comic-con-logoCOMIC-CON!!!!!!!!! SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON!!!!! #SDCC2016 It has come and gone! Yup!

Yup, I was there for some of it and had a fun, fun, fun, fun, fun time. This year I only had a pass for two of the five days that San Diego becomes the Pop Culture mecca! Comic Books, Movies, Toys, Pop Culture goodness, baby! I’ve been going for many, many, many years, I’m in the double digits here folks. (Yes, I have to brag, it’s COMIC-CON!) And, yes I wish I could have been there for every single day BUT I had two awesome super duper filled day and My Guy Dave was with me too. My dad also was down there digging through back issue comic book bins and between us all we snagged some pretty neat things. Yup! And there’s more details to share! Because Sharing it Grrrrreat!

This is Me before we got in the car to Drive to San Diego! I'm excited!

This is Me before we got in the car to Drive to San Diego I’m excited! YUP YUP YUP!

We drove on down on Thursday to get settled in San Diego and I had more than a few friends already down at the Con so I was following along from afar. Thursday gave me, my folks and Dave a chance to hang out in San Diego; we all ate and enjoyed a delicious CALIFORNIA BURRITO. Then the evening was spent looking for Pokémon and grabbing a drink at a dive bar! WOOT!

IN THE WILD! Catch 'em All!

IN THE WILD! Catch ’em All!

FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My Comic-Con day had arrived! With my badge in hand (before I got my lanyard) we got to downtown San Diego (thanks again mom for dropping us off!) and found the right door to get upstairs and get that lanyard! Pretty Easy peasy and no hassle having to wave your badge to check in and out! I got the WB bag for SUPERNATURAL! I LOVE SUPERNATURAL so thanks to my dad and My Guy Dave I now have 3 SUPERNATURAL BAGS! (Anyone want to trade for a TEEN TITANS GO! bag? Anyone?! email me!)

BADGED and Ready for Comic-Con! Yup! My dad! Me and Dave!

BADGED and Ready for Comic-Con! Yup!   My dad! Me and Dave!

So many people wandering around, waiting for doors to open to get to the fun that was in store for one and all. Excitement was in the air! I was happy! Yup!

I have passed on trying for HALL H panels. This year I was set on continuing my wandering ways through Comic-Con, looking at all there is to see and do some different stuff that I had not done before!  I’ve also taken to enjoying the off site goodies that are around town. So much Comic-Con fun! YEA!!!!

On the escalator! Up and Away!

On the escalator! Up and Away!

My dad was ready to hit the floor with his SUPERNATURAL bag in on his back and he went to the floor scouting out the comic book back issues. Dave wanted to check out the gaming room and since it was something I had not done at Comic-Con before I went too.Yup! NEW THINGS! Yea!

dandDplayWe checked out the Pathfinder room to play a D&D Adventures League campaign. We got to pick and name our characters and venture off for the “TREASURE OF THE BROKEN HOARD PART 1“. I was Miles a Human Fighter, Noble, he’s in it for the gold, glory and fame, kinda like BOOSTER GOLD (cheap pop! my hero!), while Dave was Dom also a Human Fighter, Folk Hero. Our DM, Vy, was super cool. She lead us and the rest of our party of a Wizard, Cleric, Rogue and I think Barbarian Dwarf into a cave in search of treasure. We fought Goblins, I tossed my Javelin and Dom almost died, yup he rolled for a Death Save! Oh there was a Giant! A shrunken Giant! And a hoard of shrunken goblins, 100’s of them!!

After the campaign we headed to the convention floor and immediately found HEX 11 booth. I discovered them at another con a while back and pick up their issues when I can. They had Issue #7 ready to go! It’s a fun indie comic I have to recommend! Yup!

