Comic Con 2012: Cosplay

For hundreds of nerds every year, Comic Con is more than just a convention where they can hear about the newest entertainment tidbits or collect exclusive toys. Instead, the trip is more of a pilgrimage, a chance to blend in with 140,000 like-minded people in a world where some may find difficulty expressing themselves in everyday society. At SDCC, social norms are relaxed, and fans will often find extremely unique and creative ways to show their passion for these arts (within the admittedly fuzzy realm of good taste, of course).

Perhaps the most popular form of expressing their creative side is known as Cosplay. Short for "costume play," the best way to describe the art is that it is Halloween with specific characters in mind. Rather than dressing up as a generic ghost or pirate, cosplay draws on the idea of living life as a character from a movie, game, or any other type of popular or geek medium. For the poorer or less-enthused, this can simply be throwing on a shirt with Superman's logo on it and finding a cheap red cape to tie around their neck. For the professional cosplayers - and, yes, there can very much be a business behind the phenomenon - costumes can cost upwards of thousands of dollars and take months of construction to make sure every minute detail is accurate to the source character.

As Comic Con has grown over the years, so has the many cultures and traditions around it. Cosplay is without a doubt one of the most popular traditions of the event. Even roaming outside the convention center, a visitor is bound to see a few Disney princesses, Mario and Luigis, Stormtroopers, and any number of anime or video game characters. Some are instantly recognizable whereas others choose to costume themselves in obscure characters as kind of in-joke known only to those who have seen the source before.

Sometimes, the hobby does take off in a grand scale. Many people who don such costumes are the designers as well. Holly Conrad was one such designer who enjoyed cosplaying before her Mass Effect costumes caught the eyes of Bioware, the game developer whose game she based her costumes on. After being featured in the yearly Masquarade event, where SDCC attendees get to see the biggest and best costumes of the year in a stage show, Bioware hired Holly to make official costumes for company events and supervise the upcoming feature film. Some girls even use cosplay to launch or sustain modeling careers, as is the case with well-known cosplayer Jessica Nigri.

For me, I do like to cosplay when I have time, but I unfortunately cannot afford any amazing costumes or props quite yet. Last year, I donned my best suit and brought along a replica top to go as Cobb from Inception. I can also be found wearing a Nerd Herd outfit most years in honor of the show Chuck. Mostly, though, I enjoy the photography aspect of it and enjoy seeing the amount of work and love that go into the various costumes I capture on screen every year. When I can do more than just take a quick snapshot, I like working with the models to take more professional shots, as recreating scenes or just generally having fun with the costumes is a great way to get creative and unique shots that normal portraits don't always offer. So, to wrap up my Comic Con blogs for this year, here are some of my favorite shots from 2012:
 

Comic Con 2012: Fri-Sun

The later half of Comic Con was honestly a bit of a blur. In between the lack of sleep and the massive waiting in lines, the days could easily be condensed into one blog post. Friday and Saturday tend to be the busiest days of the convention, with massive panels in the ballrooms, tons of great costumes, and general shenanigans throughout the entire day. This is starkly contrasted with Sunday, which is extremely laid back and consists mostly of people doing last minute shopping or niche panels to close out the weekend.

Friday was a day mostly spent walking around and getting great pictures of the cosplay (which will be a blog of its own in the near future). I find it important to take a day and not have any plans. Wandering around the convention floor, letting things happen as they do, can lead to some really interesting moments. For this particular year, it was the day I randomly saw the cast of Community getting interviewed on top of the G4 booth, getting Tracy Hickman and Ken Higgens autographs from the DC booth, and landing a few great pieces of swag to take back to my coworkers. The magic of SDCC works in mysterious ways, and it did not disappoint this year.

Saturday, on the other hand, was the major day of planning, as I would wake up at 4:30AM to line up at the line for Hall H. This was my first time entering the room, and I unfortunately did not land the best seat due to misunderstanding the signs regarding certain reserved sections. Still, I was able to see the main screen, and after hours of waiting in line, got to spend most of the day there. The first panel was Django Unchained, which was interesting. I was not particularly interested in the film until Tarantino revealed an 8 minute sizzle reel, which impressed. Following quickly was the panels for End of Watch and the new Silent Hill film. I felt bad for these panels, as they were clearly filler panels (the majority of Hall H was there for what came next. Details in a second), but they did what they could do what was essentially a captive audience. I was actually really intrigued by End of Watch, and genuinely want to see it after previously knowing nothing about this low-budget cop drama.

