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Being on a budget, I was not able to splurge on many crazy purchases this year. My one big project was to get the official 40th Anniversary HC San Diego Comic-Con book signed by as many people whose work I enjoy as possible. Here are the results of that adventure…
On top of that project, I did make a couple of purchases…most notably, this Bill Sienkiewicz sketch of Elektra:
Also, this nice drawing of Tony Chew (from the book Chew) by Rob Guillory:
I purchased Stan Sakai’s latest volume of Usagi Yojimbo (#23) which had a sketch inside:
He also gave me a remarked bookplate and sketched on two issues that I brought:
Bill Willingham was autographing printed Fables pages:
Robert Kirkman (the writer) signed and sketched in my Walking Dead omnibus:
The Flight crew drew all over my Flight vol. 6:
Mike and Laura Allred signed my copy of the Allred Vault:
Brian Wood drew this sweet sketch!
John K., creator of Ren & Stimpy, drew the 2 characters for me!
And a whole bunch of artists from ZudaComics.com were willing to draw their take on Usagi Yojimbo:
Thanks to everyone who took the time to draw, sign or just talk with me about random stuff again this year. It was fun as usual!
This is it…Sunday…last day of San Diego Comic-Con International 2009! There were just a few things that I really wanted to accomplish, and a lot of wandering around that I wanted to do just to see what I might run into at the last minute. Here is a quick recap of how my Comic-Con experience wrapped up…
The press room was a wonderful oasis of quiet in the mornings before the doors opened when everything outside was insanity:
Free stuff is available at the free stuff tables:
A hat of pickles?
Stuffed thingies:
Lou Ferrigno IS the Incredible Hulk:
A hat of roaches?
A hat of ???
Art Baltazar and Franco won an Eisner…AWESOME!
And it’s time to go…another year at Comic-Con is over:
I’ll post my random acquisitions/autographs/sketches ASAP and then in the next couple of days I’ll try to go back through my photos and post an outtakes entry here with photos that did not make the cut on my first pass. I know a few people have asked about specific things that I might have seen, so I’ll try to dig out some specific things then and post them shortly. Thanks for reading along!
Saturday was a lot of running around, seeing as much as possible that I have been missing and standing in lines that I probably shouldn’t have. Here’s a quick rundown…
John K. again? This is just getting silly…
G4’s Allison Haislip fiddling with my Japanese bubble wrap keychain. I bought the last one right as they were coming up to the booth to do a segment…they asked if they could borrow it.
Hats anyone?
Sergio Aragones signs my 40th anniversary convention book.
Tyrese Gibson loudly hawks his comic book Mayhem all weekend long…
True Blood folks…
More True Blood folks…
Darwyn Cooke, Catwoman, and Adam Hughes:
Transformers…More Than Meets the Eye?
Elvis Trooper:
Me w/Mike and Laura Allred…nice people!
Rob Guillory, artist of Chew.
Ryan Ottley, Robert Kirkman, and Todd McFarlane.
Cheetara
Bill Sienkiewicz.
Sean “Cheeks” Galloway is a nut:
One last stop at In N Out Burger…
More Con tomorrow???
I spent most of Friday in Hall H…the giant hall that holds approximately 6,500 people. I mainly wanted to try to get in to see Hayao Miyazaki who was making a rare U.S. appearance to promote his movie Ponyo, but once I spent about an hour and a half in line to get in and saw what the following panels were about, I decided to stay for a while. I will probably have additional photos to post later when I am able to sort through them, but here are a few highlights…
Before going into Hall H, there was an unscheduled signing with current Playboy cover model and G4’s Olivia Munn…it got out of hand and the SDCC staff came and shut it down, so she moved it outside. It was pretty interesting. I shot some, but here’s one where she’s giving me a crazy look:
Then it was off to Hall H and Miyazaki:
He was presented with an Inkpot Award by the SDCC folks:
One of the other panels featured Tim Burton and a film that he is (I believe) producing called 9:
Another panel included footage of the Peter Jackson produced District 9. I was able to see the first ever screening of this film on Thursday and it is OUTSTANDING! Check it out! I was surprised at how much footage they showed at the panel…kind of gave away too much info about the plot I thought. I’m glad I had already seen it, but I guess if you don’t know what’s going on, maybe it won’t hurt too much. Here’s a photo I shot of Peter Jackson moments before making his Comic-Con debut:
You never know what you’re going to see on the trolly at the end of a day at Comic-Con:
More to come…2 more days of this madness!
