At this year's San Diego Comic Con International there was a series of 'How-To' programs in Room 18 in lieu of a different series that was retired!

The Art Auction was the series that was retired at the Con.  It was replaced by this 'How-To' series of programs which were presented by many of the same artists that would create works before your eyes at the Art Auction.

There were actually artists AND writers presenting in this series this year.  Besides Jason there were other top notch creators at this series, including Adam Huges, Arthur Sudyam, and Charles Vess among others!

I would have taken in more of these programs, but the room itself is tucked at the end of the Mezzanine Floor on the second level. Beside the long lines for other programs, this room is tough to get to unless you are looking for additional food options... Plus knowing that the room's seating arrangements were extremely limited, I would have to get there early for seating.

However I did want to definitely see what I could of this program by Jason.  That's because Jason was recently nominated for two Harvey Awards!  One as 'Best Artist' and the other nomination for 'Best Graphic Album'!

The room was a little on the small side, but it was an intimate enough of a setting that you felt right at home watching Jason sketch away and get caught up in his enthusiasm...

For those of you that are interested in how artists work, this was a good example of how one does it.  I would recommend you taking in at least one of these more insightful programs if you are attending the SDCC in 2010! 

Jason also had a table in Artists Alley, of which I may blog more of later.  In the meantime you can check out more of his work at: http://www.jasonkruse.com

BTW, unless we are on site all day and night during a three day or longer comic con... we do blog daily on comic book creators, comic book reviews, and pop culture news and events!  Check out our daily blog posts, new listings of comics, graphic novels, Comic Con exclusives and more pop culture items for sale in our online eBay Featured Store! 

Thanks again to all of YOU reading our current and archived blog posts!!  

Wow - if they had rolled with this theme from the beginning, the show would never have been in jeopardy!

I say this as someone who isn't a Joss Whedon fan - don't get up in arms, I don't mean I don't like him.  I'm just not a follower. 

Michael and I started watching the show because we'd heard a lot about it at last year's SDCC. I found it rather annoying, like Charlie's Angels for the new millenium.  What were these hot girls going to have to dress up for this week?  Would they be kick-butt operatives or hookers, again...Yawn.

We stuck with it simply because there was nothing else on, and we were too tired to do anything else on a Friday night!  I know, we're boring.

The show got more interesting as it explored the ethics and mystery of the Dollhouse.  But, then they lost me with the hyper-violence of the return of Alpha.  I still don't understand what that was all about.

Now, having seen the "never-before-seen" episode (filmed as the show's swan song), I'm back in the Dollhouse fold.

"Epitaph One" opens in 2019 with "actuals" (non-imprinted humans) are being hunted by the imprinted, which seems to be everyone.  Technology has allowed the imprinting to spread from human to human and the only way to stay safe is to get underground and cut off from any tech.

We follow a small group of "actuals" who seek refuge in what was the Dollhouse.  By finding and activating the chair, we learn, in a series of flashbacks, what caused this apocalypse. It all felt a lot like the latest Terminator movie - set in the future...humans tormented by evil technology...can they change the past?...Lots of great twists...I loved it.

 ~ Tina LoSasso (Guest Blogger)

BTW, unless we are on site all day and night during a three day or longer comic con... we do blog daily on comic book creators, comic book reviews, and pop culture news and events!  Check out our daily blog posts, new listings of comics, graphic novels, Comic Con exclusives and more pop culture items for sale in our online eBay Featured Store! 

And yes, 'Dollhouse' doesn't currently have a comic book or graphic novel.  Unlike so many other TV shows like 'Fringe', 'EUReKA', and others.  But with Josh Whedon involved in so many comic books projects, I thought you wouldn't mind reading a blog post about his TV show here in our Blog!  Especially since I have a deadline to meet on a writing assignment for an upcoming book!  Thanks Tina for blogging today!

AND Thanks again to all of YOU reading our current and archived blog posts!!  

It's the END of another SDCC, which marked the 40th Anniversary of this Comic-Con!

I would say 'comic convention', but this year even more so than the other ones since 2001, it was more of a pop culture / Hollywood convention.  Especially IF YOU had to go to a popular TV Show / Film program.  It was like two different cons this year for me...

