This is the collection of posts I made for the four days of Comic-Con I placed on GenX Noir Productions.

July 9, 2015

Early Morning for Comic-Con

I knew I would have to get up early to beat the crowds at the border, which is funny because the whole day is going to be fighting through crowds and it’s not even the busiest day. In any case this is the time when insomnia works in my favor.

I set my alarm for 2:15am. I went to bed at 9 or so but by 11:30 I was up. The only thing that made me go back to bed was the lousy internet service the hotel had. It was extremely spotty. I was brave enough to try Everquest 2 but the bad connection kept kicking me off the server.

I had most of my daypack set up and I cleaned up before bed so by 2:30 I was out the door.

Obstacle number 2 with base camp is taxi service. There were 4 taxis outside the hotel but the drivers were sound asleep. That had to be a feat because a block or 2 away there was a club going strong with booming music and strobe lights. There’s another hotel 5 blocks away so I walked towards it. I only walked 2 blocks before I flagged down a taxi and reached the edge of the border by 2:50.

A short walk to border crossing and through the usually crowded border building got me where I am right now at 3am. Now I wait until 5am for the first trolley to downtown.

It’s not Sunday morning but I just saw a group of youthful American drunks. You haven’t seen border craziness until you’ve come here early Sunday mornings to see hundreds of drunken American youths try to make that one last score with the person of their drams that is wasted out of their minds or watch the epic arguments laced with slurred words. It’s like real life reality TV.

Right now things are kind of quiet. Mostly this is a working crowd. People are up because they have to earn a living. My guess is my trolley ride will be filled with working folks being that it’s so early but the rest of the convention the cosplay crowd will take over. There will be the general public’s odd looks and maybe a few laughs. That’s just how things are.

OK guy I get you aren’t feeling well but must you hack and spit your phlegm in front of us? I have to get that guttural giggling sound out of my head. I thought I forgot my headphones at the hotel but I have them in my pack. Sometimes a personal soundtrack to life events can enhance the experience. Sometimes you need it to forget stuff.

Just 30 minutes before the trolley arrives and people are staking out spots. I’m standing ready to bum rush even though there is another trolley that arrives 15 min later.

Embarrassment time. Didn’t see the trolley schedule changed because as soon as I wrote the previous the trolley rolled around the corner. Funnier still was the trolley taking the opposite track! A wave of people rushed to the right track me along with them! We all got packed in and are waiting to head into the city.

At the Epicenter

Its 6:37am and I’m technically a block away from Comic-Con. I’m outside the Hilton Gaslamp Hotel just chilling. After spending over an hour wandering and taking pictures of downtown I realized I have quite a few hours to kill. Normally I would be waiting in the pro line to get by badge but I got it yesterday. No drama today on that.

I just saw this older gentleman walk by with a Comic-Con bag, some beads and a Morrissey T shirt. He looked cool so I asked if I could take his picture. He had no idea who Morrissey is but he said a lot of people were stopping him and liking the shirt. That picture will definitely be on the post list.

I think I’m gonna hang out here until a little after 7 then I’ll roam down the main street to Comic-Con and get photos.

Reunion Time

Comic-Con has been like reunion time today. I have run into all sorts of people from my past which has been a good thing. Timing has been perfect for me because I have found places to take breaks when things got hectic.

This morning was troubling because I had all sorts of little technical issues plague me. It felt like a repeat of last year but I was able to troubleshoot and corrected the issues with my camera and sound equipment.

I haven’t gotten as many photos as I wanted this first day but I do have a good start. Because I fixed the tech issues when I went to my first seminar I was able to do a good audio recording and the video is probably good. At first I was recording it for me but good advice was given and if things turn out well I will post some video of it.

There is another seminar in 30 min I want to go to before I will be done with inside Comic-Con. After that I will brave the ground assault before getting supplies and heading back to base camp.

End of Day One

I have been back at the base camp for an hour or so. I’m beat! It was an exciting day. It was a long day. I got a lot of pictures but not as many as I wanted. It’s good because I was busy enjoying the people and friends I met. I’m still digesting some news I got that is cool. I should know how things will go with it by noon on Saturday.