So, today (Thursday) is actually the first full day of Comic-Con…here are the photos:
District 9 advertisement:
Honky Tonk Man & a Bushwacker:
The Prisoner…a show coming this November:
They stole my identity at the Prisoner booth and gave me this card…I blacked out all of the info…don’t want any of my remaining identity getting out…
Robert Kirkman writes AND draws zombies!
Iron Man Hall of Armor:
Suicide GIrls…for Nathan:
Blair Butler talks toys:
BSG folks:
Green Hornet’s Black Beauty:
Sculpting Wolverine:
2 more puts me at 5…I don’t think I’m going to reach Kevin’s estimate, but I’m trying…
More tomorrow!
Interrupting the regularly scheduled guide to bring you photo updates of what has been happening while actually doing Comic-Con on the cheap. Tonight was Preview Night…just a few hours of picking up passes and running around the Convention Hall floor trying to get oriented and accomplish a few things. I do not have much time as I’m trying to get these posted and then get back out there to see more and shoot more photos, so the descriptions will be brief.
For Brad:
John K., creator of Ren & Stimpy, drew for me!
Michael Jackson’s light up glove is on display:
2 In N Out burgers puts me up to 3 so far for the trip!
More tomorrow!
The day before leaving for San Diego is important. Last minute details need to be arranged…more than with just a typical vacation. Things to remember to pack:
• Backpack – You will get free bags at many booths, but a backpack is best for hands-free exploring.
• Poster tube – Even if you do not want them, you will end up with free posters. Bring a poster tube.
• Sketchbook – Just bring one…you never know when someone will offer to draw you a doodle.
• Books, comics, etc. – Whatever you want to get autographed. Check to see who will be in attendance.
• Comfortable shoes – The convention center is HUGE! Be comfortable or be in pain.
• iPod, PDA, NintendoDS, etc. – You will be in lines often. Bring something to keep yourself entertained.
• Digital Camera – You will constantly run into people and things that you will want to remember.
The big thing is to be prepared for the event. Once you have done it once or twice, you will know what to expect and know how to plan ahead, but you will always run into the unexpected. Having generic items like sketchbooks or cameras available make for nice options in case you run into your favorite artist or actor on the convention floor and just do not have anything specific for them to sign. Instead of missing out on an opportunity, at least you can get an autograph or a photo with them.
There are lots of free items handed out throughout the convention, and it all starts to add up throughout the day. If you do not have a backpack, you will end up with one (or multiple) bags, but as they grow heavier with loot, it can be burdensome. A good, comfortable backpack is a lifesaver, especially if you are spending the whole week at Comic-Con.
One of the popular freebies tends to be the poster. If you do not bring a poster tube, buy the end of the day, your roll of posters can be a mangled mess. Very few booths have rubber bands, but a few smart ones have started selling poster tubes…at a large markup. Bring your own and save a good deal of money!
I’m leaving for San Diego tomorrow. I may or may not have an update as most of the day will be spent on travel and with family, getting established in town and preparing for Wednesday.
My first year at San Diego Comic-Con International was 2003. I have attended each year since then except for 2006 when we were having some extreme financial difficulties and travel of any sort was completely out of the question. This year, if we had not purchased my plane ticket prior to cat health problems, a vehicle burglary resulting in a broken window and stolen car stereo, and a myriad of other monetary issues, I likely would not be going again. But, with a lot of assistance, we’re still pretty broke, but I should be getting on an airplane bound for San Diego (with one short layover) this Tuesday.