Tina had a few TV Show related programs that she HAD to see, and with more attendees than ever caring just for THOSE same programs, the lines were outrageously long.  Multiple attendees were disappointed in not even getting into the back of the rooms!

In fact the line for Saturday's 1st program 'LOST' @ 11AM in Hall 'H" was several hundreds of people long already when we arrived at 5AM.  There were multiple tents in the first row where they had camped out overnight.  This was nothing in respect to those that came only for the IRON MAN 2 program that didn't even START until 4PM later on in the day in the same Hall!  That's because the Con folks still don't clear out the room between panels/programs!

Sunday's morning line to get in to the building itself was all the way down to the end of the street past Hall 'H'.  This is not normal folks!  Usually Sunday is a quieter day to get in to the building. Not this year!

That was because the SMALLVILLE program was starting in Room 6 BCF @ 10:30 AM.  It appeared that most were also there for the following program on SUPERNATUAL that started at 11:45 AM. Which was good for those attendees that they didn't have to wait for one or more programs in between.

However the problem here was that after standing in line to get in to the building, they had to semi-run to the staging area on the other side of the 'Sails' pavilion to stand in another line to get into the largest of the regular program rooms...

Needless to say, there was a LOT of complaining going on in lines this year.  More than I have ever personally heard since the 1990's when the Comic Con first moved over to the San Diego Convention Center.  Repeatedly I heard from con goers that the rooms should be CLEARED between programs!  (Upon re-reading this post before publishing, that appears to be my 'theme' from this year's Con...)

Because of the lines and the non-clearing of the rooms, Tina and I had to forgo attending the exhibit floor as much as we wanted to on Friday and Saturday.  Our apologies to those creators that we missed this year!  As to the ones we saw, several mentioned how Friday was not as busy as it usually was in their area.  I explained what I saw upstairs at the program rooms. 

However, Tina was very happy with the All of the programs that were TV or Film oriented. She will be blogging about them in the near future in this Blog.  Stay Tuned!

She was disappointed in the marketing / promotion / industry panels / programs she attended, as there wasn't enough information presented in the ones she attended.  They were basically PR programs even though the program titles / topics indicated otherwise.  According to her, others that were attempting to break into the industry also expressed similar opinions when leaving the rooms...

As for myself, I enjoyed celebrating my Birthday once again at the the Comic-Con!  I had to have back-up plans for my back-up programs for the programs I really wanted to see.  As several of those were too popular with the other attendees to even get into... 

Once either we or I got into a a popular room or hall, Tina and I felt we had to stay in it to justify the long wait to get into it!  However because of that situation we did get to see the first episode of 'V' which is really good!  We are adding that to our 'watch' list for the upcoming TV Season!

I've taken many photos of comic creators, costumed attendees, and exhibits, which I will be sharing in the weeks to come, along with my thoughts on those topics.  Plus I picked up a lot of hard copy comics that I will be reviewing here!

Even thought it was a LOT tougher to make it through Comic-Con this year then pre 2001 years, it is a CON that YOU've got to take in @ Least ONCE in YOUR lifetime!  Just to say You've done it!

And Yeah, even though we both had problems with this year's Comic-Con, we have already purchased our 4 day + preview night memberships for 2010!  

(That's more because it's a tradition for me, since this was the first con ever for me as an attendee back in 1970, while Tina has been attending SDCC since we were dating back in 2001.) 

BTW, unless we are onsite all day and night during a three day or longer comic con... we do blog daily on comic book creators, comic book reviews, and pop culture news and events!  Check out our daily blog posts, new listings of comics, graphic novels, Comic Con exclusives and more pop culture items for sale in our online eBay Featured Store! 

Thanks again to all of YOU reading our current and archived blog posts!!  

