Hmm, I never did post summaries of Saturday and Sunday. Well, there was nothing of real note to relate on the TMNT front, so I let myself be totally and completely overwhelmed and consumed by the rest of the Con. I'm still recovering, including a slight dose of illness, but it's nothing compared to how deathly ill I got after the Con last year. Anywho, here's a look at some of my TMNT swag from the Con.
Here's what I think became my favorite TMNT acquisition from the Con. I was at the Heavy Metal booth, in Kevin Eastman's sketch line, expecting to get another Turtle sketch. But then I thought about it and it occurred to me that it would be pretty kickass to have a Foot Elite - one of the rare bad guy characters that I absolutely love - drawn by The Master. So that's what I asked for and that's what I got. Not only is it kickass, it's also more unique than a Turtle sketch, of which I already have a couple.
Speaking of which, here's one of them. In each Bodycount hardcover that Kevin sold, he was doing a full sketch of your choice in the front (assuming you were willing to wait in his constantly long line). There are many awesome things about Kevin, but I think it's particularly awesome that he is willing to do such sketches for anyone who asks and he also puts a considerable amount of time and detail into each sketch. And since he's such an awesome guy (and a millionaire), he never ever charges a fee.(On a related note: Peter Laird charges $20 at Cons for a scribble.)
This last item of note is a sketch of Michaelangelo by my personal favorite of the new batch of TMNT artists, Dario Brizuela.There are many reasons why I love Comic-Con, and thus continue to attend. The TMNT swag is just a small part of it. Seeing and meeting people I respect and look up to is another small part. A big part of it is the awesome friends that I get to hang out with for the duration; for some of them it's the only time I'll see them for the entire year.
But the other thing I love about Comic-Con is just the general atmosphere. For five days a year 125,000 people gather in one space to celebrate what can be summed up as simple geekdom. We are female and male, we are young and old, and we are all races and nationalities and species (can't forget those Klingons). We love comic books and movies and television and over the course of these five days, they love us back. For the minutes or hours that I'm standing in a line, I can hold a conversation with the person standing next to me because, even though we don't know each other and will probably never meet again, we speak the same language: Geek. And I think it's pretty awesome when you can do that with nearly any of the 125,000 attendees (and sappy, I know).
Not only was I the first one to purchase a NECA set, but I was also the first one in Kevin's line (caught him as he walked up to the booth). I got a sweet turtle sketch, and my brother got an awesome Casey. I LOVE that Foot Elite.
ReplyDeleteOh, and your last little blurb there sums up Con eloquently and perfectly
ReplyDeleteGee, it seems like we should have crossed paths, but I can't recall that we actually did.
ReplyDeleteI got to the NECA booth pretty darn quick, as soon as I got into the hall. When I got to the Heavy Metal booth Kevin wasn't there yet, so I bought my book and came back a little later. I might have been too late at both booths.
Amen to that last paragraph, sister! I love being able to strike up conversations with complete strangers about geek stuff. That's one of the best parts about going to comic con. I was in line to see David Petersen, and I spoke to someone about Mouse Guard for a good 20 minutes. Great fun.
ReplyDeleteThose sketches you got are wicked cool, especially the Foot Elite. I didn't know Kevin sketched other characters aside from the TMNT. I'm going to ask him for a Splinter next year (I got a Leo this year).
Dario was such a great guy to talk to. Really friendly, and it was a pleasure to meet him. He was kind enough to give me a sketch too, and I requested that he draw his favorite turtle. Turned out to be Donny! I'm going to post that sketch on my blog later on in the week.
Thanks for sharing!
Another person I missed! Glad you got to see Dario, though. He's most awesome.
ReplyDeleteI think next year we need to all wear flashing lights or something. :p
From what I've seen, Kevin will sketch pretty much anything you ask him to. He drew Shredder in my friend's Bodycount book and later did a sketch of Raph and Casey together for her husband.
LOL @ flashing lights! That's a good idea. We'll need some way of identifying everyone next year, especially if the rumors of the Mirage crew making an appearance are true. I did wear TMNT shirts on Thursday and Friday, though I didn't have the opportunity to speak to anyone who was also wearing TMNT merch. I only saw people in passing, and once the crowd starts moving in one direction, it's pretty hard not to follow along.
ReplyDeleteI got to the NECA booth pretty darn quick, as soon as I got into the hall.
ReplyDeleteYeah, you did it the fair way. I kind of cheated... I was in the hall for set-up, so I staked out the NECA booth 10 minutes prior to opening. Unfair, I know, but I couldn't run the risk of not getting one of those sets. As for the flashlight idea, that might work! At the very least, we'll have to let each other know in advance where we'll be geeking out!