Thursday, July 29, 2010

In Brightest Day, In Blackest---Aigh! Mustaches!

Okay, it appears Warner Bros. is sticking with the weird, amateurish, lantern look in the poster graphics, at least for now. But we’re not here to talk about that. Oh no. And we’re not even here to talk about how hot Ryan Reynolds is (though he looks more grumpy than hot in the poster above). No, we’re here to talk about sexy Sinestro and the battle of the moustaches.

I really never gave Sinestro much thought, until the animated Green Lantern film came along and Victor Garber played him with such vim and verve. Suddenly, I forgot all about the pink weirdo in blue pajamas from the Superfriends cartoon. Helloooo, Sinestro. Then, I began secretly hoping that maybe, just maybe, he’d get the sexy treatment in the movie, too. Well, this teaser poster is giving me hope (among other things). Hopefully, Sinestro makes it through the first film as Hal’s ally and, hopefully, shower buddy, before turning all Yellow Lantern on his ass. I also like that there’s clearly a hierarchy of evil mustaches in the world of the movie. Peter Sarsgaard’s mustache is evil, certainly, but definitely in a low-rent used car salesman or abusive football coach kind of way. Sinestro’s carefully groomed facial hair suggests a higher level of maniacal pedigree. It’s a ‘stache to be reckoned with and feared. Now, if you notice, Ryan is sporting a scruffy five o’clock shadow look, obviously inferior to Sinestro’s skills and attention to detail. After careful facial hair analysis, I feel like I don’t even need to see the movie anymore. The mustaches tell the tale. So, buckle up, Hal, you’re going for a mustache ride you’ll never forget!

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

TV Review: The Fanboy Who Waited

Before I go into details on the season finale of Doctor Who, I want you to know that I fully intend to go back and watch the whole season again, in one sitting, just in case I’ve missed anything. Something I love about this new era of Doctor Who is the trail of clues planted along the way that pay off at the end of each series. Bad Wolf, bees and now the mystery of Amy Pond. The girl who waited.

When last we left our space- and time-traveling heroes, Amy was dying, Rory was mourning, River was exploding and the bad guys were locking the Doctor up inside the Pandorica. “The Big Bang” begins as the series began: with little Amelia Pond. We see an alternate version of events, where the Doctor never came to visit, yet still haunts the subconscious and artwork of our young protagonist.

In many ways, the adult Amy Pond doesn’t seem like a logical extension of Amelia Pond at all. We are supposed to believe that the quiet and lonely little girl with the imaginary friend somehow grew up to be the extroverted, tough-talking adventurer we see now. Where is that little girl who was so worried about the crack in her wall? When Amelia and Amy eventually meet, face to face, the disconnect is even more obvious. The little girl isn’t brassy enough to be the young Amy. And Amy isn’t haunted enough to be the adult Amelia. It’s a conundrum and probably best not to think about too much.

Amelia encounters and opens the Pandorica, but the Doctor is not inside. Surprise! It’s Amy. “Okay, kid. This is where it gets complicated,” she warns Amelia, and boy does it. The rest of the episode employs enough wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey tricks to make Tennant blush. But at the heart of this episode is the heart. The finale (and the whole series, really) has been about love. Rory’s love for Amy. Amy’s undiscovered love for Rory. River’s love for the Doctor. The Doctor’s love for humanity. Believe it or not, all that love is vastly more complicated than the timey-wimey stuff. When the Doctor scolds, it hurts, because he loves us and we love him. When Rory refuses to leave Amy, though it will mean thousands of years of duty, it’s heartbreaking, because he loves her so much. And River…River gets more and more complicated as we go along. We can assume that her relationship with the Doctor becomes deeper in some future time, and yet, it comes with a dire warning, too.

How the Doctor manages to save the universe again is somewhat less crucial this time around than how his human counterparts save themselves and each other. In that respect, this episode belongs more to Rory than to Amy or the Doctor.