"Hammering Out the Web For You Since May 12th, 1998!"   Note: If you work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works! To mail printed items to us for review, send to: Make It So Marketing Inc PO Box 130653 Carlsbad, CA 92013

Thank You For Being One Of This Blog's NOTE:  This blog post is written for the IE Browser standards. Netscape, Firefox and the others serve the page up differently. The screen display resolution is best seen at the setting of 1024 x 768. All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners. CONVENTION TIP:  If you are going as a couple, be sure to remember to have photos taken of both of you several times by strangers. That's because you may become so busy snapping pics of everyone else you may forget to have pics taken of you two to remember the Con by!  And then your significant other will remember that for a long time after you get home and sees none of the two of you there... LOL!    Below are Tina and Michael in front of the Iron Man and Doctor Doom models at the 2009 San Diego Comic Con International held at the Convention Center in San Diego, California. If you are a Facebook member and want to join my Facebook Network, feel free to send a 'friend request' to 'Michael D Hamersky'.

Yesterday I Ended My Blog Series On Creators And Exhibitors that will be at the 2009 San Diego Comic Con International, AND whom I thought You should make a point to stop in at and see...

At the same time I mentioned that several of them were also attending as guests on panels or having special programs of their own at the Comic-Con.

I have been asked what panels / programs I am going to, and thought it might be fun to blog a selected few here, so as to let my blog readers know what I am interested in seeing there!

Oh... and my wife, Tina, is joining me at Comic Con for the 9th straight year! Tina's worked in publishing and marketing for over 20 years so she'll be attending many of the industry business panels. But, she'll be sure not to miss the programming for some of her favorite shows like LOST and 24. She's also hoping to get into Hall H to see the Iron-Man 2 panel. Look for reports to come in our blog.

So shown by day / time order, these are the programs I have scheduled to attend by myself, or overlap with Tina, with attending some or all of the panel / program listed.  There's always overlap in programs times it appears! Plus there are others I'd like to attend, but those are marked (?) on my non-published list as I want to be on the exhibit floor more this year in the Artists Alley and Small Press Area!

THURSDAY JULY 23RD:

10:30-11:30 Tripwire Magazine— The staff of Tripwire, Britain's premiere comics culture magazine, discuss genre fiction, comics, movies and more. Join Joel Meadows (editor-in-chief), Andy Grossberg (U.S. editor), and Pat McGreal for a rousing chat. Room 3

11:00-12:30 Secret Origins of Comic-Con — How did it all begin? Those who were there in 1969 (most of them teenagers at the time!) have the behind-the-scenes story of the very first meetings, the first mini-con, and the first Golden State Comic-Con at the U.S. Grant in 1970. Panelist include Richard Alf, Barry Alfonso, Greg Bear, Dave Clark, Roger Freedman, Ken Krueger, Scott Shaw!, and Mike Towry, with William R. Lund as moderator. Room 2

12:30-2:00 Comic-Con in the '70s— In its first decade Comic-Con was put on by a dedicated group of volunteers who managed to build a national reputation for the show. How did they get those great guests? Are those stories about the shark repellant in the El Cortez pool really true? Hear from the committee members who have all the inside info on what those early years were like: Wendy All, Maeheah Alzmann,  Richard Butner, Vicky Kelso-Goulart, Gene Henderson, and Charlene Brinke Stevens, with Jackie Estrada as moderator. Room 2 

2:00-3:00 How-To Session: Jason Cruse—  Jason T. Kruse is not only a veteran of the prestigious CalArts in sunny Southern California, he is also a maker of fine comic books, including The World of Quest. Jason has worked in animation on such films as The Barnyard, Stuart Little, and Cats and Dogs, as well as animating and storyboarding various pilots for companies such as Disney and Nickelodeon. At Quicksilver he was the character animator on four games, including the recently released Master of Orion 3 and Cashflow 101 and 202, as well as numerous games for the U.S. Army. He works at Helixe Studio outside of Boston on the handheld Nintendo adaptations of Pixar's next films. Jason will cover the creative process for making comic books for young readers. Room 18 

3:30-5:00 Golden and Silver Age of Comics— A Comic-Con tradition: the yearly gathering and discussion of the clan of some of the finest comic book creators ever to put pen or typewriter to paper! This year's panel—moderated by Mark Evanier—includes Comic-Con special guests Murphy Anderson (Hawkman), Gene Colan (Tomb of Dracula), Ramona Fradon (Aquaman), Russ Heath (The Haunted Tank), Jack Katz (The First Kingdom), Jerry Robinson (Batman), and Leonard Starr (Mary Perkins On Stage). Both Katz and Starr, known best for their underground comix and comic strip work, respectively, also worked in comics in the Golden and Silver Ages. The stories these people can tell are the stuff of legend...be a part of the yearly magic of this panel. Room 8 

