I interview artist Cliff Chiang as we talk about Neil Young’s Greendale, The Brave And The Bold, Star Wars propaganda posters and much more!

I’m joined by artist Ryan Kelly as we discuss Funrama, Brian Wood, different musicians he draws and much more!

I interview artist Pat Loika about Dial R Studios, The Villain, Path To Armageddon and more.

I sit down and interview artist Jason Howard about Sea Bear & Grizzly Shark, Astounding Wolf-Man, Chick-Fil-A and much more!

I interview artist Rafael Albuquerque about Stephen King’s American Vampire, Mondo Urbano and much more!

I interview artist Frazer Irving about Batman and Robin, his rise to fame from 2000AD, The Joker and much more!

I interview artist Ryan Benjamin about Pancratia, Batman Beyond, MMA and more!

I interview Fabio Moon & Gabriel Ba of Daytripper fame. We chat about Daytripper, Dave Stewart, Cassanova and more!

All Archaia interviews! First up, I chat with David Rodriguez & Patrick McEvoy about their Starkweather: Immortal HC, then I sit down with Chandra Free to discuss The God Machine HC.

I interview the creative team of CHEW (Image), John Layman & Rob Guillory! We talk beets, Omnivores, LOST and much more!

I sit down for an intimate chat with Ben Templesmith. We discuss Choker, Squidgirls, religion and much more!

Comic-Con 2010 wrap-up!

Wednesday (Preview Night)

Alas, it’s once again the most wonderful time of the year! Waited in line for approximately five minutes to get my pass, then I was off to film some footage for those of you at home. The AC was on full, and the Exhibit Hall was jam-packed and filled with endless chattering. 50% off longboxes filled withboth trades and comics could be found all over, providing killer deals to those who we smart enough to buy their passes ahead of time. While I was browsing the various aisles, I noticed that the group of people in front of me were none other than the iFanboycrew! At this time I should note that I was wearing my iFanboy INTERN shirt, and if they meet you when you’re wearing said shirt, you are automatically their intern for the day. Panicked, I fled in the opposite direction before they noticed me walking behind them. So while it was cool to see them in real life, I didn’t want to be contractually obligated to serve them.

When I returned home, my cameraman Jeremy had arrived from his long drive from Tempe, AZ and beer and ice cream were had.

Thursday

Since Jeremy had arrived in the evening, he missed getting his badge on Preview Night. So when we arrived we stood in line for approximately 15 minutes, we got his badge, and filmed a little intro for the Comic-Con video. I told him I’d call him if I needed him, but I didn’t see any reason to call because our first creator interview was scheduled for 4:45.

So I went off to the first panel that looked interesting to me; IDW Publishing: The Evolution of Comics at 11 am. Got there a half hour early, and the place was already booked solid. Damn. Not wanting to miss the next panel I had planned at noon, I headed over to reserve my seat by sitting in on the panel before it; a Toys & Figurines panel. While I did get two figurines and $30 to Sideshow Collectibles, the figurines were fucked-up. The first was a character from Street Fighter Alphanamed R. Mika. She looks like a Henti-lovers wet dream. I remember Zangief and E. Honda (and Cammy for that matter), but who the hell is this provocative fighter for the Anime generation?! The second figurine was even more fucked-up; it was a pig dressed as a police officer vomiting into a toilet while having a toilet plunger shoved up its ass. What. The. Fuck. Who the hell would want such a thing?! I left the second figure under my chair, and sold the first figure on ebay later that evening. Sure enough, it has one bid so far.