With more wandering in mind, we went looking up and down the rows and soon were taking a stroll down artist’s alley! It’s really all about the wandering and browsing for me these days, as I love seeing what there is to see.Of course through the wandering we found cool cosplayers too! I adore seeing cosplayers showin’ off their duds! They are the characters, not just people in costumes! I try my best to keep my manners when asking for pictures and was able to jump in a few thanks to My Guy Dave!

GO TEAM VENTURE! Sorry Dr. Venture I was excited and you got covered!

GO TEAM VENTURE!                                                              Sorry Dr. Venture I was excited and you got blocked!

Princesses Kick Ass!

Princesses Kick Ass!

 

CabinEDWhile we were off wandering we left the cool convention aisles and went out into the heat! (It was one hot hot weekend in San Diego!) Over the bridge and towards the parking lot by Petco Park we went because that’s where the ASH VS. EVIL DEAD cabin was set! STARZ is my hero for helping to give the world more  Raimi, Tapert, Campbell, ASH, Lawless, Deadites, Blood, Guts and Gore! The line wasn’t so bad and so Dave and I jumped in it! Well, honestly, no matter how long the line was we were going to jump in and wait, wait wait, because well, DUH, EVIL DEAD, baby! The grooviest of the groovy!

ME IN LINE!!!!!

ME IN LINE!!!!!

Where's Ash and the Chainsaw?

Where’s Ash and the Chainsaw?

chainsaw

Chainsaw Sweet Chainsaw!

The cabin, Ash’s rustic abode, was awesome and cool with little interactive jumps and groovy details. At the end you got a chance to get some goodies and a try for the autograph session. Though I didn’t get an autograph ticket! UGH! I did get a swell tote bag and bottle open and SHEMPS beer coozie! WOOT WOOT! Totally some of the best goodies at the con and though I might be biased, dude, it is all awesome. I LOVE ASH VS. EVIL DEAD! YUP YUP YUP!!!!

GHOSTBUSTERS! Love it! It's all good!

Look Ma! GHOSTBUSTERS! Love it! It’s all good!

With more wandering in the hot hot sun we took a break! So did some heroes!

Comic Con Chillin'!

Comic Con Chillin’!

Before we went back to the convention floor we wandered the streets of the Gaslamp district and found a 50 Years of Star Trek Art Show and took a gander!

Woah! 50!

Woah! 50!

 Spock's Fly Ride!

Spock’s Fly Ride!

KHAN!

KHAN!

MIRROR MIRROR

MIRROR MIRROR

GENERATIONS!

GENERATIONS!

Then it was back to wander some more for the rest of the evening inside the convention hall! Yup!

Dave met William Gibson! Thanks for the cyberpunk stories!

Dave met William Gibson! Thanks for the cyberpunk stories!

My Favorite! DC fangirl forever!

My Favorite! DC fangirl forever!

SUPERMAN MEEPLES!

SUPERMAN MEEPLES!

THE FLINTSTONES!

THE FLINTSTONES!

SUPERLADIES! Yeah!

SUPER-LADIES! Yeah!

Though I didn’t catch all the panels I had on my agenda for my Friday I did get in a round of D&D, saw super cool stuff, snagged indie comics, got some books and met William Gibson, and got fake Facehugger tattoos, yup it was a freakin’ blast!

I have for the past many years seen the DC ANIMATED movies that have screened at the con and wanted to make sure I would see what was to play that night! So My Guy Dave and I headed upstairs to Ballroom 20 expecting a long line of waiting as we planned to arrive more than a few panels early, but lo and behold there was no line and into Ballroom 20 we went! WHEEEEE!!!!

PANEL TIME, BALLROOM 20!

PANEL TIME, inside BALLROOM 20!

The iZOMBIE panel was going on and so we listened in, yup. I have only watched an episode of the show and never kept up. Looks like a lot has happened since it started and it looks like it’s going to keep going.

iZombie Cast and Crew!

iZombie Cast and Crew!

