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2002 San Diego Comic Con

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Updated 11/4/02

The Short Review

This was the second year that we have attended the San Diego Comic Con. We were two of the 75,000 people who attended this four-day event, roughly 20,000 more than last year. While the con was certainly bigger this year, both by number in attendance and in overall Convention space, it was not without its minor issues.

The Con seemed to be a bit disorganized this year which was most likely due to having more work to do with not enough volunteers. If you think you might have interest in helping next year, pay their site a visit: Comic-Con International

One of the most notable changes this year was the registration process. Badges were not sent in the mail this year which required that they be picked up at the event. For us this seemed to go smoothly, but I can't speak for everyone.

In full force this year was Security, no doubt a result of 9-11. This is a sad thing for convention goers, in particular, people in costume. Replica weapons were tied down and flagged with a red ribbon. While I am not complaining about this, I do think that tagging little Harry Potters wand may have been a bit much. But this option is certainly better than having several empty holsters for the many Storm Troopers, Lara Crofts and Han Solos that were running around convention floor.

The programming for this years event seemed pretty comprehensive, but unfortunately we didn't get partake in much of it, due to the fact that we spent most of our time on the floor. There were panels from everything from Star Wars to Spiderman, with speakers such as John Romita Sr and Jr, Todd McFarlain, Stan Lee, Stan Winston, and even Arnold Swartzenegger. The highlight for us was John Romita Sr. and Jr. and "Mark Hamill Wants You in His Movie" which was a lot of fun. Here are a couple of photos from both:

John Romita Sr. and Jr.

Mark Hamill Wants You in His Movie

The Autograph area seemed a little smaller and had a "last minute" feeling to it this year, but all things considered, we were very happy with the Autograph Signers this year, and at the top of our list is the lovely Lana Clarkson who has got to be one of the nicest people that we have met. In addition, there were people like Jason Lee, Warwick Davis, Elvira, and Asia Argento just to name a few.

*Special Note: Lana Clarkson passed away on Feb 3, 2003. Lana was found dead in the home of Phil Spector, dying of a gunshot wound. Her friends and family are deeply saddened by the news of her senseless death. She will be missed.

The masquerade this year was uneventful and while there were a couple of notable costumes, but nothing that jumped out and really got my attention. I have seen photos and read reviews from previous masquerade competitions and each year it seems to diminish just a bit. In my opinion, this year wasn't as good as last year.

For the short review, I would say this was a great Con. We had a better time than last year and last year was great. This is such a big even that I encourage everyone who enjoys Comics, Movies, TV, Art, Books and so on, to attend this event at least once. If you like costuming, which we do, then you must attend in costume. It is the largest of its kind in the US and combined with the great feel of the San Diego Gas Lamp Quarter makes for a great time day and night. There are things to do all day and all night, from movies to gaming, and plenty of great food...I think there is something for everyone.

Please read on the get the day by day photos and commentary.

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The Long Review

Preview Night

For the second year in a row, there was a bonus night for attendees who had signed up for the full four days. This is a great night to get an early look at the exhibition floor and the vendors. Great for making the rounds, noting who has what and buying anything you might want before it sells out. But for me, it was all about meeting up with old friends like Dan Cooney of Valentine/Red Eye Press and Jim Balent and Holly from Broad Sword Comics.

We also took a brief look at some of the various Publishers...DC had a large display and even had this great photo backdrop. Although Marvel had a very small booth compared to last year.

Other exhibitors included Sony Play Station, Activision, Blue Box Toys, Side Show Toys, just to name a few. Here are a couple of pictures from the Plastic Fantasies, Babe Force and Pioneer areas.

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