'Kick-Ass 2' Preview, Mark Millar Says Production On Movie Sequel Is 'Nine Months Away'

If you’ve been eagerly anticipating the sequel to Mark Millar’s hit comic book series Kick-Ass, this is your lucky day... and week, for that matter. Why? Because I have an exclusive sneak peek at Kick-Ass 2 (the comic), courtesy of Millar's new monthly magazine debuting this week, CLiNT. Not only that, I got the scoop on the movie sequel as well.

All of this (and more!) came from an interview I conducted with Millar earlier this week. Head over to MTV Splash Page to read Part 1!

Comic Review - MYTHOI Book I: Birth

When you pick up a book with completely unfamiliar characters, read it straight through without stopping and put it down wanting to know more about everyone and everything involved, I think it's safe to say you've got a winner. That's what happened when I read MYTHOI Book I: Birth from SemantInk Publishing recently.

MYTHOI Book I: Birth is just that. The birth of a vast universe primed to grow into something epic. Here, writer James Ninness and artist Jed Soriano are embarking on a journey set for a full 60-issue run and from the six tales that begin in MYTHOI: Birth, they'll have no problem filling them. The book is hard to explain, yet easy to explain at the same time. After reading writer Michael Fountain's introduction (an epic saga of it's own), I was left in an almost philosophical state of mind as I pondered myth, religion and science. He says mythoi is the plural of mythos, which are the beliefs of a specific cultural group, but in MYTHOI: Birth, MYTHOI are something more specific. The closest comparison I can make is that they are to their specific people as the Titans were to the Greek Gods.

In fact, one of the best parts of MYTHOI: Birth is that even though the characters are unknown, there is still a familiarity in each of their stories that will help you navigate the uncharted territory. For instance, the first MYTHOI we are introduced to, Wiglaf, has ties with not only Cain and Abel but Grendel as well. The second, young Vito, has a reason to hate one Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Harker. The sixth tale, a bonus for this trade paperback by Ninness and artist Yanglyn Ou, will have you looking at Little Red Riding Hood in a whole new light. You get the idea. It's like myths themselves, where civilizations borrow from other civilizations and thousands of years down the road you've got something entirely new.

Jump onto the ground floor of MYTHOI: Birth now, it's gonna be huge. After reading Ninness' afterward I can almost guarantee you that. His stories speak for themselves but his overall intelligence and talent are clear. He's got his finger on the pulse of comic readers everywhere, utilizing just about everything they're after these days - vampires, werewolves, ghosts, gods and even the future.

His choice of artists doubles his efforts. Soriano does an incredible job making each MYTHOI character flow into the next while still managing to give them their own visual identities. In addition, his colors are used to great effect and his action scenes are well choreographed. Yanglyn Ou's work couldn't be more different from Soriano's but her fairy tale look for the sixth story is beyond beautiful and dramatic. The first two issues of the 60-issue run following the TPB are now available for digital download at SemantInk.com, for $0.99 each but pick MYTHOI: Birth up now and find out how this baby came screaming into existence.

Besides the five main stories, the MYTHOI Book I: Birth TPB includes script to page progressions, sketch pieces by Soriano, sketch pieces by the TPB cover artist Kevin Warwick, introduction by Fountain and afterward by Ninness and the previously unreleased MYTHOI Birth tale by Ninness and Ou. It's being sold exclusively at SemantInk.com for $19.99 but there is a $2 discount for pre-orders until Friday, September 10th when the book is officially released.

Ever read comics in public?

Some people feel weird about reading comics in public, possibly because most of the general public thinks they're for children. Whatever the case may be, there's nothing to be ashamed of, unless you're reading Marvel. Just kidding! Do the world a favor today and join lots of others for International Read Comics in Public Day!!

The folks from the Daily Cross Hatch came up with the idea and I have to say, it's simple yet brilliant. Here's the gist:

The concept is fairly simple: we’re asking that everyone take an hour or two out of their day on August 28th (also the birthday of Jack “King” Kirby, incidentally) to read a comic book in a public setting—a park bench, a beach, a bus, the front steps of your local library (we do ask, however, that you be mindful of local loitering laws). Let strangers see you reading a piece of sequential art.