Then there was the panel for SCREAM QUEENS which is a panel we were most interested in, so it worked out just nice! Yup. My Guy Dave and I watched ever episode of SCREAM QUEENS, and what kept me watching was really JAMIE LEE CURTIS. This show is absolutely ridiculous but in the end entertained me so, yup.

SCREAM QUEENS turned out to be a fun funny panel; learning of the new cast additions and tidbits about where they are going next, leaving behind the college campus for a mental hospital. So the cast hit the stage along with the creator and it was moderated by a writer for EW; Tim Stack.

Abigail Breslin was first, followed by Billie Lord, Keke Palmer, Lea Michele, a new addition to the cast Taylor Lautner, then Emma Roberts, and another newbie Mr. John Stamos (gosh what a smile!) and then the awesome and amazing Jamie Lee Curtis and lastly creator Ian Brennan.

What? John Stamos on SCREAM QUEENS?!

What? John Stamos on SCREAM QUEENS?!

JAMIE LEE CURTIS!!!

JAMIE LEE CURTIS!!! JAMIE LEE CURTIS!!!!!!!!!!

Ian, creator, shared how the show was set to address Mean Girl culture and be horror filled. Jamie talked about recreating her mom’s Psycho scene in season one, saying that her mom would have been a fan of the show. She’s also ready for some steamy hook ups in Season 2!

Jamie was hilarious the whole panel, I love her. She shared that when something is funny she laughs; back in the day when she did A FISH CALLED WANDA she said Kevin Kline would be mad because she’d blow his takes because she’d laugh. These days she has to hold something sharp in her hands to poke herself so she doesn’t laugh out-loud at the wrong time.

As the panel went the laughs continued; the next season sounds wacky with a whole new round of CRAZY. It is promised to be bloodier, funnier, and more gruesome!

SCREAM QUEENS are a Scream! Yup!

SCREAM QUEENS are a Scream! Yup!

The whole cast was fun to see live, Keke is one of my favorites and Abigail is so cute and grown up. They all seem to be in awe of John Stamos, as he has this glow and that charming smile. Billie talked about her earmuff’s and how her idea to braid over them was beautiful but painful idea. She was asked to get her mom on the show and Billie said to just ask her! Yup.

STAMOS shares his fun being on SCREAM QUEENS.

STAMOS shares his fun being on SCREAM QUEENS.

Now what else was interesting?…Chad will be back..cameos of celebs include Colton Haynes and Cecily Strong, the Q&A’s from the audience were good, and it was all ladies doing the asking!!!

So fans! We can all be excited for SCREAM QUEENS season 2 on September 20th! Yup.

Then we settled in and stayed in our seats at BALLROOM 20 because of the evening event, a movie screening from WB Animation and DC Comics!! Woot! (I go to these panels every year!!! WOOT!) Yup! THE KILLING JOKE exclusive premiere!!

Last year they announced this title was coming and now and here it was for all to see before it comes out on Video. But they also revealed that THE KILLING JOKE would have a two night screening event on Monday and Tuesday, July 25-26! Thanks Fathom Events!

So, the panel started at 9PM, but because THE KILLING JOKE is a rated R movie and they couldn’t screen it til almost 10PM. Based on the 1988 graphic novel, THE KILLING JOKE is one of the most popular stories in the BAT-Verse. Before the screening there was a Q&A and another would follow at the end of the movie (which I didn’t stick around for though I wish I had…).

The Rep from WB Home Video Gary Miereanu came on out to kick off the event! He gave shout outs to the DC peeps in the crowd and introduced all on the panel! Sam Liu (Director), Bruce Timm, Brian Azarello, Ray Wise, Tara Strong and Kevin Conroy! Oh and soon after we got a phone call from some “Joker” Mark Hamill. Mark said thanks for turning up, that THE KILLING JOKE was about to play in front of the “best movie audience the movie will ever have” and then the JOKER took over the phone for a bit and of course giggled. The crowd went crazy!!!! CRAZY!!!!! WOOOOOO!

