before it closes, insuring survival. They said The HUB pulled that at the last minute, I’m assuming it’s because if the kid didn’t make it he wouldn’t have “survived”. At the end of it his Dad watering the lawn says “Nice survival son!”. Kind of morbid, but very hilarious.

It also wouldn’t be an Aquabats event if a baddie didn’t show up. This time Snakey walked in from down the hall and caused a ruckus.

Photo Credit Shahab Zargari of Verbicide Magazine
Photo Credit Todd Williamson/ Invision for The Hub/ AP Images.

As you can see he was a menace. He knocked over an easel and pulled all the mic’s off the table. Shortly thereafter the panel was over and all who were there to interview them stayed in the room preparing for the round table. Mulling around I started talking with a couple of guys. I met Ryan Brunty of Insert Coins 21+ arcade in Las Vegas and Shahab Zargari of Verbicide Magazine. Shahab really saved me with these pics from the interview, my SD card was still fried.

The actual interview was fairly mellow. The Aquabats looked very tired, and The Bat Commander was answering most of the questions. The most crucial piece of information was that the HUB is in talks to get the show renewed for a second season, but nothing is confirmed. When asked about a possible soundtrack for the show the band did say they had full length versions of all the songs either recorded or planned out. My hopes are high for some great music to come out of the show. We all shook hands and the group went and recorded some clips for HUBWORLD. I gathered my things and headed home. The next day called for all my energy as I was going to the concert at the House of Blues!

I arrived at the House of Blues and got my press ticket. Brandishing my entire Cadet Uniform I was ready to have a great night. I got some food and partook in the free bar. Now everyone who told me they would be at the show, WEREN’T! I’m looking at you Ben Dunn and Molly Mahan! I did bump into Matt Blackwood again and he snapped some more pics for me. I walked up to the bar and realized I was standing next to Shawn from Mega64! I said hi and we chatted for a bit and I followed him back to the group.

Eric Baudour, Garret Hunter, Shawn Chatfield, Rocco Botte, Lovable-Bill, Bryan Abou Chacra and Derrick Acosta of Mega64

What comes next is stories that are only told in movies and dreams. Eric Baudour and Bryan Abou Chacra and myself, right before the band came on, drank some pretty big shots of tequila and went downstairs into the pit. The second The Aquabats came on stage the crowd erupted into a frenzy. I instantly lost Eric and Bryan for the rest of the show. The ‘bats opened up with “Cat with Two Heads”, a classic from way back when. They played some old, some new and some that wasn’t theirs.

In normal fashion a monster showed up to terrorize the band. A GIANT DINOSAUR!

Photo Credit Matt Blackwood

After he was defeated the Bat Commander shouted “MAN! THAT WAS A TOUGH DINOSAUR DRAGON!”. Then we hear a voice exclaim that this wasn’t a real dragon and he knew who a real dragon is! Out walked Strongbad, from Homestarrunner. In reality it was Matt Chapman in a wrestling mask. Then a childhood dream came true. I witnessed Strongbad sing his hit song Trogdor while the Aquqbats played the tune!

Photo Credit Matt Blackwood

I was having a blast. The show just kept getting better and better. Another great guest was a San Diego local band that had been around forever called Rocket from the Crypt. They played one of their classic songs “Young Livers”. I had never heard of this band before but I was very impressed with their performance. More and more great songs churned out. When the band played “Burger Rain” the crowd from the VIP balcony dropped paper cheeseburgers down in a wonderful rain. It was truly a sight to behold.

The show ended and the crowd dispersed. I was sore, wet and satisfied. The HUB really has a passion for their fans and their shows. They put on a fabulous panel and a one of kind concert.

So you. If you don’t already have the HUB call whoever is your TV provider and demand it. Let’s keep support great people who love to make the world happy.

Awesome! When Gandalf Paid A Surprise Visit To Comic-Con Hall “H” Line!

by AllieHanley
Ian McKellen from the Hall H line with an unidentified fan standing next to him.

Sir Ian McKellen, aka “Magneto” and “Gandalf” made a unique visit to the Hall H line the night before Peter Jackson debuted footage from both of his new films, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey(2012) and The Hobbit: There and Back Again(2013) at the San Diego Comic Con. At around midnight the mega-star came down to the line of fans with no fanfare, body guards, or retinue of assistants and just told everyone he saw the line from his hotel room window at The Hilton. He knew they were in line for Hall H and that the film he stars in would be featured the next day as part of the Warner Bros. roll out of films coming 2012-2014.

He exclaimed, “You are all crazy!” to the crowd as he smiled and waved playfully to the swarm of fans.  I would have thought that after a few minutes of that he would have been on his way back up to his room but he actually posed with fans for pictures and signed autographs for at least a half hour in the line.

He even took this photo with longtime Geekscapist Alice Acheron!

Fans of the film were very respectful and no one at anytime rushed or pushed to be near the star. The only rude comment made in the half hour was myself yelling for him to turn around so I could get a photo with my I-Phone (see above) in which he obliged willingly. Everyone near me started snapping pictures and the shot would have been dark if it had not been for everyone’s flashes going off. The moment itself was really cool and just part of the magic that can happen at Comic-Con Intl.

Here’s a video I took of Ian’s surprise appearance:

Comic-Con 2012: Interviews With Cast And Crew Of Doctor Who

by Stephen Prescott

As you are all well aware, the cast of Doctor Who along with head writer Steven Moffat and new executive producer, Caroline Skinner attended San Diego Comic Con last weekend. I was lucky enough to get some time in front of a camera with them and here are the results.

