Wizard World Philly Report!

I set out to take part in my first Wizard World Comic Con (and my first ever comic con!) on Thursday, May 7th, the kickoff day for the show. Accompanying me was my lovely partner-in-crime, Lisa. Traffic was light from New York to Philadelphia, so Lisa and I arrived fairly quickly, in about two hours. After checking in at the hotel, I started off walking the convention show floor as soon as possible. There weren't a ton of people on the first day, which didn't surprise me much because it was a weekday. Tons of merchandise stands with everything your nerdy heart could ever desire, as long as your nerdy heart wanted Funko Pop figurines. Seriously, they were everywhere. The convention exclusive Funko figurines I noticed were Stan Lee, and the Winchester brothers from Supernatural. I ended up picking up a Roger Rabbit Funko Pop figurine for Lisa. They got me. Or, rather, they got her.

It's Free Comic Book Day - So Go Spend Money!

It's our favorite holiday of the year - Free Comic Book Day. The day that comic book giants and independents decide that the best way to get new readers and promote their upcoming titles is to just give their comic books away. It's free! Just run to your local comic book shop, grab as many free comics as you can, and run for the hills, right?

No, not right. Because, you see, the comic book stores - the people that dispense your twenty two pages of illustrated crack for you every month - they actually have to PAY money to get these books. Not their usual prices, but they still have to ship them to their stores, and that's not free. Not to mention however much they spend on the food, entertainment, or extra staff that they provide to make your Free Comic Book Day experience awesome.

At the top of this image is my haul for FCBD this year. The bottom three comics are the "free" ones I grabbed. Everything else I paid for - it was like $100 worth of comics and trades. And while you don't have to break your wallet like I did, if you're heading to an LCS for the day, you should really buy something. A t-shirt, the newest issue of X-men, a plastic green lantern ring - just something to show your appreciation for how awesome the store is for putting on an amazing event for you, year after year.

WONDER WOMAN '77: All The World's Been Waiting For You!

Wonder Woman '77 illustration by Nicola Scott

Reading Wonder Woman '77 has brought me, along with many other self appointed geeks, back to a very fun era. In my particular instance, when I was a child, I had an incredibly elaborate process for watching Lynda Carter's Wonder Woman television show (yup...I just aged myself!). This involved becoming the character Diana, with whom I clearly identified and idolized. This transformative process was an obvious foreshadowing for my interest in an acting career. There were days of prep time involved that included: researching the character, finding & creating costumes, and processing or practicing the character's essence. By the time Wonder Woman would air each week, you could find an ecstatic child (me) who would mimic every single action she did. To give you an idea of the thought I had put into this and just how much I was dressed to the "T" in my character's garb, here's what I had utilized to make the entire uniform:

• My mother's red boots, 
• Blue underwear and a red t-shirt from my Underoos at the time. 
• A golden belt made of yellow construction paper (or some other actual gold material), and yes, I had cut it into the shape of whatever belt style was appropriate for the season (NOTE: Season 1 belt was different than seasons 2 & 3). 
• Rope which I had colored yellow and latched onto my belt (The rope style/draping also changed between seasons 1 and 2/3), 
• A tiara made out of yellow construction paper with a red star drawn on it, 
• A t-shirt on my head so that I had long hair like Wonder Woman, and...
• Toilet paper rolls that I had cut, colored, and upon which I had drawn stars (the bracelet shape also changed between seasons). 

SDCC's Hotelpocalypse Now - How to Book A Room

To those who beat the odds and purchased a badge, I salute you. You made it soldier, but now unless you plan on sleeping in line for Hall H each night, you need a hotel room. Comic-con's official hotel sale is this Tuesday, March 24th at 9 am.

In 2013 all hotels were gone in 3 min.
Last year all downtown hotels were gone in 90 seconds.

Comic-Con International has said it for years, the demand simply outweighs the supply of available hotel rooms. So how do you stand a chance against the hordes vying for a room? You plan like your life depends on it.

Is Marvel skipping SDCC?

For the past two or three years, the absolute highlight of the madness known as San Diego Comic Con's Hall H has been whatever surprises Marvel has cooked up for the fans. From Tom Hiddleston showing up in full costume and character as Loki, to seeing the entire Avengers cast together on stage for the first time, they've always brought something to stop the show.

Which makes it interesting to think that this year, they may not be there at all.

