The Mecca of Nerdom: Part 1

My friends, my name is Omar,and I too am a nerd. Yes, it's sad but true. The man you've all come to admire and respect is indeed one of the tragically unhip. (Cue ominous music!) And, as such, I too made the pilgrimage towards San Diego for this year's Comic Con.

We arrived at the San Diego Convention Center bright and early this past Saturday, around 9am or so, which turned out to be a very good time. Shortly thereafter, the lines for registration grew very rapidly. We filled out our forms, and proceeded to pay for our admission, which is where we got those nifty passes, and made our way to the line for the entrance.

Once inside we made our way to the first of two panels that we were really excited about that day, the Lost panel. It basically covered the Season 2 DVD, of which some goodies were shown, the mobile phone "Mobi-sodes", and some Q & A about the show in general, including the future and Season 3. On hand for the panel were actors Hugo Reyes (Hurley), Daniel Dae Kim (Jin-Soo Kwon), and producers Damon Lindelof, Bryan Burk, and Carlton Cuse. The panel was very entertaining, and surprisingly funny. We lasted a good hour and a half in there, from which we proceeded to walk the floor.

















This was my first time in Con, like I stated previously, so when we first hit the floor, I literally pissed my pants. (Luckily there was a restroom nearby, and any unsightly stains were quickly eliminated! j/k). I was awestruck by what I saw. The first costumed people I saw were the Spidey couple above, who had already drawn a crowd, so I snapped my own picture. They were only the first of many of the costumed aficionadoes that we would see that day.
















There were definitely a lot of Star Wars fans, and a lot of Star Wars merchandise on display, as well as for sale. I like a lot of the Gentle Giant items that were on display, especially that animated maquette of Boba Fett. (Although the life size one that was on display with Han Solo in Carbonite was pretty bad ass as well!)


There were a few Star Wars celebrities on hand as well. Just walking past the Official Pix booth we saw that Carrie Fisher was on hand for an autograph signing, but she had stepped away. Also at the same booth, however, were Amy Allen (Aayla Secura) who had also stepped away, Temuera Morrisson (Jango Fett), and David Prowse (Darth Vader in suit) who I managed to snap pictures of.

















At the McFarlane booth I was able to get a look at the new Spawn Series 30 figures, which have more of an animated look, as well as the Lost figures, which look so realistic, and capture the look and essance of some the key cast members. The first wave contains Hurley, Locke, Kate, Jack, Charlie, Shannon, and a diorama of the hatch with Jack, Hurley, Kate, and Locke looking into the ominous opening.And just as we made a second round of the McFarlane booth, none other than Mr. McFarlane himself stepped into the booth for a taped interview piece for some camera crew. So, I crept around him and managed to snap a picture of him in mid-interview.
















Spidey was in full force all around the Convention. Either in merchandise, or on display, and little did we know that Spidey would end up being such an important part of that day. While in line to get into the Convention Center, there was a staff member asking if anyone wanted Spider-Man's autograph, whatever that meant. So, of course, not wanting to pass up the opportunity, we all said yes, and reached into a bag full of raffle tickets. Long story short, my brother pulls out a winner, and we have a date with the cast of Spider-Man 3 at 6:45pm. Tune in tomorrow for the exciting conclusion of our day at Comic Con 2006.