Enjoy and be sure to check out my Doctor Who podcast at AMadManwithaBox.com

SDCC 2012: One Geek’s Journey Through The Madness Of Comic-Con (Part II)

by Scott Alminiana

When last we left I had managed to make it through Preview Night and Day one of SDCC and had seen Shawn battle to the death with a Power Ranger. If you haven’t read Part I yet check it out here. That was only half the story though, I now bring you Part II of my journey through Comic-Con.

Day Two: One of my buddies lives in San Diego and he was gracious enough to let me crash on his couch for the duration of SDCC. This was great because it meant I didn’t have to spend money on a hotel room but it did have one major draw back. Since parking downtown can be a nightmare I decided that I would take the trolley and save myself the hassle (and some money) of finding parking. I parked at Qualcomm stadium, home to the San Diego Chargers and got on the trolley only to find it packed. Not only was it packed but it got worse with every stop. We were like sardines in a can. Personal space was non existent.

When I finally made it to the convention and made it off the massively over-crowded trolley I decided to go get in line for some panels.  Being a huge fan of Community I wanted to see their panel which was scheduled for 10 am in Ballroom 20. Being that I’m a newbie to the whole thing I foolishly thought getting in line at 9 am would be plenty early to guarantee that I got in. Oh how I couldn’t be more wrong. The line weaved it’s way from the inside of the convention, outside and down some stairs and back up to some tents. After 30 minutes of waiting it was pretty apparent that I wouldn’t be seeing the Greendale gang that day so I abandoned my plans and headed back to the Geekscape booth to form a new battle strategy. It was during this time that my efforts to try and get a Court of Owls mask from the DC booth comes into play. It’s a long story in it’s own right, check out the story of that here.

After a quick lunch consisting of greasy pizza in the Gaslamp it was off to the Marvel: Ultimate Comics panel. It was a good panel, the panellists (Marvel EIC Axel Alonso, Editors Sana Amanat and CB Cebulski, writers Sam Humphries and Nathan Edmonson, and artist David Marquez) talked about some of the big things that are coming to the Ultimate universe in the form of the ‘Divided We Fall’ event that is spanning the books.  They also announced a new mini series Ultimate Comics Iron Man: Demon In The Armor that will be debut in October and written by Nathan Edmonson with art by  Matteo Buffagni. They also showed the cover to issue #1 of the series before opening the floor to questions. Most of the questions were fairly standard and forgettable but there was one question that stood out above the rest. A kid who looked to be maybe 17 and was your stereotypical nerd asked this question (this is almost verbatim), “I know you can’t confirm it but if you were going to how would you, even though I know you can’t confirm it, how would you do an ultimate version of Anti-Venom? How would you?” The panel tells him that they don’t have any plans for the character but don’t want to discuss their take on the character because it would then pigeon-hole them if they did. The fanboy did not like this answer and quickly fired back with “…well I’m JUST sayin’…” at which time Axel Alonso jumped in and asked him, “well if how would you write the ultimate version of Anti-Venom?” You could immediately hear a collective grown from the audience as soon as Alonso asked that question. Fanboy’s explanation was painful and went something like this, “well I think he should get hit by something like radioactive and then he’d have radioactive poison running through his body!” Yeah, the kid just basically described Venom, good job. Axel Alonso told him he deserved a free tshirt for his pitch and gave him one, I think they just wanted Anti-Venom boy to go away…and so did I.

Once that panel ended I hit the floor again to take in the sights. I actually ran into a guy I used to work with years ago, SDCC has that way of bringing people together. Spent the rest of the day wandering around and checking things out and just taking in all the sights. Earlier in the day I had managed to score a wrist band to see the new Marvel One-Shot: Item 47 at a theater in the Gaslamp at 7 pm. Not wanting to get shut out of yet another free event I made sure to get there early and get in line. Luckily since I had a wrist band this proved not to be a problem and was able to get in. Check out the Geekscape reveiw of it here to see what we thought of it. Getting out of the theater and getting our bags, which we had to check in prior to the screening proved more difficult than getting in. People were freaking out and loosing their minds trying to get their stuff back. As usual chaos rained supreme amongst the nerds. Once that was all said and done with it was time to call it a night and get a fresh start for Saturday.

Day Three: Saturday at SDCC is the craziest day out of all. Everyone know this but knowing it and seeing it are two different things. After once again dealing with a crammed trolley ride to the convention I met up with a friend and we went and sat in on the comiXology panel. It was an interesting panel. It’s crazy to think that digital comics have only been around for a few years and has come so far. I like the idea of digital comics and know that it will play a big part in the future of comics but my sticking point on them has always been the price. If I’m going to pay $3.99 for a comic I’d rather have a hard copy of it. If they lowered the price on digital versions I’d buy them in a heartbeat. I love the push that Marvel is doing by giving you a free digital copy with some of their books. That’s a cool cross promotion and a smart move.

After that panel we went across the street and checked out the Batmobiles that were on display. It was awesome! Then we ran into Wil Wheaton at Starbucks before meeting up with Eric, who was in line for Hall H. We spent the rest of the day hanging out in line and relaxing, while holding on to hope that we would get into Hall H to see the Marvel panel. Sadly we did not get to see that but we did get to see a bunch of those crazy bible-thumpers try and convert people that were in line. Can I just say that I absolutly hate those guys, super fucking annoying. On the plus side though, we did manage to get an awesome picture of the Jesus guy   standing next to the booty ring toss van. Anal play and God together at last! Thus endeth my Saturday at SDCC.

