Let me start with why it takes so long to post my Comic-Con recap. CCI ends on Sunday night and most of us attend survival parties. On Monday we pack up and head for home, were we partially unpack and then collapse out of sheer exhaustion. On Tuesday we wake up with great difficulty, due to Con Crud**. Comic-Con is so important that no one wants to miss it, even if they are carrying Ebola. Pills and Energy drinks can keep you going for a while, but Con Crud will assimilates your body and take over eventually. Despite being sick, many emails pass between friends & Swag Hunters. Thursday & Friday are all about Swag sorting. This is mostly all fun because you get to view your purchases and the freebies. Sadly this is also when you realize something is missing from the stash...an illusive item, a lost bag or a stolen gem. It does not happen to everyone every time, but it does happen. Saturday comes too soon and I take pictures of Swag groupings. I process about 150 pictures of Con, Friends, Costumes & Swag for my website and sort them down to 25 at the most. Sunday I arrange all the text and photos into my first draft and second draft...and third draft. Monday evening I try to post everything for my friends and the world to see. Ta Da!
**Con Crud** The most insidious germ ever to strike in the US is often found at Geek Vegas. Con Crud is what happens when a few sick people refuse to miss the greatest convention on earth. Their collective germs get together with a severe lack of sleep to form a Borg hive that attempts to take over the immune systems of hard working Comic-Con staff and attendees. Fortunately simple bed rest, chicken noodle soup and aspirin will cure it. This is why I suggest Airborne for 5 days straight to put off the inevitable.
Wednesday Preview Night was a fun Madhouse! The attendance limit helped a bit and the Programming Panels being run Wednesday evening to help draw some of the crowd away from the Exhibit hall helped a bit more. When there are no Panels to distract people they all swarmed the Dealer's Floor in a scary way.
Warner Bros gave out their 11 bags as the Comic-Con goodie bag! Each attendee received a bag when they showed up to get their badge. This cut down on the usual bone crushing at the WB booth. Thank You, WB! Love the poster slot sewn into the bag. Thank You.
Clever Swag Never let the fact that you are a smaller exhibitor dissuade you from offering swag. Sure Iron Man 2 gave out an awesome heavy canvas bag, but some of my favorite promotional items over the years have been fairly inexpensive. For example: Gummy worms were given out by a booth selling Dune books. This year my favorite swag items are: * The Galactus Helmet / Crown. Yes, the Starro foam mask was cool, but I just loved the Galactus helmet better. * Emily the Strange guitar picks just rock. * True Blood gave out double-circle band-aids to cover vampire teeth bites. * True Blood: Cup of Joe postcard. I love a witty joke. * Vladimir Todd gave out bags with the Fanged Smiley Face. That logo alone started me reading the book series. * Adventure Time white ears cap from Cartoon Network. It is just too cute and my daughter is still wearing the cap days later. * Megamind pop up postcards make a mini Standee. * Tron Legacy: Flynn's Arcade 7 Coins & Coin Squeeze Purse (Disney): Arc Wars, Astro Gunner, D Con 4, Home of Tron, Kraz Bot!, Space Paranoids & Vice Squad. Lots of nostalgia in seven little coins. I am sure it was not cheap to produce but it sure is cool. * Disney's "Tangled" animation limited Edition Lithograph. I have not noticed a good Lithograph since the first Lord of the Rings movie came out.
Best Panels...that I saw & Most Unexpected:
#4 Big Bang Theory had Bare Naked Ladies live and on stage singing the theme song of the show! Get Thee to YouTube and watch it!
#3 Burn Notice. The main star was not on the panel but they had cool little PSA's that they played before, during & after the panel. They are too hard to explain, but the panel itself was fun & fantastic. Bruce Campbell is still THE MAN!
#2 The singer from Tears for Fears played guitar and then the guys from Psych joined in to sing Shout. YouTube it!
#1 Castle! 6 actors, almost the entire cast showed up. They were fun and engaging. They showed a clip. They read from the Nicki Heat book & blushed. Nathan Fillion is a riot! He signed his pack of Oreos and gave them as a prize for asking a good question.
I was on the Geek Roundtable panel and it went pretty well. My husband showed up in his Steampunk outfit! It all has to do with our Podcast at http://geekroundtable.typepad.com/geek_round_table/. Also Geek_Tastic.com. Although 3/4 of the panel was spent telling crazy Con stories we did manage to explain what has been going on over the past 6 months and how our normal podcast include input from 4 to 10 people. We were able to show a fun Zombie clip from Matt and Wes vs the Zombie Apocalypse and gave out swag stickers. Look it up on YouTube!
Thank You Exhibitors: I have a love / hate relationship with Con retailers. I am a collector and an eBayer, and I want what I want now! But retailers have learned to limit their sales to a single person per day. It makes it hard for me to get to a specific booth at a specific time, but the worse alternative would be for ONE Exhibitor to buy the last 40 of the special exclusive rare premium items at 9:15a.m. because he was able to get in the line before an average Attendee. I like eBay and the secondary market, but I would like to have a chance at an item. One or two per person tickets are the only way to go when there are so many people. Not everyone can get to Comic-Con on Wednesday so it is wonderful to note that an Attendee has a chance of purchasing his or her coveted item on Friday.
Prices
I thought the pricing of most items was fair during the show. Most items were $5 - $20. I had a problem with two plush items. Both plush items were $40.00! Yes they were very cool, but $40 for a plush, in this economy!?
New Trends:
#2 The Coupon Code. I like my swag to be a physical item, but yet again I ended up with pieces of paper. There were flyers, postcards and plastic cards that had either a Password or Coupon code on it. I like the occasional iTunes download card, but there were a ton this year. I feel like I got a virtual booby prize and I am not thrilled. This was made especially annoying by several codes expiring August 1. Only 7 days after Comic-Con ended.
#1 The "Gift with Purchase" idea seemed to still be in full swing at CCI. I know of at least 6 booths that gave nice bags as a "gift with purchase". In general this is sort of a nice idea since I truly fear that totally free swag is going to die off. Hasbro gave out a great bag to carry all my toys away in. Companies can no longer just give out 10,000 pieces of high quality swag for 5 days straight. Time will tell.
Books and a Signing: I made it to the Publishers section of Comic-Con only for short bursts this year. I really wanted to stay longer. I was rewarded with Book swag, of short stories, bookmarks & full novels! I was not able to go to any signings this year. Patricia Briggs was a special guest and I am sorry to have missed her. Sherrilyn Kenyon and Charlaine Harris were also there signing their paranormal series.
