Comic-Con
2010:
From Dusk 'Til Con
 Over
the years, Comic-Con has increased in more than just size.
Once the sun goes down, the social options also multiply,
and not just because of the great restaurants and clubs
in the Gaslamp District.
Okay, actually, it is partially
because of those, because in the past couple of years, Comic-Con
presenters have figured out that it's one thing to gather
people in a stuffy convention room and tell them about stuff
they'll like; it's another thing entirely to tell them and
then let them party.
So our own David Tapia co-ordinated knowledge
of all parties. Entertainment Weekly had one, G4 sponsored
one, Magnet had one, Robert Rodriguez even had one in a
parking lot to celebrate Machete.
But
the crème de la crème a la Edgar (Wright, of course)
had to be the party dubbed "Poynt Presents From Dusk 'Til
Con" on Friday night. The party existed thanks to the largesse
of Poynt,
an all-in-one search app for iPhones and Blackberries (and
lord, next year they might want to develop a special localized
version just for navigating the convention floor).
To help those not familiar with Poynt, the company provided
beautiful young women in silver outfits to answer any questions.
Granted, it was hard to formulate coherent thoughts when
faced with these ladies, but they were quite comprehensive.
However, they did not party alone. "From
Dusk 'Til Con" also featured sponsorship by Starz and Anchor
Bay Entertainmentfor Spartacus: Blood and Sand, which
has an impending home video release in September, and thus
many gladiators wandered the red carpet and rooftop of Stingaree
in the heart of the Gaslamp. (Even the choice of venue is
perfect for Comic-Con attendees - Captain Stingaree being
an old Batman villain.)
With Starz and Poynt came AMC Theaters,
which provided popcorn and other assorted movie snacks to
accompany the libations served from strategically located
bars around the party. Their presence also signaled the
first annual "AMC Film Fanatics Award," given to creators
who sum up what the modern Comic-Con is about.
AMC Script-to-Screen manager John Campea first presented
the award to Edgar Wright, director of Scott Pilgrim
vs. the World, the film second only to TRON: Legacy
in buzz at the convention. Wright absolutely deserves this
kind of recognition, not only as director of Shaun of
the Dead and Hot Fuzz, but as co-creator of the
first sitcom to get fandom absolutely right, Spaced.
Facing down a throng of cheering partygoers,
Wright accepted the award enthusiastically. He gave a short
speech before everyone had to disperse and head back up
to the rooftop for the other recipient, Stan Lee.
Well, folks, that one's a no-brainer. Some
have described Stan as our modern Homer, but that was Tom
Kenny talking years ago. Hyperbole aside, Stan is one of
the mast storytellers of our time, and we should all be
so lucky as to still be vital and creative at the age of
87. Let's face it: most of us will be lucky just to be at
the age of 87.
Yet here was Stan, relaxing in one of Stingaree's
rooftop bungalows late into the evening after a long day
of convention appearances. (Again, no hyperbole: Stan was
everywhere at the Con every day.) Pulling away from
the beautiful young women competing for his attention, Stan
accepted the second award, and perhaps they should have
reversed the order of presentations for this alone: without
Stan, it's doubtful there would be a Comic-Con.
And then the mingling could continue without interruption.
With an eclectic mix of pop, rock and television theme songs,
DJ Party Ben set the right background tone, and inevitably,
dancing broke out under the logo for Slacker , led by the Joss Whedon crew -
Joss himself, Nathan Fillion and Felicia Day.
On the other side of the patio lounged
the cast members from Spartacus, including star Andy
Whitfield, looking well after some health problems that
have delayed the filming of the second season.
Actors from several different series showed
up, including the cast of Chuck and James Frain from
True Blood. Jason Schwartzman and Brandon Routh appeared
to support their director Edgar Wright. From Syfy, Christopher
Judge (Stargate: SG-1) arrived early to chat with
fans. Eureka's Colin Ferguson and Neil Grayston accompanied
Warehouse 13's Allison Scagliotti. Of course, those
two shows will be crossing over next week, so why not cross
over at a party? (It turns out that Felicia Day will be
appearing on Eureka as well, which she announced
at Comic-Con.)
I bet Ferguson that Stan would outlast him at the party,
but it's a sucker bet. When it comes to Comic-Con, Stan
will outlast us all, still
announcing new projects.
For
me, one of the biggest stealth announcements was the presence
of concept art from Mortal Souls, a movie going into
production next year under the eye of Shane Riches, our
host and party producer through Poor Dog Entertainment.
Based on an Avatar comic book by Steven Grant, it's a clever
and creepy reverse-zombie story. Having read the book years
ago, I'm very excited by this one.
In addition to producing Mortal Souls,
Riches also will co-write RPM with the great Mick
Foley, while still shepherding Keith Champagne's Death
Valley graphic novel through IDW. Hmmm… Stan might have
some competition after all.
Nope. Sorry, Shane, I can't go that
far.
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