Monday, July 21: California, here we come . . . almost
Guess you'd have to call this a working vacation, because here I am writing and there you are reading. No matter. Come along with me as I prepare for the trip to San Diego and Comic-Con International ... I'm a little nervous because my son, Josh Axelrod, and I are staying farther away from the site than we did last year, in a hotel closer to the San Diego Zoo than the massive convention center by that houses the world's biggest comic-book get-together. Let me stop right here and say "comic book" has become a bit of a misnomer for this gathering of tens of thousands of fans. While comic book venders and representatives still dominate Exhibit Hall and the panels that run morning till night, Wednesday through Sunday, this is also a mecca for lovers of movies, television, video games, toys, books and graphic novels ... if it's entertainment, it's represented here in some form.
Choosing what to see and getting around will be an issue, so I have my San Diego street map ready and I'm exploring the shuttle and cab service for the city. Last year, we fell in love with this city, its sunny skies, bustling streets and ocean-side views, and this year, we're probably going to see more of it, including the USS Midway, home to a VIP screening of "Stargate: Continuum" and demos of "Stargate: Worlds" MMPORPG (massive multiplayer online role-playing game), in the harbor.
Unlike last year, when we missed the booth that had the official T-shirt of the convention, I have scoped out the booth number and vow to make a bee-line for it during preview night Wednesday.
Josh is looking forward to gaming news about "LEGO Batman" and "Fallout 3" (set in a post-apocalyptic Washington, D.C., where players can kill the enemy in "ridiculously violent ways," as its executive producer, Todd Howard of Bethesda Softworks, told The Associated Press). We're both psyched about Entertainment Weekly's Visionary Panel that includes Kevin Smith (director of "Zack and Miri Make a Porno," filmed in Pittsburgh recently), graphic novel god Frank Miller ("300," "The Spirit"), Zach Snyder (director of "300" and the upcoming "Watchmen") and Judd Apatow, whose comedies rule at the box office.
Looks like I'm going to get about 10 minutes to talk to Samuel L. Jackson, who's "official business" in San Diego is "Afro Samurai," an edgy animated show on Spike TV. But how can I not ask about his appearance as Nick Fury at the end of "Iron Man" and the hype about an Avengers movie? I once called Samuel L. the coolest dude on the planet (http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06232/714391-60.stm) - in print.
The man even hosts the annual Video Game Awards on Spike. So maybe he won't mind if I steer the conversation in a few directions.
Mostly, Josh and I will try to pick our "must-sees" from blocks of panels, events, screenings and time in the gigantic Exhibit Hall, which houses stuff for sale like a Comic-Con exclusive "Battlestar Gallactica" Toaster - a working toaster with a logo, not a big, scary Cylon. There are also autograph signings, meet-and-greets, TV and movie booths ("Heroes" and "The Golden Compass" had cool booths for picture-taking last year) and, of course, toys, figures and comic books galore.
One thing we made sure to do this year: We're arriving Wednesday for preview night and leaving midday on Sunday, so we'll only miss things when we can't be in two places at once -- which is to say, I could use that magic wand about now.
Posted
Jul 22 2008, 05:03 AM
by
Sharon Eberson