Day Four: Waking up on the final day of SDCC was a sad event. I was exhausted but also was sad to know that it Comic-Con was coming to an end and I’d have to wait another year to do it all over again. The trolley ride proved to be far less stressful than the prior two days and I even managed to find a seat. My first stop once I got to the convention was the Marvel booth. I had finally caved and decided to pre-order the ‘Phase One’ 10-disc blu-ray set. Once that was purchased I met up with my buddy at the Oni Press booth where they were selling advanced copies of Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life in color! I bought a copy of the ‘Evil Edition’ which features Matthew Patel on the cover. I then got in line and was able to get Scott Pilgrim creator Bryan Lee O’Malley to sign it. After that I made a few more purchases and then decided to go check out the Marvel: Amazing Spider-Man panel. It was a mostly lackluster panel but they did briefly discuss Alpha, who is going to be Spider-Man’s new teenage sidekick and how he’s connected to Peter Parker. Look for Alpha to debut in issue #692.

The last panel of the day in Hall H was the Sons of Anarchy panel which I was lucky enough to get into. I’m a big SOA fan and can thank my brother for getting me hooked on that show. The entire cast was present and they showed fans the opening scene to the first episode of the upcoming season. During the panel, we found out that Ron Pearlman is the worst member of the cast when it comes to riding a motorcycle. Fans gave Pearlman a giant round of applause when his Make-a-Wish appearance as Hellboy was brought up. The entire panel was a fun time with the cast-members swearing like sailors…or to be more accurate, members of a motorcylce club. The ladies in the audience lost their minds a few times, especially over Charlie Hunnam (Jax) and Theo Rossi (Juice).

After that panel let out it was time to call it a day and make my way back to Qualcomm stadium to fetch my car and hit the road. All in all I had a blast at SDCC 2012 and it wouldn’t have been possible without Mr. Jonathan London and Geekscape. So a very big thank you to Jonathan and Geekscape for letting me experience the madness that is San Diego Comic-Con!!! Until next year….

Heroine Addict: Defending Cosplay and (Variably) the Booth Babe

by Molly Mahan

If you’re a consistent reader of Geekscape, or at least give a click to read my articles, then you are like to know that I partake in the act of cosplay. I enjoyed dressing up as a little girl (even if I didn’t do it all that often), and Halloween has always been my favorite non-religious holiday. Sure, you get to blow shit up on the Fourth of July in America, which is pretty cool, but there is rare a chance you can, quite simply, not be a you for a night. And that kind of freedom is invigorating. Since moving to Los Angeles and joining the Geekscape crew, I have been given the opportunity to attended conventions throughout the year, which has allowed for Halloween to seem like child’s play in the face of the art that is cosplay. I attended my first Comic Con in 2011, and as part of the experience I put together a Black Canary costume.

Since then, I have played that role at four different conventions, two film sets, and an “-ism” themed costume party (some people got “heroism”, other assumed “sado-masochism”–whatever works). In the process, I have nearly shredded the left leg of my fishnets (due to getting caught in the zipper, running into crap ’cause I’m a klutz, etc), nearly passed out due to heat exhaustion, and fallen over multiple times due to my inability to properly run around in heels–even twisting my ankle twice ’cause I was drunk. (Wee!)

Maybe I should work on my balance first …

For my 1st anniversary as a cosplayer, I  decided it was a perfect time to prep a new character. So I settled on a character (Emma Frost), a costume (White Phoenix a la Endsong), and began to do my homework so I could properly represent the part at the convention (reading everything from The New X-Men to her brief solo run) and trying to look awesome in photos (aka spending hours posing in front of the mirror to get her smirk down pat). It was fun, it was exciting, and it gave me pride when I put my costume on for the first time and it not only fit, but I felt confident in it. I admit it is a pretty fleshy costume (not that skin bothers me, I do go to the beach from time to time), but there’s something about dressing up like Emma Frost that made me feel powerful, a subject rather than object, and I think that’s a credit to her character. And her super awesome mutant abilities.

Then the days leading to Comic Con became fewer and fewer, and guides on “How to Survive” became more prevalent. Although, it was my second SDCC, I decided to click on a few, each saying the same thing: shower, chew gum, try to sleep, respect your fellow geek, etc. Helpful stuff. However, almost all of them also made sure to point out cosplayers and while telling Con goers to “look but don’t touch” could be helpful, claiming we all have daddy issues is quite another, and it goes to show just how few people seem to understand what cosplayers do and why we do it. (Spoiler alert: It’s not because our daddies ignored us and/or gave us too much attention as children).

First: Cosplayers are people, too. Second, cosplayers aren’t just female. There is an incredible amount of men who cosplay. From the elite 501st (while not all male, is predominantly so), to the Waldos, and even the dude Slave Leias. These guys are putting themselves out there as much as the women, sometimes showing as much skin (if not more thanks to bare chests on guys not violating some silly decency code), yet they aren’t mocked for having an Oedipus complex of some sort. And why is that? I’m not 100% sure I can even attempt to answer that question, but it is one that needs to be asked and one that needs to be addressed.

Ash Ketchum and Pikachu … gotta catch ’em all, amiright?

 I’m obviously not saying we should start accusing the men of cosplay of being attention whores or having parental issues or anything else. Rather, I am saying we shouldn’t be attacking the women in such a way either. Cosplay is an art. Sure, it can be fetishized, but so can ponies from Canterlot and Ponyville. Yes, the costumes can be quite sexy, but more often than not it’s because the we are trying to properly replicate the costumes from the comics or movie or tv show as much as possible, and even if we hate how sexualized Star Sapphire is, if she’s our favorite character, and we have the nerve to wear it, we will.

And no, it’s not the admirers or the fetishizers of cosplay that I’m talking to in this article. It’s the slut shamers (who are not defined by gender!) and those who think every girl in a costume is a mindless “booth babe” (i.e., woman who is paid to be attractive and hang around a booth at conventions, selling an item she may or may not be knowledgeable about). Booth babes are people, too, and they’re doing a job they’ve been paid to do. If you hate them, talk to their employer. But in my personal experience, I rarely have ever been asked who I am or why I chose the character. I can only assume it’s the same experience for most cosplayers (male and female), so unless someone out there is always demanding, “Who are you dressed as and why?” then the complaint of oblivious attention whores seems, for the most part, rather unfounded. 