The main panel for me came next: the 2.5 hour WB/Legendary Pictures panel. The energy before the show was ecstatic, and the room nearly brought the roof down when the curtains next to the main screen started to pull back to reveal a Cinarama experience. Chris Hardwick came out as moderator, and the entire show felt more akin to a rock concert than a convention panel. It was clear from the get-go that WB was going to go all out with this, and one-after-the-other, film teasers and footage was released. The show started off with Pacific Rim, Guillermo del Toro's giant robots vs. giant monsters film. We saw the first ever trailer for the film before the production goes into media blackout mode until Christmas. It was... intense, to say the least. After months fo buzz, it was great to see what the film was all about, and it looks like it will be great fun.

One of the big two I was looking forward to came next. Working at the studio, I knew we would be revealing it, but no one else in the Hall seemed aware. The screen went black, and the crowd was treated to various scenes of a destroyed city while a narrator recited Oppenheimer's famous speech stating "I am become death, destroyer of worlds." Then, we heard a very famous roar made by a very famous lizard that breathes lasers. The crowd went nuts as we saw the famous lightening-absorbing fins and the title card "GODZILLA" flashed on screen. It was everything I hoped for, especially considering the movie is not even officially in principal photography yet, as far as I'm aware. It was good enough we saw it twice.

The WB portion of the panel was a ton of fun, as well. They wasted no time in bringing out surprise guests WIll Farrel and Zach Galifianakis to promote The Campaign. I don't think I have ever laughed so hard at something live before. The panel barely even mentioned the film and consisted mostly of the two comedians (three if you count Hardwick, who was holding his own quite well) riffing each other or the fans.

Then came the highlight for me: Man of Steel. It was a simple panel, with only Zach Snyder and Henry Cavill there to promote the movie. It was the main film most of us were there to see (that or Iron Man 3 later on). Zach did not waste any time in showing off the first, SDCC-exclusive trailer for the film. It was fantastic in every regard, and very different from what I expected from a Zach Snyder movie. Just the teaser alone was heartfelt, and emphasized Clark Kent's desire to know more about his past, as well as decide what he must do. It was clear from the first images that this was not going to be a movie that was entirely visual flair with no story behind it, which is a criticism many have of Snyder. It was everything I wanted a Superman movie to look and feel like. When the Q&A started, one man was moved to tears to the point he could barely ask his question, so Zach answered by rolling the trailer a second time to give us more time to take in everything. For all the simplicity of having only two men there to talk about a tentpole film, the movie landed in a very, very big way.

Not long after Man of Steel ended, the lights went dark and we began to hear deep voices humming a song over the loudspeaker. Cheers erupted, and we were treated to beautiful artwork from The Hobbit coming into focus on the side screens. We were treated to a very long clip from the production diary before Peter Jackson came out with a few of the cast members, including Sir Ian McKellan, Martin Freeman, Andy Serkis, and Elijah Wood. I have never seen such respect given to a cast before, but Hall H made it clear that there have been few movies to garner there attention as much as this. We watched a 12-minute excerpt from the two films, and the film looks absolutely gorgeous. Almost similar to a moving painting. I could not help but get a little misty-eyed upon seeing such beloved characters back on the screen. I left soon afterwards, greatly happy to have experienced a pnael I am sure to remember for many years to come.

Sunday came and went quickly with one last loop around the convention hall, purchasing a couple of prints to take home with me. The con seemed to have gone quickly this year, though it seemed as though 2011's was only last week. I was extremely happy with everything this year (aside from getting sick after pulling too many early mornings). While I still hope San Diego quickly goes to work on expanding the convention center to fit everyone, I want to continue this every year from here on out. There is no place like Comic Con if you're in love with entertainment arts.

Comic Con 2012: Thursday

Today was the official start of Comic Con and its main events. While Preview Night kicks things off with shopping and small events, many of the main parties and panels do not begin in full force until Day 1. With the influx of main-day tickets, the lines go up exponentially compared to Preview Night.

So, upon waking up at 4:30am, I should not have been surprised at the line outside the convention center by the time I actually arrived an hour and a half later. For a brief moment I panicked, but apparently the first line of the day has not been split into its different branches for exclusives tickets, some signings, the main exhibit floor, etc. When we were actually let in, the line spread in several different directions, and I thought I was comfortably near the front of the exhibit hall crowd.

