Day 2 - Done

I know there were less posts than yesterday, and that several are duped,
but that's the downside of liveblogging at a non-fully-DVD event. But I
did get interviews with Mike Mignola and Tad Stone, the crew behind Afro
Samurai and Stan Lee himself, and I'll be posting those soon.

Tomorrow is Kids Day, so I don't expect the same turn-out, which means I
may not turn out, but I still have a couple of notes to share.

I Have a Bork Bork

Kevin Smith did his usual great job of making a massive crowd laugh
their asses off. For those wondering, if he could put together any
fight, it would be the Swedish Chef versus Martin Luther King, Jr.

Stan Lee vs. The Screen

Holy crap, I almost saw Stan "The Man" Lee injure himself not once, not
twice, but three times. Coming on and off the stage during a panel for
his animated films Mosaic and The Condor, he tripped over the leg of a
screen, and went flying three separate times, but collected himself
brilliantly, despite breaking the lens out of his glasses. There are few
people who can captivate and entertain an audience the way he can.

One of the Beatles vs. Stan Lee

One of the Beatles will be starring in an upcoming Stan Lee presents
animated film, and doing the music as well. It's certain to be an
All-Star affair.

Forced Dieting?

Or just a massive rip-off? Considering the incredible cost of anything
at the Javits Center, I give great thanks to Transcontinental for their
lounge.

Media Blasters Update

Expect some new Toho titles soon and Frankenstein Conquers the World
will be available in a few months.

Bigger Than Last Year

The line curls around inside the building and then around the building,
and the cosplayers are out in force. I believe the tickets are already
sold out. At this rate, next year's show could rival San Diego's (except
for the weather.)

On Today's Schedule

I'm planning a sit-down with the creators of Afro Samurai, and have time
set up to chat with Hellboy creator Mike Mignola and legend Stan Lee. If
I can, I'll be checking out the Stephen King presentation as well.

Sweet, Sweet Swag

Swag (stuff we all get?) is always present at these conventions, be it
comics, sci-fi or erotica. This show has it's share, but it was mostly
of the poster, pin and sample comic variety. Of the swag that sticks out
most so far, it would probably be the nifty animated bookmarks the
Number 23 movie folks were giving out, the Gojira DVD samplers, and the
tiny Ghost Whisperer T-shirts (mainly because I couldn't understand what
the slogan "Ditch Him" meant.) My favorite was the "I rocked the mic"
tees given to those who visited the Sony Playstation area and did just
that with Singstar.

Of course, they all couldn't hold a candle to an innovative independent
creator in the Artists Alley who handed out free booze. Though I didn't
partake (I'm something of a teatotaller), it certainly got me to look at
their stuff.

The Word of the Day is MFing Cold

I was in Vermont earlier this week, and it wasn't as cold as it is today
in NY. I can't imagine what it's going to be like at the convention
center, which is down by the water.

Day One was a relatively quiet affair, a testament to the improvements
made by the organizers after last year's fiasco. Things are much more
organized and the new multi-floor layout is excellent, though it seemed
to create less traffic for the artists in artist's alley. I'm sure that
will change today, with it being a full day for fans.

Top Cow Everywhere

One of the biggest presences at the show has to be Top Cow, which is
drawing fans with their many properties, including a new noir-ish series
from Paul "Batman: The Animated Series" Dini. But in addition to their
own booth, there's a massive booth for the new XBox 360 game The
Darkness, based on the Top Cow character, which features several
playable demos and a gaggle of scantily clad booth babes. Plus, promo
for a new Witchblade anime series can be found at the Funimation booth.
It's still being developed, but expect 24 episodes, spread over six
separately-released DVDs this fall, and, if the image is right,
bodacious cartoon ta-tas.

Mr. Madonna Tries Comics

Virgin Comics, Richard Branson's shot at four-color fame, has handed the
keys to two titles to a pair of directors who built their careers as
action crafters, John Woo and Guy Ritchie. I can't say that either one
has done much lately to thrill me, but maybe Woo's 7 Brothers and
Ritchie's Game Keeper can turn it around for them. The short preview of
Game Keeper did nothing to draw me in unfortunately.

Taking a Break

I've wandered the floor for 4+ hours. Time to sit down, have a drink and
look at the schedule to see if it's worth hanging around or heading home
to rest up for day two.

New Plymptoons DVDs

Two new discs available from the twisted artist. A collection of his
dirtiest works and his Guide Dog/Guard Dog discs are available on his
web site.

Comic Book Creator: The Next Big DVD Extra?

Already found on the Nacho Libre DVD, the Comic Book Creator software
allows you to take frames from a movie and make your own comic book. The
software will be seen next on the Charlotte's Web DVD this spring, with
five more DVDs on the way, including one for some malleable vehicles.
*hint hint*

With all that empty space on blu-ray and HDDVD, there's room for stuff
like this to give added value.

A Little Scary

Some frightening toys are on the way from Mezco this October, including
Friday the 13th, The Thing and Nightmare on Elm Street. For fans, this
things are sweet.

One Immediate Difference

The booth babes have found a new home.

DC Direct to DVD

Apparently announced at the S.D. Con, DC's animated direct to DVD answer
to Marvel's recent cartoon output will start hitting stores in October,
with Superman Doomsday, followed by The New Frontier (which should be
awesome) and The Neew Teen Titans: The Judas Contract, which will not be
in the Cartoon Network series style.

Meet Shin Chan

Coming to DVD from Funimation this September, and a part of the Adult
Swim lineup, this nonsensical series about a badass lil kid looks rather
interesting. I'll be hitting a panel later to find out more.

Sports Meets MMOs

Sierra Online is showing off Free Style Street Basketball, which
combines MMO gameplay with traditional sports games, allowing you to
build your characters through play, and spend experience points to grab
gear that will make you a better baller. As someone who is allergic to
MMOs, it was surprisingly easy to pick up and play, despite the unusual
experience of playing basketball with a keyboard (gamepad drivers are
available though.)

It's Starting Already

It's just 9 a.m., and they are already lining up for Stan Lee's 6:30
p.m. appearance.

Good Morning

One of the advantages of living where I do, is the ability to jump on
the train and be in the city in about an hour. One of the disadvantages
is the local train, which services every one of the 7,429 stops between
my town and NYC. So against better judgment, I dragged my ragged self
out of bed before dawn and kissed my wife, baby and dog goodbye to get
one of the select few express trains that make just three stops along
the way.

Being half-awake (despite normally being an early riser) it was hard to
decide which ironic pop-culture T-shirt to pair with my jeans. The red
felt Cobra logo? The distressed Atari shirt? My Pink Ladies long-sleeve?
The choices were too overwhelming, so I opted for a classic blue shirt
with black
trousers/slacks/other-oldy-tyme-word-for-pants-that-aren't-jeans. Yes,
I'll look like a narc amongst the comic-book set, but c'mon... I'm
almost 30. I can make this tiny concession to maturity.

On Your Mark, Get Set...

Getting ready for day one of the ComicCon tomorrow, which I plan to liveblog (as long as my Sidekick allows me to.)

So far, I'm looking forward to checking out some of the new anime being shown, the increased presence of the movie studios (including a Hostel II panel), checking out the Buffy celebrations and my scheduled sit-down with Stan Lee. Of course, I'm going to try and snag a bit of time with Hayden ("Heroes") Panetierre and Kevin Smith, but it can be a bit hard to find time for everything.

See you then.