It is with mixed emotions that I write this prologue to Pop Culture Zoo’s coverage of this year’s San Diego Comic Con. I know it’s lame to whine about reporting from the biggest pop-culture party in North America, surrounded by like-minded enthusiasts of all things geek (like Method Man). It’s even lamer to complain about an event that has given me so many great nerd-highlights, from seeing the first-ever Spider-Man movie footage (introduced by Sam Raimi), to seeing the cast of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (sans Gellar). My fond memories of Comic Con even include unintentionally pissing off Warren Ellis (I asked him to sign a book he didn’t write).
However – and this isn’t exactly news- the San Diego Comic Con has become an overwhelming beast of a convention. This will be the second year in a row that the convention has completely sold out, though not without good reasons. There is a massive offering of interesting and celeb-filled panels, more cosplayers that you can shake a stick at, and hundreds of booths competing to seduce the 120,000+ sets of eyeballs that will be walking the massive con floor.
It may be a little obvious, but there is no way to navigate through four and a half days of awesomeness without finding yourself tittering on the brink of a pop-culture induced coma.
Thankfully, the good folks at Pop Culture Zoo have assembled a team of ace reporters (and me!) and drawn up a battle-plan that would make Sun Tzu jealous. We’re going to bust our asses to get the buzz straight from the con-floor to your computer screens. We’ll be covering panels (posting directly from Hall H), touring all the major booths and conducting interviews with some of the biggest names that pop culture has to offer.
So, while we’re out there having our minds blown by Watchmen footage, being recruited by the Hanso Foundation, and playing Street Fighter IV and chatting with the cast of your favorite space-traviling Sci Fi show, take comfort in the fact that you’ll be the first to know about it. And you won’t even have to put up with the sweaty masses.
We’re going to be giving you the first word on Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse, the DC Universe MMO, The Spirit movie, and that’s just us warming up. Also, be sure to check out our nightly podcasts, recapping the day’s events, as well as our YouTube channel for exclusive footage from the floor.
In other words, Pop Culture Zoo is going to be on this convention like sideburns on Stormtrooper Elvis*. Which is why I’m a little torn – because I wouldn’t mind taking it all in away from the sweaty-swarms and con-stench, myself.
*And yes, we’ll have many pictures of grown men in ill-fitting costumes, too. Hey, if we have to see it, so do you. We’re in this together.
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