TARA STRONG! BATGIRL! Barbra Gordon! WOOT!

TARA STRONG! BATGIRL! BARBRA GORDON! WOOT!

Kevin "Batman" Conroy! He is BATMAN!

Kevin “Batman” Conroy! He is BATMAN!

THE KILLING JOKE Team!

THE KILLING JOKE Team!

During the panel, Bruce Timm talked about giving Barbra Gordon more backstory, calling it a little mini movie for her, which Brian Azarello wrote. Tara Strong who’s voiced Batgirl/Barbra Gordon since 1996 was super excited to have the role and see her evolve. The team expressed how they wanted to add to the story, keeping it true and fresh. This was a story that they all wanted to be apart of for quite some time and it was finally here!

So just about 10PM the movie began to play! Now, I really enjoy these Animated movies and enjoy watching them in this setting. You can feel the anticipation in the room.

The additions to the story really is Barbara and she’s been BATGIRL for a few years, teaming up with BATMAN and feeling she can really handle the Superhero route her life has taken. She still admires BATMAN, but wants to be seen as more of an equal, and yet still strives for his approval.

The crux of the story though really is about JOKER, where we get deets on his origin. A bad day, a really bad day, the most horrible, awful, no good day made him who he is now. The JOKER wants to prove that someone else can be turned to evil after a bad, awful day and so he shoots Barbra Gordon, so she’ll never walk again in front of Commissioner Gordon, then kidnaps Gordon. Joker taunts and torments Gordon, showing off what happened to Barbra expecting him to go all villainous and revenge seeking.

BATMAN is also dealing with his JOKER relationship and how they balance each other as hero and villain.

It’s been a LONG LONG LONG time since I’ve read the graphic novel. I’m admittedly a bit biased when it comes to DC animated movies. I overall enjoyed this film and am glad they are moving towards edging them up. I think it is sometimes still hard for many to accept animated movies as for adults only. It’s about the stories, and getting those story told, reaching a new audience. I say check it out when it’s out! Yup!

WHOOOO! FRIDAY! My Comic Con day came and went!  (Ahhh over too fast!) But, there is more fun to share! And I’m going to share it! So here’s part one and stay tuned for part two which will include my Saturday journey and more and more pictures! Yeah! Comic-Con!!!!!!

October was my EVIL DEAD month! Well, it was Evil Dead month for many actually as we were given ASH VS EVIL DEAD the new television show which premiered on Halloween on Starz and the awesome part is EVIL DEAD times continue on in November. WOOT!

The EVIL DEAD series has had a big impact on my life, shaping who I am. Just recently my mom said to me that it “was EVIL DEAD that made me a little crazy.” She meant that in the nicest way and it’s true nonetheless.

I saw EVIL DEAD 2 for the first time at the age of 12. It began my obsession with all things Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell. I’ve devoted many a blog posts to them both and followed along with all they’ve done over the ages.

So here’s one more hopelessly devoted post, yup!

IMAG6771On Saturday October 3, 2015 the Egyptian Theater had the BEYOND FEST going on and I was in attendance for the EVIL DEAD Double feature including a Q&A with Bruce Campbell to be moderated by Edgar Wright. I had bought tickets for the screening the month before ensuring I’d be there. It was a sold out night!!!!!!!!! Yup. (I was wearing my snazzy DARKMAN Converse I was gifted at my wedding a year ago. I finally found the perfect outing for them and let them see the light of day!)

The night was awesome! With my guy Dave at my side we lined up nice and early. I got my name on the list for Evil Dead tattoos, but my names was the last and after some line up confusion I opted for good seats over permanent ink.

IMAG6775

BEYOND FEST RULES!

Once inside, seated and feeling groovy the BEYOND FEST festivities began. They were showing promo stuff for SHUTTER the new watch horror movie site. I was anxious to see Bruce Campbell. There was a storm of ASH VS. EVIL DEAD chainsaws filling the theater and free donuts! They showed the ASH VS. EVIL DEAD trailer on 35mm!