Take to the streets. Be proud. If someone asks what you’re reading, say, “a comic book” (the phrase “graphic novel is also acceptable, but let’s face it, it sort of defeats the whole purpose). Heck, lend them a book, if you’ve got an extra—what better way to make a new friend and convert a new reader?

I told you it was simple! The blog DC Women Kicking Ass (I totally approve of that name.) has taken the concept a bit further with "Women Read Comics In Public." It's nothing different than the event as a whole, they're just encouraging the ladies to get out there in force since, you know, girls don't read comics. ;)

Both sites suggest you having someone take a picture of you in the act as well and sending it to them. The addresses are readcomicsinpublic [at] gmail [dot] com and dcwomenkickingass [at] yahoo [dot] com I say send it to both. You know that's what I'll be doing.

Arkham City Ass

I've expressed my undying affection for Batman before, haven't I? Well it's always fun when my devotion gets kicked up a notch. This time it's thanks to Official Playstation Magazine of the UK. Their September cover gives us a look at the Batman: Arkham Asylum video game sequel, Batman: Arkham City. And they don't call it a teaser image for nothing...

Sure, he looks like he's about to put her down but I'd kill to be in Harley Quinn's position right there. Plus, her altered design rocks. Deputy Editor of the magazine, Leon Hurley had this to say:

Got a diary? Turn to Thursday, September 2nd and write down “Official PlayStation Magazine UK out!” You can’t miss it, it’s got that stunning new piece of Batman: Arkham City art on the cover. And a massive feature on the super-sequel inside. Team OPM UK visited Rocksteady to talk to the team, see the game in action, eat their donuts, and all to bring you UK exclusive info, interviews and screens. As you can see, Harley’s had a makeover. That’s all we can say online, though.

If you haven't played the first game, you are definitely missing out. I'm not even that big into games like this but I bought it because of Batman (of course) and was in awe of how good it was. I want to play it again before the sequel is out and I can't wait to see the kind of images that come from inside the magazine.

This is the September cover (and back) of Game Informer here in the U.S. Click to view this one larger because in the background you get a shot of Two-Face in a mock Uncle Sam pose. And well, Catwoman upside-down and in chains. The alternate cover has her tying him up with her whip. What are they trying to do to me??

You might also want to keep an eye out on Game Informer's Arkham City hub where they're hinting at more info to come this Saturday. My hope against hope? That you get to play as Catwoman. What are you looking forward to from the game?

Hey, That's My Cape! - Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Boys Club

The Expendables took the number one spot at the box office for a second time this past weekend. I guess that means people like to see a bunch of old dudes blowing crap up. I’ll be sure to tell my dad. Or maybe it was just a great movie. Either way, it’s only confirmed what we already knew - that male ensemble cast films make money (i.e. Oceans 11, etc). But is that what we want from our superhero teams?

Throughout the years, the name Joss Whedon has become synonymous with powerful female characters, so why on Earth did he confirm this past week that Black Widow would be the only female Avenger in the film he’s directing? Even though Whedon says the story will be pulling from various versions of the Avengers I think purists would agree leaving out key players, especially females, is odd.

Check out this week's Hey, That's My Cape! at Newsarama where I discuss why this bothers me and which ladies I think could have been included.

The Tron Disney doesn't want you to see. NSFW

The internet can be a scary place sometimes. Just today I was considering turning the safe search back on while looking for pictures of comic book characters on Google. It can take you down dark roads indeed. But sometimes the internet provides you with something you'd never have gone looking for in the first place yet can't quite bring yourself to turn away from either. Case in point? A Tron sex instruction video.*

Titled Score, the website WonderHowTo.com brings us a rather unique guide for those geeks out there who might be a little clueless when it comes to sex. You may have gotten a huge boner earlier this year (or been completely disgusted) from Batman XXX: A Porn Parody but don't worry, this isn't anywhere near that graphic. It's just...well, it's two people humping with their clothes on. See for yourself. (And let's not kid ourselves here, you ARE going to watch it.)

