Serenity

So… much… information…

But first, a cute kids picture!

Full sized C-3PO for sale…..

Master Replicas’ USS Enterprise

I finaly made a purchase for myself at this point, a DC Comics Minimates set:

Superman and Lex Luthor! Woohoo!

TIE fighter pilot

Imperial troops have entered the convention! Imperial troops have……

The family that costumes together, stays together!

I hit the autograph area again.

Cassandra Peterson, a.k.a Elvira, Mistress of the Dark

Ernie Hudson, a.k.a. the 4th Ghosbuster (Winston Zeddemore)

I was so excited about getting an autograph and taking a picture with him,
that I walked away without paying. I realized it a couple minutes later,
so I went back and gave him the money. He was sincerely surprised that I
came back, and he said that he didn’t even realize that I didn’t pay.

So I got the three autographs that I wanted. Although I may get one or two more.

As passed by the FOX Television table, I picked up the rest of the fake drivers licences from their new show, Drive.

Sandtrooper

Klingons

By this time I decided to start hitting the panel rooms. I walked into one called ‘Mad Magazine Madmen’, with Mark Evanier, Al Feldstein, and Sergio Aragones.

Al Feldstein was editor in chief of Mad Magazine for many years, from the 1950s until he retired in 1984. His stories were very funny and insightful.

Sergio Aragones made an observation that many magazines seemed to try to ‘grow’ with their readers, until they couldn’t get new readers, and current readers simply left. Mad had always catered to the same reader base for years. Feldstein then said something that made me smile:

“In my case I simply wanted to be a kid all my life. Still do!”

He’s 81 years old, and has the same attitude that I’ve had for years, and very recently was questioning. I’m not questioning it anymore.

Immediately after this panel I went to the DC Universe 2007: Great Expectations panel. As usual it was a lot of fun, with some of the same information given from Friday and last weekend, but some new stuff was revealed.

One funny moment was when a child came up to the mic to ask a question: “Is Wally [the Flash] West coming back?” The panel tried to not answer the question, but the kid just stood there waiting for a definative answer. Then Dan Didio did something that I didn’t expect.

He invited the kid to sit with the panel.

Didio then had the next person at the mic to ask the same question to the kid, Wyatt.

Wyatt’s answer: Yes!

So now the powers that be at DC are going to bring back Wally West. Eventually. Thanks to the kid.

At the end of the panel we were given two additional pins to add to the collection of two from Friday, and a coupon for a 5th button, as long as we were wearing the other 4 when we presented the coupon at the DC Comics booth.

I headed up to the main ballroom for the Hollywood movies panels.

Joel Silver and Hillary Swank for The Reaping

I got in just as the question of ‘which comic book hero would you like to play?’ Swank answered ‘Spider-Man! I’ve played a boy before, so why not?’

She seemed a bit goofy at the panel

I took a seat and the next presentation was for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Director Kevin Munroe

Munroe came out, sat down, and simply asked if we wanted to see the clip. We cheered, and he had the new trailer shown.

It looks awesome. These are the turtles that I remember from the older comics, predating the first animated series, but you can see the influences from both the animated series and the live action movies. He said that he’s as much a TMNT fan as anyone. He even went to Peter Laird (co-creator of the franchise) to discuss the film before he was hired as director. Munroe brought his copy of TMNT #1 from 1985 for Laird to sign, which he did, and when Munroe opened it up to see the signature, he discovered that Laird had drawn a picture of Raphael, with a note saying, “Make a great film, or else!” That’s how he found out that he was hired.

As soon as that was over (the clip was shown again), I got up to get something to eat. On the way out I bumped into an old ex-coworker from my days in the corporate world. He and I always used to talk scifi and comics when we worked there.

I took a walk up to Market Street and settled for McDonalds. Ugh. On the way back to Moscone Center I picked up a bottle of Pepsi.

Outside of Moscone Center, more costumed folks.

Ash! Woohoo!

I took a quick trip back to the dealers room before heading back to the movie stuff. All I was missing was the presentation for 300. Heh.

My favorite photo op moment then occured. I was setting up to take a picture of a scout trooper costume and a Boba Fett costume:

That guy behind Fett looks familiar…

Yep, Daniel Logan, who played a young Boba Fett in Episode II,
posed stealthily behind the guys in costume!
I may have to print this one up and get him to sign it.

Cool Batman costume

Who ya gonna call?

I saw this and had to get it: Captain Cosmic was actually Bob Wilkins
in disguis, and was like THE show me and my friends watched in the
late 1970s. It was where I first saw Ultraman, Star Blazers,
Flash Gordon, and others.

I headed back up to the ballroom, and was met with a rather long line. While waiting a costumed group came by:

I exclaimed, ‘Run AWAY!’ and they all turned to look at me. There were
more of them, a few of them holding coconut halves and making the
clip-clop noises. I bet they won something during the masquerade contest.

We fnally got back inside. I took a seat and they started the Resident Evil: Extinction panel. I have not seen the first two, but I may see this one just because of her:

Ali Larter, a.k.a. Nikki/Jessica from Heroes

The pics don’t do her justice. She’s quite lovely in real life.

Her co-star, Oded Fehr

Ack, fuzzy. I’m taking pics of the large vid screens here…

End of the panel, the stars leaving the stage

Then came the great bait and switch. They advertised a Sony sneak preview of Spider-Man 3, to which most of us assumed that there would be a panel. They started off with a rather long preview of Sony Pictures’ next animated feature, Surf’s Up. It’s an ‘animated documentary’ about how penguins invented surfing.

Ya huh.

About half an hour later, the guy finishes his presentation. They then show a short clip of Avi Arad, explaing that Sam Raimi is busy finishing the movie, and then they show the newest trailer for Spider-Man 3.

And that was it. No panel, no Q&A. Just a ’sneak peek’.

WTF?

I reread the description of this part of the program, and sure enough, it doesn’t mention a panel, but, oh by the way, it does mention a presentation for Surf’s Up.

Serves me right for not reading stuff….

Anywho, I stuck around for the final presentation, DC Universe: Super Heroes go DVD.

Dan Didio hosted again!

Dan and Bruce Timm, creator of the Batman/Superman/Justice League
animated series

Dan and Bruce

Bruce, gesturing

They announced that they will releasing a series of direct-to-DVD animated features, starting with Superman/Doomsday, which will be based on the ‘Death of Superman’ story line from 1992. They took questions and suggestions from the audience. Timm wrote down all the suggestions as possible projects in the future.

They then showed a clip from the first finished footage from Superman/Doomsday. It looks very cool.

The next ones coming out are suppossed to be The New Frontier and Teen Titans: The Judas Contract, according to the postcard that was handed out.

When all was said and done, I headed back to the dealers room one last time for the day. I finally picked up the Dr Who Cyber Leader figure that I was eyeing since Friday, and a good thing, too. ALL of the other figures that I wanted were sold out. In fact, the one I got was the last Cyberman figure available.

This guy had Jack Sparrow down pat, walked and talked just like him

Just because. The first girl appears to be eating her boot heel.

And that was Day Two.