Most Disappointing:
#2 More companies did not get a booth on the Exhibit hall floor, but there is only just so much room to go around.
Caf Diem from SyFy made great use of outside space. Unfortunately as previously stated I did not make it outside the Marriott & Convention Center. I would like to see the other Viral offerings but there is just no way.
#1 The ridiculous amount of space wasted by the totally unnecessary Thor Chair! When a company asks for a lot of booth spaces a person might assume they would put lots of "Product" and then an eye-catching display. It was ALL display and a line to take a picture in the chair. I fully admit it was cool looking, but that is too much!
Most Annoying:
#2 Scavenger Hunts of any type. Tron Coins, Green Hornets Garage, Sucker Punch wristbands and Button hunts that spanned 10 booths. It could be fun but, give me a break! I am glad some of you had the time, but I sure didn't!
#1 Lack of Time. I was at Comic-Con for 4 1/2 days but it was not enough time! I fully realize that Comic-Con is a big place with 125,000+ people jamming the halls. I am not one of those unrealistic people who assumes there will be parking, just for me and a seat in a panel, just for me and that every action figure I wanted will be there waiting, Just For Me. However what annoyed me no end was my inability to meet up with old friends...again! I only see them once a year when they migrate to San Diego. I literally saw friends from across the room and never was able to connect face to face. It sucked! It would have been worse if I were on a Scavenger Hunt
Where Did That Go?. Several things moved this year. Japanese Animation and Gaming moved to the Marriott. The Eisner Awards were going on in the Hilton. In an attempt to find enough space to stay in San Diego, Comic-Con has been branching out to the surrounding hotels. There were huge new signs to help attendees find the way.
Comic-Con provided some useful "Ask Me" people to help with Attendees questions. 99% of all questions can be answered by reading the Events Guide, but it was great to have a person around to ask that last 1%. As I have always said, "Don't ask a security guard". Anything deeper than "where is the bathroom" and you could get some very wrong answers.
Favorite Booth. Normally I would say something intelligent, but I am going to have to say the Spartacus booth! It was acres and acres of muscular men in loincloths. Delicious eye candy for us ladies!
The CBS TV booth was super busy! It seemed like a zillion people all wanted Big Bang Theory & Dexter items. The people running the booth were pretty smooth. The Summit Pictures booth also had it going on. They are veterans at this point.
Most of my pictures will be posted on Photobucket by August 5th under Marysgarage and Comic-Con CCI 2010. Here are only a few of the many
PICTURES
Exhibit Hall Booths:
Booth
Exhibit Hall
Thor Chair
Fringe
Costumes 2010:
Head to Photobucket for 120 pictures from Comic-Con Intl: San Diego under marysgaragae starting Monday August 9th
Steampunk Wheelchair Steampunk Wheelchair
2010 Swag Picture Groups:
Buttons
Cards
Cards
Comics
Foam Finger
Keychains
Shirts A
Shirts B
Stickers & Clings
True Blood
Wristbands
COMIC-CON EXCLUSIVE FIGURES 2010...that I was interested in:
My Little Pony 2010 Special Edition * Littlest Pet Shop 2010 Collectors Edition Hippo * Strawberry Shortcake Special Edition Doll * DC Universe Classics: Plastic Man with Suitcase * Hot Wheels Ecto-1 Ghostbuster car * Polly Pocket Dressed for Justice, DC Super Heroes; Batgirlª, Super Girlª and Wonder Womanª * Wonder Woman's Invisible Jet * Domo Black Hawaii Qee * TRON Bearbrick 2010 SDCC Version * TRON Legacy Die-Cast Light Cycle * TRON Vintage Figure * K-3PO and R-3PO Star Wars Ornaments * White Phoenix Marvel Bishoujo Statue * Lightsaber Chopsticks 2pk purple & red * Bio Shock Big Sister Unmasked 7" Action Figure * Predators Cloaked Berserk 7" Figure * Peanuts 2010 Exclusive, Limited Edition View-Master * Skelanimals / Hellboy Plush
COMIC-CON PANEL EXCLUSIVES 2010:
American Dad Button * Bill PlymptonÕs Hair High and Adventures in Plymptoons drawing * Bob's Burgers shirt * 206 Bones Book * Burn Notice Shirt * The Cape comic book * Captain America shirt * Castle Water Bottle * ChildrenÕs Hospital Shirt: Rob Cordry Clown face * The Cleveland Show Button * DC Comics' 75th Anniversary Pamphlet * Dexter "Splat" Button * Family Guy Button * Fringe 3D lenticular Fan * Glee Foam Finger * The Green Hornet 3D Glasses * Green Lantern Comic * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Shirt * Human Target Blinking light * Mad about MAD! Shirt * No Ordinary Family: Bag & Shirt * Phineas & Ferb Memory Stick Room * Priest Graphic Novel * Psych: Shirt & foam Pineapple * Red: movie Poster, & Trading cards * Scott Pilgrim Button * Sid & Marty Krofft Magnet * The Simpsons Button * Spartacus: Gods of the Arena leather Wristband * Sucker Punch: Shirt & Wristband * Thor shirt * TRON Legacy: Magazine * True Blood Canvas Bag, Band-aids, Book, Notepad & shirt (1 of 3 shirts: VILF, Bewere or Sam) * Weeds button * White Collar Shirt *
COMIC-CON FREEBIE SWAG
Action Figure
Polly Pocket Cutant Mini Figure (various in blind packaging) *
Art Asylum minimates *
Bags After Dark clear plastic backpack * Anita Blake (Laurel K Hamilton author) red backpack bag * Dark Horse (4) * Dr Who / Being Human (BBC) Double-sided bag * Dr Who / Looking Around You (BBC) Double-sided bag * Green Hornet * Green Lantern Brightest Day bag * Hasbro bag * Hub purple bag * Iron Man II / SHIELD black heavy canvas bag (Marvel Studios) * Mattel bag * Megamind (Dreamworks) * Mythbusters Bag (Adam + 4 others) * No Ordinary Family Bag * Scott Pilgrim vs The World Goodie Bag (Bag, Button Lanyard, T-Shirt) * Spartacus Bag * SYFY tote/mega bag * True Blood, Do Bad Things, black canvas backpack bag - 3 * VIZ Vampire Knight black canvas bag * Vladimir Todd Fanged Smiley Face bags (4 - red, purple, blue & orange) * Warner Brothers WB bags with poster slot (11): Batman, Clash of the Titans, Fringe, Scooby Doo, Smallville, Supernatural *