So after that panel, the panel I was really interested in happened; LongBox Digital Comics at 12 pm. The CEO and founder Rantz Hosely was on hand, with Jeff Katz, Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie (Phonogram). It was not only a good panel, but also a very informative panel. I was Twittering updates throughout, and some of the highlights were as follows;

• Starter packs come with8 free comics every month.
• Phonogram will be on Longbox
• Hickman’s IMAGE stuff will be on Longbox
• Mouseguard will be on Longbox
• Coraline will be on Longbox
• The Killer will be on Longbox
• Viking will be on Longbox
• Suburban Glamour will be on Longbox
• Waid’s Hunter-Killer will be on Longbox
• Longbox reader is gorgeous
• Single & double page modes
• Right to left mode enabled for manga readers
• Dabel Bros, Shadowline Silver, Elephantmen, will be on Longbox
• Touch screen viewing for the iPhone eventually
• Pre-Paid gift cards will eventually happen, but not anytime soon

Rantz then gave us a tour of the Beta version, and I gotta say it was indeed gorgeous. I’ve been a fan of the idea of LongBox ever since I first heard about it. While it’s constantly being compared to the iTunes of comics, it totally is. Imagine getting a comic for $1, and you can keep it forever, not worrying about it decaying or no place to store it. It’ll be a boom for independent creators bypassing the middlemen over at Diamond, and actually making a small profit from their work. All you need to do is introduce a Kindle-like device with a color screen, and wa-lah; the future of comics. There are many who are calling LongBox an industry killer, but I don’t think that’s true at all. While I enjoy reading some digital comics, nothing ever beats the feeling of a comic book in your hand, or a bookshelf filled with graphic novels. I think retailers and LongBox will be able to live in peace. At the end of the panel, I was excited to get a Beta Code for LongBox, and will be giving my thoughts on the program when it debuts.

Afterward, I headed over to the Mondo Marvel panel, only to be once again rejected. I wasn’t too bummed, because any comic book announcements would be available on various websites in mere minutes after being announced. So instead, I walked the Exhibit Hall for a little while before heading back upstairs to wait in line for the Robot Chicken / Titan Maximum panel. I’ve been a fan of Robot Chicken for years, so I knew they would be bringing the funny to this panel. Sure enough, we watched 15 minutes of new footage, and saw the preview for the upcoming Titan Maximumseries on [adult swim]. Seth Green and Breckin Meyer totally stole the show, especially Breckin with his impressions of drunk Hollywood starlets like Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan. I was literally crying because I was laughing so hard. I wasn’t so sure about their rollerskate tour, but hey, I had a fun time regardless.

After that panel, I rendezvoused with Jeremy for a late afternoon lunch over at the Starbucks in the new Hilton hotel. A boxed lunch for $10 consisted of a sandwich, cookie, apple, potato chips, and a cup of coffee. Being as hungry as we were, we didn’t complain about the bland tasting food. I didn’t understand why they would be including hot coffee on an insanely hot afternoon, but whatever floats your boat I guess.

After lunch, Jeremy and I went inside the Hilton to meet with comic creator and all around nice guy Ben Templesmith at the bar. The interview was scheduled at 4:45, and we waited until 5:05 before I was finally able to call the guy. My crappy phone was not only acting up, but it kept sending me directly to his voicemail. When we finally walked outside the Hilton to try again, I finally got through to him. Turns out he meant the otherHilton in town, so Jeremy and I rushed over there immediately. I felt like such a moron! So we met with him at the bar, exchanged pleasantries, and I secretly bought his drink after much debate on who was buying (he insisted on buying, but I bought the round anyway! Muhahaha!). So the interview commenced, and it was so wonderful talking to him. I asked him some questions about Welcome To Hoxford, Wormwood: Gentlemen Corpse, and Doctor Who, while getting the inside scoop on his new series coming out next year called Choker. Might I just add that the guy wears some pretty cool jackets as well. Reminded me of David Tennant’s The Doctor only slightly, only with a more punky vibe.

After the interview, I ran back to the Con to attend the All-Stars of Comics Podcasting panel at 5:30 pm. One of these years, I will be on that panel. Mark my words! Jimmy Aquino, Charlito, Brian “Pants” Christman, Bob Bretall, and Ron Richardswere all there, talking shop about the wonderful world of comic book podcasting. I had an enjoyable time at the panel, and was sure to take notes. For instance, very clever of the Comic Book Page Podcast to give out comic books with their fliers on the inside pages to all those who were attending.