 

July 10, 2015

A New Day at Comic-Con

I crashed pretty good last night. Asleep by 9 up by 1am. Travel time was good to the border. Again I got through by 3am. It’s Friday and the crowd is light right now. Maybe by the time the buses and trolley get here there will be more people but I’ve been here 30 min and no drunk party goers or creepy borderline stalkers.

Internet is hit or miss at the base camp. Yesterday evening it was piss poor on my computer. Slow access to everything but my phone connected with no problem. This morning the connection was good enough for an Everquest 2 session but it couldn’t get email. My phone got email for a hot minute then it crapped out but the computer kept its connection but couldn’t connect to email. By Monday all will be solved because I have a hotel in San Diego then.

Great McDonald’s is pumping out generic pop club music. Oh, what fun. As soon as I internally complained about the music they blast Michael Jackson’s Beat It. Almost 4 and now there is a crowd.

I had to put on my own tunes. I had the Cure playing while I watched this woman dig through the trashcan looking for recyclable stuff. Now The Lebanon from The Human League is on while people are surrounding me looking tired as they head for another day of work. Yes random music can write the mood for your day.

There is a part of me feeling guilty being out here. No guilty isn’t the right word. Sometimes I feel like all the stuff I’ve done throughout the years is a pipe dream. I’ve done stuff people only dream of doing but I haven’t hit the big fame thing that the public cares about. The guilt or whatever this feeling is right now I think comes from being out of work at the moment. There are times I think when I had a job I didn’t work hard enough on my passion because the income paid the bills. It sucked my creative soul but I knew where my next paycheck was coming from and it kept a roof over my head. Soon after I lost my job all those creative vibes came back but I felt stressed because I saw my savings slowly going down and the difficulty of getting a job.

Being at Comic-Con I have felt so energetic. This is an incredibly nurturing environment but I worry when I return next weekend the stress will return and I’ll hit some downward spiral. It’s something in the back of my mind but I’m not going to dwell on it. Comic-Con at its heart is all about exploring the possibilities and I have been very fortunate in realizing a lot of my dreams and exploring new ones. That is what I embrace with gusto.

OK enough with the trip down dreary lane! Today is the Black Panel which will be fun for sure. Tomorrow I’m sure will be epic.

Reminder of the Old Days

Its 6am at Comic-Con. Camera crews are setting up looking for the crazy display people excited like contestants on The Price is Right to show up and make them the face of the convention. I’m off to the side waiting for the doors to open around 7am. These are letting us into a inside holding area until the convention halls open.

There is one main goal today. Get in early and get in another line for The Black Panel. It’s normally pretty funny. It’s the one go to event I do for the convention at the moment. If you don’t get in line early your hurting because the place gets packed. After that the rest of my day is free. I would say I hope for lots of pictures but yesterday proved going with the flow is the best option.

A half hour ago I kind of had fun because I had a stark reminder of old Comic-Con. I was walking past one of the off-site areas and saw something interesting. I went a yard into the area, which had no signs or barriers and started focusing my camera to take a shot. A security guard lumbered up to me with the superior attitude of Barney Fife. He came up to me and said the place doesn’t open until night. I said I just wanted a picture then we went into “this camera guy must be dumb” mode and said I had to leave and there were cameras all over the place monitoring the site and him.

My security guard. Do you know until April I worked for a company that placed cameras on sites like you were on? Did you know I was someone who watched guards on sites like the one we were on? Did you know I scanned the place, saw the cameras which are similar to the ones we use and I know where we were standing was a blind spot, which was the reason you were in that area. Conclusion was you had no idea who you were talking to.

Since this is Comic-Con my intellectual revenge side kicked in. I went off the property, the precious one yard, then walked to another part where the camera and the guard’s view was obscured. I took more photos. I followed everyone else to a bridge that took everyone to the convention. On one corner of the bridge, with my lens, I had full view of the area I was interested in as well as other parts of the attraction. I saw the guard lumbering on his patrol. I took some more shots and I sure he saw me.