In answering a fan Q&A session on his personal Facebook, James Gunn dropped this particular bomb:

Cue the fan freak out. In response to whether he might be playing with his fans or trying to trick us, Gunn said the following:

“@starglooms: @JamesGunn @DrunkenShots guys, he could be lying” I have never lied about anything to the fans, ever.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) March 7, 2015

So what does this mean? With Avengers: Age of Ultron dropping a few months before SDCC, Marvel may feel like they don't need to be there, although they could still show to promote Ant-Man. If they don't show at all, the lines for Hall H could be significantly shorter this year.

Or longer, as people assume Marvel will show up to surprise them, and then riot when they don't.

I Really Wanted To Like Kingsmen...

I truly wanted to like Kingsmen. Adapted from a comic by writer Mark Millar (Kickass, Civil War) and directed by Matthew Vaughn (Kickass, X-Men: First Class) it looked like the comic book action flick I've been dying for this winter. True, the movie had gadgets, eccentric villains, an unlikely hero and a secret society... but when it all came together not only did it fall flat, it made me feel gross for watching it.

Why do all the "best" assassins have a thigh gap these days...

How to Prep for Comic Con

Official logo courtesy of Comic Con International - trademark & copyright of CCI

Today is a very special day for self-appointed geeks and dorks (like myself) all around the world. You know what I'm talking about. That first day where we are each given the opportunity to vie for access to that magical item which grants us each safe passage between worlds. Not just ANY magical item. It's that Golden Ticket for which we will be permitted to access the chocolate factory of which every geek dreams. Yes, my friends, today is the very first day of Comic Con Registration. The online open registration went up today at 8:00am PST, and as usual sold out immediately - in fact, faster than ever before. Those fleeting comic con tickets bring to my attention the fact that not every geek has been fortunate enough to have completed this Odyssey. There is an entire generation of geeks and dorks everywhere who must be indoctrinated into the ways of Con. Like Athena appearing to Odysseus guiding him through his journey, that is where I appear to help introduce you to and prepare you for the comic con experience. Here are some tips and tricks I hope that newcomers (and oldcomers alike) will find helpful.

Photo Courtesy of Honolulu Pulse (Associated Press 2012)

WHAT YOU'LL SEE:

If you've never been to con, then you've probably only seen it on television or the interweb. AceOfGeeks is probably one of the coolest ways to find out what you'll experience. Here's a shameless plug...er, I mean a cool video of my coverage of some of last year's ComicCon experience for AceOfGeeks - CLICK HERE.

HOTELS: 

Two words for you: BOOK AHEAD! Use GroupOn, use points, use friends and family discounts, use anything you can! Because the price for rooms during SDCC are often double the normal rate, or more, my personal recommendation (and favorite) is to stay with a local friend! I have a comic con buddy that I have been attending the con with for about 10 years. We always stay with his cousin and take public transportation over to the con. It saves us HUNDREDS and hundreds of dollars every year. So, trust me on this one and find a friend or family member to stay with, even if you don't like them. It will cut your costs down more than you can imagine, and besides, you won't see them much anyway. 

SCHEDULE: 

The schedule for Comic Con is beyond massive, and there is no way that you'll be able to see or do everything. I realize that most people are not as anal and weirdly methodical as i am. My scheduling process is usually pretty lengthy, and consists of multiple steps (which I will not bore you with). However, I highly recommend that you take some time and review the schedule at least a week in advance. This will give you the ability to properly plan so that you can see all the important things you desire. Just keep in mind a few things: 

1. There are always lines for panels, and depending on the size of the panel, you could be in line for hours. (Or, in the case of Hall H, a full day.)
2. If your panels or events are far apart, there is a commute time to take into consideration. 
3. There will be a TON of things to do outside the con. You won't believe it. Just plan at least one day outside the con...you'll see! 
4. There are highlight events at con which are: The Eisner Awards, The Masquerade Ball, World Premiere screenings, Artist Talkbacks, and signings. You should keep an eye out for those. 
5. Plan on attending parties. There will be tons now that Hollywood, whose population generally has absolutely no idea of anything about comic books, has come and ruined comic con...ooops, did I say that out loud?
6. The convention floor is massive and during busy days (like Friday and especially Saturday) can take 30 minutes just to get across. You will NEVER be able to do everything on the convention floor. So plan on spreading it out over a few days. 
7. You need to rest and eat at some point.

Last year's Warner Bros panel revealed the new Wonder Woman costume 

and her appearance in the Superman/Batman film. Photo courtesy of WN.com.