After that, Jeremy and I went home and dined on chicken, tuna, couscous, ice cream, and beer. Then we watched some of the second season of The Big Bang Theory (one of the funniest shows on television), and called it a night.

Friday

I awoke rather early so I could get a head-start on my day, but more importantly to make sure I got a spot in line for Hall H. When I arrived, I saw that the line wasn’t as insane as I pictured it to be, so I ran across the street to Starbucks to get some morning coffee. As most of you know, I live and die by coffee.

While waiting a few hours in line, I listened to podcasts one hour, and flipped through the Dead@17 Ultimate Edition. To be honest, I was kind of letdown with Dead@17. I think it was the art that really bugged me. Sure you could see it evolve every volume, but it still looked really amateurish. No offense to Josh Howard. But still, it got me through the hour.

Waiting in line, I saw a couple of cool things; a hot Cheshire Cat (only at Comic-Con), the best Bucky costume I’ve ever seen worn by a 10 year old, and Captain Marvel (Shazam!) make out with Black Cat. Now that would make for an interesting crossover!

Hall H opened, and the Warner Bros. panel started soon after. The films they showcased included the following; Where The Wild Things Are, The Book of Eli, A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Box, Jonah Hex, and Sherlock Holmes.

Where The Wild Things Are- This was one of my favorite books when I was a kid. I remember when I first heard they were making a movie of it and Spike Jonzewas attached as the director, I had faith in it being a fun adaptation. Sure enough, we were shown the trailer and footage, and I had the biggest smile on my face throughout. I’m so excited for this film, because I feel it’s a childrens classic, and fun for all ages. They had the kid who plays Max in the film come out and introduce the clips, and he was funny; he had his speech written on his hand. Hall H can be pretty intimidating, so imagine being 15 and standing before 6,000+ people trying to introduce a clip. He did a wonderful job doing so.

The Book of Eli – I have to admit, this looked pretty good. However, when they played the motion comic at the beginning on the big screen, I was skeptical. Sure it was art by the wonderful Tommy Lee Edwards, but it was a fucking motion comic. The actual trailer looked much much better, and it was exciting seeing Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, and Mila Kunis on the panel. The last question asked during the Q&A was to Gary Oldman, wondering when the next Batman movie was going to start shooting. We the audience all chuckled because those are the types of questions that never get answered seriously, but sure enough Oldman shocked us all and announced right then and there that shooting starts next year, and quickly added “But you didn’t hear it from me!” That was pretty spectacular because no one saw it coming. Apparently according to later reports, he changed his answer to shooting would start probably sometime within the next few years, probably because WB Execs told him to politely shut the fuck up.

A Nightmare on Elmstreet – So truth be told, I’ve never been a fan of the franchise. I’ve always been a Friday the 13thkind of guy. The stuff we saw for this reboot looked creepy and dark, but it seems a lot of the fans are irked that the reboot doesn’t have Robert Englund playing Freddy. Sure Jackie Earle Haley looks menacing in this role, but is a reboot this soon really needed? I’m sure some horror fans somewhere will still get a hard-on for this movie, though.

The Box – Richard Kelly, where have you been these past few years? Oh that’s right, you made a second movie (Southland Tales) that was god-awful and bombed at the box office. Mr. Kelly better have his fingers crossed that people like this latest movie of his, because he really needs a home run. It looks like a good sci-fi thriller, but trailers can make anything look good nowadays. I’ll wait to hear what people think when it comes out before deciding whether to spend money on it or not.

Jonah Hex- I was very relieved to learn that all those rumors of undead zombies and voodoo for this film were infact just that; rumors. While I’m not entirely sold yet on Josh Brolin as Hex, it looks to be faithful to the earlier Hex comics. Brolin was there, and so was Megan Fox. She might be the hottest actress in the world at the moment, but I wouldn’t mind not seeing her in anymore geek-centric films for awhile. I’ll be pulled-out of the movie whenever I see her, and only think “Megan Fox” instead of whatever character she’s suppose to be playing. What I really would like to see is a Palmiotti & Grey Jonah Hex film starring Thomas Jane.