Over the last few days, I’ve tried to find a “How To” guide on attending the Convention on an extreme budget. Things to do, what to see, what you can basically do and how to do it without spending money at a place designed to empty your pockets and bank account. I have not been able to find one. So, I figured I might as well take a stab at blogging my journey through Comic-Con as cheaply as possible.
As you can tell from the title’s “Day -1″ indicator, I am getting a jump start on things. I knew if I waited until I was actually in San Diego, I’d just put this all off until after the convention and then I would never get around to it, so hopefully starting early will motivate me to continue blogging through the next week. Today’s information is about planning ahead…what you need to do to get into the convention, stay in San Diego, park, etc. on the cheap.
First, if you’ve tried to acquire passes recently, you might have seen that they are completely sold out. This has been the case for a couple of months now. You’re definitely going to have to plan in advance if you’re considering attending Comic-Con. The 1-day and 4-day passes are not cheap, though for the amount of entertainment you get out of them, they are a good deal. But there are ways to make the experience even less expensive if you are willing to work or have the right credentials.
If you volunteer at Comic-Con and work a 3-hour shift, you are allowed in for the rest of the day for free! If you volunteer for all 4 days, you get a free t-shirt to boot! Creative professionals can apply for a complimentary registration…have you created anything recently that might qualify you? Retailers can need assistance at their booths…if you know a retailer that is showing at Comic-Con, ask if they could use your help in trade for a pass. These generally go to full time employees, but if you are already planning to be in the area, it might be cheaper for them than flying someone out. Press passes are also available for those who work in the media and are there to cover the convention. Bloggers and online media are welcome to apply!
Finding a place to stay in San Diego can be one of the most difficult and costly parts of coming to Comic Con. Hotels near the convention center fill up almost immediately upon being released to the public. I have been lucky enough in that my wife’s family lives in an area just North of San Diego. It is cheaper to rent a car and drive in each morning than to try to fight the hotel battle. I would almost recommend finding a cheaper place outside of the convention center area and driving in, but everyone has their preferences on this. Some will want to stay close so they can run straight back to their room without the hassle of parking and cars, while others will not mind dealing with busses or taxis. Splitting rooms seems to be a big help for most in cutting costs.
Typically, my wife is with me on our San Diego vacations and she drops me off in the morning at the convention except for the one day out of four that she attends. So we do not have to deal with parking very often, but this year I am making the trip alone, so I am going to have to find a way to cut the parking costs. Parking alone is quite pricey…$15 a day is about what you can expect for anything close to the convention center if I remember correctly. Four main days of the convention plus preview night equals $75 just for parking alone! I really do not have that kind of money to spend this year!
I did some research on ways to cut down on this expense, and San Diego’s Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) – the trolly – has a special Comic-Con schedule. The have a day-pass for $5 and also special rates that include a 4-day pass for $15. So I guess I’ll have to get a 4-day pass as well as a regular 1-day pass to cover the whole show, but that is still only $20 instead of $75 for parking! Yeah, I’ll have to get up earlier and spend some time on the trolly, but when you’re broke, you do what you gotta do 
One side note, and probably a fairly obvious tip…a way to come up with a little bit of spending money for the convention is to sell previously purchased convention exclusive items or other stuff you might have lying around via eBay. I started a couple of weeks ago, just throwing a few things up there at a time…I did not make a ton of money, but what little I have available to spend is all from eBay sales of things I had lying around just taking up space that I did not really need, no longer wanted or could buy again when I have more money.
All right, that is enough for one night. I still need to go over what to pack, where to eat, etc. but that can wait until tomorrow…or later. If you have any questions, feel free to post ‘em.
