Dog Eaters

comicon, day 2 (Friday, July 24, ’09)

Posted on 07.24.09 under cosplay, San Diego Comicon 2009

Friday was a larger wave than Thursday, but less defined — like a bit of a mushy swell with an onshore wind. I tried to get a handle on it by taking a trip to Image Comics. On the way I passed Dark Horse.
lovecomics

And saw this on the back of a woman.
backtattoo
And was almost arrested by a pair of Judge Dredds, one male, the other female.
judgedredd
We are the law!
judgedredd2
OK, OK!
mixedsuperheroes
Mixed and matched universe of characters.
mixedsuperheroes2
Another scrambled group…
starwars
And then back through Star Wars territory.
troopercu
But what’s this?
whitebodic
A pretty odd couple…
But then another surprise at the Dabel Brothers booth. Who was this mousy girl?
pris5
Why it’s Pris in yet another of her marvelous manifestations. Truly a chameleon.

Cung Le, undefeated MMA Middleweight Champion was signing his action figure. He is also an action movie star.
cungle
I pitched Dog Eaters to him and his manager and it was interesting to see how their faces closed (his manager was a bit more open). My “thin slice” perception of this was that people were always trying to get a piece of him and use it to their advantage. He’s overcome some incredible odds, so I give him props.

bluelady
Pale blue skin with ears like — mannequin
— this. Sort of…
jacksparrow
he seems to love kids…

At the Props Store of London, an almost museum-like presentation of props
lostarkidol
The idol in the beginning of “Raiders of the Lost Ark.”
naziskullprop
Skull in Nazi helmet.
vforvendetta
Nothing to this prop. The kind of thing you get at a dollar store.
skullknives
Kinda shiny…
mattelcar
So is this.
twinevil
The glossy version of the evil sisters.
bigheadchara
The Blythe-like proportions of this character caught my eye.
eyepatchblackleather
Low-belted, high-holstered style.
girlninja
Not much of a bicep, but could be deadly in other ways…
greentrek
I’m not responsible for this unflattering shot. I asked for a photo and the assistant told me to get her now before she went on camera. I wonder how she looked then…
feedfear
People react to fear in different ways. One laughs. One is burnt to a crisp. One has no reaction at all.
somekindaswat1
In a dangerous world… Let’s just make it even more dangerous by pointing guns!
glowinghammer
I prefer a magic hammer to a gun. More explosive!
chrisbautista
Took a trip to Artists Alley and bought some art from Chris Bautista. My second piece. Here he critiques (in a nice way) an artist’s portfolio.
supermanbatmanannual
This is from the Superman/Batman Annual 2008.
I also got these pieces:
marvelclassics07
“Aargh!! I am hit” Marvel Classics (Iiliad) 1977
avp_benherrera
This is AVP Issue 4 (undated) by Ben Herrera, a not-so-well-known artist.
legendinmind
I spent some time with this “legend” ( I worked with Stan Lee!), but did not purchase anything.

We left the Convention Center for lunch. Fog had burned off. Nice and sunny.
notghostbusters
Azteca TV — not Ghostbusters.
criminalminds
Heard a murmur in the crowd. That’s the guy from Criminal Minds! Not him, the guy on crutches.
gamelovelies
These two were promoting a game. Both extremely near-sighted…
beefcakesecurity
This guy was wearing a Space Exploration Security Force uniform. Think that’s authentic?
syfyimagine
I hope they really mean this…
clan_5331
Troy Duffy, director of Boondock Saints and the sequel, is a Black Dog Clan member.
garretwang
Garrett Wang, from Star Trek Voyager, is also a Black Dog Clan member.
auntielolita
Auntie Lolita
ghostbusters
These Ghostbusters have cleavage!
inker_cops
With the cops in the background, the inker/writer Saleem, kept a low profile…
zombieattack
Always have to be alert for a zombie attack.
pele
She called herself, “Pele.”
sunset1
The San Diego sun at seven-thirty.
hotelview
View from the hotel.
sunset2
Gonna call it a day…

Comicon, Day 1 (thursday, July 23)

Posted on 07.23.09 under cosplay, San Diego Comicon 2009

The line for passes stretches all the way to the water, about 2 NYC avenue blocks. And it’s 8AM…

I believe that height of American civilization peaked 40 yrs ago. I base my premise on: Woodstock, the Apollo Moon landing, and the first Comicon…

comicon_catalog

And not because of military might, although those were also the days of Vietnam… But a gentle reminder of US firepower cruises out to sea early in the morning.

navy
Not sure what class of ship this is. Only one forward gun…

Breakfast was a wonderful place to catch up on the Comicon catalogs and event schedules, but this young man chose to read DOG EATERS, Issue #3.

isaac_reading
His comment: “So thin…” And yet this particular issue took 6 months. What the — ??!!