Books, Bookmarks & Publisher items Books: 206 Bones. * Club Dead. * Incarceron. * The Prometheus Project. * Reckless w/bookmark. * Rune Scape Betrayal at Falador. * Book Anthologies: Dark Days & Wicked Nights, * Penguin.com/paranormal * Book Samplers: Batman, Chaotic, Star Wars & Tiny Titans, Penguin.com/youngreaders * Book Bags: Anita Blake red bag * & Vladimir Todd Fanged Smiley Face bags (4 colors) * Book Cover Art Postcard set: Glee, Twilight: Eclipse & 6 others * Bookmarks: Children of the Sea, * Choco Mimi, * Clint: Kick Ass, * Kimi Ni Todoke, * @ Your Library: various, * Otomen, * Reckoning, * Sandman, * Simpsons, * Sink Your Teeth Into A Good Book, * Star Trek, * Star Wars, * Drew Struzan, * Superman, * Tank Girl, * Torchwood, * Tron, * Voltron, * Zelda * NBM Graphic Novels catalog 2010 * Star Wars catalog (DK pub) * Star Wars Old Republic 3D card (Lucas / Del Rey) * True Blood Rehydrate mini notebook *
Buttons & Pins American Dad Button (FOX) * Californication "Bang" button (Showtime) * Captain America Shield Pin (Hasbro/ Marvel) * The Cleveland Show Button (FOX) * CNN iReport iFlip rectangular button * Dexter "Splat" Button (Showtime) * Dunny bunny mini button * Family Guy Button (FOX) collectable button card & 4 buttons * Gamespot button 5pk * G4 Caf Press large button * Green Lantern button(DC) * Halo Reach button 3pks (various) * Human Target flashing light Button * Lando Calrissian (Hallmark) * Library: San Diego Public 5 button set * Looney Tunes Button (5) WB * Peanuts x 5 (various colors) and 5 pack set * SCAVENGER HUNT - CN Facebk Exclus: Fan Boy & Kind of a Big Deal. Pokemon: Dude & Adventure Time. Lucas: Storm Trooper. WB: Batman & Iron Man. YJ: UnNatural History & What's that Smell * Scott Pilgrim vs The World Goodie Bag (Bag, Button, Lanyard w/ card, T-Shirt) * The Simpsons Button (FOX) * Star Trek mini button * SyFy Channel TV Show Buttons 10 - Caprica, Destination Truth, Eureka, Ghost Hunters, Sanctuary, Stargate SGU, Haven, SyFy, Scare Tactics & Warehouse 13 * Terminator skull button * TOR publications 30th Anniversary button * Ultimo (VIZ) * Weeds "Puff" button (Showtime) * I Love Zombies *
Bandanas, Caps & Hats Adventure Time white ears cap (Cartoon Network) * Adult Swim multi character bandana, white * Expendables skull & crow bandana, black *
Cards - Postcards Being Human postcard (BBC) * Black Butler dvd postcard (Funimation) * Bokurano & Children of the Sea postcards (VIZ) * Book Cover Postcard set: Glee, Twilight: Eclipse & 6 others * Burn Notice (USA Network) * Captain Excelsior.com postcard * Corpse Princess dvd postcard (Funimation) * Dr Who Adventure Game discount postcard (BBC) bbcamerica.com/doctorwho * EFX Collectibles.com Star Trek & Star Wars items * Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood postcard (Adult Swim) * Green Hornet: Britt Reid's Garage postcard w/directions to shop * Harry Potter 7 postcard * K-20 The Fiend With 20 Faces dvd postcard * Knott's Scary Farm discount postcard knotts.com/comicon * Looking Around You (BBC) * Mastermind movie postcard * Megamind pop up postcard (Dreamworks) * Propworx SciFi prop & costume auctions propworx.com * Psych (USA Network) * Resident Evil: Afterlife * Rin Daughters of Mnemosyne anime dvd postcard * Sighco.com clothing postcard * Sucker Punch scavenger hunt postcard * Star Wars Retro Action Figure Card backs (Set of 4?) * SW/Star trek postcard * Syte Shirt for iPad postcard w/ info syteshirt.com * Tron postcard * True Blood postcards 12: Bewere. Cup of Joe. Get Your Fill. How Can 400 Billion Blood Suckers Be Wrong? Life Goes On. Little Sister Sally. Bill: Missing. Night Cap. Please Don't Feed the Shapeshifters. Sam: Collie, Fly & Bull. Vamp Stamp: bandaid. VILF * Shockwave Darkside.com 3D postcards (2) Mofo gun & Female fighter * White Collar (USA Network) * Vamplets Baby Vampyres vamplets.com postcard *
Cards - Trading cards Aragorns Quest "Balrog" card * Bezzerwizzer card game starter pack * Dexter P2 card * Dorothy of Oz 9 card set * Geek A Week card pack (9?) * Harry Potter x 2 * The Inventor: Tesla card * Megamind (Dreamworks) * Naruto "Clash" gaming card * Pokemon * Prisoner (9) * RA - Marvel, SGU; Green Hornet; Warehouse 13; Heroes - All CP1 * Red: Trading cards - open multi packs to make a set of 6 (Summit Pictures) * Star Wars Old Republic 3D card (Lucas / Del Rey) * Warren the Ape: Ghetto School card (MTV) *
Coins Tron Legacy: Flynn's Arcade 7 Coins & Coin Squeeze Purse (Disney) * 7 Flynn's Arcade Coins: Arc Wars, Astro Gunner, D Con 4, Home of Tron, Kraz Bot!, Space Paranoids & Vice Squad *
Comics & Magazines Action Comics #858 * Agent DVD magazine (Ralph-Simpsons cover) * American Vampire #1 * Ape Entertainment: comic book * Batman and Robin #1 * BBC America Shop.com mini catalog * The Cape mini comic book * Constantine Hellblazer #1 * Dark Horse Convention Book 2010 * Delivery Boy / Futurama comic book * Driver #0 * End of Nations #0 * Entertainment Weekly magazine (Green Lantern cover) * Ex Machina #1 * Fables #6 * Flash Rebirth #1 * Ghost Trick Phantom Detective storybook (Capcom) * Green Arrow #1 (DC) * Green Lantern Brightest Day Zero Issue * Green Lantern Secret Origin Pt 1 * Human Target #1 * iZombie #1 * Jack of Fables #1 * Jonah Hex #1 * Justice League #1 (DC) * Legion of Superheroes #1 * Megamind: Reign of Megamind * Oblivian * Oni Press: Comics * The Onion newspaper CCI edition * Priest Graphic Novel (Sony Pictures Ent) * Radical publishing (3) * Scalped #1 * Telara Chronicles #0 * Titan Books catalog * True Blood Beverage discount code & Comic discount code postcards * TV Guide Comic-Con Special Edition featuring 3 covers: "Fringe," "Vampire Diaries" & "Smallville * Vampire Knight mini comic book * The Weathered Underground interactive adventure film - comic *