5:30-6:30 All-Stars of Comics Podcasting— Comics podcasting has grown from a novelty to a force within the industry, providing an outlet for reviews, interviews, news and general entertainment for comic book fans. Comic book podcasting veterans Jimmy Aquino (Comics News Insider), Charlito (Indie Spinner Rack), Brian "Pants" Christman (Comic Geek Speak), Bob Bretall (Comic Book Page—who will be giving away comics to the first 200 people to attend the panel), and Ron Richards (iFanboy) discuss the future of comics podcasting. You never know what may happen in podcasting, so be sure to come as some surprise guests may be appearing! Plus this is your chance to meet and talk to your favorite podcasters! Room 32AB 

7:00-8:00 The Antidote Trust— The Antidote Trust (TAT), America's premiere indie collective, share more input on how they continue to produce comics that rival "the big boys" in quality, marketing, and distribution. Determined to do your own thing with the highest levels of professionalism? TAT can help you realize this goal. All members of TAT are strictly independent companies, producing comics, apparel, action figures—nearly everything in the industry. Panelists include B. Paul Husband, Esq. (general counsel for ASIFA-Hollywood), Lance Stahlberg (director, Haven Distributors), Richard Hamilton (Miserable Dastards), Andre Owens (Force Galaxia), Dani Dixon (13), Dale Wilson (Magnificent Creatures), Robert Roach (Menthu), and Paul Fusco (Soldiers of the Dead). Moderated by Geoffrey Thorne (Star Trek: Titan, Sword of Damocles). Room 5AB 

8:15-11:15 Superhero Kung-Fu Extravaganza—  Back by popular demand for a record 11th year! Martial art movie master Ric Meyers (Inside Kung-Fu) brings you eye-popping, jaw-dropping, all-new film fight action. You never know who might drop by, but even if only you do, it'll be unforgettable. Room 6BCF 

FRIDAY JULY 24TH:

10:00-11:00 How-To Session: Tom Hodges—  Tom Hodges attended the Art Institute of Philadelphia, where he majored in computer/traditional animation. He left for the West Coast and took film classes in San Francisco, then worked for a few years doing freelance artwork before he was picked up as a regular working on licensed artwork for Lucasfilm. He is currently finishing up work on a graphic novel for Platinum Studios, Secret Identities, written by Marv Wolfman. Hodges is the creator of a three-issue miniseries, M. Top that off with random work for Star Wars Insider, daily webstrips for Lucasfilm, and other work, and Tom is a very busy artist. He will present information on working on daily comics in a web environment. Room 18 

11:00-12:00 Spotlight on Gene Colan— He's the dean of comic book artists, the master of shadows and a hallmark of the Marvel Age of Comics! Comic-Con special guest Gene Colan is back at the big show, talking with Mark Evanier and co-host Marv Wolfman about his legendary career in comics. Room 8 

2:15-3:00 24—  The Fox series 24 is coming off its most critically acclaimed season in years. Stars Kiefer Sutherland, Mary Lynn Rajskub and new cast members Anil Kapoor and Katee Sackhoff join showrunnner Howard Gordon and the producers of the Emmy-winning series for a special sneak peek at the heart-stopping premiere episode of Season 8 Ballroom 20 

3:15-4:15 Eureka—  Eureka is back this summer with all new episodes, and Salli Richardson-Whitfield (Allison Blake), Erica Cerra (Jo Lupo), Neil Grayston (Douglas Fargo), and Jaime Paglia (executive producer/co-creator) are stopping by to let you in on the fun. Moderated by Josh Gates (Destination Truth). Room 6BCF 

SATURDAY JULY 25th:

11:00-12:00 Lost: The Final Season Begins, with Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse—  In appreciation of all the fan support through five seasons of Lost, co-creator/executive producer Damon Lindelof and executive producer Carlton Cuse will pay homage to all the fans at their final Comic-Con appearance for Lost. Questions will be answered. Fun will be had. And you won't want to miss the surprises in store for the audience! Hall H 