Unfortunately, SDCC can be tricky, and with exclusives becoming bigger and bigger, lines eventually become hazy. Many retailers will buy exclusives to mark up and resale later on. They also have the advantage of being already on the floor when sales begin. By the time I reached the Mattel line, it was already out of its queue and split to the convention center walls. Thankfully, the exclusives I was purchasing for myself or others (Batman, Sandman's Death, Dana on Zuul's altar) had either larger limits or simply were not as popular. I managed to snag the three I wanted, but several others in line with me were not so lucky as items sold out as we moved through.

Beyond that, the day became much easier. With the shopping done, I was able to utilize the bag check (an absolute godsend) and roam the halls getting photos, looking at cheaper items or artwork to use the rest of my spending on, or hang out at the Batmobiles in between interviews on stage. Comic Con magic reared its head again, and I managed to see Ellen Page getting interviewed and get a couple close shots of Stephen Amell (CW's Arrow which I am HIGHLY looking forward to), neither of whom I expected to see.

Best of all were the evening panels I attended. Being so close to the cars everyday, I have fallen in love with the Batmobiles and wanted to attend the panel about them in the evenings. I arrived early and got to sit through the Vertigo Comics panel, where Neil Gaiman spoke via video that he was making a new Sandman prequel with JH Williams III as the artist. What was essentially a panel I was squatting through became a huge announcement, and I am already anticipating next year. Plus, the Batmobile panel was extremely enjoyable, and I was happy to see it was a packed house for the documentary viewing.

Overall, I am still not happy with some of the policies of SDCC in regards to crowd control, but it turned out to be a lively day, and I intend to keep at it by going back downtown for some food. Hopefully tomorrow will be much more laid back with a heavy focus on cosplay pictures.

Comic Con 2012: Preview Night

Last year I posted a lengthy blog discussing my first foray into San Diego Comic Con International (SDCC for short). It was an amazing experience, and one I hope will become an annual event from here on out. Rather than post one comprehensive guide this year, though, I wanted to post thoughts and highlights for each day instead, however long or short they may be.

The biggest difference this year was flying solo for the most part. Rather than relying on a friend for a place to stay, I wanted the whole experience of going and planning the trip for myself, expenses and all. This was certainly an eye-opening journey into what this convention is all about. Tickets sold quickly this year, with the majority disappearing within 90 minutes of going online. The same can also be said for their hotel system, and thankfully I managed both, staying at the Sheraton Marina. Eventually, I submit my information for Trade Passes and gladly purchased the additional Preview Night.

Today started off with a train trip. After some hassle with the ticket vending machine, a small group of us boarded and made our way in tow. We spoke quite a bit on the way down, and I made two great acquaintences for the trip. Seth Green was also on the train, but that is neither here nor there. In any case, our arrival in SD was mostly uninterrupted and we went our separate ways. I checked in at the Sheraton, where they attempted to charge me almost $300 more than I expected. After getting that taken care of, I discovered my room was small, but quaint and well decorated. Aside from the payment, I do think it is a pretty nice little room.

The biggest change this year will be the 24 hour shuttle service offered by SDCC. The hours were shortened for Preview, but it is very nice to be able to go to my hotel throughout the day if needed. As the first shuttle dropped us at the convention center, I felt a great sense of relief and familiarity. The posters were different, and there was a giant inflatable Jake from Adventure Time outside, but it was great to stroll back to the old halls again.

However, for only being Preview Night, I fear for the size of this convention. I had some issues getting my badge printed and lost half an hour getting the issue resolved. That short time placed me back considerably in line when getting ready for the exhibit hall. The day barely felt like a preview at all, and was honestly just as hard to navigate as one of the normal days. By the time I actually arrived in the hall itself, any chance of getting many free giveaways or exclusives was dashed. So, I mostly just wandered around trying to find some islands of solitude where it was possible to move around and get a few handouts when offered. Our Warner Bros. Bootg was fantastic this year, recreating our famed Stage 16 right in the convention floor. I also managed to snag a sweet spot up front when Jim Lee started giving drawing lessons at the DC booth.

Overall, it's great to be back, but once I get my exclusives early tomorrow, I really do not intend to spend much time on the convention floor this year. It has become simply far too large, and I would expect the count to hit 160,000 easily this year. I got my Man of Steel bag, and I will be in line early Saturday for the Legendary Panels but it hardly seems worth trying to fight the mob in a vain attempt at giveaways this year. Attendees can only really choose one booth they want stuff from, because hopping in line means you will lose out on all of the other booth sales or giveaways. It's honestly ridiculous.

That said, it's part of the Con, and my blog may contradict itself by the end of the weekend. Now here are some photos.