What I did won’t get him fired or in trouble, that wasn’t the goal. Back in the day guards would try to push some odd regulation on con goers. It was never the rule but the attitude that would piss some people off. People never could understand that even though some might dress in costume they weren’t necessarily crazy but might be. The real worry for them should be that if someone has the confidence to go out in public dressed as a superhero, treating them with disrespect might unleash a complicated option to circumvent authority to prove they are the top dog. Why hurt with violence when using your brain will do?

I got what I wanted and I’m not in jail. The guard has his job. I’m in front of Comic-Con waiting to get in so I can wait in another line for the Black Panel. All is good.

Patience at Comic-Con

I’m in sitting in the line for The Black Panel. Kind of a journey but I was pretty prepared for it. I think the encounter with the guard this morning mellowed me outwardly some of the ‘challenges’ I hit with the line staff. I was mad on the inside with the seemingly arbitrary changes with line management and some miscommunication, but my smiling face or my imposing stature got things resolved with a smile in the end. Just like an After School Special moment. For the first time ever I am the first one in line! Something else I have never seen before ironically, the first four people in line for the panel are black men. This is a first for me. I’ve seen black women first in line maybe a black man but mostly the first few people in line in the past have been non-white. Someone non-black showed so the count is four. The wait begins.

What a Day at Comic-Con!

I’m back at base camp and this was a day that reminded me of the old times at Comic-Con. I met people I never would have thought I would meet. Let me clarify that by meet I mean having a conversation, not just a nod and a handshake. Some known some not but all were interesting.

Satine Phoenix has a comic called The New Praetorians. I love her style because it reminds me of Ralph Bakshi. Turns out she loves his work and I just about geeked out, in a good way. There aren’t a lot of people who know Bakshi and they should because the good man ain’t dead and a damn good animator and storyteller. We talked about writing strong female characters and it was just cool hearing from a female writer about writing female characters. She was just cool on so many levels. I felt bad I didn’t have the money to get her first collected works for the series because it was rad. So guess what? I’m scrounging up some money so I can buy it tomorrow. That’s the type of endorsement I would give her series. It’s so good I’m giving up food for the day to save up to buy it.

After that good vibe I wandered around and found Jim Steranko. If you don’t know him shame on you! The man is a legend and has way about him that reminds me of the Rat Pack. He don’t need to be col, he is cool personified. He was talking to other people and somehow I got wrapped into the conversation. I felt like I was at a hip bar and he was entertaining the room. Better still, I was a part of the action. Don McGregor came over, another person you should know. He was at the Black Panel I attended and listening to those two reminisces was magic to my ears.

Joe Illidge was with Don McGregor and was on the Black Panel. He recognized me, which gave me chills at first then I figured how could he forget a big guy with a camera and the white Chaotic Fringe T shirt? Joe Illidge is a powerful speaker and advocate for comics. I hope the footage I got from the Black Panel does justice to the knowledge and emotions people were dropping at the panel.

I went looking for my friend Bill Maus and his daughter in Artist Alley but before I could get to their table I saw Eric Shanower. I’ve known him since the old Tuesday Art Group with Shel Dorf. Yes, that Shel Dorf, the man who was one of the founders, if not the founder of Comic-Con. We said our hellos, I took his photo for my little project this year and was off again. I ran into a number of artist in the area whose art I liked. I talked with them for a bit then took pictures of them for the project. I exchanged a lot of cards.

Just as I was about to leave, I had the ultimate Comic-Con moment. I was getting ready to meet some friends and I walked out of the Exhibit Hall and I saw someone rush by me. He looked familiar and I was going to walk away but something in my head said ‘follow.’ A couple saw the same person, had the same urge I imagine, and there were the three of us following this man. The guy could maneuver through the Comic-Con crowd like Anakin Skywalker in a podracer. People took double takes but only the three of us followed. Finally the couple caught up to him and took a couple of selfies. Before I could say anything the man darted off again. I caught up and said I knew he was busy heading off somewhere but if I could take a second to just get a photo of him I would appreciate it. He said sure and I walked with him and he literally posed for a second for me to take the photo. I think I shook his hand but I know I said that you and he said your welcome.