Downloads, Discounts, Key Cards & Plastic Cards Dr Who Adventure Game discount postcard (BBC) bbcamerica.com/doctorwho * Futurama iTunes card * FX TV downloads for Playstation network * Halo Reach free avatar helmet code card * Hawaii Five-0 free ringtone code card * Hotel room keys - DC JLA, Smallville, Supernatural & V * Knott's Scary Farm discount postcard knotts.com/comicon * Marvel vs Capcom free photo code card * Mythbusters iTunes episode download card * Spartacus Blood & Sand (Starz) 4 comic downloads for Playstation network * Square Enix online manga samples square-enix.com/na/manga * Think Geek $10 off $30 discount code card * True Blood Beverage discount code & Comic discount code postcards * UbiSoft.com discount postcard code *
Key Chains Adventureland Games Games Games key ring * Cobra Industries black extending keychain (Hasbro) * Cobra silver & red round flashlight key ring (Hasbro) * Crackle key ringbottle opener * Drive Angry "DrvAgry" key ring * Nerf Keychain (Hasbro) * Tales of Legendia gold metal key ring *
Lanyards Astroboy light up lanyard * Batman/Robin/Harley/Joker (DC & SOE/sony) * Big Bang Theory lanyard w/ mini sharpies (5) * Dexter red lanyard (Showtime) * Pac-Man (Namco) * Peanuts (3 colors) * Radical pub * Scott Pilgrim vs The World Goodie Bag (Bag, Button Lanyard w/card, T-Shirt) * Shockwave Darkside.com dogtag *
Masks Aliens Anthology Face Hugger Mask * Bugs Bunny Ears * Clash of the Titans Crown * Galactus Crown * Green Lantern mask 3D Glasses * Paul sunglasses (Universal) * Stan Lee face mask * Starro foam mask (Mattel) *
Others After Dark Originals horror window cling * Castle aluminum Water Bottle * Children's Hospital, red band-aid holder (Adult Swim) * Dead Space 2 Inflatable Line Gun * Disney's "Tangled" animation Lmt Ed Lithograph (1 of 15,000) * Dragon Age 2 Inflatable Sword * Emily the Strange guitar pick * Fox FanFare 2010 Poster Tube with Shoulder Strap * Free Realms Game (SOE/sony) * Fringe 3D lenticular Fan (shows both versions of him & her) * Glee foam finger * He-Man Eternia Pine Deodorant (Mattel) * IGN - Drinks & T-Shirts (6? Types) * I Spit On Your Grave red rubberband (Radical) * Just Dance 2: neon headband and sunglasses * Look Around You Lab Coat (BBC) * Phineas & Ferb Thumb drive / Memory Stick * Pokemon Inflatable Pokeball * Psych foam Pineapple * Robot Chicken magnets (5 in a pack) * Shockwave Darkside.com 3D glasses * Sid & Marty Krofft Magnet * Source Code movie, cord winder (Summit) * Star Trek "Boldly Go" Enterprise Sticker * Star Wars Shogun Stormtrooper Sticker (Super 7) * Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go Flashlight w/wind up generator * Three Musketeers magnetic picture frame / postcard (Summit) * True Blood Vamp Stamp fang mark band-aids * Uglydoll stickers * Venture Brothers skull patch (Adult Swim) *
Posters 999 Ghosts Haunted Mansion Poster by Guillermo Del Toro * Dark Horse Comics *?* mini poster * Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark Lmt Ed autographed poster * The Expendables Poster (Set of ?) (Lionsgate) * Nickelodeon *?* mini poster * Red movie Poster (Summit Pictures) * VIZ *?* mini poster *
Shirts Alien Anthology * Aloha, Earth! Shirt * Bob's Burgers, May Contain Human Flesh (Fox) black * Burn Notice, Chuck Finley Method To Success (USA Network) grey * Captain America, Camp Lehigh SSR, Strategic Scientific Reserve * Children's Hospital, Rob Cordry Clown Face (Adult Swim) white * Cowboys & Aliens (Universal) * Dragon Quest Slime T-Shirt (Nintendo) Teal * God of War Shirt * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Shirt. Undesirable Wanted Poster (Warner Bros) white * Hawaii Five-0, I Got Lei'd at Comic-Con, (Hawaii Five-0 on sleeve) grey * Human Target * IGN - Drinks & T-Shirts (6? Types) * Iron Man 2, Shield Heavy Canvas Bag - black * Leverage Shirt * Mad about MAD! Shirt * No Ordinary Family Shirt (ABC) aqua blue * Origins & Evolutions of a Video Game Super Hero Shirt * Psych, The Con is On, black * Scott Pilgrim vs The World Goodie Bag (Bag, Button Lanyard w/card, T-Shirt) * Smallville Shirt (Warner Bros) 1 black woman's medium * Sucker Punch: Shirt (Warner Bros) 1 grey woman's large * Syte Shirt for iPad postcard w/ info syteshirt.com * Thor, Smith Motors, Donald Blake M.D., navy blue * True Blood - VILF (Red) * True Blood - "Bewere" (Black, wolf eyes) * True Blood - Sam (White, Collie, Fly & Bull) * True Blood - My Blood is True (Red) Blood Drive only * White Collar Shirt (USA Network) black *
Tattoos Badass of the week.com tattoo * Beladors.com tattoo * Dexter bloody slash tattoo * Dragon Age 2 Tattoo * Megamind tattoo (Dreamworks) * Zedura magazine tattoo *
Tron Tron Arcade figure * Tron Bearbrick figure * Tron Light Cycle * Tron Light Stick mid-sized * Tron Bookmark & Postcard * Tron Legacy: Flynn's Arcade 7 Coins & Coin Squeeze Purse (Disney) * 7 Flynn's Arcade Coins: Arc Wars, Astro Gunner, D Con 4, Home of Tron, Kraz Bot!, Space Paranoids & Vice Squad *
Viral & Outside events Green Hornet: Britt Reid's Garage postcard w/directions to shop * Mirrors 2, horror movie window cling * Tron Legacy: Flynn's Arcade 7 Coins & Coin Squeeze Purse (Disney) * SyFy Channel Bag * SyFy Channel TV Show Buttons 10 - Caprica, Destination Truth, Eureka, Ghost Hunters, Sanctuary, Stargate SGU, Haven, SyFy, Scare Tactics & Warehouse 13 * Vampire Diaries door hangers * Key cards at hotels: DC JLA, * Smallville, * Supernatural * & V *
Watches & Wristbands
Megamind Watches (4) Megamind, Metro Man, Roxanne Ritchi & Tighten. (Dreamworks) *
Spartacus: Gods of the Arena leather Wristband (Starz) *
Sucker Punch Wristbands (Warner Bros) (set of 5) *
I took Photography in school and I really enjoyed taking photos all weekend. I was not working the convention, but I took so many pics that it almost felt like I'd made it my job. My camera ate through 4 sets of batteries by noon Saturday. The much visited gift shop was sold out of batteries and other items (poor planning). I was fortunate to get a set of Duracell's from a friend and they lasted the rest of the time. I'm upgrading my camera batteries to Duracell next time. I took 163 viable pictures and narrowed them down to 124 (loaded on Photobucket).
