Comic-Con Day, oh, four million and three

Greetings from the most heavily-populated section of land in the United States right now: the convention floor of the 2006 San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday, the traditional major-traffic day feared and respected by all right-thinking peoples.

Again, I bring you not news from around and about the Con but of the ever-revolving parade of characters and celebrities passing by booth #1417, the base of operations for your little stuffed truly this Con. You can see the first sign that it was gonna be a busy day as early as 6:10 AM this morning: the first floor of the Convention Center's parking garage was full up and we descended to the level below that, which was completely filled by 6:30 AM. Exhibitors were lucky enough to be able to enter the air-conditioned lobby; general attendees were left outside in the creeping-towards 90 degree heat to sizzle like soft-boiled eggs inside their fragile Stormtrooper shells. But even though the show didn't open until 10 AM for general attendees, it was the smart ones who were already there early in the morning—following a daring outside excursion for provisions around 11:20 AM, fabulous Fantagraphics friend Eric Reynolds reported that the line to enter the hall stretched across the front of the convention center...all around the side...and across the rear of the center. Later reports put the estimate at a four hour wait to get into the show, and I hope all of you who were patient enough to wait stayed cool and calm and were eventually able to get in.

As yesterday, the show hall started out with the AC cranked up, but once you filter many thousands of people into even that battleship-sized hall, the temperature's gonna rise, and it got balmy and warm (though never sweltering). That didn't stop the influx of fanboys, fangirls, fankids and one or two fandogs from having a dandy time. It was so busy in the Norton booth that the time pretty much flew by—despite opening an hour earlier than yesterday, Saturday seemed like a much shorter and swifter day.

I'll keep the rest of this entry brief so's I can have some last anecdotes to wrap up tomorrow (and also because sleep is calling with the sweet, sweet voice of Morpheus singing just like the Righteous Brothers), but here's today's line-up of spotted Con celebrities: a galaxy of stars both out of and in costume:

Encounters and sightings: Phil Foglio eagerly and cheerfully unloading copies of his books at the Studio Foglio booth...William Stout stopped by the Norton booth and allowed me to gush like a fanbull about how much I love his dinosaur work and especially his Firesign Theatre album covers...Gilbert Hernandez immediately understanding the concept of how Norton reps get Fantagraphics books into bookstores (and jokily suggesting maybe passing the reps a few twenties might get the books stacked higher)...Brill Building blogger extraordinaire and Publishers Weekly writer Ian Brill explained to me an article on he's working on...Barnes & Noble's crack book buyer, fellow Brooklynite, and friend-o'-Bully Jim Killen stopped to shoot the breeze...unparalled comic historian R. C. Harvey examining Norton's Bill Mauldin and Will Eisner books...superdesigner Chip Kidd spotted chatting in the aisles with Tony Millionaire (who was later showing off clips from his amazing-looking Maakies pilot for Cartoon Network's Adult Swim)...Peter David and bowling-champion daughter Ariel strolling the aisles, Peter looking as if he were slightly limping (hope it's nothing more serious than Con blisters, Peter!)...and a good friend and serious fanboy in his own right, John Cunningham, DC's VP-Marketing, bounded enthusiastically in the booth to gossip and give me some dandy DC swag including a gorgeous 52 poster autographed by Grant Morrison. Thanks, J.C.!

But...you sputter...those are real people, Bully! Tell us about the characters and cosplayers you saw today! But of course! A Bluntman and Chronic so authentic it mighta been Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes...The Prisoner's "Number Six," who gracefully deflected my question about why he resigned from the department...Spaceballs' Dark Helmet...Death and kid sister Delirium...Mighty Mouse...Poison Ivy...the usual brigade of stormtroopers and Jedi...and my personal favorite of the day, Boxer-Shorts Batman. From the waist up clad in a black modeled bodysuit straight out of the Michael Keaton films. From the waist down...black and yellow Batman boxer shorts, sandals and black socks.

A wee bit of purchasing early this morning to start off my Christmas shopping (I have been told I'm a wise little stuffed bull to start holiday shopping so early. Let's just say Aunt Lorrie is in for the treat of her life!), but of course I had to spend my dimes on a Con t-shirt from the Peanuts store; a souvenir to remember my busy and exciting weekend:


If you're here, don't forget to pick up something special for yourself to keep those Con memories alive. I suggest a t-shirt. Or a lightsaber. Or a life-sized 3D model of Boba Fett.

Tomorrow the Con comes to an end, and as busy as it's been and as much work as I've had to do, I've been having the time of my life. And, to get you to come back to read my final report, here's a teaser: I will share with you the most heartening, encouraging sign for the power and strength of the comics industry that I overheard. G'night, Bully fans!

Other Comic-Con entries: Tuesday • Wednesday • Thursday • Friday • Extra #1 (Wolverine) • Extra #2 (Eisner) • Sunday