Thank you Joss Whedon for taking a second for me to take your picture.

There were a lot of things that happened today, from the Black Panel to the dueling ministers to my favorite Dr. Frank N Furter. Those I will have to remember for the recap. Tomorrow is going to be a huge day and I had a small part in planning it, a VERY small part. I have been a little secretive of it, but I got an email from the appropriate contacts and there is a press release out so I guess I can talk about it. Here is the press release:

In the spirit of Comic-Con, Congressman Lewis will be “dressing up” as himself, recreating the trench coat & backpack he wore at the landmark 1965 “Bloody Sunday” march in Selma, Alabama 50 years ago. Following the 10-10:50am Saturday panel (room 23ABC), he will join hands with a class of local elementary schoolers who have been reading the March graphic novels and lead a “Children’s March” from the panel through the convention center to the book signing in booth #1721.

I will be covering that event. My little assistance was in helping plan the route of the march. It was a completely spur of the moment event with me being in the right place at the right time. I’ll give more details on that tomorrow. Now I really need some sleep. Big doings tomorrow.

 

July 11, 2015

Big Doings

I’m getting used to the early morning grind for Comic-Con. Up by 2:15. Out of base camp around 2:30. Cross the border and waiting for the trolley by 3.

Yesterday was a crazy busy day. I thought the highlight of the day would be the Black Panel but that was just the beginning. I mentioned most of the inside fun of the convention on my last post. Outside was a mini carnival. It was crowded but manageable surrounding the convention. When I left the convention I was going to meet friends and with my Joss Whedon encounter I was jazzed and hyped.

I should have expected it but I ran into the preacher group. The police were nearby but most of the crowd walked around them and ignored them. I got the camera out and started recording. It was the usual tirade about comics sending us to Hell and don’t make fun of Satan.

The crowd began laughing and out of the corner of my eye I saw Frank N Furter hamming it up for the crowd. I saw Frank inside the convention and he was doing justice to his namesake. He was on a roll outside in front of the preachers. Times like that I wish I had a crew filming the convention because the cut shots would be fantastic. I kept the camera on the preacher because he was into his stuff.

When he did a handoff to another preacher I walked further down the street. I heard what sounded like another preacher but all I saw were banners from a group promoting the Damien TV show for some network. I saw a lot of people pointing cameras in the area. When I got there I just missed a clash between another preacher and the promo group. I wasn’t happy but I recorded the new preacher shame everyone.

Just as he was finishing up Frank came back camping it up for the crowd. This preacher couldn’t take it and soon moved on. I was free to follow Frank and record him. He really went all out in character. At some point I got a tap on the shoulder and it was from one of the sign carriers with the preacher. He told me they had no recording from the event (their phones died) and wondered if I could send them a copy. He wanted to do a whole number exchange but I gave him my cars with just my email address for contact. No way do I want a zealot religious group having my number and calling me all hours of the night trying to save my soul. My parents do that enough for me!

After I saw my friends I soaked up the scene for a bit more before heading to base camp. On the trolley ride back I was tired but amped. I was charged with creative energy. I got to the border and headed into Tijuana. Instead of getting a taxi I started walking to the pedestrian bridge that headed to the arch. Being honest this is not a walk for sheltered Americans. It looks worse that what it is but it’s still pretty bad.

When I got to the bridge I was shocked how clean it was. Even the canal of the Tijuana River was clear of trash and homeless men. I took out the stealth pro camera and started shooting. I think I got a few good images in the area. I ran into someone I met last year and he pointed out some new murals in the back of his restaurant. When I got to the arch I saw this area I had never explored. It wasn’t a new area but new businesses had been set up. There were lots of colors in the small area and I kid you not it took me a good 10 minutes before it dawned on me all of the bright colors were of the rainbow. Then I noticed a lot of same sex couples and the drag show posters.