This is an extremely costume friendly show! There were official group meet up signs posted and the entire pool area was swarming with groups. It is always fun to see 40 Narutos show up in one photo. Besides the Steampunk folk some of the most beautiful were from Black Butler (Manga finally available in English in January).
Funny Moment: A guy threw chocolate coins into a group of girls and they dove on it like piranha, despite their costumes getting in the way. I thought someone had thrown a bridal bouquet. It was crazy!
Cosplay Chess: Cosplayers are used as pieces in a large-scale chess match controlled by two chess masters. The game could be watched in the courtyard or directly above. It was a great game placed in the exact right spot for perfect viewing. There were other fun things to do like Cosplay Battle, which seemed to involve a fighting stance and saying something funny your character would say. I am sure someone out there knows the real rules, but it was fun to watch.
Un-Funny Moment: Several of the costumed attendees headed outside to the local fast food establishment. Their military type costumes included Airsoft rifles. This made the locals nervous since it is next to an airport, so the Police rolled up in a huff. It did all work out in the end. In this climate of crazy security everyone should have known better.
The Show had a Dealers room, Live Music room, Anime viewings, Film Festival, Gaming room, Panels and a Masquerade Saturday evening. The placement of the Autograph Area next to the Live Music room seemed a bit off to me, but everyone was constantly serenaded. Voice actors were the special guests and occasionally I would hear something I just did not expect come from a person I did not expect :)
Naturally the bulk of the exhibitors were selling Anime of some type. Fortunately their product differed or it would have been boring. There were small figures, cards, large figures, Manga, pin & charm vendors. A vendor sold Steampunk & Leather items, two had Lolita clothes and another sold Cosplay outfits. My purchases were a handsome silver pocket watch for my Man, 6 anime playing cards, 4 small anime figures, 2 Manga, a Victorian underwear pattern and 2-inch wide purple & silver ribbon.
I went to only 1 panel called Steampunk 101. For some reason this was the exact moment my husband decided to call me. I stepped out of the room to take the phone call and missed 10 minutes of a 30-minute panel. Yes, I am still annoyed. One good thing that happened is I saw, Ms. Neidengard wearing her very cool Victorian Wonder Woman costume and I got to take a picture.
For the Masquerade on Saturday night the convention organizers had the audience come in small groups to be seated. This worked pretty well for a 600+ seat room. (I would hate to see that tried in a larger venue.) They had 76 people in 29 entries work their magic. The MC was funny. He came out on stage to the song "Secret Asian Man".
Badge Ribbons: One of the fun and silly things to do at a convention is collect ribbons. I managed to pick up only 3 new ones: Shiny, Glitterati and Powered By Steam (in a cool font). Some attendees had dozens of ribbons and I am wondering where they got them from?!
I really did enjoy the show and will definitely bring my kids next time!
I posted all pictures on Photobucket under Anime LA 2010. Go take a peek
The website is http://www.animelosangeles.org/wp
The 2009 LosCon 36 was held over the Thanksgiving weekend at the LAX Marriott (11/27 - 11/29). LosCon is a Science Fiction convention that has over 1,000 attendees. Chris & I met friends and I made a few new ones. It is all part of my nefarious plot to be friendlier & talk more.
Like all good conventions, it has an Art show, Dealers room, Film, Anime, Gaming room, Panels and a Masquerade Saturday evening. There were 6 exhibitors with books. The crafty vendors had jewelry or clothing. I visited all of them at least once, some a lot more. We chatted for a lonnng time, because that is what you do at this type of convention. I bought older out of print books from http://www.massogliabooks.com/ and http://www.williamwubooks.com/
I tried on two Gorgeous black coats. They were around $300 with really high quality workmanship. Sadly I would need the coat altered since a certain part of my anatomy would not let the coat fall smoothly. No reason to pay that kind of money for a lumpy backside.
Badge Ribbons. One of the fun and silly things to do at a convention is collect ribbons. When a convention is smaller it is possible to make unique badges, but a much more convenient way is to distribute ribbons. Some attendees had dozens of ribbons that reached all the way to the floor! I ended up with five: Do You Know Dawno?, Lab Rat, Shot by a Bear, William Wu Books.com and Bad Influence. I really enjoyed the ribbon collecting, probably because I was not working the convention and had the time to absorb the fun of doing the little thing that won the ribbon.
I went to 3 Panels. The first was, Steampunk, Clockpunk & Noirpunk. This was Chris' idea and I was fine with it. Several people discussed the genre and subgenres. A panelist, Ms. Neidengard, was wearing a cool Victorian Wonder Woman costume. I sadly had no camera.
