Highlights of Comic-Con 2009

Why I love The Con, Transformers gotta eat!


First off a very big thank you to my fellow Twi-hards for your much improved behavior this year during the Summit panel on the first full day of Comic Con. The questions presented to the panel were far more interesting and relevant and you were more respectful; we could actually hear the very soft-spoken Rob Pattinson's responses this time around. I was pretending all morning that I was only camping out since 4:45 am for a glimpse of Tim Burton and the hope of all hopes that he brought along a special guest, but after the much improved behavior, I'm no longer ashamed to be a Twi-hard while at The Con.
The New Moon panel was for sure a highlight but it was not as awesome as the entire Disney presentation. Thankfully, Disney hired the very capable Patton Oswald to moderate and he was fantastic. I was such a squealing fangirl, even for Robert Zemeckis (I love Back to the Future & Forrest Gump). But the real screaming was during the highlight of day one, Tim Burton and his imaginary friend, Johnny Depp. I think two of the guys in front of me have permanent hearing damage now. It was kind of a bummer that they only brought the trailer for Alice in Wonderland and no extra Comic-Con special clips, but I'm not going to complain (can you believe it?) because it was awesome for them to just show up. The trailer looks amazing! It is classic Tim Burton: colorful, kooky, and magical.
The best fanboy moment of day one was by far when Jim Cameron walked out on stage. I loved the energy in the room from all the fanboys and the appreciation they had for him. I was so shocked when JC told us he had brought 25 minutes of footage from his upcoming film Avatar. I'm really wondering what kind of marketing idea this is, to show so much from the film when you know that it is going to be leaked on the internet about 30 minutes after the panel ends. I'm sure the buzz will be nothing but positive. I was blown away by the 3-D (which I'm not a fan of, as I'm not a fan of headaches) effects and the beautiful imagery in every scene. Sam Worthington doesn't look too bad either, hello! I wish he had been present for the panel afterward but he did send along a taped message. I was also blown away by how beautiful Sigourney Weaver is in real life.
After sitting in Hall H all day on Thursday it was nice to just walk the exhibit hall on day 2...Star Wars Day! I ran into a family of Mandalorians right off the bat. Where do they find the authentic looking baby suit? Guess you can get anything off the internet! While riding the escalator I spotted Han Solo and Boba Fett together about four steps below me and when they got to the bottom, Han adjusted Boba's helmet for him...must be true love! I didn't have the heart to tell Boba that one day Han will feed him to the Sarlacc (I know he escapes BTW, I do have Wookieepedia bookmarked). The best moment from day 2 is the one captured above. Where else can you see Transformers in line for food? I rode this high for hours. The crowds are a bummer but it's all part of the excitement and experience. I spent a lot of time in the Lucasfilm area, as the costumes the fans sported were just amazing.
I really liked the gaming area also this year, too bad most of the games seemed to be uberviolent or strictly for kids, but the layout was better than in the past.
For day 3 and 4...I stayed home! I know. I know. I fail as a fangirl! After driving back and forth for preview night and days 1 and 2; I just couldn't find the energy to make the drive one more time nor find the nerve to leave my kids with my super understanding husband one more day. Oh well, another successful year and I'm already looking forward to 2010!