DONUTS!!!!!!

DONUTS!!!!!!

EVIL DEAD screened and it was great! I love that little horror movie. It was fun to see people jump, in fact a guy in our row totally jumped twice. I love seeing young Bruce; I mean who doesn’t? Right?!

Then after the movie it was Q&A time. WOOT! Edgar Wright came on down and as it got started Dave jabs me in the side and points off to the left of the theater. There was SAM RAIMI waiting for his introduction. It was the big surprise of the night, SAM RAIMI joining the Q&A. (Pictures were not allowed, le sigh.)

I couldn’t be happier, I had my DARKMAN shoes on and there was SAM RAIMI! He joined Bruce Campbell down front and Edgar asked his questions.

Sam and Bruce talked of their first meeting, the shorts they did with the Three Stooges influence, and all the drive in movies they watched to figure out what kind of horror movie to make to break into the biz.

Being the fangirl I am I’ve heard these stories before but I’ll never, ever, never get enough of ’em and listen to ’em all 10 times over. Sam and Bruce together is the grooviest as they joke, tease and make jabs at each other. I think they’re great storytellers.

I took notes of all the chit chat and though I procrastinated in sharing, (better late than never, perhaps) I’ve got is saved in my memory forever. YEA!!!

It was fun to see these guys talk their talk with Dave at my side. Edgar Wright geeked out too. Again I get inspired by their stories and how they got started. Sam talked about Wes Craven and the nods in their films to each other. There was a nice moment of applause for Mr. Wes.

It was an absolutely amazing and most unexpected experience. After that EVIL DEAD 2 screened and the theater was still packed!

I’ve seen EVIL DEAD and EVIL DEAD 2 tons of times on a big screen, thanks to midnight screenings and the awesome revival cinemas in my town, but I’m way behind in my movie tally to give the latest total. D’oh!! This screening was of course one of the best!

ASH, Baby! Big and Bold in Hollywood!

ASH, Baby! Big and Bold in Hollywood!

Another EVIL DEAD 2 related highlight of the October month was trying to see if my young nieces would be interested in watching the film. I must admit they’re scaredy cats when it comes to horror. But I had shown them the EVIL DEAD 2 trailer on YouTube and they kinda liked it. When Dave and I took them to see BEETLEJUICE on the big screen of the New Bev they showed the EVIL DEAD 2 trailer beforehand. That was the real test for them. Effie called it creepy, which means scary and I noticed Celia not watching the scene where Henrietta turns into the deadite. Looks like I have to wait a while longer to share the films with them. Oh well…

Evil Dead 2 Trailer

On Halloween night I watched EVIL DEAD, EVIL DEAD 2 and ARMY OF DARKNESS in preparation for ASH VS. EVIL DEAD. My dad had DV-R-ed the movies that were shown on STARZ with Bruce Campbell introductions and factoids. Again never enough Bruce or EVIL DEAD for this Shempcat.

ASH VS. EVIL DEAD episode 1 truly delivered. Bruce Campbell back as ASH living in a trailer, lookin’ for some action, unleashing the Evil Dead deadites back into the world, spewing one-liners and picking up some sidekicks a.k.a. deadite killers in training. For a gal like me, what’s not to love, knowing Raimi is on board and directing the first episode, Ivan Raimi did writing too and there’s Lucy Lawless in the mix. Yes, I’m in heaven. I’m happy. I’m ready for more EVIL DEAD.

The second episode delivered even more! I mean Mimi Rogers becomes a Deadite! Dude!

Yes, I could rattle on all the details but I’m just here to beam about my happiness that this show. It is all I wanted and delivering on more than I could imagine. Since Comic Con and the panels I saw I couldn’t wait for HALLOWEEN to get here!

Hail to the King Baby, EVIL DEAD is here and all is well. Yup.

GROOVY!