Sherlock Holmes - As soon as the Jonah Hex part of the panel was over, I quickly made my way out of Hall H to try and make The Big Bang Theory panel in Ballroom 20. But before I left, Robert Downey Jr. ran out onstage and applause and rioting ensued. The fans love him, and he loves and embraces the fans. More on Robert in Saturday’s Iron Man 2 panel.

So like I mentioned before, I left Hall H to try and stand in line for The Big Bang Theory panel an hour and a half early. I even had Jeremy standing in line earlier than me to save me a spot, and still couldn’t get in. We were both bummed that we wasted so much time trying to get in, and yet it was still a packed panel. That’s a show that is too big for Ballroom 20, and should really be in Hall H.

Hurt and tired, we both went our seperate ways in the Exhibit Hall, him to the video games section, and myself longbox diving for some old single issues. As luck would have it, I found an issue of Blue Beetle #1from 1986 for $2, and now my collection is almost complete. It’s so much fun to be on the hunt for old issues like that to help complete a run. When I was done spending money on old comics for the day, I made my way over to the video game section of the hall to meet-up with Jeremy, and on my way over I literally brushed elbows with Joss Whedon. It was pretty badass.

So a few hours later Jeremy and I are in Room 6A waiting for The Mighty Boosh panel. It wouldn’t have been the end of the world if we missed the panel, because we were going to see them later that evening at the 4th & B bar. I’m glad we didn’t though, because that panel was hands-down the funniest panel of the entire Con! The whole cast was there and they were joking around, answering questions, and just shootin’ the shit with the fans. Jeremy is new to the Boosh, but he was laughing heartily throughout.

After that panel we both made our way back home to drop-off our loot and equipment, grab a bite to eat, then head back to San Diego for The Mighty Boosh LIVE show at 4th&B. Downtown San Diego was ruled by the geeks, and we felt right at home. The show was suppose to start at 11pm, but eventually started at midnight. The show before their set was the Tim & Eric Awesome Show, which I completely loathe. I don’t find those guys funny in the slightest. But anyways, Jeremy and I found great seats overlooking the dance floor and sipped on our drinks waiting for the show to start. I was working the Kamikazes, and he was downing the Fat Tire Ales. Finally the show started, and it was well worth the wait. They had stuff from their Live Show DVD, and new stuff as well. The show lasted roughly 2 hours, and a good time was had by all. After the show, they DJed for the rest of the night and that’s when Jeremy and I left. Outside the bar I saw Doc Hammersmoking with his ladyfriend, but I was too shy to go up and tell him how much I enjoy Venture Bros. despite Jeremy egging me on. We hopped on the bus, headed home drunk and happy, and went right to sleep. I originally planned to get up at 7 am to make the LOST Panel in Hall H, but thought “fuck it, I need sleep”.

Saturday

No rush waking-up Saturday morning, because I needed sleep, and the so-called “Last Comic-Con LOST Panel” will probably return after the show is finally over, and do a wrap-up Q&A panel for those still scratching their heads. However, I knew there was going to still be a monstrous line for Hall H because the Iron Man 2 panel was later that afternoon, followed by Kevin Smith’s panel and a Peter Jackson / James Cameron panel at the end of the day. So when I finally got to Con around 11am, I went across the street to the new Hilton parking garage, went to the seventh floor, and filmed the long and winding line entering Hall H. Afterward I headed over to Starbucks for some coffee, then proceeded to walk over and wait in line for Hall H. I knew I wasn’t getting into the LOST panel, but I was going to sit through the rest of the panels to guarantee myself a spot for Iron Man 2. On my way over to the line, I literally brushed elbows with Seth Green! He was walking quickly with his personal assistant while on the phone, and the guy is really short in person.