And speaking of the Doctor, Matt Smith had ridiculously large shoes to fill by taking on the role from David Tennant. I must say he’s done a splendid job, imbuing the character with just the right balance of charm, eccentricity and arrogance. If I don’t have warm and fuzzy feelings for him, I think that’s by his own design. This Doctor is more aloof, more stern, with a quicker temper. In fact, he reminds me of an ex, who liked the idea of a relationship with humans, but just didn’t know how to connect or interact beyond the role of greatly amused observer. It’s a good place for a character to start, though, and I look forward to more years and adventures with the 11th Doctor.

But, really, Steven Moffat? Space Florida?

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Comic-Con 2010 Wrap-Up: The Good, the Bad and the Geeky

Note: Booth babes are good. Very good.

I’ve had a couple of days now to recover from Comic-Con, so I can write coherently about the whole experience. Any attempts at writing yesterday just resulted in my face pressed against the cool, cool keys of my keyboard. I was ridiculously tired after the whole show was said and done. I’ve never smiled and pretended to be nice for five days in a row. It takes a lot out of a person. But that’s just one of the things I learned this year. Here are a few more.

1. FBOTU Site Members are Awesome
Meeting site members truly was the highlight of the con. I missed a lot of programming by stationing myself at a booth all day, but I wouldn’t have missed meeting you guys for anything. I also want to give a shout-out to all the lurkers I met over the weekend. Thanks for not just lurking around the booth. I’m glad you said hi! Now, feel free to say hi on the site, too!

2. Gay Comic Book Creators Are Hot
At one point, I looked around and found myself surrounded by Justin Hall, Ed Luce, Sean-Z and Dave Davenport. It’s too much hotness for one con, let alone one booth. I had to go buy an $8 cup of ice just to cool down a little bit.

3. Help Wanted: Minions
Since I was denied pre-sale bounty from Mattel, I wasn’t looking forward to standing in line, getting a ticket, dealing with surly Mattel workers and disgruntled toy collectors. But then I found someone to go do all that for me. If you can bring minions to Comic-Con (or find them there), I highly recommend it.

4. Gail Simone Is Not Really My Friend
I’ve spent the past month or two replying to Gail Simone’s Tweets as if I know her. I do not. When I got the chance to meet her at the Con, I introduced myself as if she knows me. She does not. Plus, I carried my Wonder Woman book around every day except the day I actually met her. That day, of course, I left it at the hotel. I think it’s time to cut my losses and transfer my stalking talents to Daniel Way. Does he have a Twitter account?

5. Sometimes…Homophobia Is Good
At WonderCon, I learned that kids and teenage girls love free buttons, especially if there’s a rainbow involved. Neither of those groups are in the demographic for this website, though. I knew I had to do something at Comic-Con to make sure folks knew the free buttons have rules and restrictions attached. So I used my newfangled iPad as a very expensive sign, alerting people that the rainbow geek buttons = super gay. Worked like a charm. People would run towards the pile of buttons, see the sign, then run away, leaving plenty for the homos. Yay homophobia!

6. The Pen is Mightier Than the Cosplay Sword
You might have heard by now that there was a minor altercation in one of the halls, and one attendee jabbed another in or around the eye with a pen. When the rumors first spread, all we heard was that someone in a Harry Potter shirt stabbed someone else. My first question: “With what? A wand?” It’s a sad turn of events that will probably bring some sort of overreaction next year (bag searches, metal detectors, pen confiscation). Just the day before, though, I was seriously considering stabbing the woman sitting next to me in the DC panel, who would not stop answering her phone. I thought, if I brain her with a rock, would anyone care? No, no they would not. So, I sympathize with Harry Stabber.

