The Associated Geekery team has landed back at base and we’re recovering from a week in sunny San Diego at Comic-Con International 2013. A great time was had by all, and we’re probably going to do it again, but first, we’ll need about a year to recuperate.

There was lots to see and do this year, with some big announcements from major film studios, game manufacturers, and comics publishers.

The biggest news seemed to be the announcements of Warner Bros. next big comic related film project- Batman/Superman due in 2015 and the naming of Marvel’s Avengers 2: The Age of Ultron.

Little beyond a tickling teaser was shown of Age of Ultron. Snippets of Avengers dialog and an Ultron mask were met with thunder from the crowd. To say that people were excited is a bit of an understatement. The booming cheers could be heard from Artists Alley next door to Hall H.

But- the awesome moment came from Tom Hiddleston’s appearance on the panel- in full Loki regalia and in character. Fans went nuts. It was apparently a hush-hush conspiracy between the God of Mischief and Kevin Feige, Marvel Studios’ chief.

We, however saw none of that. We don’t have the infinite patience it takes to line up for Hall H 12 hours beforehand in order to camp out and then sit in a chair for a few hours waiting through other panels in order to catch what we really came to see.

Nah. AG likes to be in the thick of things- checking out the convention floor, seeing the craziness and feeling the crowd swirl around us like a crazed school of geeky fish. Toss in some interviews, and maybe a panel or two that are relevant to our immediate interests and we’ve got a full day.

The convention floor itself was packed from Preview Night on Wednesday through last call at 5pm on Sunday. The crowds did not let up. It was difficult to move anywhere, but especially near the media booths, as has been the case for the last few years. There were the usual awesome displays at the Funko, Mattel and Hasbro booths- if you’re into the toys (and we are).  Giant statues of Batmen and He-Men and Little Ponies line the booths, enticing you to come in and catch a glimpse of what may be in your stockings come the holidays. Or, for the hard-core collectors, there were plenty of statues and busts at the Sideshow booth to keep your mouth watering and your wallet weeping.    

 We did manage to catch a break on Thursday and visit Konami’s Video Game suite to check out some demos and generally see how the other half lives during SDCC- and may I say, both were impressive. We were especially keen on the upcoming Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 and Metal Gear Solid Legacy Collection. We were especially excited to play as hunter-turned-hunted vampire lord Gabriel Belmont- and some of us have never played Castlevania before!  

We hung out and got into the All Shapes and Sizes Welcome panel featuring Leah Cevoli, Adrianne Curry, Elisa Teague, and our favorite- friend of the show Chrissy Lynn Kyle! It was all about women and body image in the entertainment industry. Needless to say, the topics ran from tv and films to general views on body image in general, with a special last comment from a young lady who got the warmest of thanks and admiration from the panel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also attended the “Her Universe: Geek Girl Fashion” panel with actress and entrepreneur Ashley Eckstein- with professionals from the fashion industry representing the spectrum of the business: creators, buyers, designers- and included our own Mac, in her capacity as a professional licensing expert! It was a great panel discussion on the business of female geek fashion, how it comes about, and where it could be headed in the future, with an emphasis on what fans want to see!

The streets outside the convention center are a mass of people at virtually any hour. Restaurants and shops in the Gaslamp section of town are busy for nearly 24 hours from Wednesday to Sunday. Hotel clubs and bars are packed to the gills with party goers, and the whole of the area is a raucous sea of revelry. It is, all in all, Vegas-like in atmosphere. There are points of interest, though. Drive-by advertisements for film and tv properties remind you that anything can be used to get your eyeballs’ attention. Interesting graphics pop up here and there- this one referenced the Batman: Knightfall series from the 80’s- we still don’t know what it was all about. Even the Metro stations get in on the act- with their station info printed in Dothraki. George RR M. himself would be proud!

Cosplay abounds, of course- and our own Carrie got in on the action this year with her very first cosplay- Carrie Kelly Robin from The Dark Knight Returns! Here she is being interviewed by Iron Man! Of course, Mac was gussied up a few times too- from her Companion Cube to Ariel! While Ryan joined her with DC Steampunk and Fairly Oddparents! All of them awesome, if we do say so ourselves!

We ran into some friends at their booths- the fantastic Jodi Houser from “Womanthology” and talented artist Brian Kesinger, with his book “Walking Your Octopus”. It’s wonderful to see them having a great time interacting with fans and celebrating their achievements!

 

With so much to see and do at San Diego Comic Con every year- not everything you want to experience can be done. We loved every minute though, despite the crowds that seem to get bigger and bigger every year. And, while we look forward to next year, we also look forward to the smaller conventions and shows that come between now and then. We’ll be covering a few of them, and bring what we can to you. In the meantime, you stay classy, San Diego Comic-Con.