Michael D Hamersky On Comics Presents His Take On...   The 2014 Comic-Con International In Total...

TODAY'S FEATURE IS BLOG #4005 -    It has been an hour since the 2014 Comic-Con International officially closed...

For a change I actually left the San Diego Convention early, yes early.  I walked out with purchases made and that I couldn't see carrying further with only 40 minutes left till the Con closed.

So I hoofed it over to the garage, sat down and turned on the ignition.  Then I proceeded to drive home, only stopping at red lights and at a local fast food drive through.

So how did I like / dislike this year's Comic-Con?

Well... I was actually glad I left early, seriously.  There were so many ups and downs this year for me.

If you have been this Blog the past few days, you'll know that for the first time since 1991... That I did not have a four day membership nor Preview Night privileges.   Yeah, that bothered me.  Actually it affected my thinking of this year's con each day of this past week. 

If I hadn't been going for the past 23 years I probably would have said skip it when Thursday and Sunday were the only options left for me to buy.  

But I did buy, and tried to make the most of this year's con.

Starting with going to an Advance Comic Con Party on Tuesday evening, (see blog #4001), followed up by going to the Con early on Preview Day (Not Preview Night as I did not have a ticket to get in), see Blog #4002, and then spending my Birthday on the first day of the con, (see blog #4003). 

Heck, I even tried to make the best of it by going to the Off-Site Activities outside of the Convention Center that did not require a con badge.  (See blog #4004).

Well, as stated above, the Comic-Con is now finished for 2014.  I'll post the photos I took today on my Facebook Fan Page, (as seen at this link).

The highlights for me today were the two panels that I attended.  First was the Annual Jack Kirby Tribute panel, which has now been held 20 years, (of which I have attended all 20 of them), and a Spotlight on Michelle Nolan, which I also enjoyed hearing Michelle, Maggie Thompson, and Bud Plant talk about the old days. But that was it, just two panels today.

The rest of the day was spent checking the exhibit floor, and running out to the car to drop off stuff I bought.  Yes, bought. There were next to nothing that was free swag this year.  Even the freebie tables had nothing of any interest to me.  Just advertisements for things to buy or other conventions to attend nationwide.

I did do my annual purchasing at the TwoMorrows booth.  Picking up the latest Jack Kirby Collector, and other miscellaneous items that John's company has published since last seeing the company booth.  More on that later after I've read the latest issue(s).

I also bought some comics for resale purposes at one booth, as the prices were too good to pass up, (after all it was the last hours of the con!).   But because my car was so far away, I held back on purchases this year also.

As stated in this week's blog posts I did have some fun at this con.  You can't help but do so, with so much variety of programs / panels to attend. 

But the long lines to get in the convention center, and long lines outside at the Off Site Activities just got me down this year.   First time I believe this has happened to me, and I haven't missed a day since 1991 when the con first moved to the San Diego Convention Center.

The crowds were in force both Thursday and Sunday as far as I could tell.  Not pleasant to navigate through.  I had to navigate them because Artists Alley is at one end of the center, and the Small Press almost at the end of the other side.

I mentioned my problem of not being able to attend all four days to a couple of the con's senior staff.  Time will tell if anything can be done to alleviate this problem for next year.

All in all, the Comic-Con International is something YOU have to see at least once in your lifetime. Seriously, even with all the problems with crowds, lines, etc., etc.  I realize it is getting harder to obtain admission but you have to do it at least once in your lifetime.

Again, don't forget to check out the pics I'm uploading at this link.

~Michael

NOTE FROM Michael D Hamersky On Comics:  My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts, now at 4,005 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!   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!!!

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'll find under the BIG TOP of Comics, at Comic Books Circus.com!     

Web Page Note:  This blog post is written per the IE Browser standards.  Chrome, Safari, Netscape, Firefox and the other browsers serve the page up slightly 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:  Your computer's resoulution may be set differently, but the above resolution is the most commonly used resolution at the time of this blog post. 

NOTE: All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

Comics Creators: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email or mail us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to my blog readers. Including YOUR own works! To mail printed items to me for possible review, just contact me. 

 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!

---------------            

      

In Addition, I started a YouTube Channel just before the 2011 Comic-Con International, where I am slowly uploading videos from conventions or other events that we attend that are also pop culture related.  You are invited to 'subscribe' to that channel also!  As found at 'HamerskyOnComics'!

---

Michael D Hamersky On Comics Presents His Take & Photos On...   The Off-Site Activities At The 2014 Comic-Con International

TODAY'S FEATURE IS BLOG #4004 -    I have already mentioned in this Blog that I didn't have tickets to all four days of this year's Comic-Con International.