I just remembered that I shot a couple of panoramas while in Hawaii…I used Autostitch to put them together and here are the results…
This was at Hanauma Bay. It was supposed to be a complete pano, all the way around the bay, but for some reason it’s not working out right in the software and connecting them, so I’m only getting half:
This one was sitting at a bus stop after hiking up to Manoa Falls. I sat at this bus stop for almost an hour just looking at the mountain and rainforest. Nothing really to do while waiting, so I decided to take a bunch of photographs for a pano because it was a nice scene:
I’ve been back for a while, but I’m just now getting around to posting these photos from my last day in Hawaii. I had a great trip, and I think I learned a bit about the place and myself. I’m looking forward to my next opportunity to head out there, whenever that may be.
Here’s a photo of my room at the Waikiki Sand Villa hotel:
I read a lot of reviews before selecting this one. I really had very few requirements…it needed to be close to the location of the conference, it needed to be inexpensive, and it needed to have free, in-room, high-speed internet access. The reviews were mostly positive but several of them said that the place needed to be remodeled, etc. I stayed there for almost a week and I can say that I would recommend it completely to almost anyone.
I had a great time there. The staff was friendly and helpful, the rooms were nice and always tended to. I put a “do not disturb” sign up most of the time because I didn’t need a lot of stuff and didn’t care if it was a mess, and I even had one of the maids stop me in the hall and ask if there was anything she could provide, extra towels, clean glasses, etc. even if I didn’t need her to clean the room. Sure, it could probably use a paint job and some new fixtures here and there, but for a little over $60/night just a couple of blocks from the beach, it was an amazing deal! Do those repair/remodel upgrades that the reviews were complaining about and I would no longer be able to afford to stay here…I like the Waikiki Sand Villa just the way it is
On my last day, I was just wandering around, looking at things that I hadn’t seen before, and one of the places I ended up finding was Bob’s Ukulele:
I just went in because it seemed like an interesting place from the outside and the ukuleles were beautiful and unlike the cheap, mass produced ones I’d seen all around in the gift shops. Inside, I met Wai and we talked for about an hour about Hawaii and Texas and everything in between:
He was a really great guy, willing to explain anything about Hawaii from food to vacationers to recycling to ukuleles and it was all fantastic to discuss. I have about the least amount of musical ability of anyone, but I’m actually interested in owning a ukulele after talking to Wai, not because he was trying to sell me one but because he wasn’t trying to sell me one. He was talking to me about Hawaii and it made me want to own one. That’s a good salesman. Unfortunately, they were quite expensive, so I didn’t get to take one home, but I’ll probably be back to chat with him again in the future, whether I buy a ukulele or not.
For lunch, I was either going to go back to Fatty’s Chinese Kitchen or to this new place that I found out about…Samurai Takoyaki! I’d been wanting to try takoyaki, Japanese fried balls of dough with steamed bits of octopus in the middle, since I heard about them years ago. So I made the decision and went to Samurai Takoyaki:
Here’s what I received with my combo order of fried udon, onion takoyaki and a coke:
I have to say…I was not impressed. It was not at all what I was expecting. From all of the things I’ve seen and heard, I thought it would be a bit crispy on the outside and soft on the inside with the tako (octopus) in the center…what I got was fairly mushy dough with an extremely chewy hunk of tako. Should have stuck with Fatty’s, but at least I tried it. I’ll definitely try it again when in Japan because this just wasn’t what I was expecting.
And finally, this was my ABC Store:
ABC Stores are EVERYWHERE in Waikiki. There’s one on just about every major corner. People joke about how prominent Starbucks locations are, but it’s amazing how many ABC Stores there are in Waikiki. If you pass one up, you will find one again a block later.
These stores are like a combo mini-mart/gift shop and if you have a good one, the people working there will be able to help you with any questions you have about getting around the island. The people at this location were FANTASTIC! I got my bus pass here, they helped me get to Manoa Falls, to Hanauma Bay, and anywhere else I needed to go. It was about a block from Waikiki Sand Villa and just across the street from a major bus stop. It was everything I needed and very helpful.
I have many more photos and I’ll possibly post more in the future as I dig through them, but for now, that’s the end of my trip to Hawaii. I’m already looking forward to returning. I had a wonderful time and I think it was important to have this experience by myself, but it definitely would have been nice to be able to share it with Becky.
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