It's one of the most uncomfortable things to watch but I couldn't stop thanks to the dialogue: "The Penetrator gently spreads the Receptor's knees and reveals it's USB port. The Penetrator guides it's Dongle into the USB port." and "Step 6: Check stimulation progress bar. Begin transfer when ready." are two of my favorites.

WonderHowTo.com is calling it the "geek version of the Kama Sutra" because not only did they produce that first video featuring the Missionary position, they've also covered such classics as the Wheelbarrow, the Pearly Gates and the Scorpion. Not all of the videos are as detailed though. Here's the story behind the making:

Thirty-three years ago, ILM and Lucas used a ton of mainframe hardware to crunch and render the masterpieces of the Star Wars series. Five years later came Tron. A few years after that, James Cameron and his IBM backed Digital Domain attacked the world of special effects. For SCORE, our nerd boy shot these tutorials with a RED camera, After Effects, a Mac, and a couple crappy bicycle helmets. And it looks sick.

The sound design and music are by Christian Danielson, Kevin Crow, and Braincloud but no other credits are given for this masterpiece of nerd porn. Thanks to the team at large though, you don't have to resort to looking at Teen Titan gang bang porn anymore (yes, I've come upon them in my google searches), you've got Score to help you score!

What do you think? Is this the next wave in sex-ed or will young geeks just think having sex with your clothes on is the way to do it?

*Olivia Wilde not included.

Last day for Lulu Awards nominations!

Get your ballots ready, today is the last day to submit nominations for the 2010 Lulu Awards!

If you're unaware, the Lulu Awards spotlight comic work by and about women and has been taking place since 1997. Past winners include Jill Thompson, Devin Grayson, Abby Denson, Heidi MacDonald and more.

There are 7 categories: Leah Adezio Award for Best Kid-Friendly Work, Best Female Character, Kim Yale Award for Most Talented Newcomer, Lulu of the Year, Woman of Distinction, the Female Cartoonists Hall Of Fame and Volunteer of the Year. You can read in more detail what each category entails here. Email your nominations to the Friends of Lulu at this address: friendsoflulu [at] yahoo [dot] com.

Bear in mind, although these are the 2010 awards, you are nominating work that was published in 2009 only. Voting will be open to the public on September 13th and the awards ceremony will take place at Long Beach Comic Con on October 29th.

Spread the word and get your nominations in by the end of today!

The Blackest Coffee

And just when you thought you'd seen everything, I bring you...the Blackest Coffee t-shirt.

Oh the neverending wonders of Etsy. I can spend countless hours and dollars there. In fact, that's what I did yesterday and how I wound up finding this gem. User mindlesspursuits, aka Keith, has taken the enormous popularity of Geoff Johns' Blackest Night storyline and created something hysterically unique, "Straight from the non-existent pages of 'Green Latte' and 'The Green Latte Corps' comes THE BLACKEST COFFEE!" He even wrote his own oath to go along with it:

In tired day... In groggy night,
No herbal tea can set me right!
Let those who worship decaf light
Beware my power -- Black coffees might!

While I was in San Diego for Comic-Con I saw so many Green Lantern and other Corps t-shirts but nothing like this. Hurry up if you'd like to snag this one (a medium) as it's the only one left besides one other which is a 2XL. Keith says he's discontinuing the design, although, if he gets the traffic I'm expecting after this maybe you guys can convince him to do more. I could go for a Star Sangria shirt.

Hey, That's My Cape! – Wonder Woman Day 2010

It’s been a big year for Wonder Woman. She turned 70 (but doesn’t look a day over 29) and her 600th issue marked a drastic costume and life change for the Princess as writer J. Michael Straczynski took over the reins of her comic. With all the press she’s received there’s no better time for creators and fans alike to get involved with Wonder Woman Day.

