The Mecca of Nerdom: Part 2

So, I know you've all been eagerly anticipating the follow up to my last post. Well, wait no longer. The Comic-Con coverage continues here. The second panel of the day that we had scheduled would be the Sony Pictures Presentation, which we heard would cover the upcoming Ghost Rider movie, as well as Spider-man 3. It was scheduled for 5:00pm, so we thought it would be more than enough time to line up at 4:00pm. We proceeded to head outside, which is where the line had been formed. At the time we got into it, the line was maybe halfway up the length of the Convention Center, which is pretty big seeing how long the Convention Center is, but not long enough that we felt we'd be left out of the 6,500 seat Hall H where the panel was being held. Little did we know, that looks could be deceiving.Once the line proceeded to move, our excitement began to build. We figured we came at a good time, because the line had already tripled in length behind us. As we got closer to the door we would be going through to enter the hall, we saw that people were coming in the opposite direction. So, I thought to myself, the line must be a little longer than what I thought, but still, we'll make it in. (Oh, what I fool I was!) Once we rounded the corner of the Convention Center, we came face to face with the harsh truth. The line extended further down behind the building then we would have guessed. Still, we were cautiously optimistic that we'd make it in. As we roasted in the hot summer sun, across the street from Petco Park (as seen above), we witnessed the multitude of people that kept coming and coming behind us in line. Sadly, at 5:05pm, we got the news that the hall was filled to capacity, with us still about 100ft from the door.So, we counted our losses, and instead opted to search for the ellusive room 28E (which didn't appear on any of the Convention Center maps that were handed to us!). Luckily, it wasn't very far, just above the infamous Hall H as a matter or fact, which seemed to be a strategic move for the autograph signings. There was already a line outside of the room we were looking for, which we learned was for the Ghost Rider autograph signing. There was also a long line for the masquerade ball that was happening later that evening. I snapped a picture of a couple of girls all dressed up outside on the Convention Center's balcony.As we eagerly anticipated our turn, and a chance to sneak a peek at some celebrities, I was pondering what exactly I would have the cast autograph. I was wearing my Spider-Man shirt that I had bought in Ahhs! in Westwood (as seen above), so that seemed the most appropriate. But, once again, my bubble was bursted. The security let us all know that there would be NO cameras permitted, NO personalization, and NO personal items to be signed! (D'OH!) They said that the cast would have something there for them to autograph for us. Oh well, I just hoped it was something cool.So we sat and waited, and watched as the people waiting for the cast of Ghost Rider went in, and came out. We saw them coming out carrying 8x10 glossy photos of the above image, which is the teaser image for the movie. They have autographs in silver ink, and didn't look half bad. I thought to myself that if I ended up getting something like that, I would be satisfied. We caught glimpses of Nicholas Cage sporting longer hair, and Eva Mendes. And still, slowly, our time approached. We waited for the last of the Ghost Rider people to leave, and then it was finally our turn.I got butterflies in my stomache just thinking about meeting these people. I'm such a freak and a nerd for movies like this, and Spider-Man is my favorite superhero. So for me, this was a HUGE deal. I didn't want to come across as a needy fanboy, but I figured I'd be too nervous anyway to say anything stupid. The door was left open, so we caught a few glimpses of the cast before entering. Seated from left to right were: Bryce Dallas Howard, Topher Grace, Thomas Hayden Church, Kirsten Dunst, Tobey Maguire, and Sam Raimi. Soon thereafter, the first of us lucky few emerged with their prize. It was the full 27x40 teaser poster for Spider-Man 3. (See above) Needless to say, the fans cheered!

So, here comes my turn. I had been talking with a girl in front of me who was getting the poster for her dad. (She had paid for her wristband, she was so desperate for this. Her dad is a huge Spidey fan, and she wanted to surprise him. I hope he appreciated it, she was sweet for going through all the trouble!) So, here now, is what happened when it was my turn. Bryce and Topher were caught up in conversation among themselves. Topher signed the poster without looking, trying to show off for Bryce. (Who, by the way, is waaaaaaaaaay hotter in person!). Thomas Hayden Church seemed to be off in his own little world, and he printed rather than signed, which makes his the only really legible autograph on the poster. Kirsten Dunst was next, she said "Hi" (I sighed. She's cute, but Bryce takes the cake!) Then it was Tobey Maguire's turn. I actually felt curagious at this point, and I asked if I could shake his hand. He said yes, and I did. I was like "Whoa, Spider-Man touched me!" (And not in the dirty way!) And finally Sam Raimi was next. Which brings me back to the shirt I was wearing. Sam Raimi was impressed with it. He asked where I bought it, and said that it was "Very Cool" (his words). I mustered up enough sense to tell him that I had been hoping that they would sign it, but we were told that we couldn't have personal items signed. Which is when Sam said, "I'LL SIGN IT!!" I couldn't believe it. I handed him the bottom of the shirt, and he signed it. I thanked him, and proceeded out the door. I was still in shock and awe that I was so close to all these people that I never thought I would ever meet.By that the time I was out of there, the Convention had drawn to a close for the day. We tried to make our way back to the exhibition floor, but security was already turning people away. So, reluctantly, we made our way out of the Convention Center and walked to our car. With a 2 hour drive ahead of us, we were glad to be off our feet, but wishing we were home already. We grabbed a quick bite to eat, and made our way up Interstate 5 with nothing but our swag and our memories to keep us company. I did buy a few Comic Con exclusives though:Star Wars 501st Stormtrooper (Vader's Fist) from Hasbro

Macross VF-1S Valkyrie (Fully Transformable) from ToynamiI also picked up a Bowen Designs Carnage Mini-Bust that I had been looking for for a while to complete my Venom/Spider-Man Symbiote Mini-Bust Set

All in all, it was a very memorable experience, especially for it having been our first ever Comic-Con. Hopefully next year we'll be able to go and experience it all over again! Thanks for reading!