7. Why Are You Here?
I know there’s nothing more top secret than a comic book, TV or movie storyline. While classified military documents find their way online all the time, forget trying to find out who Batgirl is going to fight next. Because of this level of security, a lot of panels consist of top comics and Hollywood talent sitting at a table, repeating “I can’t talk about that” over and over again. It doesn’t make for a very dynamic panel discussion. I suppose you could argue that fans should learn not to ask or talk about the future of their favorite characters. Then…what’s the point? You’re burdened by a lot of confidential information and an ironclad non-disclosure agreement, so blink once if Dick Grayson is going to die or twice if he and Conner Kent get married and raise Damian as their own. Is that so hard?

8. Slash and Burn
I should be allowed to walk around at the end of the con, with a tube of lipstick (a la Pearl Harbor), and put an X on the forehead of anyone who’s not going to make it to the next one. That sounds way harsh, and “popular arts” has a very broad definition, but come on. Come on! If your stuff has nothing to do with comics, movies, TV, gaming, toys, subculture, counterculture, science fiction, fantasy, robots, vampires, robot vampires, Prince Adam, Yak Face, Rayne Sommers, Dolph Lundgren’s penis, Monchichis, 1983, Veronica Lodge, Benji, Zax, the Alien Prince, Norville Rogers or Alasdair Gillis, then it doesn’t belong. That’s a pretty wide and inclusive list, I think. But if that’s not you, let someone else have the frakkin’ table. Thank you. 

9. Olivia Munn Is Not Funny

10. All We Want Is Life Beyond the Thunderdome
Isolated stabbings and lack of cell phone etiquette aside, I’m always very pleased by the level of kindness and humanity on display at the con. Things get crazy and intense and weird, but for the most part, people really hold it together, proving that years of reading comics and watching He-Man have paid off. Geeks are nice. And friendly. And well-endowed. And I forgot what I was saying.

I’d also like to take a moment here and thank Prism Comics for having FBOTU at their booth. They are an amazing and inspiring organization, and they couldn’t have been more supportive or generous to us. They are a non-profit organization that exists solely to support gay comic book creators and readers. If you’ve never had a chance to visit them at a con, please check out their website. There’s so much good stuff there, your head will explode. I’d also like to thank FBOTMs Rafael and Paul, who were charming and delightful every step of the way. Finally, a big thanks to everyone who stopped by to say hi, introduce themselves and talk about the site. Thank you, one and all! See you next year!

Did you attend Comic-Con? What did you learn? Feel free to share your thoughts with us in the comments section below! 

Monday, July 26, 2010

Movie Review: Angelina Jolie Will Kick Your Ass

Our very own movie guru (movie-ru?) Johnny M reviews Angelina Jolie in Salt. (Let’s see Jennifer Aniston try to play a CIA Agent. Ha!) Just click Angelina’s lips for the full review!

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Comic-Con 2010: Day 4 (Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow)

Saturday...was not that bad. At the height of the afternoon traffic, I needed to go from the very back of the exhibit hall to the front, and thought for sure I’d never be seen again. But to my surprise (well, astonishment), I was able to zip right through, with only one minor roadblock. Several other people I spoke to throughout the day expressed surprise at what seemed to be, if not a less-populated con, then at least a more maneuverable one. There were still obviously areas of high concentration, but they were somewhat easier to get around this year. So...yay!

For me, cons aren’t just about toys and comics and sharing a blissful elevator ride with Patrick Wharburton. No, these crazy things are also about seeing old friends, meeting new people and learning about what passions drive other geeks to wait in line for an autograph or pull on a pair of tights. The people aspect is extremely fun, and I’ve had a blast geeking out with my fellow fanboys (and fangirls!). So, while I’m exhausted and my poor feet may never recover from this ordeal, I’m a little sorry to see it end. But it ain’t over yet, kids. Here’s my schedule for Sunday:

10:30 - 12:00 Queer Comics Panel
1:00 - 5:00 FBOTU @ Prism Comics Booth (#2049)
2:00 - 4:00 Meet Fanboy of the Month/Gay Comic Geek Paul at the Prism Booth!
5:00 Collapse