3:00-4:30 Scott Shaw!: Oddball Comics—  Now regularly seen in the pages of Geek Monthly, cartoonist Scott Shaw! (Captain Carrot and the Final Ark, Bart Simpson Comics) brings back his ever-popular digital slide show featuring "the craziest comic books ever published!" See why Stan Lee said, "Wow, True Believers, I thought I'd seen it all, but Scott Shaw's hysterically hilarious Oddball Comics is the wildest, wackiest exposé of some of the craziest comic books I've ever seen! Or, to put it mildly, Scott's outrageous opuses are a blast!" Room 7AB 

4:00-5:00 Fringe Screening and Q&A—  Fringe cast members Anna Torv (upcoming The Pacific), Josh Jackson (Shutter), and John Noble (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King) appear with consulting producers Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen) and executive producers Jeff Pinkner (Lost) and J. H. Wyman (Keen Eddie) for a Q&A with fans and an exclusive video presentation. Join the discussion of this critically acclaimed thriller, which explores the ever-blurring line between science fiction and reality, where hybrid monsters tear through sewers, thieves walk through walls and portals open to worlds unknown. From Bad Robot Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television, Fringe airs Thursdays at 9:00 PM ET/PT this fall on FOX, premiering September 17. Fringe: The Complete First Season will be released on DVD and Blu-ray Hi Def September 8. Ballroom 20 

4:00-5:00 Paramount Pictures and Marvel Entertainment: Iron Man 2— Paramount Pictures and Marvel Entertainment present the sequel to the blockbuster film based on the legendary Marvel superhero Iron Man. Directed by Jon Favreau, Iron Man 2 stars Robert Downey Jr. Joining Downey in the cast are Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell, Jon Favreau, Clark Gregg, John Slattery, Mickey Rourke, and Samuel L. Jackson. Hall H 

SUNDAY JULY 26th:

10:00-11:00 The Annual Jack Kirby Tribute Panel— Fifteen years ago, Jack Kirby left us, but his vision and creations live on to inspire everyone who comes into contact with his work. Mark Evanier (author, Kirby: King of Comics) moderates this annual tribute to the King. Joining Mark this year will be actor Bill Mumy, Kirby inker Mike Royer, editor Steve Saffel, and members of the legendary "5-String Mob," a group of Comic-Con founding members who Kirby immortalized in the pages of Jimmy Olsen: Barry Alfonso, Roger Freedman, William R. Lund, Scott Shaw!, and Mike Towry. Room 4

11:00-12:00 How to Draw Star Wars for Kids— Lucasfilm's Bonnie Burton (You Can Draw: Star Wars) and artist Katie Cook (The Clone Wars webcomic) help kids draw fun Star Wars characters. Lucas Online senior editor Bonnie Burton edits the drawing tutorials and craft projects, which can be found at Starwars.com/kids. Artist Katie Cook (Katiecandraw.com) has done licensed art for Star Wars, DC, Marvel, Heroes, and Lord of the Rings. She often dreams of being a Wookiee, which explains why she could use a haircut. Room 30CDE

Please Note: There are a LOT of other programs I have marked as wanting to see... but have not listed above.  Depending on how fast we are able to navigate the exhibit floor with all the booths, and then spend quality time in Artists Alley and Small Press Area; will allow me to see other programs that I have interest in.  The above panels / programs are the ones that are on my 'Must See List'.  And yeah, I know that some of them conflict time-wise with each other. Plus forget about getting into Hall 'H' easily, LOL!

BTW, if you are not one of the 125,000+ persons that are attending this great comic book & pop culture convention this month, then you could take a look at the Con's web site to see what other panels / programs there are for this year: http://www.comic-con.org/ 

However, if you are attending  the San Diego Comic Con International THIS WEEK, then I suggest you think ahead and hi-lite on your program map the booths, tables, panels and programs that interest You.  You'll be glad You did, so that you don't miss them while you are there.  It's just like Disneyland at this Con... You can't see it all in One Day, or Even 4 1/2 Days of this event!