The second was, There Is A Small House In My Library. Jefferson Swycaffer and Marty Massoglia were a few of the people on this panel. One women in the audience asked if there was a 12 step program to stop collecting? Nope we are all doomed! Bookworms went crazy. Everyone in the room generally disliked electronic books. They all realized the benefit of the machine for travel, but not in their everyday lives. Discussions broke out about what was the maximum amount of books a person could read at a time, special bookcases and how to sort. Most people were using Authors, but some sorted by Publisher or Subject groupings. Mr Swycaffer says he has a few Shrines. All books, movies, comics & toys related to a character are sorted together. Ambitious!
The third was, Creating Props, Accessories & SFX For Your Costume. She discussed boning inside corsets. Wonderflex for inside and outside a costume, and ELW lights. Electro Luminescent Wire works great in costumes because it uses a small battery pack and the colors can be changed. Ms. Neidengard was moderating this panel also. This time she was wearing a Girl Genius costume, that I did get a photo of.
Room Parties After the Masquerade we went up to the 17th floor for the Room Parties. Every year at Comic-Con I try to block off a group of rooms as a buffer for my party. The LAX Marriot seems to understand the concept, where the stupid Hyatt does not. The ENTIRE 17th floor had rooms open. About half the floor was open on Friday night and the bulk of the rooms had full blown parties going on Saturday. A little music, some talking and a lot of food. Most rooms had a theme and a sticker proclaiming your attendance. Hundreds of people were wandering the halls for hours. It was very fun. SO FUN, that I refused to post photos and to put into print some of the stuff that I saw. What happens at Con should stay at Con. It is all about chatting and fun at this Con. It was kind of refreshing.
I will post all pictures that I can on Photobucket. Go take a peek under marysgarage.
Swag LosCon Swag consisted mostly of the paper variety: A nice heavy paper Brisingr the Dragon bag to carry my stuff in. The Souvenir book, Costume Designer magazine, various Bookmarks from vendors, novels and for other conventions.
My only two complaints are: There was not an Exhibitor listing in the souvenir book. I have no way of knowing the name of the coat vendor since I did not get her business card on site. Which leads to the second complaint. The website had a major issue and then total crash right before the show. This made it very hard to get basic information about the show. Weeks later the new site is up for #37 but the old #36 site is still not fixed.
The website is http://www.loscon37.org
I really did enjoy the show and will probably attend again, but this depends on my 2010 Thanksgiving plans.
We rented a room so that we did not have to drive back on the same night at 2:00am. We stayed at the same Days Inn on Sunset Blvd that we did for the Labyrinth of Jareth Masquerade. It was just what was needed. A place to park the car, change outfits and pass out later. Yea!
The Scream Awards sent out a huge email casting call to invite real fans to dress up and attend the show. They do still hire a few gorgeous paid actors but not like they did in the beginning. Scream gave out a 200 person open invitation to come in costume for the night to Comic-Con Intl members. I would say 80% of the entire audience came as something from Comics, Sci-Fi or Horror. 60% of the outfits were Goth inspired, 10% was Comic and the other 10% was Horror. Sadly the rules stated no cameras or cell phones were allowed in the place. Some people cheated, but we took pictures of us before we entered. Strangely some of the people in line did not want their picture taken. Why bother to dress up and then be camera shy? There were hundreds of people worth taking a picture of! The fan filled audience out did themselves!
The one bad thing about taping a TV show is the time involved. We all needed to show up very early and not leave for hours on end. Once inside time moved a lot faster, but much of the time was spent outside waiting in line. At least the Staff knew which of the 4 separate lines to send people to this year.
One fantastic thing about getting a "special" seat is that we get to sit down way before anyone else. We also get hors devours. My favorite was a yummy finger sandwich with Pesto sauce in it instead of mayonnaise.
Like last year they edited out parts of the show on TV due to questionable content. You know, %&$#@. This year they left most of it in expect for technical difficulties, like long windedness and the few Man size Men who presented or accepted awards. I knew Hollywood was full of midgets but dang those Boys look short next to Men.
After last years insanity I did not think they would try again, but they made Stan Lee's entrance via sky balloons! He admitted to the crowd that he was terrified and wanted out of the evil contraption, but still went on like a trouper. He did not miss a beat with his acceptance speech. Excelsior!
I almost cannot believe I was in the same place as Harrison Ford & Johnny Depp. That was almost a brain overload of Iconic people! I have seen Stan Lee at Comic-Con Intl: San Diego. Johnny Depp only said 4 words at CCI, but had two whole speeches at Scream.
We ran into lots of friends and acquaintances. Some friends in the Geek Roundtable got to be in the "Standing section". They got to high-five and shake hands with every presenter who came up to the microphone. Awwwesome! While watching the show on TV we played the "Spot Matt" Drinking Game. He had the white hockey mask on next to the stage.
Scream Afterlife Post Party. We went to the After Party at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. I had not realized how lovely graveyards can be. I had been curious about the place once I found out that they show outdoor movies there. This was the perfect opportunity to look around. Chris was impressed by Joe Ramones statuary. We walked in to the After Party and was less than 2 feet from the cast of Big Bang Theory. Yea! NO, I did not embarrass myself or anyone else, but I was squealing on the inside.
The food this year was yummy. It was all finger food but real food at the same time. For example, Asparagus tips wrapped in beef strips. They had lots of things to dip in chocolate or caramel etc. The funny thing is they missed their calling. They had Ding Dongs, Snowballs & Rice Krispies but no one had a Twinkie! Woody Harrelson was a presenter on stage and everyone was buzzing about the awesome Zombieland, but no one ordered a damn Twinkie! He hates Snowballs! Hahaha
I hated the DJ's choice of music. It was all pretty fast paced, but it was not dancing music it was singing music. Songs we all love to sing to in the car or the shower. Some were favorites of mine, but that does not change the facts. Putting a dance beat over a singing song does not automatically make it a dance song. No Mr DJ, it does not! Hopefully some of you out there know what I am trying to get at.
I will post all pictures that I can on Photobucket under marysgarage. Go take a peek.
All in all a very good night, without the scary 2:00am drive back to San Diego.
