Dog Eaters

JULY 25, 2010 COMIC-CON DAY 4, SunDAY

Posted on 07.25.10 under Comic Con, cosplay, San Diego Comicon 2010


The Green Hornet vehicle. Would you rather have this, or the car below?

This is Mead’s Tacoyota, a chopped Toyota pickup with a Tacoma front. Just the sort of vehicle that a young couple would start with in the Black Dog Clan. All it needs is a gun turret on the roof…

More vehicles seen in San Diego: tin Harley Davidsons in the window of the shop across from the hotel.

Back at the Con, stopped just one more time to admire this vintage Conan image.

On the left a mysterious Russian handing out temporary tattoos for Feminine Fatale. On the right, a Spiderman comic that was originally 12 cents now being sold for $3500.

In the vintage comic section — the heart of Comicon — a display of original artwork.

A signed photo of the original Slave Leia, Carrie Fisher.

On our way out, we see a guy who dresses like this to meet girls.

Crossing the tracks on the way out of the Convention Center for the last time in 2010. See you next time!

JULY 24, 2010 COMIC-CON DAY 3, Saturday

Posted on 07.24.10 under Comic Con, cosplay, San Diego Comicon 2010

Old Friends…

Mead came in from Palm Spring last night. He was a partner in a couple of seminal art shows as a sonic creator and actor for May Day ’79 and “Fear of Failure.” An excerpt can be seen on YouTube, called Heat Seekers.

The mask on the left? A Zelda character. On the right: Marat Mychaels, creator and artist for Demon Slayer, a trade paperback (graphic novel) published by Arcana.

The doors have been opened above Odin’s throne, revealing a suit of armor.

The Arcana (and Zedura) booth babes are ready to work…

LL Cool J told us he would not be signing autographs, but that we could take photos. Thanks LL!

Paul Kaiju on the left, while a military babe demonstrates coffee handling technique. Paul is now a full-time vinyl kaiju designer. He was previously working at a petroleum company diagramming pipe locations for safety but was cut back. Safety has not been an issue when it comes to cutting expenses and we can see how that works out with the BP oil disaster in the Gulf.

Paul is working out of the Crossover booth, which like the name implies, has kaiju mashups with artists designing heads for each other’s monsters.

Paul’s head on another’s body.

At the DKE booth both holding figures that they have made. One is on his iPhone, the other for a French artist.

Dragatomi was selling customized toys of all kinds: large scale Dunnies, et al and even…

On the left, a custom Blythe by Brigette Couvert ($950) and on the right, the creator of Buff Monster.

Jun Planning had a booth full of Pullips but empty of people. When I took this photo, the man at the counter ducked behind a wall of dolls (you can only see his arm). That seemed like a guilty reaction to me.

Malese Jow, actress in the Vampire Diaries TV show is attached to the Arcana film property, Koni Waves.

Outside the convention center, pirate music was playing.

On the way to the Gaslamp area, a butt jumped into my line of sight.

This butt followed up.

When I went by this Zombie, she was relatively harmless, just snarled and swayed a bit, but later in the day, she started attacking people.

Across the tracks, a SyFy balloon, train, and the convention center.

Offsite shooting.

The legendary Flynn’s Arcade, hawking the 2nd coming of Tron.


The interior of the arcade and the vintage game and pinball machines.

Cool steampunk weapons.

Right next door to Flynn’s, a real video arcade with photo-technology that puts you right in the game!

White Bat.

With Queen and Rabbit.

July 23, 2010 Comic-con Day 2

Posted on 07.23.10 under Comic Con, cosplay, San Diego Comicon 2010


On the way to the Convention Center in front of an off-site promotion for an MMA fighter, a man got arrested.

We went back to the scene of another crime. Dexter’s…

The only clues were cryptic words written in “blood” on two-way mirrors that surrounded the dentis chair on 4 sides. Another door led to a back room where the man with the smart phone was hiding. He came out and started texting and another photographer took photos of us taking photos of the scene. I thought there was a body, but we didn’t find it — or the chalk outlines that usually indicate where a death has occurred.

And just outside the door, they were selling ice cream…

Parked in front of the train tracks a wooden helicopter.

Coming from the train, a commuter saunters to work. No need for speed!

Once inside the Con, Ariel and friend were there to greet us.

Gentle Giant’s licensed figures, Asgaard’s helmets for Thor, and an interview with Iron Man.


Several cool SF scenes from an artist which I am ashamed to say, I did not document.

Is this Lola or the 5th Element?

Founded by an ILM special effects director, this business sells sculpting supplies and aids. This sculpt is a combination of crustacean and human muscles with a modified crab carapace. For the record, this is a female…

A strange grouping. A menage a cinq.

Looks a little bit like Sarah Palin…

Let’s put her in the Green Lantern chamber!