So yesterday I and a friend went to see the Off-Site Activities that circle the San Diego Convention Center.

First of all, I was too late in driving to my newly found parking area that I had been parking at since last Tuesday night.  So I checked other areas in Downtown.   The only lots left wanted $35 for the day... Sheesh!

So I went down to the South Bay and checked out three parking lots at three different trolley stations.  Would you believe... Not one parking spot for my car!

So I drove back to the $35 parking lot and that was full!  However, they suggested going to the MTS building, where, also for $35, I could park.  So I did.

That building was next door to the first Off-Site Activity that we walked to.

That was the Petco Park Interactive Lot.  There we stood in line for the 24 Drones, the Amazon Locker, the Norton 'Take Control of Your Future' X-Men tent, the Hello Kitty truck & booth, and the Gotham City auto show. We could have stayed even longer, but the lines... The lines were so long.  We spent a few hours just at this park and did not do all of the interactive areas.

We then went to the Art Expo, located in the old Wonderbread Building.  I used to work across the street, at Hoffmeyer Company, before the land was purchased to extend the parking lot for Petco Park.  Inside the two story building was a lot of artists with varying genres of art.  Not all was comic book related.  I did find a few works that were interesting to me.  One was a mash-up comic book created by Mark Todd.  I am going to have to blog about this book, as I enjoyed seeing it so much, that I purchased a copy for my own collection.

Heading back to the car to unload what we had picked up, we then walked across the bridge to the Bayfront Hilton area.

There we saw the Simpsons area and took that in.  See the photos I snapped.   The lines there were long also, so we didn't stand in each of them. 

Right by the Simpsons area was a zipline that had a long line also!  It was for the upcoming TV series titled 'Gotham', which I am going to watch this upcoming 2014-15 TV Season.

Behind that was the Godzilla exhibit. We stood in line for a photo to be inserted into a movie poster, and then another line for a mini-clip.  I will be sharing that at my Facebook Fan Page next week.

After finishing a stay at Starbucks lounge to rest up, we walked by the Hall H line, up the pavement past Halls G, F, etc., until we came to the crossing to the 5th Avenue exit.  We then went to Tinfish, where we had the same fried fish burrito I had on Wednesday that I posted about.   The restaurant was extremely busy, (great pricing!), and we took turns going to get a photo taken at the Blacklist booth.

Leaving there we took in the Nerd HQ inside of Petco Park.  It was busy, although there really wasn't much of interest to me.  By now it was past 5:30 pm, and I really wanted to see the 'Vikings' area, so we hoofed it to 2nd Avenue.  We arrived there just at 6 PM and they had just closed it down for the day, with hundreds of people inside waiting to get their photos taken in costume on a Viking warship.  Looked like fun, but not for us due to the closing of the venue.

We then walked back to Tinfish / Blacklist, and came across two more areas that were also closed down for the day.  I shot a couple of photos of Assain Creed Unity.

Stopping at the Omni Hotel, I shot a few pics outside the windows of Petco Park.

We left at 7 PM, and had seen if not actually been interactive with, the majority of the Off Site Events outside of the San Diego Convention Center.

Quite honestly, I can now see why people are told to check out the Off-Site activities, as first of all you DON'T have to have a Comic-Con badge to get involved, and we saw a LOT of folks with four day badges partaking in these activities also.

Myself, I've always stayed inside the convention center from early morning to late evening, as the cost of joining the con has been so high priced in recent years, and quite honestly there is enough programming inside for me to stay throughout the day & night.

But... Trust me, after checking out this year's Off-Site Activities, you don't have to have a Comic-Con badge to have fun outside of the San Diego Convention Center!

Oh, and here is the link to the special photo album from yesterday, as posted at my Facebook Fan Page.

Today, without a badge for Saturday, I slept in, and after posting this blog and uploading the photos, I am going to get ready for the final day of the con, Sunday, which I have a badge to get into.

Thanks for reading this, and if you are in San Diego this weekend... Check out the Off-Site Activities that don't cost you anything to participate, other than finding parking!

~Michael 

NOTE FROM Michael D Hamersky On Comics:  My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts, now at 4,004 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!   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!!!

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'll find under the BIG TOP of Comics, at Comic Books Circus.com!     

Web Page Note:  This blog post is written per the IE Browser standards.  Chrome, Safari, Netscape, Firefox and the other browsers serve the page up slightly 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:  Your computer's resoulution may be set differently, but the above resolution is the most commonly used resolution at the time of this blog post. 