You bet she knows who she is!

That said, speaking as a cosplayer: It’s not all about you, the non-cosplayer. It’s about us. While you may think we dress up for dudes to get attention, we dress up for ourselves above all else, no matter our end game. We are part of the show, part of the greatness of Comic Con.  We work hard on the outfits, the concepts. We don’t just wake up and think, “Oh, I know, I’ll run around half naked in a costume that costs about a month’s rent to get some nerd boys and girls’ blood pumping!” In fact, sometimes it’s hoping we’ll get a job. That the attention will come from someone with a camera, so we can dazzle with our personalities (not just our tits and ass) and hopefully get a job. Be it a booth babe next year (we’re already doing half the job for free), or an announcer gig on some geek-central TV show. While you may look down on that, it is what sells and this economy isn’t all too great (I don’t know if you’ve noticed).

But it’s not just about that. It’s also about the craft and the characters, and trying to be people we love, and show off our creativity and personalities.

Prior to commissioning Emma Frost (I can’t sew, but my good friend Abby can and she runs her own shop called Cape & Cowl Creations), I wanted to do Daenerys from A Song of Ice and Fire. SPOILERS AHEAD! But I didn’t want to do just any Daenerys, I wanted to be Daenerys the moment after giving birth to her dragons. Meaning, I wanted to be naked, covered in soot and dragons. My original plan was to essentially make a bikini made of dragons. END SPOILERS! Obviously, it’d be a sexy costume. I get that. Curiously enough, when I was talking to Abby about it, I didn’t even think of the men when I was telling her about my ideas. Rather, I was thinking of the Slave Leia cosplayers and trying to 1-up them. Mostly because I hate Leia in Return of the Jedi and do not understand why anyone would want to be her. Nevertheless, people do, and that’s fine. In the end, we didn’t make the costume due to cost. It’d be expensive. In the mean time we made Emma Frost, and next on the list is a female Predator costume, hopefully in time for Halloween. In a few years, we may revisit Daenerys the Unburnt, if something else hasn’t come along in the mean time. 

How I really feel about Slave Leia

It’s funny talking to men who are cosplayers vs. men who aren’t about cosplay. Those who aren’t often think it’s all about attention or sex. While those two things may not be out of the equation, they are certainly not the only parts of it. We dress up because it’s part of our identity as geeks. We want to be these characters, we want to show off our craft, we want to play dress up in ways we haven’t since we were kids. We want to show off our creativity and how clever we can be, especially if it’s a group or a specialty cross-over cosplay (like the Playboy Bunny Avengers or Superheroine Disney Princesses, etc.). We don’t just want (if it is what we want) attention. For the most part, we can get that anyway, it really isn’t all that hard. And, ironically enough this year, I received more attention as the Red skirt than I did as Emma Frost and Black Canary combined. Except when, as Emma Frost, I was standing next to a Jean Grey and a Scott Summers. That’s because group cosplay is cruise control for cool, and it’d be hard to find even a cos-hater who thinks group cosplay sucks, especially when done extremely well.

Seriously, how awesome are they? [Photo by Pat Loika]

When talking to men who do cosplay, I invariably express my desire to do something hyper conservative to the point of others not knowing my gender. While my love of Star Wars has waned since high school, I have always wanted to dress up as a Storm Trooper for that very reason. I have since realized that after the third or fourth person informed me that I was “A little short to be a stormtrooper” I’d probably get bored and change. I’ve looked into other avenues and ideas for full body, nonsexy stuff, and each time I talk to my male colleagues they respond the same way. “Why would you ever do that? One of the best parts about being a girl is not having to wear much. You can be the character and let your skin breathe!” Definitely not the argument I was expecting for Babea Fett, but it is one–a legitimate one at that! Considering I did nearly pass out from the Canary costume not breathing in the chest, it is one I need to think about in the future.

So, before you (if you’re the kind to do this) go off saying cosplayers are just doing it for the attention, a lot of strumpets, etc., try thinking about why they do it as an extension of their geekdom. Geeks are so quick to claim that they have been shat upon by society, yet we also are very quick to shit on other groups. Either claiming our superiority because we know more about the topic, because we have the most collected of a product line, or because we don’t dress up in costumes in public. It’s ridiculous. Unless a cosplayer is giving you unwanted attention, there’s really no need to be offended. Look the other way, or stay home and watch the coverage from your computer. It’s a lot less stressful that way.

SDCC 2012: The Geekscape Post Mortem / State of the Union!

by Jonathan

When I first started Geekscape in December of 2006, one of the first decisions I made was to apply for a San Diego Comic-Con booth. At the time, all applications sat at the end of a potential 4 year wait-list, but I knew that Geekscape was something that I wanted to create that would stand the test of time and that I could afford to be patient as it grew. In the Summer of 2010, Geekscape had its first booth on the SDCC floor. At the time, the wait-list was rumored to be 7 years and today, as Geekscape looks back on its 3rd year on the SDCC floor, the wait supposedly sits at 10. I haven’t always made the best decisions with this brand, but applying for real estate on the floor of the fan biggest convention in North America has easily been one of them.

And this year was our best year yet, both in terms of exposure, excitement and even sales. In fact, I was happy to discover that by 10am on Thursday, the morning of the first full day, we had sold more Geekscape t-shirts than during all four full days of last year’s SDCC. All weekend, while Scott Almaniana, Shawn Madden and the Geekscape press corps ran around bringing you fantastic Con coverage, Shane O’Hare and I weathered the constant barrage of visitors, fans and signings at the Geekscape booth. This summer, more than those past, the evidence was undeniable:  Geekscape is bigger and better than it ever has been. And I feel as though we’re just now really getting started. Thank the Old Gods that I’m patient, right?