Chris Bautista, contracted artist for DC, is an old friend.

At Toy Tokyo, a fan and her boyfriend customizer hold a Blythe that Lev picked up in Tokyo.

Middle Aged, I mean Middle Ages action here.

Cast for “Being Human.”

The ringlight around the lens of the video camera is just one more reason why certain people look better.

A lonely Lolita…

Tron bike

Steam Punk dolls — about Blythe-size.

Captain and Mrs. America. Suck it in, suck it in!

Girls signing at Diamond Comics Distribution — who hold a near monopoly on comic distribution (excepting Haven). The girl on the right is Jennifer Korbin, an actress on the TV show, Lingerie. Don’t ask me what the connection is, it seemed pretty random.

Prism Comics, a gay collective of artists and writers who enjoy comics.

A patron of Prism. It splits white light into rainbows, right?

They called themselves, “Hot Zombies,” and gave me a name card to prove it.

I put down $10 on the combatant in blue to win by knock out.

Ever wanted something to move just the way you wanted? Don’t you fret, Animation Master is here!

Just a couple of Living Dolls.

Add one more…

That make Hulk ANGRY!

Supergirl makes super love to another super hero to make Hulk super angrier!

Look out!

This universe has gotten mashed up — an R2 unit with these girls? Oh, my…

Erik Battle. Yet another brother that I have gone through the Dabel Brothers wars with…

The eyes don’t lie.

Zenoscope booth babe, intellectual variant.

Littlest Pet Shop poster

At the Hasbro booth

Alaina Huffman, actress for several TV series and also a model in Tokyo and Osaka in the mid-90s.

Are those stockings or tattoos?

Her girlfriend directed this shot, told her to look perverted. See how easily you can get your signals crossed?

Neytiri gives a “come hither” look. As always…

These guys had an unusual way of moving. Sort of like mimes.

Ugly Dolls had quite a large booth.

Anchor Bay, a Starz Company…

The lines on their bodies: one of them is permanent, the other, not.

The Stunt People, based in San Franciso make martial arts movies. They are the very first members of the Black Dog Clan.

Vampirella

Appears to be a switch hitter.

July 21, 2010 Comicon Preview night

Posted on 07.22.10 under Comic Con, cosplay, San Diego Comicon 2010

After picking up our passes, we went back to the hotel for a quick nap. Asked for a wakeup call, but it never came and we ended up getting out of the hotel about 45 minutes late.

Had to give a thumbs up to this pedicab driver.

Another large billboard/poster.

Green Hornet Girls…

Sean O’Reilly, president of my new publisher, Arcana on the left, friend Ken Levin in the middle and Mark of Arcana on the right. All new Black Dog Clan members!

Odin’s throne from the set of “Thor.” People included to give you some idea of scale. It’s about 30 feet wide. Some figures are monumental but quite small. Others are huge. It can give you vertigo.

These figures by Side Show Collectibles are about 10 inches tall.

This miniature gun by Weta, a New Zealand based special effects company that came into prominence with its work with Peter Jackson on Lord of the Rings, is about 5″ long.

I have 4 of the 6 miniatures.

District 9 models by Weta.


More figures by Side Show Collectibles. They have so many awesome figures!

Mink (right) shows how Dust works on the iPad. Paolo is the artist and his pinups are great. Dust is also available on the iPhone.

The comic app used is Comixology, a free app that offers free frame-to-frame transitions — and the panels get expand and contract by spreading your fingers. Creators just provide pdfs suitable for printing.

Figures by Gentle Giant for Zach Snyder’s movie, Sucker Punch. Like Side Show, figures range from miniature to larger-than-life size.

Since it’s Preview Night, not too much to shoot other than artwork — only a few booth babes are about, so here I practice on a Slave Leia.

Crowds waiting to cross the train tracks at 5th St as Preview Night comes to a close.

July 21, 2010 Comicon pre-preview, part 1

Posted on 07.21.10 under Comic Con, cosplay, San Diego Comicon 2010


It’s gray and not feeling so festive on pre-Preview Night. Big push for Tron2 this year. Our friend Mike Russek was responsible for design and installation of Flynn’s Arcade last year and this year. But unfortunately was fired off the job before completion due to some money problems.

Still a couple hours before Preview Night opens People are starting to roll in and, as always, line up.

This is one of the first people we saw with a pass around his neck up around G St.

The hotel across the street from the Convention Center had a huge poster of what looks like a PSP going up.

This gives you a better idea of the scale.

Girls in grass skirts on every corner pitching the remake of Hawaii 5-0 with offers of free t-shirts at the cast introduction panel with the saying: “I got lei’ed at Comicon.”

Here’s our jetlagged, jetsetting “pro” with swag bag.
And now for a little nap before Preview Night actually starts.

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