CrossGen Booth? Obliterated. (cheap shot, yes, but accurate.)

I have attended San Diego Comic-Con for the last four years. I was struck this year by how familiar it all seemed. Not only did I see a ton of the same people as I have seen in previous years, but a lot of the same costumes, presentations and celebrities looked familiar. The feeling of déjà vu got so bad that I even began to notice the few things that were missing from the show that had been present in past years.

In case you were not able to make it this year, I present our official San Diego Comic Con roll call…

DC Comics booth? Present.
Lucas Arts booth? Present.
WizKids booth? Present.

San Diego Police? Present.
Elite Security Staff? Present.
Guy dressed as a spiffy little sailor giving directions? Present.

Comics fans? Present.
Lord of the Rings fans? Present.
Catwoman fans? Absent.

Mark Waid? Present.
Judd Winick? Present.
Neil Gaiman? Present.

Brian Michael Bendis? Present.
Promise from Brian Michael Bendis to give us an interview? Present.
Apology from Brian Michael Bendis for not fulfilling his promises from 2001, 2002 & 2003? Present. (But he loves us. He says so.)

Pikachu? Present.
Hawkman? Present.
Lando Calrissian? Absent.

Joe Quesada? Present.
Kevin Smith Impersonators? Present.
The ends to "Evil That Men Do" and "Daredevil: Target" which Joe Quesada promised he would force Kevin Smith to compete last year? Absent.

Comic strip writers? Present.
Hotel rooms? Absent.
Keith Knight after crashing at a junkie hotel? Still present.

Twenty-five years ago, Jeremy Bulloch had no idea it would come to this...

Jeremy Bulloch (aka Boba Fett)? Present.
Puppets? Present.
Puppets harassing Jeremy Bulloch? Present.

Gays in Comics booth? Present.
FanboyRadio.com booth? Present.

Fans dressed as Star Wars characters? Present.
Fans dressed as X-Men characters? Present.
Fans dressed as "OH MY GOD! What the hell is that?" Present.

Evil Gothic Clown? Present.
Obese guy wearing a Tick costume? I didn't actually see one, but odds are…present
Underage girls dressed in such a way as to draw inappropriate attention from older men. Present and in large numbers.

Full platoon of stormtroopers? Present.
Stormtrooper dressed as Elvis? Absent.
Plush Cthulhu dressed as Elvis? Present.

Revenge of the what now?

Carrie Fisher? Present.
Attractive woman wearing a Princess Leia costume? Present.
Unattractive woman wearing a Princess Leia costume? Present.

That actor who looks familiar because he was on that show I watched in the 70s? Present.
That actress that used to be hot but now looks like the implants she got have passed their expiration date? Present.
Beastmaster? Present.

Buck Rogers' Erin Gray? Present.
Guys that used to spank it to Erin Gray in the 1980s? Present.
Guys that still spank it to Erin Gray no matter how old they both get? Present and we'll all be back next year.

Michael Goodson