This year I did Comic-Con lite. There were 14 different tracks of programming, 3 rooms running anime, a SF movie film room, and between the Dealer's Room and hanging out with friends, the con can be an overloading sensory experience. The crowds have increased each year, since Hollywood has turned to Comic-Con to preview and bring out all their stars to try and sell the fans on the movie.
With people like Charlize Theron, Jack Black, Adrian Brody, Naomi Watts, Natalie Portman, Kevin Smith, Rob Zombie, Kate Beckinsale, Eva Mendes, just to name .25% of the guests, the rooms get packed and there's a long wait to see these people. So I skipped the big studio panels this year and stayed with the small screen.
First off was a preview of the new Nightstalker TV series. We were shown the pilot and the creator and stars were there afterwards to do a Q&A. I thought the show was so boring that I walked out and went to watch Japanese anime. When it was time to go back to Room 20 and see the Stargate panel, the dreaded Nightstalker Q&A was still going on! Ms. Kitty, Mondo, LJ and I chatted during the wrap up, much to the annoyance of the people around us. Oh well, we were in the back and no one is going to watch Nightstalker.
The Sci-Fi channel was up next with their clips of the upcoming season of Stargate SG1 and Stargate Atlantis. Most of the cast was there from both shows and it was an entertaining panel. Stargate has to be the longest running, just plain silly show out there but it has a loyal fan base. After that, it was back to anime for me, and we all went our separte ways for an hour.
Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy, Angel, Firefly, was there to present his full lenghth feature, Serenity. This trailer has hit the theaters and it looks great. It's the extension of the TV show Firefly, and Serenity is the name of the ship. If it works, it will be a great space adventure. If it doesn't work, then it will just be boring and a flop. The extended scene that we were shown looked good.
Then I thought I'd check out the Grand Masters of Science Fiction. Ray Bradbury, Forest Ackerman, and Ray Harryhausen. I was late and when Homer paged me, he was falling asleep in the panel. It turns out that when the Grand Masters are all in their late 80's, they tend to drift off and so does the audience. I went in for the last 30 minutes, and it was a far cry from the glory days for these guys. I remember Ray Bradbury once commanded a full room and kept us entertained and wanting more. This was not that day.
I tried to get into the King Kong panel but it was the most crowded of the day. Tenacious D was up after Kong and who knew that Jack Black had so many fans? A room that holds 6000, probably had an additional 2000 waiting to get in. I looked at the line and just gave up.
Afterwards it was time to meet up with friends for dinner and beer, and then head off to another bar to celebrate someone's birthday. We'll all meet up again next year, same place, same season.
With people like Charlize Theron, Jack Black, Adrian Brody, Naomi Watts, Natalie Portman, Kevin Smith, Rob Zombie, Kate Beckinsale, Eva Mendes, just to name .25% of the guests, the rooms get packed and there's a long wait to see these people. So I skipped the big studio panels this year and stayed with the small screen.
First off was a preview of the new Nightstalker TV series. We were shown the pilot and the creator and stars were there afterwards to do a Q&A. I thought the show was so boring that I walked out and went to watch Japanese anime. When it was time to go back to Room 20 and see the Stargate panel, the dreaded Nightstalker Q&A was still going on! Ms. Kitty, Mondo, LJ and I chatted during the wrap up, much to the annoyance of the people around us. Oh well, we were in the back and no one is going to watch Nightstalker.
The Sci-Fi channel was up next with their clips of the upcoming season of Stargate SG1 and Stargate Atlantis. Most of the cast was there from both shows and it was an entertaining panel. Stargate has to be the longest running, just plain silly show out there but it has a loyal fan base. After that, it was back to anime for me, and we all went our separte ways for an hour.
Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy, Angel, Firefly, was there to present his full lenghth feature, Serenity. This trailer has hit the theaters and it looks great. It's the extension of the TV show Firefly, and Serenity is the name of the ship. If it works, it will be a great space adventure. If it doesn't work, then it will just be boring and a flop. The extended scene that we were shown looked good.
Then I thought I'd check out the Grand Masters of Science Fiction. Ray Bradbury, Forest Ackerman, and Ray Harryhausen. I was late and when Homer paged me, he was falling asleep in the panel. It turns out that when the Grand Masters are all in their late 80's, they tend to drift off and so does the audience. I went in for the last 30 minutes, and it was a far cry from the glory days for these guys. I remember Ray Bradbury once commanded a full room and kept us entertained and wanting more. This was not that day.
I tried to get into the King Kong panel but it was the most crowded of the day. Tenacious D was up after Kong and who knew that Jack Black had so many fans? A room that holds 6000, probably had an additional 2000 waiting to get in. I looked at the line and just gave up.
Afterwards it was time to meet up with friends for dinner and beer, and then head off to another bar to celebrate someone's birthday. We'll all meet up again next year, same place, same season.
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