Please Note:  Days and Times of signings /programs / panels / doors opening etc., are subject to change at any convention, so double check that when you get there!  There is a daily updated printed schedule that is available onsite!

For those that don't know... the 2009 SDCC / CCI-SD is being held at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. 

The address is: 111 W Harbor Dr, San Diego, CA.  Dates of the Con are from July 23rd through July 26th, with a Preview Night July 22nd for 4 day Badge Members Only!  However as this blog post 'goes to press' ALL memberships have been SOLD OUT already!

BTW, unless we are onsite all day and night during a comic con... we do blog daily on comics and pop culture news and events!  Check out our daily blog posts, new listings of comics, graphic novels, Comic Con exclusives and more pop culture items for sale in our online eBay Featured Store! 

Thanks again to all of YOU reading our current and archived blog posts!

  BTW, We are NOT planning on blogging from the San Diego Comic International this year.  We will be posting some photos via mobile to Michael's Facebook member account during the week however...!  

RECAPPING My Series On Creators And Exhibitors that will be at the 2009 San Diego Comic Con International, AND whom I think You should make a point to stop and see...

Are the following persons enumerated in a summary list with 'hot' links to the actual blog posts about what they are displaying / signing / selling at their table or booth:

NAME:

Alan J Porter
Batton Lash
Bob Bretall & John Mayo
Brent Frankenhoff
Derek McCulloch
Jason Kruse
Jeff Balke
Jiba Molei Anderson
Jim Balent & Holly G
Jon Ascher
Kat Cahill
Leah Mangue
Mark Evanier
Mark Poulton
Paul Dale
Scott Shaw
The Antidote Trust
Troy Hasbrouck
William Katt & Michel Paré

I want to thank each of those that participated in this series of blog posts this month... it was fun for me to do!  Looking forward to seeing All of You at the Con, as well as many others that are exhibiting or signing there also!  There are of course others that are deserving to be mentioned, but time and space limitations are keeping me from including everyone that is deserving of a mention at this time! 

I do blog about other cons so keep me in mind if You are a creator and attending a different con later for possible mention in my Blog!

BTW, The Comic-Con is celebrating its' 40th Anniversary!  As I have mentioned in previous blog posts, I attended the first con, missed the second, but started selling at the third con while going to college. 

The 3rd San Diego's West Coast Comic-Con, (renamed), was held August 18-20th, 1972 at the El Cortez Hotel, (it was a Hotel in those days, not the Condos it is today). It was on the last day of the Con that I bought out a dealer's complete stock as he wanted to leave early, and sold comics from the table he had been selling from! It was a little impromptu, but I had the cash, and was a business major student in college; so this is how I entered into my first commercial enterprise! And I made a lot of money that day, plus had plenty of comics left over!

BTW, if you are not one of the 125,000+ persons that are attending this great comic book and pop culture convention this month, then you could take a look at the Con's web site to see what else there is for this year: 

http://www.comic-con.org/   

However, if you are attending  the San Diego Comic Con International THIS WEEK, then please find and then hi-lite on your program map all of the above mentioned creators that I have blogged about that interest You.  You'll be glad You did, so that you don't miss them while you are there!

Please Note:  Days and Times of signings /programs / panels / doors opening etc., are subject to change at any convention, so double check that when you get there!  There is a daily updated printed schedule that is available onsite!

For those that don't know... the 2009 SDCC / CCI-SD is being held at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. 

The address is: 111 W Harbor Dr, San Diego, CA.  Dates of the Con are from July 23rd through July 26th, with a Preview Night July 22nd for 4 day Badge Members Only!  However as this blog post 'goes to press' ALL memberships have been SOLD OUT already!

BTW, unless we are onsite all day & night during a comic con... we do blog daily on comics and pop culture news and events!  Check out our daily blog posts, new listings of comics, graphic novels, Comic Con exclusives and more pop culture items for sale in our online eBay Featured Store! 

Thanks again to all of YOU reading our current and archived blog posts!

  BTW, We are NOT planning on blogging from the San Diego Comic International this year.  We will be posting some photos via mobile to Michael's Facebook member account during the week however...!