Our waiter from Ethiopia is now a proud Black Dog Clan member.
clan_392
For more images of clansmen, please visit the Clansmen page.

On our way to the Convention Center, it seemed to me that the cos-players were out early this year, rebounding from last year’s flat first day.
minimarios
Mini-Marios…

Saw these balloons in the sky. Last year, their booth was across the aisle from the Dabel Brothers.
ageofinsects

Saw these 3 lovelies as well…
dominitrix

What was a bit disturbing was that this cop was texting on the job. With all the accidents that have been happening with on-the-job texting, this cop just seemed stupid.
textingonjob
“You’re under arrest! Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law!”

Again the mesmerizing Side Show Collectibles…
ackbar

alienvspredator
Two Aliens vs. one Predator

conan
Pre-governor Arnie as Conan

evangelion_1300
Evangelion, $1300

Stay tuned, Day 1 still not anywhere near finished today’s entry… I’m fading out and it’s only 9:30 PM. Still got jetlag.

Okay, I’m back, it’s 4 AM and I have to finish this entry before the Con starts, today.

More Sideshow Collectibles.
predator
Makes a lovely pet…
grevious
The Force still lingers…
vader
And lingers… Will you never die?!
handgun1
Maybe if I use this…
hellboy2
And recruit my friends…
ironman
But enough about Sideshow Collectibles…
zudaandme
And more about me!
Actually, more about the very interesting people around me.
hero108girls
the girls working the booth next door: Hero 108
artistrow_gabriel
An owner-creator on artist row.
jason
A truly scary dude. This was his inner self coming out.
2inblack
“Come home, darling! I miss you!”
chestscreens
These girls wear their hearts on their sleeves, I mean their video screens over their chest. They actually play movie trailers and are available for rental. The girls come with the screens. Really!
kim3zero
Ran into Kim from 3-Zero. CWC has done a couple of projects with him: Kumanogollo and Runts with Tristan Eaton.
pikachu
Hovering ominously overhead…
pumpkinhead
Notice the air vents in the head?
redblackpirate
A man without his ship. Or his parrot…
rockband
making friends and influencing people — RockBand!
More Star Wars…
clonewars
whitebluestormtrooper
darth
Aren’t we getting tired of these guys, yet?
How about if their costumes are more homemade and they strike more intimidating poses?
trooper
troopers2
Okay, still want to do it? Well, then — how about being Padme?
760padme
It will cost you $760 for this costume.
1300obiwan
And almost twice that much — $1300 — to transform into Obi Wan.
Speaking of tranformation, the Hasbro booth and the Transformer display was packed like sardines.
hasbrobooth
hasbro2
transformers
If this robot, designed by James Cameron for “Avatar,” got into the octagon with Bumble Bee, what round is the knockout and by who?
coolrobot
But enough about violence, let’s move on to social issues.
adultswim
A meditation on Capitalism…
adultswim2
And communism!
gentlegiant
Like an anguished composer…

With Glenn Farrington…
glenn
Ex-NYC cop, ex-dot.com millionaire — currently… a screenwriter!

elephantman
Elephantman: Bladerunner meets Taxi Driver (but looks like an elephant) signing
3200kirby
Original comic art by Jack Kirby: $3200 — and that might be cheap…
Lou Ferrigno lurks in his customary spot. He’s only $25 a shot.
lou
lou2
But he’s still got the guns!
tankgirl
Tank Girl in the flesh.
tankgirl2
And in the vinyl.schoolgirlreaper
These Grim Reapers are kinda cute…
donothire
They warned us not to hire them — so we didn’t.inblack_glasses
We think she might do a better job. And you should see her with her gun!
trooperattack
These guys kept butting in, though…vampires
A coven of vampires. Surprisingly scarce after all the Twilight hype a few months ago.
vampireteethmaker
He’s the leader — and he makes the fang protheses with dental molds. Each one is individually crafted at $55/tooth. Check out his contact lenses.
vampireprothesis
Here’s what they look like. They fit into the roof of your mouth like a retainer.
This is a bit of what you’ll find in the figure area
anatomyfigure
You can study anatomy!
Or check out rotocast vinyl at Super7. Brian Flynn does this when he’s not doing graphic design for Nike.
super7
glitteroooze
Just a few of the limited edition pieces…

You cannot escape the Star Wars universal reality.
slaveleia
I have not seen a more lovely Slave Leia.
yellowblack
Not a Slave Leia, but she’s not bad, either.