If you aren’t familiar, Wonder Woman Day is an annual bi-coastal fundraising event founded by Andy Mangels that takes place each October during national Domestic Violence Awareness Month. In the last four years the event has raised over $89,000 for domestic violence shelters and programs. Not too shabby for some doodles.

Readers of my blog may be familiar with WWD because I've attended the last two years but if you're not, check out more about this wonderful event in my latest Hey, That's My Cape! at Newsarama, especially if you're an artist.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Riley Review

Joss Whedon pulled a giant plot twist in his recent Buffy the Vampire Slayer arc, “Retreat,” regarding Buffy’s former flame Riley Finn. Fans could have been satisfied with the explanation given in those issues, but instead we get to see much more — with Riley’s version of events.

In stores today (August 18) from Dark Horse Comics is Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Riley, a brand new story from television writer/producer Jane Espenson and artist Karl Moline. Espenson gets the chance to tell what really led to former Initiative member Riley Finn becoming a double agent for Buffy.

The one-shot is the second we’ve seen during Season 8 (the first being Willow’s spotlight), and is actually titled “Commitment Through Distance, Virtue Through Sin.” It's intense, but have we come to expect anything less from Buffy’s love life?

Check out my review of the issue at MTV Splash Page!

'Kick-Ass 2' Teased In 'CLiNT' Magazine Trailer

It seems comic book writer Mark Millar has the golden touch these days. We’ve seen his popularity grow outside the comic world with successful feature film adaptations of Kick-Ass and Wanted and he doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon.

On September 2, with the help of British talents Jonathan Ross and Frankie Boyle, Millar and Titan Magazines will debut CLiNT, a new monthly magazine featuring features and interviews on movies, video games and television as well as four serialized comic-strips.

Check out the trailer and read my story at MTV Splash Page.

Would you like Rex to be your lawyer?

I'd been feeling a little David Tennant withdrawal since he left Doctor Who (which I why I started rewatching the series recently). I remembered hearing a while back that he landed the title role in an American series on NBC called Rex Is Not Your Lawyer but that's as far as it went. Well we've finally got our first look at the show or at least the pilot. Prepare yourself for his accent...

Takes a little getting used to, no? The premise of the show itself is a bit odd, especially considering it's a drama. The character of Rex is a very successful lawyer who becomes incapable of appearing in court because of severe panic attacks. Instead of letting his knowledge of the legal system go to waste, he coaches his clients to represent themselves.
Originally the show was set to premiere this past spring but for unknown reasons, did not. In January, word was NBC was still considering Rex for the fall but then was again passed over for the fall 2010 season. Perhaps the release of this clip is an effort to gauge viewer interest or just to appease fans who will never get to see the show come to fruition.
The show also stars Abigail Spencer, Jerry O'Connell, Jane Curtin and Jeffrey Tambour. So what do you think of the bizarre plot for Rex? Is it something you'd watch? Would you give it a shot just for David Tennant?

Hey, That's My Cape! - Cats and Web Comics

As someone who writes about comics and pop-culture for a living, I get a lot of emails from people asking me to take a look at their “awesome” this, that or the other. It happens more often with independent comics, especially web comics, which is understandable. They have something they’ve (hopefully) put a lot of hard work into and want to make into a success. They don’t have a big name company behind them either so the best approach is the direct approach. Unfortunately, most of them have no idea how to write.

Their emails, that is. To be fair, I'm a tough customer. But there is one sure way to get me to read your comic and I wrote about it in this week's Hey, That's My Cape! at Newsarama. Check it out!

Green Lantern 2 has hired a writer.

Green Lantern wrapped shooting last week in New Orleans according to a very excited Geoff Johns via his Twitter. Now, news today is Green Lantern 2 has secured it's writer. A very good sign for fanboys the world wide.

Warner Bros. has chosen Michael Goldenberg to once again to lead our Emerald Warriors into battle. He had previously contributed rewrites to the script of writers Greg Berlanti, Michael Green and Marc Guggenheim for the upcoming big screen debut of Hal Jordan. Just a few months ago that trio was set to the task of coming up with a few treatments for GL2.