The reasons for this surge in popularity are several, some planned, some not. First off, our site is finally something that can fully engage and keep an audience. With Shawn Madden and company keeping a steady stream of content on the site since our March relaunch, our numbers have steadily grown. At the time, we were the Top 260,000th site on web, with an average 30k pageview/month count. It was quite the sad state of affairs. In less than 6 months, we’re now on the verge of cracking into the Top 100,000 sites on the web with an average pageview/month of over 200k. We still have a ways to go, but there’s no denying that our mantra of consistency and quality is starting to show results. Add to this the brand new ScapePods, both regular and hopefully quality, and we’re really cooking with gas. In fact, I’ll soon be announcing some more audio podcasts to add to our slate of shows as I move my focus from the written content, now in solid hands, to the podcasts. They were our very start and I think that we can do more to get them out there to the audience that they all deserve… even The Saint Mort Show. Look for tweaks on the site in the coming months to help up the quality in what we do around here.

The FP‘s JTro and X-Men: First Class‘s Lucas Till drop by to say “what’s up” to Geekscape!

Another thing that’s helped us get our name out is our increase in friends. Geekscape was built as a resource for all like-minded geek creatives, and having folks like Doug Jones, Marc Zicree, Charlie Adard, Brea & Zane Grant and many others start to use it as a way to get the word out and share in our excitement is really rewarding. Their fans become excited about Geekscape. Geekscape fans become excited about their projects. And everyone wins. On Thursday, as my voice first started to fail (and I still had both our Comikaze/Stan Lee party and the Comics on Comics panel to go), Geekscape friends Jason Trost from The FP and Lucas Till from X-Men: First Class dropped by to talk to me about their upcoming project “Wet and Reckless“. I don’t have much news for you yet, but you know that as soon as I can share, you’ll see it shared on Geekscape! Across the board, creators like Mega 64, Jon Schnepp, Iain McCaig and more were excited for the first time to see what Geekscape had in the works (and there’s a lot).

On Friday, voice recovered as much as possible, The People VS George Lucas director Alexandre Philippe dropped by to deliver me a rare Japanese version of the film’s blu-ray (there is no US blu-ray).

In addition, we did an interview for our new Geekscape co-produced film Doc of the Dead with Fanboy Comix and held a fundraising poster signing with The Walking Dead artist Charlie Adlard (in an hour we raised $1,000).

I was also finally able to begin recording some GeekscapePods to send to you fine folks. My intent was always to record more throughout the weekend, but the fact is that between keeping the booth running, helping the autograph signings and maintaining everything else, I definitely overestimated my ability to record. I did get Charlie Adlard, FX legend Iaian McCaig, MMA fighter Nate Quarry (who dropped by and surprised me as I was closing up shop Friday night) and Sean Becker and Teal Sherer to record some things for you. In the end though, not recording more content for you guys is something that I regret and next year I hope to have both Shane O’Hare and Matt Kelly there to give me a chance to get you some more pods! I would also like to record some more pieces from Geekscapists walking the floor and sharing their experiences. So I’ll plan accordingly and here’s to next year (because we did already pay for next year so start making plans to be there)!

“More podcasts next year!”

The final positive of this year are all of the new friends that we made. I had a tough time leaving the booth and only managed to do so for about 10 minutes a day to walk the floor (although I did manage lunch on two days which I thank Shane O’Hare so much for allowing me to do)! In that time, I went and bought a Zomb for Laura and got to see Geekscape friends like Kevin Eastman and Daniel Corey at their respective booths. I also had a slew of new friends come to the booth like our booth neighbor Maddox, pro-wrestler John Morrison (who will be on an episode of Geekscape very soon) and convention wild-man Keith Apicary (who did not get kicked out!).

So that was our year at San Diego Comic Con from my perspective and some hints of what’s to come. Super Action Man made an appearance on the final day to scare some visitors (into loving him) and scripts for the next Geekscape project after Doc of the Dead went to a few folks in the know in order to get the ball rolling for next year. It’s an incredibly exciting time for Geekscape and things are only going to get better. San Diego Comic Con is always a benchmark for how far we’ve come over the years and a few days removed from this year’s experience, I find myself both amazed and grateful for how far we have come together in the years since I ordered booth space back in December 2006. Thank you all so much for being a part of it and just you wait to see what’s next!

Geekscape Comics: Latest Marvel NOW! Teaser Features Ant-Man

by Shawn Madden

So, could we be getting a new Ant-Man series soon? The latest Marvel NOW! teaser features Ant-Man but doesn’t really tell us which one. With Hank Pym currently Giant-Man, and Eric O’Grady being murdered in Secret Avengers and being brought back as the Black Ant, it seems quite likely that it will be Scott Lang. Lang recently returned from the dead in the pages of The Children’s Crusade and has not been seen since. It also would be most likely off the three due to there are reports that Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish’s script for Ant-Man features Scott Lang.

Geekscape Roundtable: Epic San Diego Tales!

by GeekscapeStaff

Every year, the internet gorges itself like on post Comic Con panel recaps and celebrity events like a zombie in a nursery school. So for a change of pace, here’s a few personalized tales and thoughts from the Con from your Geekscape staff. 

