Tag Archives: San Diego

Comic-Con Trolley Tips

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The trolley is a good way to get around Downtown San Diego. Here are some tips for making the most of it during Comic-Con International:

  • Trolley maps and schedules are on sdcommute.com and sdmts.com. Here’s a direct link to the trolley map.
  • You can get a 4-day pass online at sdcommute.com. They mail it, so it’s probably too late for this year, but next time…
  • There are 2 trolley stops near the convention center: Convention Center and Gaslamp Quarter.
  • Downtown trolleys run every 15 min/day, 30 min/evening, until around midnight (later on weekends)
  • Trolleys are crowded, especially on Fri and Sat, so plan for at least 30 min delay.
  • MTS has posted the special event trolley schedule for the con (via @SD_Comic_Con)

Check out my full list of Tips for Comic-Con here at Speed Force!

Downtown San Diego Shows During Comic-Con 2009

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Lyceum Theatre Entrance.As a follow-up to my last Comic-Con Tip — catch a play or concert at a downtown theater — I’ve compiled a list of events going on in or near Downtown San Diego during the convention.

I’m sure there’s more going on — these are just the events I found online. And of course San Diego is a big city, so there’s lots of stuff going on outside of the downtown area.

Downtown

Plays and Movie Screenings

  • Rocky Horror Picture Show screening Wednesday 11:00pm at the Lyceum Theatre
  • Repo! The Genetic Opera screening Saturday 12:00am* at Gaslamp Stadium Theaters.
  • Godspell Thursday-Sunday at the Horton Grand Theatre
  • Jazz Queens Cast Blue Shadows Thursday-Saturday at the Lyceum Space Theatre
  • Lebowski Fest, Sunday 6pm at House of Blues.

Comedy

  • Demetri Martin Saturday at the Spreckels Theatre
  • Brian Posehn & Doug Benson, Friday 8pm Balboa Theatre
  • Tim and Eric Live, Friday 12:00am* at 4th and B. (Also, Awesomecon on Saturday)

Music

  • Richard Cheese Wednesday at 7:00pm at the House of Blues (main stage)
  • Modern Day Moonshine on Thursday at 7:00pm at the House of Blues (Voodoo Stage, free)
  • West of Memphis on Friday at 7:00pm at the House of Blues (Voodoo Stage, free)
  • Private Domain on Saturday at 7:00pm at the House of Blues (Voodoo Stage, free)
  • Sci Fi & UCP Present Bear McCreary: the Music of Battlestar Galactica Thursday-Saturday at the House of Blues
  • Van Hunt Sunday at 7pm at House of Blues (Delta Room)

I know there’s got to be more going on, but for some reason the only downtown events I could find online were at House of Blues.

Nearby

All Over Town

There is, of course, lots of stuff going on in other parts of San Diego, so if you’re willing to do some driving, take a cab, or are already staying outside of downtown, check out Sign on San Diego’s Comic-Con Guide. Actually, check it out anyway. They’ve got local restaurants, bars and nightclubs,

Theater Scouting

I’ve been to the Spreckels Theatre, the Lyceum, and the Voodoo Stage at the House of Blues (just last month). The Spreckels is a medium-sized theater hidden inside an office building at Broadway and 1st near Horton Plaza. The Lyceum is actually below Horton Plaza, with a sunken entrance at the north end of the mall (pictured above, with the obelisk). The House of Blues is just north of Broadway on 6th and takes up the entire width of the block. The Voodoo Stage is actually a small raised platform

I’ve also walked past the Horton Grand Theatre several times, and keep forgetting I’ve already taken photos of it. It’s on 4th next to the Horton Grand Hotel.

*Several events are listed as being 12:00am on (for example) Friday a certain day. I suspect in most cases they mean midnight at the end of Friday evening. Taken literally, it would mean 12:00am Friday morning, or Thursday evening.

Flash Panels at Comic-Con 2009

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DC has posted their panel schedule for Comic-Con International. Some panels where the Flash is likely to come up include:

Thursday, July 23rd

2:15-3:15 Spotlight on Geoff Johns
He is the mastermind behind the smash-hit, critically acclaimed Flash: Rebirth and DC’s most anticipated book of the year, Green Lantern: Blackest Night. Wondering what makes Geoff Johns tick? Don’t miss this panel hosted by Eddie Berganza, Group Editor—DCU, interviewing one of the most exciting talents in the DCU. Room 6DE

Notes: I missed this one last year because it conflicted with a Robert J. Sawyer spotlight panel. I don’t regret going to the RJS panel, but I did miss some cool stuff at this one. With luck, I can make it this year.

