Kapow! It's Comic-Con
By JOYCE TSE
RAFU STAFF WRITER
Saturday, Aug. 4, 2007

Thousands experience the wonder of the largest comic book convention in the world.

Photos by JOYCE TSE/Rafu Shimpo
members of Bay Area zombie dance troupe, “Living Dead Girlz,” pose with fans dressed as characters from the movie “Hot Fuzz” and quail man from the Nickelodeon cartoon “Doug”

Katherine Sandstrom from Scottsdale, Ariz., left, and
Jennifer Jones of Phoenix, Ariz., attend the convention
as Pippin and Merry from the box office hit, “The Lord
of the Rings”

the ladies of Girls Drawin’ Girls

This weekend a smorgasbord of com­ic book and movie character wannabes descended on San Diego for the annual four-day Comic-Con International, July 26 through 29.

It was the first time ever that all multi-day and single-day membership passes for Comic-Con International sold out during pre-registration, with more than 125,000 fans scrambling to make the most of panel discussions, movie sneak peaks, artist signings, hundreds of vendor booths selling comic books, video games, apparel and coveted col­lectibles, along with a masquerade ball and special parties.

Amidst the lines of fans waiting for autographs from artists like “Johnny the Homicidal Maniac” creator Jhonen Vasquez, “Earthworm Jim” artist Doug TenNapel and DC artist Don Kramer, exhausted attendees like Marvin Azcu­eta, 22, of San Francisco, took breaks on a carpeted lounge area at the Bongo Comics Group booth to watch episodes of “Futurama.”

“There’s more stuff here than ex­pected,” said Azcueta, clutching bags of souvenirs and freebies as he rested weary legs on Saturday at Comic-Con. Azcueta, sporting a multi-day pass, explained it was his third day in a row at the convention, having also attended the preview night on Wednesday. “I was here five years ago, but this time feeling a little overwhelmed and exhausted,” he added.

The “Spawn” fan then disclosed his mission on this trip: to find anything by creator Todd McFarlane.

“I started collecting comics when was little, but my mom threw them all away unfortunately. So now I’m here trying to restart my collection,” Azcueta said.

Nearby, at the Girls Drawin’ booth, artist Debbie Bruce and her ani­mation colleagues promoted their first book, “A Girl in Time,” a collection of drawings by the 18 members of the group, who are all animators for “The Simpsons,” “Futurama” and “Family Guy.” Each colorful page of the book depicts cartoon females donning popular fashions through the years.

“Mostly it’s guys in the industry drawing sexy women, but who knows more about the female body than wom­en?” said Bruce. “We started this group last year and basically get together in our free time and draw. It’s liberating. There are so few female animators out there that we’re a rare breed.”

And indeed, though Comic-Con now features numerous female artists, it was still very evident this past weekend that the comic world continues to be domi­nated by male artists.

Inside and outside of the conven­tion hall, swarms of people wearing self-made and store-bought costumes milled about. Favorites included Wonder Woman, Star Wars storm troopers, hob­bits, sexy cats and a multitude of obscure video game and anime characters.

The convention was also a magnet for celebrities making appearances to promote upcoming movies or speak on panels. Musician/writer Henry Rol­lins moderated a panel on the genres of horror, sci-fi and fantasy, which was attended by Linda Blair of “Exorcist” and “Saw” producer Mark Burg. Meanwhile, actress Gwyneth Paltrow and actors Robert Downey Jr., and Terrence Howard, promoted their Marvel Comics-based film, “Iron Man” in another room.

Pasadena residents Sara Pfeiffer, 16, and Hanna Hilliard, 15, attended Comic-Con on Saturday wearing colorful yu­kata that Pfeiffer’s mother had sewn. For them, this was a chance to soak in the excitement over comic books and meet like-minded anime fanatics.

“This is amazing,” said Hilliard, who was experiencing Comic-Con for the first time. “The costumes all around us are great, and people are so passionate about comics!”

Pfeiffer, a four-time attendee, also felt a bond with the people around her. “There are so many people here to talk to and relate to.”

In an interview with the Associated Press, Comic-Con spokesman David Glanzer, who could not be reached by The Rafu Shimpo, described the conven­tion as having something for everyone.

What started as a humble comic book convention in 1970 is now the largest international convention of its kind, also featuring video games, collectible toys, popular anime and upcoming movies—comic-book related or not. This, according to Glanzer, is a sign that “comics are beginning to be regarded as a viable art form.”

But this poses a problem the conven­tion is already beginning to face. Though the San Diego Convention center has hosted the convention since 1991 and is set to do so through 2012, the popular­ity of the event has prompted concerns that the convention may be outgrowing its home.

Still, the excessive crowding on Satur­day wasn’t enough to dampen the spirits of Los Angelenos Angela Martinez, 38, and her son, Yves, 8, who was dressed as a clone trooper from Wars.

“This convention is amazing,” said Martinez, wearing fishnet stockings and a Lara Croft outfit, complete with a toy gun. “We’re definitely coming back again.”