Molly Mahan: Women be Shoppin’

In addition to some solid panels and run-ins with nerd celebs, I did the wise thing and actually bought some stuff this year, and not just squee over the free swag I would later toss out. I’m typically really conservative with my money, but this year I snagged an awesome Cliff Chiang signed print of some DC heroines dressed as 80s rockers
. How could I not? Canary and 80s karaoke are two of my favorite things. It is pure gold in my book. I commissioned an amazing sketch of a female Predator by Anthony Diecidue, managed to get Gail Simone to sign a copy of her first issue of Birds of Prey, #56 with Black canary on the cover, while dressed as Black Canary, AND I won a free Archie shirt by cosplaying as Betty Cooper on Sunday of Con- easiest cosplay ever AND I got to wear sneakers instead of boots. I also took some fun novelty pictures (such as sitting in the Captain’s chair at the Roddenberry booth, red carpets, etc). They’re simple, free, and a great souvenir. While the pins and things are fun at Con, having to figure out what to do with them post-SDCC is difficult. I definitely suggest buying some cool stuff instead.

Big improvement over Scott Summers

As always, I did learn a few things. As a neophyte cosplayer, I swear that next year I am bringing a pair of sandals and a possibly a change of loose, light clothing to change into mid-day. Walking around the convention floor and through the Gaslamp district takes its toll on you in sneakers, let alone in 5-inch heels. By 5PM on Friday, my feet were in so much pain I wanted to cry (I think I even did for a bit).  I also need to remember to get out of the Convention Center proper and spend more time running around outside. There’s so much other stuff going on in the Gaslamp district it’s insane.

Matt Blackwood: Emotions!

You never know who will read your writing or how it will affect them.

I went Thursday to a panel celebrating the legacy of Ray Bradbury. Shadow Show, a new anthology dedicated to the late legend, had just been released, and writer/editors Sam Weller and Mort Castle and writers Joe Hill and Margaret Atwood discussed their roles in making it. They talked about the magical quality of Bradbury’s writing, about how much he had inspired them and others they knew. They also spoke of their personal experiences with their friend Ray. Their remembrances were very moving.

The next day, I ran into the group in the hall and told them my story of bawling my eyes out in public while writing Geekscape’s Bradbury eulogy in a coffee shop. To my surprise, Sam Weller had read the piece on the day and loved it! With the universality and anonymity of the Internet, you never know who will read the things you put out there. But finding out my words had touched someone so close to Mr. Bradbury meant more to me than meeting any celebrity or hearing any nerd news tidbits.

Scott Alminiana: Geekscape Talon

The Court of Owls mask that DC was giving away was incredibly cool looking and proved to be something that I had to work my ass off to get a hold of. It took me two days to get my grubby little mitts on one. When I got onto the floor on Thursday I started seeing people with these awesome masks and immediately knew I had to have one but I had no idea just how difficult it would be to get one. Asking around, I found out that they were being handed out at the DC booth. I quickly (which really isn’t quick at all when one is at SDCC) made my way to the DC booth and started looking around for the masks. The few people handing out issues of ‘New 52’ books told me the same thing: “they just randomly hand them out so you’ve got to keep an eye out.” It was still early in the day so I decided to come back later.

Later turned out to be Friday and as I was prowling the DC booth like Batman prowling the streets of Gotham, I finally saw a lady with a stack of Owl masks. She was only about ten yards from me when I made a beeline for her but again, floor traffic. As I got closer the stack got smaller and smaller. By the time I was two feet from her there was a pack of wild nerds reaching for the masks like zombies reaching for fresh meat. The masks were gone and the pack dispersed.

Well earned creepiness

“God dammit,” I muttered to myself as I sulked my way back to my friends. As it turns out both of my friends had been busy flirting up a girl who was selling Entertainment Weekly subscriptions at the booth. They all looked at me and saw the sadness in my face- I was like a kid who hadn’t gotten picked for dodgeball. Knowing how bad I wanted the mask they asked the gorgeous EW girl if she could keep an eye out and snag us some. She gave me a wink and said “I’ll do my best, come back in a little while and hopefully I’ll have some for you.” After grabbing lunch in the Gaslamp district we came back to the DC booth and wouldn’t you know it, she had come through for us (and me specifically). I know have an awesome mask of my own thanks to @luxiboo! Lux, where ever you are you are my hero! Thank you!

Shawn Madden: Hall H Veteran

As covered on Saturday, my SDCC highlight was Saturday’s Hall H line-up. This was hands down the best Hall H presentation I have ever seen and can honestly say that I can’t stop thinking about Iron Man 3, Guardians Of The Galaxy, and Ant-Man. I am not a fan of Superman, and the fact that Man Of Steel has me excited is an impressive feat. It’s a Hall H miracle!

Shane O’Hare: Man in the Booth

This was the first year I primarily worked the Geekscape booth. I thought it was going to be a tad boring but then I saw who our neighbors were: Maddox, Legendary, Konami and ABC Family. I thought “Holy shit this is going to be busy”. OH and it was. I got to meet some of the greatest and nicest people working the booth. Getting people to sign up on our list in creative ways was so much fun. We had a mystery price box, full of prizes and giveaways. Some were REALLY good, like a Blu ray and a competitive PS3 controller and some… not so much. Like a couple Cesar Milan books. I had people compete in a three geek challenges. 1: Defend your favorite movie. 2: Prove Geek Cred and 3: Dance Off. We only had a few dance off’s but they were hilarious to watch. Seeing people trying to defend their favorite movies while me and Zack Haddad (AKA Mr. Terrorist) ripped them apart brought back memories of my Random Rants.

The morning where I opened the booth I had two hours of boredom to kill, so I got creative: I started “editing” some of the prizes. Soon we were handing out posters celebrating Geekscape’s 50th anniversary and the Geekscape Press best seller “Solving the Geekscape Enigma: How to Come”. I had some great times, meeting old friends and making new ones. That 8X10 box filled with friends, prizes, conversations and memories was my home for five days and I miss it. To the great guys at Maddox, ABC The Neighbors Booth, Legendary, The Mega64 Boyz and everyone else. I’ll miss you and I can’t wait to see you again next year.

