Saturday, August 8, 2009

Chicago Comic-Con '09 Friday

Today was amazing. The first thing I did this morning was head straight for the Wizard Booth, where Mark Millar was doing his first signing of the weekend. The signing didn't start until noon, but the two hour wait was worth the spot in line. Millar was very friendly and made great conversation with each fan. The first gem of the day was him mentioning that there was a showing of the Kick-Ass trailer during the afternoon Q&A.

While signing my books I mentioned how much I enjoyed his work with McNiven, especially the Old Man Logan story in Wolverine. He then tells me about McNiven's pencils for the unreleased double issue conclusion, providing details on gore and violence. It was a pleasant reveal.

Afterwards I wandered through artist alley, in my annual quest to give money to David Mack. I bought a few prints, and had him sign the shirt I picked up yesterday. Couple vendors and exhibits later, and it was time for Millar Q&A.

Millar is pretty hilarious in front of the crowd during the panels. Profane, slightly vulgar, but it felt welcomed by the fans. The Kick-Ass teasers were epic. The dialogue felt perfect and the action was exciting. I believe that the movie will be a very successful translation of the comic. After the teasers the whole crowd stood up, and I've yet to hear such an excited crowd reaction from a con.

Unfortunately I can't finish the tale of this adventure at the moment. It's saturday morning, and time to head back to the Con. Friday stories to come: Shoot the Sh** w/ Mark Millar (late night adult Q&A), great moments while waiting in line, and mech battle games.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Chicago Comic-Con '09: Thursday

Oh boy! I've been waiting over a year for this event. Wizard World Chicago has been renamed Chicago Comic-Con, but it felt like there wasn't a lot to do with comics. The past two years the Marvel and DC booths have been the main attraction. They've each offered the best signatures, freebies, and reveals year after year. This year, after an hour on the floor, it became obvious that neither company has a location. The lack of these attractions has made more room for not so exciting booths, media arts schools, energy drinks and razors. The event has a lot more video game and movie attractions than ever before, possibly outnumbering the comic exhibitors. This could lead to more attention for artist alley, which has always been a gold mine of good stuff. The vendor section of the con has already exploded with awesome deals. Some have random trades for $5 bucks already, others offering great deals on hard covers and omnibuses as well. George Perez was already doing signatures early Thursday,which was uplifting. Tomorrow begins the rush for signings, panels and demos. Despite these gripes, the event has been euphoric and enjoyable. More news tomorrow.