I went to Anime Expo with my entire family for the first time. I have been many many times, but they had not. The four of us met friends on Friday, July 3, 2009. We decided to eat breakfast first to let the registration line clear out a bit. Yeah Denny's. The Los Angeles Convention Center is very nice. It is laid out differently than the Anaheim and Long Beach centers. LA is very long and spread out. It is longer than San Diego. It is nice that the parking prices are reasonable. It helps that ACE Parking does not own every lot in LA, like they seem to in SD. If you get the chance to attend AX please do. Anime Games, TV & Movies come together all tilted toward Anime overload. The Anime panels and related programming are great. My son happily disappeared to watch Anime then came back to Game on the exhibit floor. The majority of Programming ran from 8:00am - 12:00 Midnight, but some did not stop until 5:30am the next morning! http://www.anime-expo.org
There were zillions of great costumes. I took 105 photographs! Scout around on the net for more of them because they are worth the search. I have reduced my pics down to 67. Anime Expo 2009 Hall Costumes and Cosplay Pictures posted on Photo bucket under "marysgarage" so I do not eat up all my bandwidth. Enjoy!
Favorite Booths: Dragon Pets & Anime Jungle. Dragon Pets because it had the most unique item I saw during the show. Anime Jungle.net because it had bargain bins full of genuine bargains! I may have to take a trip up to Los Angeles just to go to that store.
(photos removed after 6 months)
Noisiest Booths: Crunchyroll & Shinhan International, Inc. No matter how loud the Gaming & Media booths were, nothing beat out these two booths for shear volume!! Microphones and speakers can sometimes be a scary thing.
Scariest Booth: Crunchyroll is in the running again for throwing posters and t-shirts into large crowds of people. I always steered clear when the mad rush started to stampede towards their booth. Yikes!
Most Attractive Booths: 3 companies accomplished this and all 3 were Cosplay related.
The Exhibit Hall was laid out with plenty of room around the outer edges to sit down against a wall. It also allowed Vendors to run lines easier. This year there were more Steampunk and Cosplay related booths & vendors. I always try to keep an eye open for items my friends who could not make it would want. I saw less large companies this year, probably due to the economy. I love the big companies, but I find myself steering towards the smaller specialized vendors first for: Steampunk gear, Figures, Charms, Manga and CD's. I can get certain items from the big stores & companies anytime. It is the small booth I only see once or twice a year that I have to give my time and attention to. As long as it is not an exclusive AX Con only item I'll worry about the big boys later. Most of the vendors had items that were visible or had been opened. This costs me more, but Ziplock bags are my friend. Japanese toys are often blind-boxed, so it was wonderful to clearly see what I wanted. I bought several things and spent close to $350, even though I was trying to save up for Comic-Con at the end of July. It seems bad, but this is the first year I ever went for three straight days in a row.
Once again Anime Expo was a very enjoyable show that I will attend year after year.
I Bought:
Free Swag:
I admit that the Swag always attracts me. A convention without swag seems wrong. Anime Expo is however a convention that heavily supports Cosplayers not freebies! Several companies had electronic and card games set up so any player could win a prize / promo. There were also "gift with purchase" items. I know I have missed a few free items, but here is what I know about.
Here are 2 big pics of the Freebie items:
(photos removed after 6 months)
Partial list of Vendors & Exhibitors for Anime Expo 2009: * 9 * ABCTOY4ME / Cardzilla Collectible * Akino Atelier (hats) * Aksys Games * Alain Viesca Art * Asylum Anime * Atlus * Chokolatte * Contact Lens Company * COPIC Marker * Cospa, Inc * Crunchyroll * Cute Oddity * Echo Chernik Art* Fetish Falls (steampunk) * FUNimation * Game Replica * Imagi Studios * J-List / Jast USA * Jones Bones * Jungletoy * Kawaii Anime (cosplay) * Kinokuniya Book Stores * Kyoto Kimono * Lolita Kisama * Loner Life Productions * Mad-Gear * MangaGamer.com * Manic Gear * Marble Pop * Maru Music * Morinaga America, Inc * Morning Musume * Mr. Toast * Neotype Station * NIS America, Inc. / RosenQueen * Offworld Designs, Inc. * Phil Davis Books and Treasures (hats) * Ravenwing Wearable Art * Reflex Gamer * Shinhan International, Inc * StylingOnline.com * Thou Shalt Game * The Hornsmythe (bone & fur) * Tokyo Star Apparel * Tomy Corporation * Vintage Kimono * Wizard Armor.net * Wizzywig, Inc. * Yaoi Press LLC
Things were good on Friday considering it was a workday. Saturday & Sunday were so packed that they ran out of badges again! Friday & Sunday were pleasant, but Saturday was insane. The place was packed! As a friend pointed out to me, Saturday felt like someone had opened a can of Comic-Con and poured it over WonderCon. Supposedly WonderCon is a mid-sized convention, but it felt like a giant!
Moscone Center is a very nice place, but like every convention center, it has a few flaws. The inability to get from point A to point B, due to lack of signage is one thing, but poor design and layout from the building cannot be fixed with a sign. Sometimes Architects are too busy being fancy and should stick with functional. That being said, some people are just a victim of overexcitement and a Tunnel Vision attack. Where is the DC Booth? You past it as you came in the front door. Oh. Where is the food? You past it as you came in the front door. Oh. The reason I heard this so much is because I was standing still in the Games area at the corner of the Hall. Many confused people wandered over to ask the same questions over & over again.
Many comic-related writers & artists had wonderful panels. They also had tables in the Exhibit hall that I could get to pretty easily. There were very good panels to see upstairs on each of the days. The stars of Chuck and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles appeared. There was a great movie premiere at the Metreon for the Watchmen in its IMAX glory. The premiere of theWonder Woman animated DVD was held on site in the big Esplande room.
WonderCon held it's fifth Masquerade which I did not manage to see at all this time. Saturday was Hall costume day and Masquerade night. I have posted a picture link for the many Hall costumes (23), but I have none from the Masquerade. IF you see a picture of you or your group feel free to contact me for the original raw un-cropped jpeg(s)
(photos removed after 6 months)
The food at WonderCon is still superior to other conventions, inside the center and across the street at the Westfield & Metreon Malls. We had many a good meal that was not too pricey. I had Buckhorn for lunch each day because it is so Yummy! We found various places to eat featuring Japanese, Indian & Chinese food.
The Games section doubled in size this year and it is a good thing, because the players came out in droves. There were Tournaments going, demos being taught or attendees could bring their own games to play. The area in front of Games was often used by Costumed fans to take photos, which was only slightly annoying. The main problem were actually attendees trying to rest in the assigned seats area at Games. The Attendees had no way of knowing the table were all assigned times & dates. However if the Attendees would stop doing the Tunnel Vision thing and focus their eyes on the 5 signs stating "Games" they might not have had such a shock.