Goldenberg previously wrote the screenplay for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Where the Wild Things Are, Peter Pan and Contact. The release date set for the first film is June 17 of next year so to start work on it's sequel shows a large amount of faith in the content of director Martin Cambell's film and everyone involved. It also shows a big commitment by the newly branded DC Entertainment to bring DC's heroes in direct competition with Marvel's big blockbusters.

Nerd York City

That's right, it's not a misprint, I said NERD York City. While New York City gets particularly nerdy every time I cross the Hudson River from New Jersey, it turns out there are quite a few nerds living there already. Who knew? It's a good thing some folks thought of a way to entertain them. I present, Nerd York City.

Nerd York City is, "A calendar. A black book. A map. A guide to all things nerdy for the 8.3 million folks who call Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, The Bronx, and Staten Island home," according to it's creators Peter Tatara and Petrina Cheng. "Nerd York City's collection of events and index of organizations revolving around comics, movies, anime, manga, television, toys, and games in the five boroughs (and even New Jersey and Connecticut) is all you need. Surrender your weekends to us."

Hmm, you've intrigued me. Let's see a sampling of what's on tap this week:

Monday: a free screening of Superman at Waterside Plaza

Tuesday: "R. Sikoryak: How Classics and Cartoons Collide" examines the artists notes, sketches and reference material at the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (MoCCA)

Wednesday: a Doctor Who NY Meet-up at the Peculiar Pub (sounds like my kind of meet-up)

Thursday: a Nathan Fox signing at Forbidden Planet

Friday: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World hits theaters

Saturday: a screening of The Shining at the IFC center

Sunday: Metro Anime Sunday Lunch at Maui Tacos

Sounds pretty cool to me! Besides the calendar of events (which you can submit new items to if you know of some), they've also got permanent lists of some museums and other culture spots, including the addresses for the "Ghostbusters firehouse" and "Peter Parker's bus run," shops for all your geeky purchasing needs like costumes, toys and of course, comics and also a section for restaurants but I'm not quite sure how they fit into the "nerdy" definition.

Regardless, a fantastic resource for those in the NYC area. I know I'll certainly be checking up on it every few days for a can't miss nerd event. Maybe I'll even be able to make some new nerd friends!

Long Overdue: LGBT Characters in Star Trek

"To boldly go where no man has gone before." That was the mission the Enterprise set out on all those years ago, yet the show itself never went to one particular place - depicting gay characters on any of their television shows or films.

With Proposition 8 having been overturned in California this week, one has to stop and think; if this is where we are in 2010, will Gene Roddenberry's near-Utopian future ever follow suit? Find out the history plus my thoughts in my latest article at Newsarama.

Hey, That's My Cape! - Batman 3 Villains: Who should it be?

Rumor, gossip and hopes are pretty much all we have for the third installment in Christopher Nolan’s Batman franchise so far. He’s confirmed a July 2012 release for the as-yet-untitled, as-yet-cast film but we know this much; the script is currently being worked on by David Goyer and Jonah Nolan and will not feature the Joker or Mr. Freeze as it’s villains. Now, we wait.

While the script is still being written I’m sure the team has at least settled on their villain(s). That doesn’t mean it’s not fun to speculate. And after all, isn’t that what the internet is for? The loudest votes I’ve heard seem to be for the Riddler, Penguin and Catwoman. It could be any one of them, a combination of two or none at all but my issue is this, they’ve all been used in Batman films before, so why not dig deeper into his Rogues Gallery?

See who my top picks are for who Nolan should use in this week's Hey, That's My Cape! at Newsarama.

SDCC 2010 Cosplay!

Last year being my first ever San Diego Comic-Con I didn't want to go too crazy with cosplaying. I debuted my Red Lantern costume and was definitely busy enough with just that. This year, I'm not quite sure what I was thinking. I did not one, not two but THREE different costumes!

