San Diego Comic-Con, Day 4: You don't have to go home but you can't stay here

Like the end of Christmas vacation or the new season of Doctor Who, Comic-Con comes to an end all too quickly, but like both of those things, they'll be back, although you're not guaranteed to see Billie Piper at every one, I'm afraid. This is Day 4 of Comic-Con and while the aisles are busy and frantic, there's a sense of finality about it all, a shadow of the oncoming closing, a last chance to buy $600 Buffy the Vampire Slayer maquettes and to pose for photos with cadres of stormtroopers. Yes, today is the last day, but you c couldn't tell it from the crowds.

I realize I haven't gone into one of the most important aspects of the Con: keeping yourself from getting too hungry on the floor. Eating on a budget is always a challenge in San Diego, but luckily there are heroes who help out when your tummy's a-rumbling. I always recommend the superheroics of Captain Ralph, the iconic mascot of Ralphs Pretty Good Grocery at G Street and First in downtown San Diego. Captain Ralph will battle supervillains to bring you a healthy lunch in a handy cooler case for a mere ten bucks. Best value of the con!:



And when there's snackin' to be had, my good pal JustJenn was always ready for little stuffed bull-sized treats and goodies. Here's one of her justly famous and absolutely delicious mini Burger Bites:



Thanks, Miss JustJenn! That's good burger eatin'!:



She also made my otter pal Shelly some yummy vegan cookies!:



So now you know why I'm always so cheerful and enthusiastic on the show floor: I'm hopped up on delicious, delicious treats.

The fun never stops on the final day of the show, and it's business as usual: busy, busy, busy, busy. I've been coming here for three years and the show gets bigger all the time. They keep saying it can't get any bigger, but how are you gonna stop it? Rumors float around the floor about moving the show to Las Vegas (too hot!), but I'll believe it when I see it. In the meantime, San Diego is here to stay, baby! Why, just ask all these people:



That's a typical crowd—sometimes it's even more hectic—for the final day, and I'm kept busy at the Norton booth cheerfully telling people about our Will Eisner and Annotated and art books and selling Norton title to our fine, fine customers...thank you each and every one for stopping by to see our books! Sorry, lady who didn't pick up Beowulf: The Illustrated Edition in time before we sold out...after all, the motto of Comic-Con is "You snooze, you lose." Or is it "Of all the souls I've encountered in my travels, his was the most...human."? No, come to think of it, it was definitely that snoozing or losing thing.

Busy at is was, I did have time for one last quick spin around the convention hall. Randi and John had brought a bag of stuffed bears to donate to an appeal Stan Sakai's daughter was doing: the bears were donated to a local fire department for use with traumatized young kids following a fire or disaster. An excellent cause and Stan was very friendly and happy that we'd brought some bears. He even did a wonderful sketch for me of a ronin Bully which I'll post on the ol' blog soon. Thanks, Stan!

Of course there was time to drop in on the cow people:



And at the Paramount booth, you could line up at Starfleet computer terminals to help construct the brand-new Enterprise! It was pretty tricky swinging those antimatter engines into place. Mister Scott said I did just fine and those scratches'll buff right out, nae problem!



But y'know what I love best about Comic-Con? It's truly a place for all of us fans to fit in. Why, even if you feel like you don't fit in, you can bring a few friends to help you piece things together:



And all too soon, the lights go down, the tables are folded up, and it's all over except for the Clonetrooper masks.



Whew! That was a busy week of work at Comic-Con. The best way to unwind is to head out for a delicious meal of heart Mexican food at one of my favorite new resturants, the cheerful and colorful Casa Guadalajara in Old Town, a delightful deep-fried, frosty-salty fiesta of a restaurant. They are famous not only for their Mexican food...



...but also for their yummy margaritas, and who am I to argue?:



Oh, don't worry, folks. I only took a tiny teeny weeny sip. It doesn't affect me at all. If anything, a little fruity tropical drink only makes you dive more fully into your dinner...



...and it's a great way to meet and find new friends. Well, hello there, good-looking! Do you come here often? Also, are you by any chance filled with candy?



Yesh...thasha one good marguritaaaaaaa



zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

(Thanks so much for readin' my Comic-Con reports, folks!)