I stayed and took more pictures and I ran into this band at a restaurant. I filmed them and I think it came out OK. It was close to 6 and my energy was gone. I ended up dragging myself to my go to dive bar in Tijuana and Carlos was there. He tried talking me into Butch but I got the cheap beer special. We shot the breeze for a half hour then I caught a cab to base.

That was yesterday and I’ve been at the trolley station almost 90 minutes. Oh the parade of drunken folks has been steady and good entertainment. Crying girls, desperate guys and questionable love connections. Today is the big event I have been waiting for; the John Lewis panel. I saw Nate and Andrew Thursday and I have all my equipment charged and primed so this should be memorable.

Listening to Today Was a Good Day while people stagger out of the border building. San Diego police outside trying not to laugh. Guys eyeing the women in tight dresses. All walking past the homeless next to buildings trying to keep warm. Macho guys bro fiveing each other. Yeah the music fits.

Why We Come to Comic-Con

I’m sitting outside of Comic-Con by the Hilton Gaslamp. The reason why people trek here every year is because of days like yesterday. I’m not just speaking of the incredibly good time I had. For years I have heard stories of random encounters in local bars of celebrities or bumping into old friends in the dealer’s room. Someone attending a seminar one year can be a breakout comic book creator the next.

I was looking over photos from a Comic-Con a few years ago and never noticed that in the photo of a group of Disney Princesses was Chloe Dykstra. Now she’s a big name in cosplay because of YouTube and Heroes of Cosplay. From other years I have photos of people who were unknown at the time and now have a measure of success.

Comic-Con is a place where you can wait in line for hours at a time to see your favorite star in a huge room or you can walk around and run into someone famous. Listening to Don McGregor talk about some difficulties he had while on Black Panther was classic. Listening to him a few hours later chewing the fat with Steranko was comic book heaven for me. Meeting a new artist and getting as excited about her work as she and digging the same artist isn’t something that happens all the time.

I agree the hype machine gets butts in the door. There are tons of creators here but the media is going to fixate on stars and crazy costumes. Yesterday was Star Wars day and the cast for the new movie was here. That’s geek orgasm no matter how you put it but the national entertainment shows focused on Jennifer Lawrence and Mocking Jay. That’s how big and diverse the convention has become.

Today most people will be waiting in line for Batman v Superman. I’m going to see Rep. John Lewis. Action movies and real life legends all in one place. That is the reason people get excited for Comic-Con.

 

July 12, 2015

The Last Day Starts Slow

I was tired as a dog last night. Getting up at 2 am and little sleep was knocking me out. I seriously thought I would skip today. I went to sleep around 11pm and woke up at 6! Hell know I’m not going. The line at the border would be massive I was sure. The Spanish station I turned on was playing The Flash and it was in English. I needed some motivation and I took that random act as a sign I should go to Comic-Con. I wasn’t going to let fatigue beat me. I’m too stubborn for that.

I cleaned up, packed the con kit and I was out the door by 6:30. It’s now 7 and I’m waiting in the border line to cross. While it is kind of crowded I think I’ll be through this before 8. I forgot about Sundays and the sweet spot. There is a window of opportunity on Sundays when the drunk Americans have gone through and before the big crush begins. Sometimes it happens on Saturdays but it has the best chance of occurring Sundays. It’s about a 2 hour window and it’s between 5 and 7, sometimes 8 but no later. Two magic things happen at that time. The drunks pretty much filter out by then and the morning shift comes in. That means more agents for less people for a sweet short span of time. I just took a look behind me and I’d say the Comic-Con luck is with me. The line behind me stretches outside the building and I’m 3/4 of the way in. I might make it out by 7:30!

5 min to spare and I’m on the trolley with some guy playing Sharp Dressed Man loudly. He isn’t a sharp dressed man, not by a longshot. Had to take a picture and video as proof. Very glad I decided to go the last day.

Let’s Call Out Larry the Leech

Its 8:30 and I’ve been roaming downtown San Diego getting a few shots of the city waking up on Sunday. I had to sit down because I wanted to laugh so badly at the conversation I just heard. There was a couple behind me and I thought they were a couple like dating but they met at Comic-Con. The guy was slinging every worn out, older stalker man line. He did the modesty bragging first then when he found out she was 23 he talked about at her age she wasn’t too cynical about life. A line he used was that really young and really old people are cynics.

