As you already know, the staff here at Film School Rejects had a damn good time at Comic-Con 2008 last weekend in San Diego. We saw some cool footage, met throngs of great people, talked to some people who are some-bodies and we drank… a lot. And in order to bring our coverage to a close, I asked the attending staff to put together a list of the 12 things that made it all worthwhile. These 12 things made the lines, the painful crowds, and the sometimes difficult world of being press at such an event worth it. So let’s have a look and see what they had to say. Note: Each author’s name appears below the items that they wrote for this piece.
12. Learning Some Lessons about Twilighters
We learned that not all Twilighters are whiny little girls (and their boyfriends angling for handjobs) who attack anyone with an opinion that differs from their own. Some are intelligent, funny, and reasonable human beings (and a few are actually pretty damn cute too.) So thank you Natalie and the unnamed girl we met in Hall H on Thursday before the 20th Century Fox panel, and thank you, two unnamed girls I met in line outside on the patio waiting for Joss Whedon on Friday. I still think Twilight (the movie) looks lame, but I won’t be generalizing the fanbase any longer. Well, I’ll try not to anyway… – Rob Hunter
11. Watching Other Journalists Embarrass Themselves
It seemed that this year, there were a lot of rogue outlets that slipped through the cracks of the con. I had been using the fake domain “www.PuppiesandKittens.com” as an example all throughout the event to vent frustrations. There was a journalist who got too caught up in his own narcissistic sense of self-importance to realize that he was mistaking one actress for another during an interview. There were several “legitimate journalists” who acted ignorant and belligerent throughout Comic-Con 2008, acting as if their press badge was indicative of some secret society membership. When you could stop laughing at their behavior and sneak a peek at their badge, you would find that they were reporting for PuppiesandKittens.com. When G4 can’t get access, neither can you… shut up and wait like everyone else. Normally something like this would bother me, but it was really funny to see how important other people make themselves out to be. – Brian Gibson
10. The RocknRolla Presentation
“While some panels at Comic-Con are full of actors and actresses smiling blindly and claiming they “just totally had to do” a certain movie and that it’s “just so, so awesome” with as much enthusiasm as toilet bowl cleaner, Guy Ritchie and the rest of the gang of RocknRolla – Jeremy Piven, Gerard Butler, Idris Elba, and Ludacris – seemed genuinely electric about the whole thing.” – as reported by Cole Abaius
9. A Photo Opportunity with Katie Morgan
After a panel on Zack and Miri Make a Porno, I suddenly found myself on the wrong side of the security door, sharing the same patio with the likes of Judd Apatow, Seth Rogen, and Jason Mewes. A few other stars from different movies were also out, mulling around and sipping on what looked to be Coke, but no doubt probably had some rum in it. It was at this moment I realized I had an opportunity I would never have again. In that moment I had a chance to do what every red-blooded fan longed to do. I ignored Apatow, Rogen, and the rest and cozied up to porn star Katie Morgan, slipped an arm around her, and asked for a photo. Great success. – Robert Fure
8. Watching Alex Billington Get Ejected from Hall H
First off, who is this Alex Billington guy, anyway? I love Alex, and his site (his Bob Stencil coverage is priceless), but this is a case of press vs. fans. When there are almost 4,000 press badges given, versus the 100,000+ fans… you don’t want to go up against 25:1 odds. This is also a lesson in self humility. Maybe only if Alex would have shown more love to Twilight, he wouldn’t have had to miss the Wolverine trailer. Alex, if you are reading… when the world cried out for more seats at Comic-Con 2008, you should have whispered… yes. (Editor’s Note: In Alex’s defense, he didn’t actually get ejected. You can see him talk about it over on Slashfilm…) – Brian Gibson
7. Interviewing the Cast and Producers of Friday the 13th
As a huge horror fan, I can’t really describe how awesome it was to talk to these guys. They were really fantastically nice and friendly, as well, and the producers knew my alma mater was well known for doing blow. For people who are out to make a Hard-R rated blood splatterfest, they’re really the nicest guys you know. Derek Mears is a complete gentleman and didn’t even press charges when he found out I’m the guy trying to jump his security fence. – Robert Fure
6. Meeting Comic Legend Dave Gibbons
Despite my geek tendencies, I was only really excited about the Watchmen events. There were a lot of awesome things that took me by surprise, but meeting Dave Gibbons was still the best thing that happened during the week. Shaking the same hand that created one of the most influential novels of my life is definitely an experience I won’t forget. To think – just over 25 years ago, that same hand was drawing Rorschach – pretty incredible. And to top it all off, he was a really nice, bright guy. – Cole Abaius
5. The Awe-Inspiring Size of the Con
he incredible feeling of being in awe. As an adult, I don’t often find myself being impressed, surprised, or ‘wowed’ like I did when I was a kid. But Comic-Con is actually the closest thing I know to a fountain of youth, bringing all those feelings back on an almost daily basis. From the pleasant surprise of how incredible a certain movie looks (Terminator Salvation, Ninja Assassin)… to the nerdy joy of playing footsie with Simon Pegg beneath the interview table… to the awesome accomplishment of suggesting a potential DVD feature to the Pineapple Express gang and seeing them seriously consider it… to being alternately impressed and aroused by the creativity of some fans’ costumes… to the utterly surreal feeling of petting and playing with Ron ‘Hellboy’ Perlman’s dog (while someone else threatens to fuck it.) You can’t find these experiences anywhere else. – Rob Hunter
4. Meeting Fellow Geeks (and hot ladies) on the Show Floor
On the Comic-Con 2008 show floor, it didn’t matter who you were, who you worked for, what you looked like, what you were dressed up as, what you could buy, everyone just came together to share the entire experience. It was like being surrounded by the largest group of geeks, but no one cared because they all knew they were in the same boat. Everyone got along, even the free hug gangs didn’t seem worn down on the last day. I think the Banana said it best, “We are all rejects.” Oh, and all the hot ladies of Comic-Con 2008. – Cody Miller, Photographer
3. The Rejects, the Wrath of Con and other Camaraderie
For me, the guy who came away from Comic-Con 2008 with no real swag to speak of and nothing but a bill to pay, I still found it all to be a thoroughly enjoyable experience. What makes it such a wonderful time, and the reason we keep coming back each year, is the people behind-the-scenes; all of those friends who run other websites that we got to hang with at the Wrath of Con party. And of course, having such a large chunk of the FSR team in one place, working together, and having plenty of laughs was worth more than any collectible off the show floor. Needless to say, we all deserved those victory cigars on the last night. – Neil Miller
2. Watching the Watchmen
“Throughout these conversations, it became clear that I wasn’t sitting down to talk to actors who had been hired for a job, but true “Watchmen” fans – whether they had even read the novel before signing on or not – who invested a huge amount of themselves into creating beautifully rounded intensely human characters. After seeing the extended footage earlier, and hearing the way these actors approached this film – like a passion project that happened to be backed by millions of dollars – this fan is even more sold on how fantastic Watchmen is going to be.” – as reported by Cole Abaius
1. The Terminator Salvation Presentation
“… after the Hall H presentation for Terminator Salvation [at Comic-Con 2008], the movie is looking incredible. Spirits weren’t high after McG was announced as director, with fans feeling the series was doomed to extinction in a cheese-fest of nuclear holocaust proportions. I was one of those fans, but now I’ve seen the light, or the McG in this case. The new footage looks slick, epic, and breathtaking, and the crowd absolutely loved it.” – as reported by Rob Hunter