For the most part, two of them required very little work on my part but adding that on top of my third was still an undertaking. Like I said, last year I had a lot of fun cosplaying a Red Lantern. Being a huge Green Lantern fan I wanted to do something else GL related but wasn't sure I was up for putting together another color Corps costume yet. So I thought outside of the box and came up with something that would be not only less costly but really fun and a lot more comfortable than a spandex body suit. Thus the "Classy Lanterns" were born.

All costume shots by the wonderful Chanh Tang.

Well I say more comfortable. More comfortable for me. I wasn't walking around the entire day in heels (sorry ladies!). Though I hope the girls were comfortable in their dresses. Some of them were able to use one they already had in their closet, which was great, but the idea was simply to have each girl wear a dress in a solid color and pair it with a large costume jewelry ring to act as their "power ring." But there was just one thing missing of course. How did we let people know we were Lanterns and not just a group of gals looking way too dressed up for Comic-Con?

We needed the Lantern Corps symbols of course. My idea, since we were all supposed to be dressed up anyway, was to have the symbols hang around our necks as necklaces. Easy enough idea but I certainly didn't have the talent to do that. Thus my search began. I put out the word and was lucky enough to hear from a company more than happy to work with me to get them made. It helped that they were huge geeks themselves. They're a media solutions company called SanBox Inc. and as you can see they did a phenomenal job with the pendants.

You can see I had them make all nine Lantern symbols, including the White and Black, but I wasn't able to gather two other girls for the group. I'm sad we didn't get to use them but I'm planning on getting the "Classy Lanterns" together again for the New York Comic Con so I'm looking forward to using the entire set there. We had a blast with the cosplay and people responded really well to it.

Saturday was another big day. I debuted my long-anticipated Ravager costume. My biggest surprise was how many people didn't know who I was. A lot of people thought I was a "female Deathstroke." Some people just knew me as Rose Wilson, which is fair considering others have used the name Ravager. Either way, I didn't care. How awesome did it turn out??

My friend Beth was the one who actually constructed the body suit portion of the costume and boy did she have a job with this one. You can check out her work-in-progress at her website. I had a hell of a time finding the right materials for her to use. The blue and orange are regular spandex but the silver portion of Ravager's costume is supposed to be scale mail. Not really something you sew together with spandex or that I wanted to wear at all. I know someone who's done a Deathstroke costume but couldn't find the same spandex he used to mimic the armor.

I decided sequins would make a good replacement and started the search for the right type of sequined fabric. I just about wanted to blow my brains out looking for the right one. I found a fabric with very large sequins but once I got a sample I realized they were too far apart from each other to work, most were too small or too shiny. Eventually I found the PERFECT fabric. But it was beige/gold. I spent an afternoon outside spraypainting it silver. Although it was a lot of work, it was totally worth it because the achieved look is exactly what I wanted.

I was very lucky to have it easy with the wig, eye patch and belt which I found all on Ebay. The two utility pouches on the belt I bought at Home Depot and sprayed orange which was not as simple as it sounds. I first painted them but the paint didn't take on the material of the one pouch and I had to cover that up with the spray. I finished off the belt putting a small flashlight into the other pouch.

I ran into some trouble when it came to the swords. You obviously can't have real weapons at a convention but I also didn't want anything plastic or cheap looking. I settled on searching for something wood but then couldn't decide what type of sword. Sometimes Ravager is pictured using katanas but other times she uses just regular broadswords. The pictures I liked best had her with the broadswords so that's what I went with.

I found wooden practice swords online but I knew they would need to be painted and shortened so I could sit with them attached to my back. My uncle is great with woodwork so I handed them off to him. I already had the paint I planned on using so he said he'd do that for me as well. He wound up going the extra mile and adding a rubber gripping on the handle with a gold rope as accent. They were pretty much perfect. My only issue after that was finding a harness to keep them criss-crossed on my back. I couldn't. I eventually used a nylon strap I had lying around which I had sewn into a figure eight shape with two loops at the shoulders.

I can't thank Beth enough for her work on the suit for me. She really outdid herself. We literally did one fitting and that was before anything was sewn together at all. She did it all from the measurements we took and showed extreme talent in getting the spandex and the sequins to work together like they did. Everyone was floored by the costume, including me.

Sunday was another group cosplay and a really fun one at that. The best part about this one was I really didn't have to do anything at all for it. My friend Ashley suggested we all get 1950s style dresses made from old character bed sheets. I didn't really have to think twice about this one.

I was originally going to go for DC Comics sheet (big surprise) but I happened to stumble upon a fantastic Dick Tracy sheet from the 1990 film. How much more fitting can you get? As I've mentioned on more than one occasion, I'm not a seamstress so the making of the dress was passed on to a friend of my mother's. We didn't have a pattern to go by so I just did some searches online to see what direction I wanted to go. We talked through it step-by-step from there adding the yellow (of course) belt and piping and she even made me a cute hair accessory to go along with it. I added the crinoline for some extra poof in the skirt.

I got my hair done professionally by Hydred Makabali and her assistant for this cosplay because it just screamed 50s up-do. We all found our material on Ebay but the funny part about walking the floor on Sunday was how many people who stopped to compliment us on the dresses said they had these sheets growing up. I know my family definitely had the Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back or Return of the Jedi ones. And the best compliment to those who made the dresses for us is peopled kept asking where we bought them.

So there you have it, my SDCC 2010 cosplay. It sort of consumed me and my weekend but I enjoyed it nonetheless. All in all I'm not quite sure how much I spent on the costumes but it was quite a bit. Sometimes, with these things, it's best to stop keeping track.

What do you think? Which is your favorite?

SDCC 2010

We came, we saw, we conquered. Once again, geeks took over beautiful San Diego, California for the annual San Diego Comic-Con. Where you're free to be yourself or a seven foot alien with two heads.

I flew in extra early this year to give myself adequate resting time before the actual show started but little did I know I wouldn't be getting a second to breath before things kicked into high gear. "How?" you say? I found this in my lobby when I woke up Wednesday morning...

Yeah, that's Stan Lee. He was staying at my hotel. Quite a way to start the day, no? He was extremely nice and he called me a "beautiful, young lady." :)

As you probably know, Wednesday is "Preview Night" at the convention where professionals, press and those with four-day passes are allowed a sneak peak at the show floor for a few short hours. It's not so much a "Preview Night" as it is a "I'm a money-grubbing fiend who's going to buy up all the exclusive toys so I can sell them on Ebay at exorbitant prices later." Ok, that's not everybody but I did see several people hobbling around the floor with ten giant bags filled with merchandise. And for the record, pros and press aren't allowed to purchase on preview night.

It was surprisingly crowded but I managed to take a quick sweep around the floor to see some of the bigger booths I knew would be impassable for me in my scooter the next few days. The main draw for me was the Warner Bros. booth where they were housing several delectable props. A giant display case held all seven Horcruxes from the Harry Potter films plus a few other items but for some reason the lights weren't on so I couldn't get very good pictures. But luckily this fella came along with his own light source. Abin Sur. Or rather, Abin Sur's corpse in a medical chamber from the Green Lantern film. It. Was. Awesome.

Almost as awesome as this...

After the show floor closed, I went for a walk in the downtown San Diego area known as the Gaslamp Quarter and ran into not only Rob Liefeld and Robert Kirkman but J.J. FREAKING ABRAMS!! I cannot tell you how ridiculously nice and gracious he was. When I told him how much I loved his work it was like he was hearing that compliment for the first time.

Later on that night I met Seth Green at another hotel who was also very nice. This was only the first day people!

Thursday brought my very first panel (pictured at the top of this post by RadNerd.com). Moderated by Kristin from the Geek Girls Network, it hosted these intelligent and talented ladies: Morgan Romine, Kiala Kazebee, Kari Byron, Bonnie Burton, Sarah Kuhn, Veronica Belmont and Marian Call. To say it was a success is an understatement. When I got to the panel room a half hour early to check in I noticed a very large line. Turns out that line was for our panel! They absolutely underestimated the turnout as it was standing room only and many people were not able to get in at all. I was incredibly nervous but once it all got underway I was fine, mostly because it was a blast! We were joking and talking so much we didn't even have time for audience questions. I know there were some people taking video in the audience so hopefully that will show up soon.