The Exhibits floor had lots of Artists, Small Press, a few big Companies and Vendors. The Artists & small companies were diverse. I bought a few things from several of them. The nice thing about WC is that a person has time to look at an item and talk to the person selling it without being crushed...most of the time.
Exhibits Floor Finds
WC Group A Exhibits Floor Freebies There were three Freebie tables at WonderCon for posters, stickers and buttons. Each company or artist seemed to have their own swag and several items were at the individual Booths or the Panels upstairs. The following is a list of all the free swag I know about.
The WonderCon website is jam packed with information. Go there directly or through the Comic-Con website at http://www.wondercon.com
Mary, marysgarage@hotmail.com
This year the Scream Awards went out of its way to invite real fans. I say this because some shows hire "fakes". Paid actors who pretend to be whatever is required. Scream gave out a 200 person open invitation to come in costume for the night to Comic-Con Intl members. I would say 80% of the entire audience came as something from Comics, Sci-Fi or Horror. 60% of the outfits were Goth inspired, 10% was Comic and the other 10% was Horror. Sadly no cameras or cell phones were allowed in the place. We took pictures of us before we entered, but there were so many people worth taking a picture of that we missed!!! The pictures I found online tended to be of actors on the Red Carpet, not the fans.
Like last year they edited out parts of the show on TV due to "questionable content". You know, %&$#@ and go boink your Mom stuff. This year they left most of it in expect for technical difficulties like:
Most Memorable Screen Mutilation went to a movie called Teeth. The scene is called "Penis bitten off by vagina with teeth". This had to be the single most horrifying & funniest thing I have ever seen all rolled into one. Every man in the theater was having sympathy pains and the women all laughed their backsides off. What the TV audience did not see was that 3 separate viewings of "Teeth" took place. The video played once, got stuck and then played all the way through again. This caused the fans to almost hyperventilate with groans & giggles.
Tim Burton's entrance via sky balloons was edited to within an inch of its life! The people trying to guide the balloons were having trouble. The ropes attached to the balloons were not cooperating and Tim Burton was starting to feel nauseated. Plus the harness holding him in would not un-hook once he landed. None of that mess is aired, just a smooth touch down.
I almost cannot believe I was in the same place as Anthony Hopkins, Gary Oldman, George Lucas & Samuel L Jackson. That was almost a brain overload of Iconic people! I have seen Samuel L Jackson at Comic-Con Intl: San Diego, but never anyone else. I love Gary Oldman's & Anthony Hopkins body of work. Gary Oldman is like a chameleon in each role. The 501st Storm Trooper group marched on stage to flank George Lucas. It was spectacular to watch in person!
Some friends in the Geek Roundtable got to be the Angry Mob holding the "Who Watches The Watchmen" signs during the introduction to World premiere new video footage. Awwwesome! The one bad thing about taping a TV show is the time involved. We all needed to show up very early and not leave for hours on end. Once inside time moved a lot faster, but much of the time was spent outside waiting in line. There were at least 4 separate lines and some of the Staff did not know which line to send people to. I hope they work that out better next year.
We went to the After Party at the Roosevelt Hotel for about 30 minutes. We had carpooled and did not want to leave our friends hanging around outside. I walked in to the After Party and was less than 12 inches from Tim Burton. Squeal! NO, I did not embarrass myself or anyone else, but I was squealing on the inside. He had paused to take a picture of "Bunnicula" at the door. There was a Fairytale Forest theme this year and the cute little woodland creatures by the door had Fangs! In the big room there were 2 Angels (Good & Bad) on opposite sides of the room performing. There were 4 Fairies on the main stage. They were mostly naked and masterfully body painted. Their skin was painted to look like Wood, Leaves, Fire & I cannot remember, but I sure wish I had a picture (dang it!) The food this year was better than 2007 and the dessert was fun. 2 Angels handed out Candy Apples or Rice Krispy Balls. The Rice Krispies were shaped into a ball with a stick and the bottom was dipped in chocolate or caramel. They looked just like candy apples and they were delicious!
If we get to go in 2009 we MUST rent a room so that we don't have to drive back on the same night at 2:00am. The 3rd time is the charm.
APE- Alternative Press Expo Small Press and Independant writers & artists gather at this convention. See what the next creative wave might be. Look around, Buy stuff and enjoy yourself. It is held in San Francisco. The website is linked with Comic-Con http://www.comic-con.org/Pages/APEWhatsNew.html
Con-Dor San Diego's longest runnning Science Fiction & Fantasy Convention. This is a great convention for people who like to read. Guests are usually great authors. It is usually on Easter weekend in the Mission Valley area. The website is http://www.ConDorCon.org
WonderCon A big convention, but it still feels mid-sized. A nice mix of Companies and Small Press/Independants gather. Plenty to see, but no need to rush. Look around and enjoy yourself. It is held in San Francisco in the spring (February, March or April). The website is linked with Comic-Con http://www.comic-con.org/Pages/WCWhatsNew.html
Anime Expo A fantastic Anime convention held in Anaheim or Los Angeles. This convention is for four days over the July Fourth weekend. Watch the latest videos, watch the dealers floor, watch the FABULOUS fan created Cosplay costumes! Dont believe me, check out the Hall Cosplay gathering picture on the home page. This large convention is well worth the trip, so go get your Anime fix! http://www.anime-expo.org
Comic-Con International: San Diego Comic-Con is the premiere comic convention in the United States. Bask in the four day glow with 125,000 of your closest friends all having a common interest. Go and be lost in a sea of Comic & Media events. Buy stuff, get Free stuff, but make sure you go! It is usually held in July. The website is jam packed with information. It even gives valuable parking information to the clever attendee, who bothers to check http://www.comic-con.org
Dragon Con A Science Fiction & Popular Arts convention in Atlanta Georgia. It will be held Friday through Monday in September. This is a very relaxed large convention. Lots to do & see. This convention is great fun at night, especially if you are an adult. Kids disappear at night (like they should) and the adults run wild! The parties are great! Take a look at their website for much more information - http://www.dragoncon.org
Icon Factory Icons Are Free. I have collected thousands of cool icons. Many are anime & toy related ones. I do not own them and I did not make them. I downloaded them for free. The Icon Factory site provides some of the BEST free icons on the web. Supe up your desktop with Gundam, Astroboy, Evangelion & more! http://www.iconfactory.com