NOTE: All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

Comics Creators: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email or mail us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to my blog readers. Including YOUR own works! To mail printed items to me for possible review, just contact me. 

 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!

---------------            

      

In Addition, I started a YouTube Channel just before the 2011 Comic-Con International, where I am slowly uploading videos from conventions or other events that we attend that are also pop culture related.  You are invited to 'subscribe' to that channel also!  As found at 'HamerskyOnComics'!

---

Michael D Hamersky On Comics Shares His Thoughts On...   Spending His Birthday At The 2014 Comic-Con International

TODAY'S FEATURE IS BLOG #4003 -    I have been blogging about the 2014 Comic-Con International this week.  About the fact for the first time since 1991 I don't have tickets for all the days of the convention.  Just for the first and last days of the con.

Well, yesterday was also my Birthday. (Thanks to all of you that posted Birthday greetings on my Facebook pages!).

Which I spent mostly in lines!

I arrived at the San Diego Convention Center at 6:30 am and proceeded to continue to walk to the end of the line for thosw wanting to secure badges for the day.   Would you believe that line sprawled around the convention center to the parking lot and then behind the Marriott?!   Sheesh!

Well that line was crossed and I then proceeded to go to line for Ballroom 20.  Yeah, I do enjoy some of the TV shows thatare presented there.  That was a long line also!  Not as long as several years in the past, but after spending time in line just to get in... I was through with lines!

I stayed to see the programs for '24', 'Under The Dome' and 'Scorpion', then proceeded to grab some lunch, check out the San Diego Comic Fest table on the Mezzannine and check out Artists Alley on the exhibit floor.

The highlight of the show for me was spending time at Allen Bellman's table in Artists Alley, who was with his wife Roz, and daughter in law Kathy.   That was the most fun I had at yesterday's con.  Great Birthday Present to myself!

I also took in the Batman '66 program, which was a commercial for the upcoming DVD set for the TV Show.  It was fun seeing Adam West, Burt Ward, and Julie Newmar!   I've already purchased a bootleg of the series so that I could write my chapter in the book, 'Gotham City 14 Miles' of which I am a co-author, so the set has to be better.  Per the stars and the clips that were previewed for the audience at Hall H, it does look pretty good!

One strange program in the evening I attended was 'The Lost 1978 Comic Book Documentary'.  That was a good film, and I will fill you in on later in this Blog.

The night ended with my attending Ric Meyers' Superhero Kung Fu Extravaganza.  He had mechanical problems with showing the clips, so I ended up leaving earlier than originally planned...

All in all, I had 'highs' and 'lows' for this first day... It just didn't seem the same to me...

I'm listing the link here to the photos that I took yesterday. 

Gotta post this and the pics, and get on the way to check out the off site activities happening today, as I can't get into the convention center.  More later!

~Michael 

NOTE FROM Michael D Hamersky On Comics:  My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts, now at 4,003 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!   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!!!

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'll find under the BIG TOP of Comics, at Comic Books Circus.com!     

Web Page Note:  This blog post is written per the IE Browser standards.  Chrome, Safari, Netscape, Firefox and the other browsers serve the page up slightly 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:  Your computer's resoulution may be set differently, but the above resolution is the most commonly used resolution at the time of this blog post. 

NOTE: All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

Comics Creators: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email or mail us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to my blog readers. Including YOUR own works! To mail printed items to me for possible review, just contact me. 

 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!

---------------            

      

In Addition, I started a YouTube Channel just before the 2011 Comic-Con International, where I am slowly uploading videos from conventions or other events that we attend that are also pop culture related.  You are invited to 'subscribe' to that channel also!  As found at 'HamerskyOnComics'!

---

Michael D Hamersky On Comics Presents His Take On...   Preview Day (Not Preview Night) At The 2014 Comic-Con International

TODAY'S FEATURE IS BLOG #4002 -    In Blog #4000 I mentioned that I would be attending Comic-Con International on Preview Day / Night.   Although I didn't have a badge for Preview Night.

Well.. I just arrived back home after spending several hours there in San Diego.  From 10 am to 5pm.  I wanted share a few notes with you and the photos that I shot today.

Here's are the notes:

Parking was a little easier today, due to the fact that I arrived early. Of course I couldn't park in the pre-sold parking areas that Ace Parking had for Comic-Con.  I was on a cruise in Alaska when those were provided for purchase, so missed out on that.  I'll see what tomorrow brings, as my backup is using the Trolley to get to the Convention Center.