5:00 -6:00 JSA: The Great Society
DC’s legendary super-team enters a new era with top talent and explosive storylines in the second half of 2009! Get the inside scoop on everything JSA right here including info on the exciting spin-off title Magog and the main series Justice Society of America from the creative minds behind the franchise. Hosted by DC’s Senior Group Editor, Mike Carlin, with top talents Bill Willingham (JSA), Matt Sturges (JSA), Freddie Williams (Final Crisis Aftermath: Run), Amanda Conner (Power Girl), Jimmy Palmiotti (Power Girl) and more! Room 5AB

Friday, July 24th

3:00-4:00 DC NATION
Calling all NATION recruits! Bring your friends and hear top talent discuss where the DC NATION is heading from 2009 and beyond. Sr. VP – Executive Editor Dan DiDio hosts this exciting discussion with Ian Sattler, James Robinson, Geoff Johns, Greg Rucka, and more! Join them for a VIP look into the most talked about stories and events of the summer! Room 6DE

Notes: I’ve been to DC Nation twice — once at last year’s CCI hosted by Dan DiDio, and once at this year’s WonderCon hosted by Ian Sattler. Say what you like about DiDio, but he really brings energy to the panels he hosts.

4:30-5:30 Wednesday Comics
Wednesday Comics gives a fresh twist to a grand comics tradition by reinventing the classic newspaper comics section and filling it to the brim with today’s top talent and characters! Learn all you need to know about DC’s excitingly innovative weekly 12-issue series from the title’s mastermind, DCU Editorial Art Director Mark Chiarello, and an all-star list of panelists! Believe us; you’ve never seen a panel or a project like this! Room 5AB

Notes: I’m not sure if I’ll make it to this one, but assuming the first few weeks of Wednesday Comics hold up to their promise, I’ll certainly make an effort.

Saturday, July 25th

12:45-2:00 DCU Editorial Presentation
Dan DiDio, Senior VP / Executive Editor DCU, Ian Sattler, Senior Story Editor—DCU, and countless DCU talent are gathering for a discussion that’s not to be missed. Now that Blackest Night is upon us, what lies ahead for your favorite heroes? Got a question for your favorite DCU creator? Come on by! There’s no greater gathering of top-tier creative talent! Room 6B

Notes: Generally, these are more or less DC Nation Part 1½. You get some retread from the previous day’s panel, then some new stuff, then the reader question-and-answer. I’ll have to see what this is up against.

2:15-3:15 Green Lantern: Blackest Night
The dead are rising in the DCU – who will survive when the Blank Lantern Corps attacks? This is your only chance to hear what’s coming up in Blackest Night, the most anticipated comic event of the year! Featuring all the key figures behind the biggest, coolest threat to the DCU in years! Hosted by Group Editor Eddie Berganza with Geoff Johns (Green Lantern), Pat Gleason (Green Lantern Corps) and others! Room 6QUAD

Notes: I have no idea what room 6QUAD is. Ordinarily I’d assume they meant 6CDEF, but I’ve seen 6DE listed on its own.

Sunday, July 26th

2:00–3:00 Sunday Conversation with Dan DiDio
As the con comes to a close, sit back and unwind as Dan DiDio and friends invite you to a relaxed Sunday afternoon comics discussion. Share your opinions and listen to others as some of comics’ biggest names talk about their love of all things comics. All are welcome, no RSVP required. Room 2

Notes: I’ve never been to one of these. Anyone else know what they’re like?

Speed Reading: Rebirth Monday

Flash: Rebirth #1 (thumbnail)With Flash: Rebirth coming out this week, there’s an awful lot of Flash-related chatter on the internet.

Comics and…other Imaginary Tales is really looking forward to Flash: Rebirth.

Dull Doll is excited that the “original Flash is back from the dead”. No comment.

Geoff Johns has a new website, including Flash: Rebirth wallpapers.

The Orlando Comics Examiner talks about Flash: Rebirth and legacy characters.

What Were They Thinking? contemplates the Flash’s super-speed eyesight.