While waiting in line for forty minutes in the hot sun, I was really regretting not wearing a hat or any sunscreen. With ten minutes left before heading into Hall H did I realize I had a small umbrella in my messenger bag. I felt like such a sunburned idiot. So the line started moving, I get in, and found a nice spot in the back of the hall.

The panel following the LOST panel was Solomon Kane, the character created by Robert E. Howard all those years ago. Apparently it’s a movie now, and we were shown lots of footage. I remember reading a few of the comics, but the whole Puritan-fighting-evil thing didn’t really float my boat. I can say with certainty that I probably won’t go out and see it whenever it debuts. Oh and the clips they showed were really goddamn loud.

After that panel was the very humorous Miramax: Extract panel with Mike Judge, Jason Bateman and Mila Kunis. Myself being a fan of Office Space and Idiocracy, I can say with 100% certainty that I will be seeing this movie. It looks funny, the clips were funny, and the panel was really funny. When it was time for Q&A, Bateman was asked about the status of the Arrested Development movie, and all he could clarify was that it is happening, and it’s not dead in the water. I can wait patiently. I just hope that they come to Comic-Con and pimp the movie when it finally happens!

Finally, the last panel I had to sit-through before Iron Man 2 was Sony Pictures: Zombieland and 2012, and I’m surprised I made it through without clawing my eyes-out. Both movies look absolutely terrible. Zombieland is suppose to be in the same horror comedy vein as Shaun of the Dead, but it looks like a major bomb if anything. Then again, their demographic of 16-30 year-olds will disagree with me probably. Then there’s 2012; I don’t know why Roland Emmerich hates the Earth, or why studios are still allowing him to make this kind of disaster garbage, but thankfully he announced that he was no longer making disaster movies after this one.

Alas, it was then time for the much anticipated Iron Man 2 panel! Jon Favreau came out to roaring applause, and told us since filming only finished a week ago, he didn’t have much to show us. So we saw 30 seconds of behind-the-scenes clips, with a Coming Soon!tacked-on the end. So we all applauded that we got something at all, then all of a sudden Tony Stark himself, Robert Downey Jr. runs out on stage and gives Favreau the smack-down, saying he was shown cooler stuff backstage. That’s when we get to see the real trailer, and it blew my little mind. You get action, humor, cameos left and right, and the grand finale; War Machine in action. Being there in Hall H with thousands of fans all screaming with joy after the footage was shown was by far my favorite moment of Comic-Con 2009. I remember being at the panel for the first Iron Man two years ago, and the crowd went equally ballistic when we saw the never-before-seen footage. Favreau continues to surprise and wow me, so bravo to him for keeping the fans excited. After the footage, the cast came out on stage; Sam Rockwell, Don Cheadle, and Scarlett Johansson (swoon). It was such a fantastic panel, that I can’t wait for next year. Especially with talks of Edward Norton as Bruce Banner making a cameo in the movie.

After the panel, I had the hard decision to pick between the True Blood panel, the Venture Bros. panel, or the Kevin Smith panel. Kevin Smith was in Hall H, so since I was there I was already guaranteed a seat. But I’ve seen Kevin Smith for the past couple of Comic-Cons, so it’s not like I’d be missing anything important. Plus all the footage usually pops-up on YouTube the next day. So I remember telling Jeremy the previous day that he should stand in line for the Venture Bros. panel to save us both a spot. Unfortunately, his cellphone was dead so I had no way to contact him and see if he was in line or not. So I made the bold move and left Hall H and run over to Venture Bros. in hopes the line wasn’t too long. Keep in mind I got there an hour early, waited and waited, and still didn’t get in. So instead of seeing at least one of the three panels, I saw none of the above. I was a little heartbroken, and cursed at the Con for the long lines. So I walked the Exhibit Hall a little more, then finally went home, for I had a huge day of interviews ahead of me.