Also at one point I was wearing my My Little Pony Rarity Cosplay and sat on my own tail. That was the most odd and uncomfortable sensation I have ever had in my entire life.

Stephen Prescott: Who?

Anytime I was near the Warner Brothers booth, it was quite apparent to me that Warner Brothers simply does not care about their fans. The first time I walked up to their booth I was excited to see the “Man of Steel” Superman costume on display. Unfortunately it was turned so that it could only be viewed straight on from inside the booth. I tried to view it from behind a rope but was quickly moved along. Once inside the booth I stopped for a better view and less than 30 seconds later I was once again moved along by WB staff. I guess they simply didn’t want me to see it. Each time during the weekend I was near that booth I was told either to keep moving or that the pathway was either one way or simply shut down. I understand they need to crowd control, but I didn’t run into militant security like this at any other booth. It felt as if the fans were simply cattle being herded through. And where were the Faora and Jor-El costumes that were on display at other conventions? WB needs to stop thinking about press and publicity and start thinking about the people.

The irony was that Tumblr was down when they walked in…

The BBC America Doctor Who Tumblr Meetup was my favorite moment. I’m not a major Tumblr user, but I was taking every opportunity possible to promote my podcast so of course attending a Doctor Who Tumblr meetup sounded like a good idea. Even though I felt like the oldest person there, all of the fans were so incredibly nice and sweet. I posed for and took so many pictures including one with a stuffed sheep wearing a fourth Doctor scarf. If all that wasn’t enough, Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill showed up unannounced at one point to say hello and it was like Beatlemania all over again. The screams from the back of the audience were insane but wonderful. So much fun was had.

 Allison McKnight: Nightmare Before Hall H

As the sad lonely resident Goth kid abandoned by my brethren, one of the best things at Comic-Con for me was the Frankenweenie Exhibit down in the Gaslamp.  In a stroke of absolute genius, the exhibit was partially sponsored by the HGTV, which means that not only did we get a life-sized Tim Burtonesque cemetery to walk through (complete with lightening storm!) but we were treated to a garden full of deadly plants labeled with the ways in which they could kill you.  I absolutely melted.

Here lies an emotionally satisfied Goth girl…

While there isn’t much bad I can say about my Comic-Con experience (at least without getting slapped with some lawsuits), I really have to question how Hall H events are treated.  Some people choose to spend their entire con experience waiting in line for I can’t imagine how many hours for a brief block of time in which they are treated to a teaser and a viewing of some of their favorite celebrities a football field’s length away.  To those people, I have to say: get the fuck over it, go to the Gaslamp.

 

SDCC 2012 Video Game Round-Up: Resident Evil 6

by jake108

Yet another installment of the Resident Evil franchise is upon us. Die-hard fans of the series rejoice while others who aren’t too involved, like me, may ask what all the fuss is about. Story and gameplay is what matters most to me, and Resident Evil just happens to have three different campaigns. Sounds awesome, right?!

I was able to play two out of the three confirmed campaigns. I took on the roles of Jake and Chris in their own separate missions. Both campaigns have similarities in gameplay, but are different enough to differentiate one from another. Both characters also moved differently and had different fighting styles. At one point or another, the player is going to have to chose whether or not you want to conserve bullets and fight hand to hand, or in Chris’ case, blade to fist.

HUDs are different as well as weapons and enemies. Sizes of enemies and bosses will also vary depending on what campaign you’re playing. If you haven’t caught any of the trailers yet, you can view the Comic-Con 2012 and E3 2012 trailers below:

Anyone who thinks RE6 will be better when playing cooperatively is 100% correct. I personally can’t wait to bump the game up to the highest difficulty and play through each campaign.

 

As for who I enjoyed playing as more, I’d have to go with Chris. Having access to more weaponry and looking cool taking down foes with my shiny blade made for a good time. The beauty about this game is that different people with different play styles will like each campaign for their own reasons.

Resident Evil 6 is set for an October 2, 2012 release date.

An Introduction To Marvel Studios Phase Two: Ant-Man

by Shawn Madden

Marvel Studios ‘Phase Two’ is coming and some of you may be unfamiliar with what is coming so we are here to help. First off we are going to start with…

Ant-Man (TBA)

There have actually been three different men to wear the Ant Helmet. The first and most famous is Hank Pym, a brilliant scientist that discovers a form of subatomic particles that he dubs “Pym particles.” These particles allow him to shrink down to microscopic levels. After exploring his surroundings as a pint-sized adventurer, he develops a hi-tech helmet that allows him to telepathically control all ants. Eventually, Pym realizes that his particles work the other way too, and he assumes a second superhero identity: Giant-Man. So in case anyone was still not taking him seriously, he’s now got the ability to squash them.

The second Ant-Man is Scott Lang, a single father who works as an electronics expert under Tony Stark. When his daughter gets seriously ill and the only doctor who can save her is kidnapped…Lang has no choice but to steal Pym’s Ant-Man tech and rescue the doctor himself. Pym is so impressed by by Lang’s skills that instead of having him arrested, he allows Lang to continue being Ant-Man.

The third Ant-Man, Eric O’Grady, is known as “The Irredeemable Ant-Man”. He is a low-level S.H.I.E.L.D. employee that steals an Ant-Man suit and proceeds to do nothing with it beside leering on women in the shower and stopping crime in exchange for cash and girls numbers. The Avengers eventually catch on to his act and begrudgingly try to whip him into shape.

From the test footage the suit is very much along the lines of the Eric O’Grady suit but we will most likely get Hank Pym as far as the character…even though O’Grady could possibly be the funnier one here. Apparently the film will be involving Ant-Man’s “echo time locator”. Which sadly is something I don’t actually know much about. While the movie does not have a release date it has been reported to start filming next year.