There was a Zombie walk through San Diego. They had “professional zombie makeup artists” assisting anyone who wanted to get into character. Here are some of the results.
zombie4
zombie21
zombies3
zombie3
“Maggots, anyone?”
zombiemannequin
She’s just a mannequin who needs a new wardrobe — these are the same clothes she had last year.

Moving on…
gamecharacter
Namco booth
gamecharacter2
I will give you the power…
buttocks
Wait, what does she look like from the front?
buttocks2
That’s what he wanted to know!
What is the significance of these images? I don’t know…
bart
pris2
Do you recognize this girl? You’ve seen her before when she was incognito. Go to the Preview Night post and look at the girl standing next to Derek. It’s Priscilla!
pris
She looks good in costume!
whitedress2
Looks a little dangerous…redblackjestser
But can she tell a joke, make you laugh?
violeteyes
You might not demand that of this girl.
adamimages
I visited with Adam Hughes…
mal_adam1
I stealthily made him a BDC member…
couple2
But not these two… No particular reason I didn’t… Just didn’t.
batgirl
She wears the mask well…
redtwins
They must be twins.
mixedheroes
At the end of the day, they were tired, but Supergirl still had the freshest smile!

sdcc, preview night: July 22 6 – 9PM

Posted on 07.22.09 under cosplay, San Diego Comicon 2009

I didn’t stray far from the Dabel Brothers booth on Preview Night. Had some catching up to do with Rich and Derek. DOG EATERS will soon be offered as digital media for one of the cutting edge programs for iPhone, PSP, et al. More on that later.

derek_pris
Derek and Priscilla in the booth.

Note the lower left hand corner of the banner…
banner_detail

And I was happy to see all three issues to date lined up next to Robert Jordan’s, WHEEL OF TIME.
onsale

Near the Dabel booth were 12 Gauge Comics which had DUST figures on display. I traded comics with the writer last year and am a fan of the women in that story. These mechanized armored guns with legs are heavily influenced by Japanese manga.

12guage_figures

12guage2

12guagedust

13chambers
Here is the designer of the revolver of 13 CHAMBERS with the barrel pointed at his head.

Also nearby was Sideshow Collectibles. Their array of figures was very impressive. Here is just a sampling.

sideshowcollect

planetape
Planet of the Apes

t-600
Terminator T-600

wolverinecomediansilkspectre
Wolverine, Comedian, Silk Spectre

And your typical horror show…
zombie

zombie2

sideshow

And now it’s night, night. (I say that twice because there were two nights yesterday because of crossing the international time line) Time for bed!

sd_nightscape

Transit from Tokyo to San Diego Comicon, Day 1 (July 22, ’09)

Posted on 07.22.09 under Uncategorized

Made it here, it was a bit of a stress test. After Tokyo Tower flashed by, traffic was very bad from Rainbow Bridge to Urayasu (Tokyo Disneyland) — I suspect a fender-bender.

There was supposed to be a total eclipse of the sun visible today in Japan, but as you can see when it rains, no eclipse visible on ground level.

tokyotower

rainbowbridge

It took just under 2 hours to get to Narita and then…. We discovered we had forgotten something… Many phone calls and much stress later we figured out a solution. But Isaac would have to fly standby on the next flight and in SF, wait all afternoon for the 6PM flight to SD. So he’ll miss Preview Night. But it turned out fine and hopefully a lesson was learned.

Here are a few preliminary shots of San Diego.
aircraftcarrier

This is also a Navy town…

comiconbanner

pool

View from my room.

district9

Promo for District 9 — a movie opening Aug 14. Produced by Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings, Meet the Feebles) who will be attending his first Comicon this year.

meinvator
Some strange person in the elevator.

Old friends, new black dog clan members

Posted on 07.16.09 under Uncategorized

We have been vacationing in the Islands with this family for years. Now they’re all grown up. New husband, and a rock n roll vocalist (Japanese rock) round out this group of new members.
clan_380

clan_381

clan_379

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