Johnny Quick’s speed formula, “3X2(9YZ)4A,” gets a mention in Comic Coverage’s list of super-hero “magic words.”

It looks like there won’t be any Wally West backup stories in the new Flash, at least not to start with, as the New York Times identifies all seven co-features in the initial lineup.

And then there’s these (believe it or not), Flash-themed high heeled shoes.

On another note, Every Day is Like Wednesday reviews The Incredibles #1, by long-term Flash writer Mark Waid.

At K-Squared Ramblings, we have Why Las Vegas is a bad idea for Comic-Con.

Superman vs the Flash And don’t forget to keep an eye on Comics Should Be Good today. Voting in the Superman vs. Flash poll in their DC/Marvel Superhero Tourney starts at 6pm Eastern time!

Quick Thoughts: Twitter Through 2009-03-22 (including Hotel Madness)

  • Saw Watchmen. Better than expected. Spectacular, detailed, but unsubtle and gored-up. Best music cue: “Everybody Wants To Rule the World”
  • OK, I am officially sick of the phrase, “What recession?”
  • Read Mysterius the Unfathomable #1-2. Annoyed at first that the only skeptic is portrayed as a total a-hole. OTOH, so is everyone else.
  • San Diego Comic-Con hotel list and prices are up. Rooms go on sale Thursday morning.
  • 24 hours to go until SDCC hotel madness…after which I probably WILL want to be sedated.
  • Retweeting @SpeedsterSite: iFanboy names Wally as one of the most underused characters in the DCU.
  • Countdown: 14 days to Flash: Rebirth
  • Pics of Flash Jay Garrick on Friday’s Batman: Brave and the Bold

Special Report: Comic-Con International Hotel Day

  • ComicCon hotel prep: Firefox+Win for compatibility, desktop in case wifi goes out, other sites up in Chrome so crash won’t take out Fx.
  • ComicCon Hotel Rush: filled with antici…
  • …pation.
  • ComicCon: In the Waiting Room!
  • “We’re sorry. All circuits are busy now.” Over and over and over and over.
  • Why the hell am I live-tweeting Comic-Con Hotel Reservations?
  • OK, now I know that it takes 20 minutes for me to start getting annoyed with the #comiccon reservation line.
  • Every once in a while I get a 2nd or even 3rd ring before comiccon hotel line goes to “all circuits are busy now” msg. false hope…
  • I hope the “waiting room” page for comiccon hotels is actually doing something and not just sitting there.
  • OK, the comiccon hotel waiting room page DOES hit the network every once in a while. It must be doing SOMETHING.
  • Last two years I got through the ComicCon hotel reservations by 10:04. It’s 10:05 and I’m still in the “waiting room.”
  • On the plus side I’m starting to see “success!” posts from other people on Twitter.
  • Swivel chair picked this time to fall apart. Reassembled. Still waiting in comiccon hotel queue.
  • Phone connected!
  • Got through comiccon hotel process on phone. Left top 5 choices, name addr & phone # and they’ll call back for credit card info. *whew!*
  • *sigh* ComicCon hotel reservation has my name & addr wrong. Can’t fix online b/c they don’t have the CC yet, call center closed for the day

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Convention Plans for 2009

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I’ll probably be attending two or three conventions in 2009:

wondercon-sf-thumbnail2WonderCon (February 27–March 1, 2009; San Francisco, California). Definitely. My wife and I went last year and enjoyed it, and combined it with a trip to visit friends and family in the Bay Area. What with the money crunch we were going to skip it this year, but we were planning to make another trip up to visit people…and discovered that the perfect time to do so would be the week leading up to WonderCon. If we’re going to be in the area anyway, membership is pretty cheap at $12/person for a one-day pass. (See also: 2008 WonderCon report.)

Wizard World Los Angeles (March 13–15, 2009; Los Angeles, California). Maybe. It’s within driving distance, so travel expenses aren’t an issue. That said, it’s only two weeks after WonderCon, so whether I go will be based entirely on the guests & panels. (See also: 2008 WWLA report.)

Comic-Con International (July 23–26, 2009; San Diego, California). Definitely. I’ve been going to what was then called the San Diego Comic-Con since 1990. We pre-registered at the last convention, and I’ve lined up a back-up hotel in case I can’t get a closer one when the convention blocks open up. (See also: convention reports.)

Some other conventions I’ve looked at, but probably won’t be attending:

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