Now, for my recap of Saturday, where do I begin? Really, the whole day was about FBOTM Rafael. Months ago, Rafael and I had joked about him being a booth babe should I ever get a spot to exhibit at Comic-Con. So, when it actually came to fruition, I contacted Raf, with fingers crossed, hoping he was a little serious about being eye candy for 150,000 passersby. Luckily, he was all for it. We met in my hotel room Saturday morning for him to try on a couple of costumes. We decided on Nightwing over Superman and headed to the show. I spent a large part of the morning doing some shopping and avoiding the crush around the panel rooms. I was pretty shocked I was able to walk right up to the BBC America booth to get my Doctor/Dalek set. I kept looking around to see if I’d somehow accidentally cut in line, which I’m known to do. With a little time to kill before heading to the Prism Comics booth, I went upstairs to the autograph area to look around and check out people in costume. That’s where I first encountered Hawkman (or Hawkbulge, as I called him). Saturday night is the annual masquerade, so it’s often the best day to see costumes. And certainly the best day to see men in tights.

I was a little late getting to the Prism booth, where I found Rafael had already charmed everyone there, proving he was a great choice for the job. We set up and then spent the next few hours chatting with fans, handing out swag and generally being goofy. While Rafael posed for pictures and handed out buttons and postcards, I got a chance to chat with some of my fellow exhibitors, including the amazing Paige Braddock, creator of Jane’s World; Jon Macy (Telleny and Camille), Ed Luce (Wuvable Oaf); Sean-Z (Myth); and Justin Hall (Glamazonia). Truly, if you ever get the chance to visit Prism at any of the major West Coast shows, you really must. Getting to meet and talk to LGBT comics creators is so much fun, and they’ve all been so gracious and friendly with fans. I have some audio of my chats, which I’ll piece together and post tomorrow or Tuesday. So, stay tuned!

Our hours at the booth really flew by, and I suddenly found it ridiculous that the exhibit hall closes so early. But there was also the “Gays in Comics” panel to attend, so Rafael and I packed up our crap and headed upstairs to good, old 6A. The panel always draws a big crowd, but even Daniel Way (Dark Wolverine) seemed surprised, saying it was a bigger crowd than they got at the X-Men panel. Geoff Johns started to make a joke about the X-Men, then refrained. Also on the panel were Marjorie M. Liu (Dark Wolverine), Jim McCann (Dazzler), Zan Christensen (Mark of Aecus), Dan Parent (Veronica), Tim Fish (Cavalcade of Boys) and Howard Cruse (Stuck Rubber Baby).

I’ve been going to this panel for several years now, and it’s amazing to actually see the progress that’s been made in terms of adding LGBT characters to mainstream comics. I still believe that adding Kevin Keller to Archie is revolutionary in a way that will affect the lives of LGBT kids for years to come. Luckily, Dan Parent assured the audience this wasn’t planned to be a one-time thing. Kevin is here to stay. His description of his daughters and their friends and how accepting they are was really inspirational and gave me some hope for the future. Marjorie M. Liu and Daniel Way are people I just want to hang out with. Intelligent, well-spoken and insanely talented, they were probably my favorite part of the panel. Both spoke very eloquently and honestly about writing a bisexual character who is defined more by his actions than his sexuality. And for the record, Daken is pronounced Dock-en. I’ve been saying Dack-en. I’m glad that’s all cleared up now. I didn’t expect Geoff Johns to say much. Since ascending to the throne, his new responsibilities seem to be looking cute and repeating “I can’t talk about that” over and over again. He did give some slight hints that we might be seeing Pied Piper again, as well as maybe, sort of, possibly a male Star Sapphire and a new gay character in the Green Lantern title somewhere.

Finally, I’ve learned so much about Howard Cruse at the Con this year and his impact on gay comics. While fans always tend to be looking forward, it’s also a good idea to look back and see just how far we’ve come and recognize the people who paved the way.