Sunday

Final day of Comic-Con, and Jeremy and I were ready for some interviews. First interview of the day was over at the Alex Ross booth with Sal Abbinanti of Atomika. We talked for about 20 minutes about everything from Atomika, to the Con in general. Sal’s such a fantastic guy to talk to, and if you want to laugh until you cry, be sure to check out his episodes on Comic Geek Speak. Simply hilarious!

Afterward, Sal was nice enough to introduce me to his good friend and Marvel Exclusive artist Simone Bianchi. Simone was such a pleasure to talk to, and it was very cool to hear him talk about what personal projects he would like to work on in a few years, and his desire to write some comics as well. Keep an eye out in a few months, we might have a sort of Creator Spotlight episode on him eventually.

As Jeremy and I were walking away from Simone’s booth, we were approached by a woman asking if we were press, what our show was about, etc, because she saw us next to their booth interviewing Simone. She was a press agent for Thomas Jane, and was wondering if we were interested in an interview with him about his comics. Seizing the opportunity, I accepted and away we were, going head-first into the unknown. I say ‘unknown’, because I wasn’t at all familiar with Thomas Jane’s comic work. I knew him from his acting career, so I tried to make the questions new-viewer friendly. Met with him (he’s a tad shorter in real life), then went right into the questions. He told me about Bad Planet and Alien Pig Farm 3000, both written by him and Steve Niles. Then we talked a little about his comic company Raw Studios, and that was that. Both comics look interesting, so I’ll definitely check them out. I wanted to hear him say “I just want my kids back!” (Arrested Development joke), but decided against asking.

Next on the list, was over in Artist Alley with artist extraordinaire Chris Burnham. Chris is a usual on AroundComics, so I was a fan of his and wanted to help support his comic Nixon’s Pals. I feel foolish, because when I shake his hand and thank him for the interview, I then went on to ask more questions, then end the interview with another handshake. He was probably thinking I was on crack, but it’s a nice interview with him regardless, and I thank him for taking some time out of his commissions to chat with me.

While killing some time before our 1pm interview (and final for the Con), we decided to just browse through the Image booth. As we were walking along, I noticed the Chew crew were there, and I got really excited. I read the first issue before it sold-out and went into multiple printings, and I thought it was just fantastic. Original story, fun art, all for the low price of $3. So I was chatting with John Layman and Rob Guillory for a while, then finally asked if they would be interested in an interview. They accepted, and I was thrilled. After the interview was over, I bought a shirt from them (as seen here), and told them I couldn’t wait for the next issue. Luckily this past week the multiple printings for issues 1 & 2 came out along with issue 3, so now I’m officially all caught-up. Such a great comic, and both Rob & John are such cool guys to talk to.

Finally 1pm came around, and we headed over to the Oni Press booth to meet-up and interview the wonderful Rick Spears. I’ve been a fan of Rick’s since he introduced me to Teenagers From Mars years ago. I especially love the stuff he’s doing with The Pirates Of Coney Island, so whenever a new series of his comes out, I make sure I try and check it out. We chatted about older stuff, some newer stuff he’s working on, and the cool fact that he’ll be writing the Immortal Weapons #3 focusing on Dog Brother #1.

And thus, the interviews were over. Jeremy and I filmed my sign-off for the Con, and we made our way home. He had to pack-up and get back to Arizona because he has class the next day, and I just wanted to sleep for a week.

Comic-Con 2009 was by far my favorite Con of the past nine years. I got tons of fantastic interviews, and tons of great footage. Despite it’s size and popularity growing larger and larger each year, I’ll definitely be back again next year, and preferably with a Press Pass.

Myself and a friend are currently editing the video, and you’ll be getting it before the end of the month. We’re even planning on having a bigger film crew for next year!

Huzzah!

-Cammy

Cammy brings you coverage of Comic-Con 2009. Interviews with Ben Templesmith, Sal Abbinanti, Simone Bianchi, Thomas Jane, Chris Burnham, John Layman, Rob Guillory, and Rick Spears.

Special thanks to my sponsors Rising Sun Creations and Deadline Graphics.

Music: Ratatat – Wildcat