Comic-Con 2007
(click here to find photos from this event)
By Jim Quon
July 30, 2007
San Diego - This year's Comic-Con broke attendance records as the world's largest convention got even larger. You knew this was going to be a big event when stars like Jessica Alba, Nicholas Cage and Liv Tyler were scheduled to attend. Fans eagerly flocked to Comic-Con, the world's largest convention which took place once again at the San Diego Convention Center overlooking the San Diego Bay.
I first made my arrival on Wednesday's preview night. In previous years, this was a time where one could easily walk around and check things out. This year it was completely swarming with people looking for collectible items and free gifts that many vendors offered. This was just the tip of the iceberg. Each day the ballrooms were filled with happy convention goers and all the tickets to the event were sold out. Many people were already dressed in costume and the place took on a party atmosphere.
There were fantastic events everyday, but many of the most popular events were held on Saturday. Of course the highlight of my trip was Saturday in ballroom 20 when actor Mark Sheppard (Bionic Woman, Battlestar Galactica, Medium, 24, X-files, Monk) came to sit by my friends and I during the Bionic Woman and Battlestar Galactica panels. I camped out during the night to get front row seats and it was well worth it. Mark is an amazing and intense actor and it was even better watching the pilot with him right there! Many of his fans came up to cheer him on and ask for pictures and autographs.
The new Bionic Woman series looks fantastic and creates a deeper and darker version of the show similar to what the new Battlestar Galactica did to the old series. Michelle Ryan does an admirable job as the new Jamie Sommers, accepting her fate after her car accident but playing on her own terms. Mark Sheppard plays the role of the scientist who created bionics and will be a regular cast member of the show. Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica) will play the original and evil bionic woman.
Another popular panel was the Women of Battlestar Galactica panel which gave us a sneak peak into the upcoming direct to DVD movie Razor as well as Season Four which will be the final season of the series. The story takes place in a series of flashbacks with a younger Admiral Caine commanding the Pegasus. The movie is scheduled to come out in November.
Also, I attended the Eisner Awards party and had a chance to meet Neil Gaiman, the legend. Many consider him one of the greatest writer today. He seemed like a very nice fellow and very personable. The awards, which celebrate great writers of the comic-book genre, went late into the night ending around midnight. There were hugely famous writers like Gaiman present, but there were also new writers like Gene Yuan Lang who won best new graphic album with American Born Chinese. After the awards the festivities continued into the night and it was fun to be able to mingle with such amazing talents.
With so many celebrities attending Comic-Con, it's very hard not to run into somebody famous as you stroll through the convention halls. Some of the people I met included David Prowse (Darth Vader), many of the cast from Blade Runner, Aaron Douglas (chief on Battlestar Galactica), Richard Hatch (Apollo from Old Battlestar Galactica and Zarek from the new series), Bear McCreary, R.A. Salvatore (author), George Romero, Nicholas and Weston Cage, and many other great people. The Cages were promoting their new comic book they have written together. They were treated like royalty, having their autograph session in a large private room with plenty of security on hand. Only five fans were let in at a time to get autographs and no photography was allowed.