I couldn’t stay very long for the mixer following the panel, but I did get to say hi to a few people. And Rafael helped me do a little FBOTM recruiting. If we really get one of the guys we talked to, you’re all going to freak out. But I can’t talk about that right now. It’s been a good weekend, overall, in terms of signing up our next FBOTMs. We have four potentials now, waiting in the wings, ready for the spotlight. Unfortunately, Geoff Johns declined, but there’s always next year. 

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Comic-Con 2010: Day Three (Russell Tovey Loves Me)

Before I launch into my recap of Friday’s festivities, let’s talk about the here and now. It’s Saturday, the most insane day of the convention. Truthfully, I’m a little afraid to leave my hotel room; it’s going to be a madhouse. Luckily, I’ll be safely tucked away inside the Prism Comics booth for much of the afternoon, so I won’t be knocked about too much (unless So Super Duper‘s Brian Andersen roughs me up a little, which he is prone to do). The best advice I can offer for today is to set your expectations on medium and have a a backup plan. Rooms fill up fast and lines for popular panels start hours before. Don’t despair. Have a Plan B in mind and seek out some alternatives. On the convention floor, rely on your Jedi training, relax and be patient. You’ll get where you need to go, even if you have to take a couple of unplanned detours to do it. Good luck! You can always come visit me at Prism and rest for a bit.

Don’t forget! March Fanboy of the Month Rafael will be making an appearance at the Prism booth at 3:00PM today! So, stop by, say hi and take some pics. It’ll be fun! Here’s our booth schedule, etc. for today:

2:00 - 5:30 FBOTU @ Prism Comics
3:00 - 5:00 Meet March Fanboy of the Month Rafael!
5:45 - 7:15 Gays in Comics Panel
7:15 - 8:15 Gays in Comics Mixer

Now, let’s talk about Friday. I was at the booth for much of the morning and met and chatted with some great people. I’m beginning to recognize when people are a little timid about approaching the “gay booth.” I found that if you just smile, wave them over and ask them about their day, they loosen up a little and dive right in. It’s really rewarding to see so many LGBT teenagers around, too. I really could have stood around and chatted all day, but there were a couple of panels I just had to attend.

First up was the Mattel panel. I went into the room a bit early and caught the end of an Archie panel. They introduced the creator of Kevin Keller, and I expected some sort of reaction from the audience, but...nothing. So, either Archie readers are just naturally really polite, or it’s a total non-issue. Either way, I’m glad no one booed. People seem more concerned about Archie doing a parody of Jersey Shore than the whole gay thing. I couldn’t agree more. Once the Archies cleared out, it was time for Mattel. I think, perhaps, I’m just getting old and cranky. I was fully expecting the audience to stand up and take Mattel to task for the problems with online ordering, the insanity of having only one sale day (or sale minute, really) a month and the lousy costumer service. But no, everyone sang Mattel’s praises and said, “Don’t ever change.” It’s really a bizarre and abusive relationship they’ve got going there. Anyway, they introduced the upcoming toys and took a few tame questions, then it was all over. They are a really strange company. But the new Bow is way cool.

I then decided I’d better check in with DC and see what nuttiness they have in store. And for the second time that day, I felt old and cranky. Dan DiDio (doing his best PT Barnum impersonation) asked the crowd how they liked the new Wonder Woman costume. The crowd went nuts! I felt like I was in Bizarro World or something. So, clearly, those of us who aren’t so much against a costume change as we are against a bad costume change are in the minority. One brave gay took the mic and demanded better treatment of Donna Troy and Cassie and expressed distaste for this new Wonder Woman storyline. Dan and the panel basically said to give it time; making Wonder Woman popular was more important than Donna and Cassie; and sit down. This, of course, came after Grant Morrison called the Joel Schumacher Batman costumes “fruity.” So I wasn’t feeling a lot of love for the gays in the DC Nation. If the crowd cheers the new costume in the “Gays in Comics” panel today, I think I’ll just go home. Geoff Johns did make a big announcement about a new Flash title coming in 2011, featuring Wally and Bart. So, that’s something to look forward to.

From the DC panel, I headed straight to the Being Human panel, which I feared I might be too late for. Luckily, I got there just in time to get in and get a seat. This was the perfect way to end the day. The moderator was dreadful, though. I don’t know why they keep dragging out these incoherent entertainment journalists to moderate panels. They really need to get some fans to do it. Toby Whithouse (creator/writer), Lenora Crichlow (Annie), Sinead Keenan (Nina), Aidan Turner (Mitchell) and, of course, Russell Tovey (George) were all present, charming and well-spoken. They all seemed to really like each other, and had great respect for the fans (up to a point). I think they were a bit short with some of the fans who weren’t very good at expressing themselves, but I can imagine it gets tiring dealing with fans, especially when they can’t seem to get to a point. There was no mention of Russell’s sexuality at all, though I really can’t think of a good time they could have brought it up. He did address rumors of being in a new season of Torchwood, though. He said he knows nothing and has never even watched Torchwood, but would be open to the idea. Most of the discussion centered on the second season. Apparently, Sinead didn’t believe the majority of the audience would illegally download the season. Russell told her that not only would they download it, but they’d be proud of it. The audience cheered this, of course, then a fan pointed out that they’d be less likely to download the show if it didn’t take seven months to get it here. This all left me feeling like a bit of a nerd, since I haven’t downloaded the second series and will be watching it as it airs on BBC America starting this week. Then, I snapped a picture of Russell and he looked at me with an expression that can only be described as “love at first sight.” Check it out.

I expect I’ll be going back to London with him now and maybe changing the site name to Fanblokes of the Universe. The cast will come to our wedding, I would assume. If you want to get us a gift, we’re registered at the Mattel booth.

Friday, July 23, 2010

Comic-Con 2010: Day Two (Now With a Hat!)

Before I give my recap of Thursday, here’s my schedule for Friday. A cute boy asked me to switch times with him at the Prism booth, and since I tend to not be able to resist cute boys, please make a note of the new time.

9:30 - 2:00 FBOTU @ Prism Comics
1:00 - 2:00 Bloom County‘s Berkeley Breathed: The Secret Sex Tapes
1:00 - 2:00 Some Matty Crap
1:45 - 2:45 Batman: The Return
3:00 - 4:00 Superman: Man of Tomorrow
5:00 - 6:00 Spotlight on Drew Struzan
6:00 - 7:00 BBC America’s Being Human
8:00 - 10:00 Batman: Under the Red Hood
9:00 - 10:00 Worst Cartoons Ever

Now, let’s talk about Thursday. My marketing team did some field research and found that most people find me to be “cold” and “unapproachable” and that the size of my head is “freakish” and “not right.” To improve my likability and minimize my lower-ranking qualities, the team decided I should...wear a hat. They promised this would camouflage the head problem and give me the appearance of being “just one of the guys” or “someone I want to have a beer with.” So, off to the milliner I went to secure a hat. I chose a simple Superman design, resisted the rhinestone version and decided against the Batman because of his less-than-friendly personality. No one wants to have a beer with Batman. (Well, I do. But not beer. Maybe tequila shots.) Why am I telling you all this, essentially drawing back the curtains here at FBOTU, Inc.? Because...I think it worked.

I had such a good time on Thursday, meeting and interacting with the crowds. People were very friendly, talkative, and absolutely no one maced me. I got to meet several site members, plus lots of fun and friendly gay geeks. Plus, I met three potential new contributors to the site, which is very exciting. But it wasn’t all just site business and magic hats. No, I also managed to hit a few panels. Starting off the day, I dropped in on the “Divas and Golden Lassoes” panel, which I couldn’t remember the name of, so I kept telling people it was the “Why Gays Like Wonder Woman” panel. The consensus? ‘Cause she’s fabulous. It was a fun discussion, but I had a very hard time paying attention, since I kept imagining panelists Phil Jimenez and Marc Andreyko making out. Really, they shouldn’t have been allowed to sit next to each other. It was too distracting to the audience.

After the big Wonder Woman revelation, I went to the Caprica/Battlestar panel, which was really the “Bear McCreary Fan Club” panel. I started playing on my iPad and planning my escape when a guy got up and revealed that he played some BSG music at his son’s funeral. It was a really unexpected and powerful moment, and Bear was clearly moved by it. It proves a couple of things, I think. First, you never know what might happen in a panel. And second, these shows or comics or movies or whatever have very real impact on the lives of their fans. And because I tend to be morbid, I started thinking about what music I’d want at my funeral. (Which might contribute to that whole “cold” and “unapproachable” thing.) I think I’ve decided on “Princess Leia’s Theme,” which has always been my favorite piece of Star Wars music. Then, my second choice would probably be “Rainbow Connection.”

I skipped out of the booth early to attend the “Writing Queer” panel, since three of my favorite writers were speaking: Gail Simone, Greg Rucka and Judd Winick. Rucka told a great story about interviewing Lt. Dan Choi and how his story influenced Batwoman. Gail summed things up nicely, by simply stating that adding gay characters to any story about the human condition is just the right thing to do. I resisted the urge to follow Gail around the rest of the evening and went, instead, to the “Why Is Batman Crazy?” panel. The material was pretty clinical, and I thought for sure the good doctors were losing the audience, but people were really into it and asked some great questions about psychology, trauma and what makes a supervillain. Turns out I exhibit 9 out of 10 warning signs for supervillainy. And not just regular supervillainy, but cartoonish supervillainy. So, you know, stay tuned for a list of my demands.

I’m sad that I couldn’t get into the Being Human and Doctor Who screenings. Those would have been fun to see with a Comic-Con crowd, but there was no way I could spare two hours or more to stand in line. So, I’ll be watching those at another time.

My thanks to everyone who stopped by the booth to say hi and keep me company. Be sure to follow my exploits on Twitter, Facebook and Foursquare. See you at the con!

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Comic-Con 2010: Day One (A New Hope)

(Note to Stratos: Just relax, honey. Take it slow.)
Greetings and salutations from beautiful San Diego, CA! It’s always nice to come back here, and I often wonder what the city is like when it’s not overrun with geeks. Perhaps I’ll never know. Speaking of geeks, there are some insanely attractive guys roaming around the city and the convention center. Preview Night was just that: a preview of all the hot guys at the con. I’ll snap some pics today.

Remember, Fanboys of the Universe will be at the Prism Comics booth from 2:00PM to 7:00PM, so please stop by, say hi, get some swag and tell me all about your Comic-Con experience! I got to walk around a little bit during Preview Night, and have to say the crowd was nowhere near as insane as last year. Moving around last year on Preview Night was next to impossible. I’m curious to see if the crowds are lighter throughout the weekend, or if attendees were just forgoing Preview Night to save money.

There are a few changes. Namely, Artist Alley has been reconfigured and is actually WELL LIT for the first time in Comic-Con history! I’m very pleased with this change, and I imagine the artists are loving it, too. Be sure to spend some time there. It’s always my favorite part of the show. The other big surprise this year is the vertical growth of some of the booths. It’s very reminiscent of E3 now, with two-story booths, with penthouses for entertaining. It’s all fun and games until the Twilight booth collapses under the weight of a thousand screaming tweens. Tragic.

Now, here’s my schedule for Thursday. Be sure to let us know what you’re up to!

10:00 - 11:00 Tron Press Conference
10:30 - 11:30 Divas and Golden Lassoes: The LGBT Obsession with Super Heroines
12:00 - 1:00 Caprica, Battlestar and Beyond
2:00 - 7:00 FBOTU @ Prism Comics
7:30 - 8:30 Transcending Trauma: From the Birth of Batman to the Rise of the Red Hood
8:00 - 11:00 BBC America US Premiere Screenings: Doctor Who and Being Human
11:00 - 2:00 Drinking

Have a great day! Be sure to follow my exploits on Twitter, Facebook and Foursquare.