This
year, the Comic-Con has its own rock star. And despite his walking
the floor, it isn't Gene Simmons. No, the hot ticket today caused
a line-up three times the length of the conference hall without once
sticking out his tongue, though there were plenty of references to
oral sex. Applause for the star seeped into all the other rooms. Kevin
Smith walked among us.
He
haunts the whole convention. This year's official t-shirt depicts
a grim emerald archer. And though plenty call Green Arrow "a
new fan favorite," who framed his fearful symmetry? Kevin Smith.
DC Editor Bob Schreck hosted a panel for the books in his stable,
and many of the writers involved seemed shackled by what Kevin Smith
would allow them to say about Green Arrow (except for GA artist Phil
Hester, who just smiled a lot). Not since John Byrne re-booted Superman
has a creator seemed to wield such power.
Smith
himself ran a rocking good show. Allotted three hours to speak and
answer questions, he teased the audience with specially edited clips
from Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back. Though it didn't take
long to whip them into a frenzy of anticipation, he topped it by giving
away tickets for a screening that evening. Eventually, Jason Mewes
(Jay) wandered in, but couldn't manage to steal Smith's focus. And
in a first (by his own admission), 
Smith
managed to get through the presentation without having to talk about
Superman Lives. At the end of his three hours, the audience
rushed a Dimension Pictures representative for the remaining fifty
or so tickets. It was sudden, frightening, and more than a little
dangerous. We'll never forget the look on her face as we grabbed our
passes.
A convention security guard warned us that Joss Whedon
would cause an even bigger frenzy tomorrow, but it's hard to see how.
Still, number one on the convention's FAQ sheet is "Where's
Buffy?" The guard may have been biased, being an admitted fan
of Whedon's shows. And Sam Raimi will make his first ever convention
appearance (he sent a videotape last year), to talk about Spider-Man
and confront fandom head on. Things could get uglier than the clone
saga.