The same goes for my second panel the following day, "Where Are the Action Chicks?" Moderated by Katrina Hill, I joined Adrianne Marie Curry, Cindy Morgan, Clare Kramer, Jennifer K. Stuller, Gina Misiroglu, Marjorie Liu and J. Michael Straczynski on stage. Morgan, Liu and Straczynski had to leave early for signings or other engagements but it was a very cool panel both before and after. This one was part of the Comic Arts Conference and had more of an educational slant to it. We had a few audience questions but it was very informal, more like a discussion group, which was really cool.

EDIT: Here's video from WATAC.

Friday I got to see Milla Jovovich in person at the Resident Evil: Afterlife panel in Hall H. Need I say more? Ok, actually I'm surprised I kept it together. I didn't meet her or anything but this is actually the first time I've seen her speak live and it was really exciting for someone who's as big a fan as I am. One of the audience members asked her to say "Multipass" and she did. Twice.

And then there was this little incident on my way out of the hall. You may have heard about it. To me, on the opposite side of the hall, it sounded as if one of the stars had just been spotted and people were making a fuss over catching a glimpse. I saw the police rush in about a minute later and found out via Twitter that it was actually a stabbing that had occurred. No more nerd-on-nerd violence, ok?

Let's lighten the mood with something adorable for a second.

On Friday the DC Comics booth had a lot of cool stuff going on. I got to meet one of my favorite writers, Gail Simone, for the first time. I want her to be my adoptive mom because she appreciates naked Catman as much as I do.

There were tons of toys and other merchandise to preview and absolutely none to buy. I really hate that. It's totally "look but don't touch." You guys know I can't wait for this one...

This epic, EPIC Darkseid cosplayer was mulling around the booth as well. I would not want to run into him in a dark alley.

Friday night was the Geek Girls & Friends Tweetup hosted by myself, Kristin and Geek Girl Diva. I was so exhausted from the day I got there an hour late and found out I couldn't get into my OWN party! The establishment told us we were at capacity and couldn't let anyone else in. Eventually I was let in and got to meet a bunch of great people, some I knew, some I didn't. It was a really fun party complete with geek films being played in the background, a DJ (our friend ABoyNamedArt) and tons of prizes to give out. We're sorry if you weren't able to make it or get in because of the crowd. Look for it to be bigger and better next year for sure!

Saturday was reserved for my Ravager cosplay but I had a lot of fun taking pictures of other amazing cosplayers the entire weekend. Here are a few that made an impression.

These folks gathered after the Green Lantern panel to take some pictures with Geoff Johns. There were Red and Orange Lanterns on the left and a Star Sapphire on the right but I couldn't get them all in one shot. I was most impressed with Black Lantern Wonder Woman and wary of her battle ax.

I'm extremely sad I never thought of this. I saw a picture online of another girl in a TARDIS dress, I wonder if they coordinated.

It was too cramped for me to get a full shot of Hawkgirl's wings but let me tell you, they were huge! And I can't even imagine how long it took to put all the feathers together. It made for a really cool look.

Gotta love Lobo. If memory serves me, the back of his vest read, "Suck it Fanboys."

No, this wasn't a cosplay. Although there were countless zombies walking around throughout the weekend, this was the fantastic booth AMC put together for their new The Walking Dead series. There was a woman lying dead on the floor to the right as well. And the trailer for the show lives up to expectation. I can't wait!!

So that's that. My second SDCC come and gone. Honestly it was one big blur. Fun but exhausting is what I keep telling everyone. I'd love to but I'm not sure I'll go next year. I may skip it to go to a few other shows people have been begging me to attend forever like WonderCon and Dragon*Con but we'll see.

I know, I know. One thing was missing from this whole recap - my costumes. Look for a giant post about them tomorrow complete with awesome professional shots! EDIT: Here it is!