PACKING: 

"Leave room" should be your mantra. You are going to come home with a lot more than you left. You may not think you will, but trust me you will! Leave yourself tons of room and only take the essentials. When it comes to products, just remember that shampoo, conditioner, lotion, soap, etc. will all be provided by your hotel or be at your friend's house. It just takes up space and you don't need anything more than your toothbrush, deodorant, and full line of facial products (WHAT?!? I thought everyone used a full line of facial products?). 

FOOD: 

There is a Ralph's grocery store in the gaslamp district. Since eating out can be incredibly costly and the food inside the convention center is beyond costly, hit Ralph's and stock up your hotel fridge or the fridge of your friend with whom you're staying, and pack your meals each day. You'll eat healthier and cheaper. 

Captain America eating on floor at NY Comic Con. Photo courtesy of Vice.com

COSTUMES: 

"Less is more" is the name of the game here. If I do a costume, I always do one that has a simple black base with add-ons or decals to go over. This way it doesn't take up much room in my suitcase and is easily interchangeable. Example: I can go from Nightwing to WonderMan to Batman Beyond and it will be like packing three costumes, but only taking up a small amount of space. In addition, I wear clothes that are often considered or double as cosplay. This is also a great way to pack costumes efficiently. 

Comic Con costume photos courtesy of The Advocate Magazine - 2014

Daniel Radcliff made a shocking appearance in by attending the con in costume in 2014.  

Photo courtesy of Twitter user @alongcameHolly5

CLOTHING: 

Again, you don't need a lot here. Most people are just wearing jeans and T-Shirts. Matter of fact, that's pretty much the comic con uniform. There are a couple of things you need to take into consideration: 1) you're probably going to get free Tees and clothing when you get there, and 2) If you're like me, you're probably going to purchase t-shirts while you're there. Therefore, my recommendation is always to pack a few pair of socks, underwear, but only one pair of jeans, one pair of shorts, and the most comfortable pair of shoes you have (Because you'll be doing a ton of walking), a dress shirt for events. All of the free clothes you get and tees you buy will make up the rest of your trip. Oh, and this is also another reason to pack light. ;) 

Robert Downey Jr. dresses to impress in this photo courtesy of JustJared.com (2012)

TRANSPORTATION: 

Getting to San Diego can be easy if you're creative. Since I know that everyone and their grandmother is traveling at certain times, I either go at off times, or use creative/non-traditional modes of transport. For instance, my path is usually that I fly down to LA the day before preview day (on a ticket that I've purchased WAY in advance). This way I can spend time with friends and really ease into the idea of the con. Then I drive down early on preview day. Usually prior to the time that everyone has even begun thinking about arriving (early am is great). This gives me time to watch everything get set up and get acclimated/plan my weekend out. When moving around in San Diego during the con, I usually take the free shuttles provided in the Gaslamp district, or else I take public transportation. The public transportation system often gets me where I need to go faster than Lyft or Uber. Since the train is on it's own tracks/system, it can be especially helpful if you take the train during rush hour traffic jams. 

Photo of the Ecto-1 courtesy of ScreenCave & Sasha Perl-Raver (2010)

There you have it everyone. A few of my personal tips and tricks to making your comic con experience the best and most affordable it can be. Just to give you an idea of how affordable your comic con experience can be, one year I pulled out all the stops and: 

• used points for my flight, 
• stayed with a friend, 
• got a comped badge through a company for which I had worked, 
• bought food at Ralph's grocery store/packed my lunches, 
• and used almost every free handout for stuff at the con. 

Even with the few things that I bought on the convention floor, I'll never forget that not only did my con buddy and I get to see each and every thing that we wanted to see, but I made it out of the con only spending $200 for the entire trip. It was a miracle, and I don't ever expect to get out of there spending that little money ever again. But it was proof that with a little planning and forethought, you really can have a fun and affordable comic con experience. I hope that this helps you all out even if in the smallest way. We geeks have to stick together. And if you can't make it to comic con, be sure to stay tuned to all the excitement here at AceOfGeeks!

Brian J. Patterson is a writer and actor splitting his time between San Francisco and Los Angeles. His house is a shrine to Wonder Woman.

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New York Comic Con Report!