Check back next for the next ‘An Introduction To Marvel Studios Phase Two’ focusing on The Winter Soldier.

SDCC Round-Up: The Expendables 2 Panel

by Molly Mahan

I’m not afraid to admit that the only thing I wanted to do at Comic Con was go to Hall H on Thursday for the Expendables 2 panel. I was begging everyone I knew with any kind of work or personal relationship with the cast and crew of the film to help me sneak in. Of course, Comic Con being what it is, there is a fairly strict first come, first serve policy. Which is cool, as it puts pros, press, and fans on the same level, and that is a rarity (but not the case when it comes to off-site screening of films). Luckily, the panel took place on Thursday, meaning once Twilight was over, the hall cleared out and I was able to get in and snag a seat in the first section of chairs, with only having waited 20 minutes. Who else can say that (besides those who came in line after me)? Fans hoping to get into the Game of Thrones panel waited well over 8 hours, let alone the days and fatalities that occurred for the Twihards waiting for a glimpse at Kellan Lutz, the self-proclaimed god of wetness … and moisture. It’s insane, and there are very few things I am willing to wait for, no matter my adoration (I guess I’m not a real geek …).

That said, I was extremely disappointed about how little this was about The Expendables and more about the actors themselves. And by actors, I mean Stallone and Schwarzenegger. Dolph Lundgren answered maybe one question from the moderator and NONE from the audience–which was so appalling to everyone that when the moderator said “last question” and it was directed at Stallone, there was a mass cry of “HE-MAAAAAAAAN!” as we all left.


Five guys came to the panel, but only two will speak

Additionally, I had hoped to see more footage from the actual film and hear from the other filmmakers (where were you, Simon West?). Was I seriously the only person there that cared about the moving coming out and not the past careers of The Italian Stallion and The Governator? With two montages dedicated to the aging action stars, it seems so.

Speaking of which, let’s be honest, if you’re going to do an Arnold montage and include shots of Mr. Freeze, why would you skip out on Sly’s excellent work in A Party at Kitty and Stud’s? I mean, seriously. It’s beautiful, and the only porno I have intentionally watched (not that I have a thing against it, it’s just not really my thing).

So, I’m going to say this: unless breathing the same air as Sylvester Stallone means as much to you as it does to me, you shouldn’t feel bad about missing the panel. You missed out on nothing aside from listening to Arnold still talk about the greatness of muscles (his own and the rest of the cast’s), fail to answer even yes or no questions in a straight forward manner, and hear the duo say some of their most famous lines LIVE AND IN PERSON. For the most part, it was all fluff: pure masturbation of an era gone by.

Let me remind you that this is coming from a girl who loved the first Expendables (I say it was the best movie of summer 2010) and who literally started crying tears of joy when she read Stallone was going to be there to talk about it. There was one brief clip of an action scene, a new trailer (and nerds still apparently care about Chuck Norris based on cheers when he was featured, even though that joke has got to be at least 10 years old), and a little talk about the plot, which was so vague that it could have been the pitch for Fast Six. Not much more to it. But, hey, based on the fan questions, that isn’t what everyone came for anyway. At least those who were got to, there was a line that circled Hall H by the time the moderator was completed with his bit. It was absurd. I can only hope that someone with a like mind was up there, but unable to speak due to the time constraints. For that, I partially blame Arnold who refused to answer any questions in a straight forward way. “What’s your favorite Stallone movie?” “Oh, I like all of them. I mean Rambo is great, but let me tell you about every Stallone movie ever so Rocky here doesn’t feel bad I missed one.” And he was like that with everything. A true politician, afraid to give an actual opinion.

Eet’s not an opinion, it’s not!

I’ll admit, it was fun to hear Stallone compare his on-screen body count to Schwarzenegger’s. And their pissing contest banter was endearing (Stallone challenging the team to a spelling contest, Schwarzenegger claiming Sly was his English tutor, etc), but it’s an ensemble film and was an ensemble panel. Let the other heads up there talk.

Expendables 2 comes out August 17th.

SDCC 2012 Video Game Round-Up: South Park: The Stick of Truth

by jake108

South Park: The Stick of Truth

Let me just start by saying any South Park fan will love this game. Using animation that looks exactly like the series, SoT provides a genuine South Park experience by combining hilarious lines of dialogue and classic characters to deliver an awesome title within the South Park universe.

Gameplay was shown for the first time behind closed doors. Character customization is available, but was not shown. The game starts with the task of making new friends. These new friends are none other than the characters you love. Witty lines of dialogue will keep you checking every possible thing out that appears on-screen. Battles are a combination of real-time combat and turn-based combat. When being attacked, users can block and set yourself up to use a counter.

After, you choose what kind of attack to use, as well as choosing whether or not to use special attacks. Gamers can also combine powers to deliver a one-two punch of sorts when battling multiple enemies. You will definitely recognize characters of the South Park Universe appearing in different situations and in special attacks.

Check out the E3 2012 Trailer below!


South Park: The Stick of Truth is set for a March 5, 2013 release.

Simon Pegg Confirms That Edgar Wright Will Shoot ‘Ant-Man’ Next Year

by Shawn Madden

So, if you haven’t been hearing about Ant-Man this weekend you probably have not had access to the internet, been lost in the Age Of Apocalypse, been in a cave with thumbs in your ears or something along those lines. Following the buzz that has hit the internet Simon Pegg made an interesting tweet:

And honestly…who didn’t expect this? Why make a huge announcement as the start of your panel if it’s not going anywhere? Plus this news does come from a quite reliable source when it comes to Edgar Wright. For me this movie can’t come soon enough.