The Bayfront Hilton was busy, and I recognized a few attendees from previous years.  I also stayed a while at the Starbucks there, after obtaining a copy of the Comic-Con Program Book and the Mini-Guide.  

Going back to the convention center I ran into Ray Height, a great artist who is on a couple of panels this year.

I then went across the street into the Gaslamp Quarter to get some lunch.  I passed on the SyFy cafe, didn't know the show that was being promoted and the prices too high for the food in my opinion.

So I went down to the TinFish, which was promoting a different TV show, titled 'Blacklist'.  And man... the food and pricing there was great!  

I then walked around a bit more, ending up at the Petco Interactive zone that was still being built up at 4:30 pm.  It wouldn't open until Thursday. 

So with that, I decided to leave for the day, as I didn't have Preview Night membership.

Definitely found out that Preview Day is just a setting up period.  I usually arrive after 12pm and get in line to go down to the Exhibit Floor, so hadn't seen what was around San Diego off site before this year.

Check out the photos I took today at the special photo album on my Facebook Fan Page to see what is going on during Preview Day.

Oh, and I am looking forward to spending my 62nd birthday at Comic-Con this year, which is tomorrow, Thursday!  More on that in a future blog post.

If you were lucky enough to obtain membership to this year's Comic-Con International... Enjoy yourself!

I do have memberships for Thursday and Sunday, and am planning on checking out the off site events going on during Friday and Saturday.

~Michael 

NOTE FROM Michael D Hamersky On Comics:  My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts, now at 4,002 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!   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!!!

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'll find under the BIG TOP of Comics, at Comic Books Circus.com!     

Web Page Note:  This blog post is written per the IE Browser standards.  Chrome, Safari, Netscape, Firefox and the other browsers serve the page up slightly 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:  Your computer's resoulution may be set differently, but the above resolution is the most commonly used resolution at the time of this blog post. 

NOTE: All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

Comics Creators: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email or mail us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to my blog readers. Including YOUR own works! To mail printed items to me for possible review, just contact me. 

 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!

---------------            

      

In Addition, I started a YouTube Channel just before the 2011 Comic-Con International, where I am slowly uploading videos from conventions or other events that we attend that are also pop culture related.  You are invited to 'subscribe' to that channel also!  As found at 'HamerskyOnComics'!

---

Michael D Hamersky On Comics Presents His Take On...   The Comic-Con Advance Party At The Old Spaghetti Factory!

TODAY'S FEATURE IS BLOG #4001 -    In Blog #4000 I mentioned I would be attending an Advance Party before the 2014 Comic-Con started. 

It was called the "Comic-Con Advance Party at the old Spaghetti Factory" that Greg Koudoulian was hosting. It was being held in the upstairs bar at the Old Spaghetti Factory on Fifth Avenue.  Parking suggested at a garage at 6th & K Streets. 

I arrived there at 7:30 pm after walking the streets checking out what was going on for late setup for the Comic-Con.

I had brought my camera along also.  Those photos & those taken at the Advance Party can be found at my Facebook Fan Page' special photo album, as seen at this link.

Will Lund was already there, and so was Robert Doty.  I sat down with them, and we talked about the upcoming Comic-Con.  Robert had a special position at this year's Con.  Will had been with the Con in the early 1970s.

There were more persons arriving at 8PM when the party officially started.  Of course I saw Greg Koudoulian, and he had invited a photographer from Washington DC to attend.  His name was Bruce Guthrie, and he has already 'tagged' me on Facebook with last night's photos.

Others that I met there included Giovanna Salas and William Schanes.

Although the final turnout was small, it was a good start for this year's Comic-Con.  I'm looking forward as to what today will bring for me, as I don't have a Preview Night ticket. I'll share with what I come up with today later....

~Michael 

NOTE FROM Michael D Hamersky On Comics:  My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts, now at 4,001 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!   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!!!

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'll find under the BIG TOP of Comics, at Comic Books Circus.com!     

Web Page Note:  This blog post is written per the IE Browser standards.  Chrome, Safari, Netscape, Firefox and the other browsers serve the page up slightly 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:  Your computer's resoulution may be set differently, but the above resolution is the most commonly used resolution at the time of this blog post. 

NOTE: All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

Comics Creators: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email or mail us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to my blog readers. Including YOUR own works! To mail printed items to me for possible review, just contact me. 

 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!

---------------            

      

In Addition, I started a YouTube Channel just before the 2011 Comic-Con International, where I am slowly uploading videos from conventions or other events that we attend that are also pop culture related.  You are invited to 'subscribe' to that channel also!  As found at 'HamerskyOnComics'!

---