New York Comic Con, held every year at The Jacob Javits Center and ran by ReedPop,  is runwith a skeleton crew of 40 blue shirt volunteers (sounds like a joke from Star Trek) risking life and limb to give us the best four days of comics, movies, tv shows and geek entertainment possible. With crowds of 150,000 on Thursday and reaching upwards of record breaking 250,000 (beating numbers at San Diego Comic Con!) on the highlight day, Saturday, this year’s show was the best yet in relation to organization, guests, panels and quality. However, it had a rocky start, with unprecedented ticket sales that were sold out in under 30 minutes online and at retailers. People were calling in every favor possible to score their passes.

We went to HawaiiCon!

It was a delightfully warm and humid day at the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel.  Birds were chirping, mongooses were causing mischief, and I was absolutely ecstatic to not be the only person walking around in a Star Trek Commander t-shirt.

Phil Plait (@BadAstronomer) and I on Friday 9/12

Phil Plait, who works for Slate magazine now, had worked on building the Hubble Telescope back in the day.

HawaiiCon is a brand new convention which focuses on science and sci-fi.  There were a mix of both lectures from scientists and sci-fi panels starring some of your favorite celebrities.  The convention also managed to organize expeditions outside of the hotel - helicopter tours and scuba dives, for example, which enabled guests to experience the island while still being able to hang out with fellow nerdy con-goers.  There were lots of opportunities for meet-and-greets with celebrities, both for photo ops and on the excursions as well.

And let me tell you: it was awesome.

I don't want to delve too much into the convention, because my number one and I already talked about it in our HawaiiCon podcast, which you can listen to here.  (For future reference, it's episode 119 - and you can also download it on iTunes!)

This post is mostly for photo-dumping.  There were a lot of cosplayers at this convention, which was wonderful!  But unfortunately, we were only there for a day, so we missed out on a lot of awesome cosplays.  

I think it's also worth noting that Ace of Geeks just recently got an instagram account, so this week we'll work to resize these photos and post them there as well.  Please leave a comment below or send us an email if you'd like to add your name/handle to the image description, or if you would like copies of the full-sized images.

Battlestar Galactica

Assassins Creed

Arthur Dent, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

Dr. Horrible, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

Ellie, The Last of Us

Shepard, Mass Effect

Gnar, League of Legends

Blossom (left) Powerpuff Girls

11th Doctor (right), Doctor Who

Maleficent, Maleficent

Miku Hatsune, Vocaloid

Penny, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

Spartans and Vader

Troopers!

Zelda & Link, Legend of Zelda

 Did you enjoy this article? Follow us on Facebook to get more great content! We have a weekly podcast you can find on our main site. Also follow us on Twitter and Tumblr!

Constantine, Flash, & Gotham...OH MY! By Brian J. Patterson

Comic Con Special by TV Guide Editors - Featuring Constantine

I have been attending San Diego Comic Con for approximately 15 years...I just needed to make that known right away, thank you. When I first started going to ‘the Con’ as we would call it, the convention center was barely 1/2 in use for this event. SDCC (San Diego Comic Con) did indeed grow as the years went on. How could it not with the comics and sci fi community as its supporters? We are known to be one of the most loyal fan bases ever. SuperHeroes are our idols and we run to worship at their alters. We tithe as much as we can to their causes, and are known to have: spent our last dollars, wait in lines overnight, and travel great distances to support their cause….on MULTIPLE occasions! It is not surprising that the Hollywood community would want to come and exploit..er, I meant to say take full advantage of that type of loyal fan base, by making films geared toward this audience. Frankly, it’s a win win situation. Because when you think about it:

Guardians of the Galaxy:Come and Get Your Love by Ender

Editor's Note: For a spoiler filled panel discussion of this flick, make sure to check out episode 112 of the podcast. But since I know some of you want to know whether you'll like this movie without having it spoiled, Ender was kind enough to give us a written review as well.

The trailers for Guardians of the Galaxy didn’t completely sell me. I was intrigued, but on the fence about the film. The alluring thing the movie had going for it was the sense of humor. I knew Marvel could pull of extensive action scenes and humor had always been a strong point of their films, but this was different. This was a space opera with a massive sense of humor, and I wasn’t convinced that Marvel would be able to sustain it throughout the course of the film.

SDCC Day Two News Roundup!

Hey kids! Friendly neighborhood editor-in-chief Mike here. It's Saturday of San Diego Comic-Con 2014, which is when all the big news happens. Can't be there in person? Don't worry, that's what we're here for. Let's run down everything awesome that happened today: