Mood:
a-okTopic: Comic Cons
TODAY'S FEATURE - Blog #3468 - Part 9 of a series on the 2011 Comic-Con International San Diego: It's 6AM Monday morning, July 25th of 2011... I'm sitting here in my home office, after five days & four nights at the 42nd Annual San Diego Comic Con International! I have a lot to catch up on from having the business shut down during that time period, but I wanted to share with you what was the 'Hi-Light' of the Comic-Con for me! The below listing on the web site of the Comic-Con International: San Diego was unassuming enough to most of those that read it either online or in the event guide book... 8:30-11:30 Fandom's 50th Meet-and-Greet— Meet some of the founders of comic book fandom at this mixer that will feature Comic-Con special guests Jean Bails, Richard Kyle, Paul Levitz, Dick and Pat Lupoff, Bill Schelly, Roy Thomas, and Maggie Thompson. Room 28DE ...But it was THIS event that was the HI-LIGHT of the entire five days of the Comic-Con for me! Why? Well... Let me repeat just a little of what I've written about here in this Blog, and at other sites over the years. I've been attending the Comic-Con International straight, without missing any years since 1991, the year that Comic-Con moved to the San Diego Convention Center. So that would make this 2011 con the 21st in a row for me. But way before that stretch of comic cons... I set up as a comic book dealer at the 1972 San Diego Comic Con as a comics dealer in the El Cortez Hotel... which would make me an 'El Cortez Alumni'. (See this link for a super--sized photo of the earliest photo I have at the Con, in 1973 at the Shearaton Hotel on Harbor Island, and yeah... I had long hair at that time!) The event on Saturday night was titled a 'Meet n' Greet', which was far more than that for so many that attended, including my wife Tina and I! First, there was the 'spread' of food that reminded me of the old days at Comic-Con, when there was food for attendees at the Awards 'Banquet', as well as food 'Under the Sails'. Second, the numbers of those in attendance were staggering, considering how long ago it has been... 50 Years for several of them! I recognized the names of many who were there, if not their faces. It had been years since several had been at the Comic-Con at all! Which is why Tina and I split up after partaking of the great food, and took multiple photos that I'll be sharing in a special photo album at my Facebook Fan Page, titled: '2011 SDCC 50th Anniversary of Fandom Reunion'. There was also a celebration cake that everyone gathered around, and I'll be sharing photos and a video after viewing it later at my new YouTube Channel, 'Hamersky On Comics'. Please note: The YouTube Channel was just set up the week before this Comic-Con, so there aren't over 3,400 videos like this Blog has in number of blog posts! Pictures say a thousand words... So I'm going to stop here at this time, and state again that there will be several photos in that special photo album at that Facebook Fan Page, as I get time to upload them. I don't normally just 'throw everything up', but would prefer to identify the persons in the photos. It just depends how this new week starts. It is always a challenge to re-adjust to 'real life' after spending 5 days at this comic convention! After this blog is posted, I'll start uploading pics. The videos will be posted later!
What a great event this night turned out to be! It truly was the 'HI-LIGHT' of the 5 day Comic-Con for me! And my pleasure to share what I can via photos and video(s) in the days to follow... Tomorrow? I'll be blogging my critique of this 42nd Annual Comic-Con, with both the 'good', 'the okay', and the 'bad'. With possible solutions for the latter. Tina & I took in the panel, 'Comic Con Talk Back', held from 3:30 till closing time on Sunday at Room 23ABC... Being a positive kind of guy, I wanted to post the 'Hi-Light' of the 2011 Comic-Con for me first! ~Michael D Hamersky NOTE: Part 1 of this ongoing series about the 2011 Comic-Con, (Blog #3450), gave a 'general overview' of why the San Diego Comic Con / Comic Con International: San Diego is very important to me. Along with multiple links to previous years blog posts, photo albums dating back to 1973, etc, etc. Part 2, (Blog #3458), pointed out shopping tips on what we are buying to bring to the Comic-Con. I haven't missed a year since the Comic-Con first moved to the San Diego Convention Center back in 1991. I first started attending as a comic book dealer back in 1972, at the El Cortez Hotel. But I still have to plan out what to bring each year, as five days on my feet means a lot of trekking around the convention center and surrounding environs! This con is expanding out every year it seems, with programs being held at two different adjacent hotels now, at opposite ends of the convention center! Part 3, (Blog #3459), posted the links to what panels / programs I believe are the most important for those of you that are first timers to this comic convention. Plus they are the most 'representative' of what Comic-Con International is, without 'Hollywood' panels / programs being included, UNLESS they are truly comic book oriented. Part 4, (Blog #3460) posted the links to where I normally would be spending a lot of time at while on the exhibit floor of this comic convention. Where's that?! Well... When I'm not attending panels / programs with or without my wife Tina, I'll be most likely at the 'Artists Alley' or 'Small Press Pavilion' sections of this convention center. Part 5, (Blog #3461) posted a link to what is in store for those of you attending the 2011 Comic-Con and wondering about how to beat the online mess of trying to buy memberships for 2012! I don't want to 'repeat' myself here, so please look at the blog #3461 link for the 'news'! Part 6, (Blog #3462) of this series... Well, Part 5 was about the future, so here I was taking a 'look' at the 'Past'! And not just a look via my thoughts or collections of memorablilia obtained at Comic-Cons in the past... But from the collection of the 'Founder' of the SDCC himself, Shelf Dorf! Part 7, (Blog #3466) of this blog series was a brief history and a link to the online version of this week's San Diego Weekly Reader cover feature article on comics creators living in San Diego, and who will be attending the San Diego Comic Con International. Part 8, (Blog #3467) of this series was to tell you that there wouldn't be any more blogs the rest of last week or the weekend, as I would be celebrating my Birthday the rest of the week at the Comic-Con! Which would be the last year I was going to be able to do so, as the Comic-Con moves up a week in time for next year, the 2012 edition of the SDCCI. Plus that I would still be uploading photos via my camera phone by mobile Facebooking to my Facebook Fan Page, at this mobile uploads photo album.
My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts, now at 3,468 total posts in number! I do appreciate your continued reading and support of this Blog! BTW, You can 'follow' this blog by clicking the 'Follow' Button at this NetworkedBlogs app link! We currently have over 2,494 'Followers'! Thanks to ALL of YOU that have already clicked that button! And for those of YOU that haven't yet... I would appreciate it if YOU would!!! ~ Michael D Hamersky Note: My online 'Local' Comic Book Shop (LCBS), carries many different genres of comics, magazines, graphic novels, and comic con promotional items. Possibly even copies of the item(s) that was mentioned here today...!If I have it... You can find it 'Under The Big Top Of Comics' at: http://www.ComicBooksCircus.com/ Web Page Note: This blog post is written for the IE Browser standards. Chrome, Safari, Netscape, Firefox and the other browsers serve the page up differently, sorry about that! The screen display resolution is best seen at the setting of 1024 x 768 on your laptop or desktop computer. Note: As of Monday, June 27th, 2011, I'll be using my new laptop, where the default resolution is 'higher', so there may be some temporary glitches until I am used to the new resolution. NOTE: All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.
To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to: Make It So Marketing Inc., PO Box 130653, Carlsbad, CA 92013  Also, if you are a Facebook member, I would have liked you to send me a 'Friend Request'. However, I have reached the maximum limit of 5,000 Facebook Friends and Fan pages already, so I've added a New 'Facebook Fan Page' so that even more of YOU can 'Like' what I am doing, and be interactive with me and others there. Here is the link to that 'Facebook Fan Page': Michael D Hamersky On Comics! Please click the 'Like' button on that page! |
My special thanks to Jackie Estrada, who brought this special event to my attention before Comic-Con started. (Photo: L-R Michael D Hamersky, Jackie Estrada, Michelle Nolan). 
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