I knew where he was going and I wanted to warn her and tell her to run far away from the guy but I knew if I did that it would prove his point and he’d have her. He revealed he was 35 and at his age he wasn’t a cynic. He said at his age and her age the mind was open to all sorts of possibilities. That’s when I had to sit down because his BS was so thick but she was buying it, I think. I really hope she is just humoring the guy. I have heard the lines that guy was using so many times and never at bars. Only at conventions to I hear old farts using that crap on girls they shouldn’t be messing with.

I get bothered about this because I’m glad more women are letting their geek flags fly. Hell I’m for all kinds of diverse groups getting their geek on because that allows different voices to add to the lore and love of comics, sci-fi and all the other additions to pop culture. Being a leech only perpetuates the publics’ knowledge of geekdom as nothing more that Big Bang Theory tropes.

It’s Sunday so I guess I’m preaching too much. Time to explore more of my hometown.

Eating the Memory

There was an episode of Deep Space 9 when Dr. Bashir was in a simulation while being recruited by Section 31. He was a deep cover spy supposedly and to regain his true memories they would give him a plate of scones. I’m pretty sure it was scones. In any case I had a scone moment.

There is someone I know that I see every few years at the convention. Because of reasons way too complicated he was considered persona non grata almost 20 years ago by another group of friends. When I see him I know I know him but I can’t place it. He has to tell me the story of why he is persona non grata for me to remember who he is. We laugh about the memory block because it’s something the other group would do, place mind blocks on people to ensure loyalty to their vendetta.

Divorce can be a very bitter thing.

I am running into a lot of friends today and still managing to take photos and video. I might be able to put together a quick bit of nostalgia I saw today. I will know later but for now I must raise up these old bones for more photos.

The End is Nigh Comic-Con 2015

I crashed hard then woke up foggy and barely alert. I just stumbled through backing up my crap because I leave base camp in a couple of hours. Another Comic-Con is over. There was one minor hiccup but this had to be one of the best Comic-Cons I’ve attended, definitely in the top five and maybe top three. After 30 plus years of going, that’s saying something.

It was the type of adventure I think every convention goer wants to have. I met old friends, some famous some infamous in their own minds (grin). I met a few new friends and had the good sense to let them explore the convention on their own. I got snippets of their adventures and man, this was their first convention and they hit the jackpot. Hearing what they experienced made me feel happy for them. I met some icons in the industry. I met for the second time a real living legend and I was privileged enough to record his panel discussion and will present that too his staff in the coming weeks. I had people I had met only a few times greet me with warmth and enthusiasm. I met new people whose work is engaging and interesting.

It was a convention that renewed my faith in Comic-Con. Every year Comic-Con gets lots of hype from the mainstream press, many of them focusing on the stars, the silliness and the cleavage. The lore, the comradery and the sense of community is lost in the focus of the glossy bits. This isn’t a ding on the mainstream news, but when you have Congressman John Lewis at the convention, talking about a graphic novel about his life and the progress of the civil rights movement, and that book is being used as an inspiration for young people across the country, why were there none of the local news stations at the panel? A press release was sent out, the event was known for weeks and the room was packed. No lie, I might be the only person who will be putting together a newsworthy package of the event. There were some print media there, some photographers but the convention floor was brimming with a lot of camera crews and what were they looking for? The wacky, the crazy and the cleavage.

The convention is so large and has a variety of events to cater to the all spectrum of fans. While the flash and sizzle is going to draw people in, I was reminded in many of the conversations I had over the last four days, the flash and sizzle can draw people in to see the real meat and activism of the convention. From learning the basics of comic creation, to getting teachers mobilized to bring graphic novels into the classroom, Comic-Con brings all the varied branches of pop culture into one space. If you look for it, you can find your niche.

In the next few week I’ll get all my materials together and publish them online. This is the end of another strenuous, tiring but always fun Comic-Con. Can’t wait for next year!