SDCC 07 update 4: costumes on parade

Well, as it tends to, San Diego Comic-Con gets out of hand, and turns into a full throttle marathon... leaving no down time to upload photos, and blog and such.
With Monday a travel day, and today back to work (day job, not fun job), this evening was my first real chance to finish up sharing all the pics and stories from the con.

It was a phenomenal show, as always.
Each year I do a little better, the crowds get a little thicker, and the booths get a little bigger.
The big news of the con wasn't the mega-ton of celebrities or Hollywood announcements, but the first ever string of sellouts, with the show being sold out Friday through Sunday.
Even though it was sold out, the crowd was still weird... everyone I talked to noticed slower sales on Saturday (than usual), and the typical hyper nuts activity was reserved for Sunday this year (instead of both days).
Perhaps the Heroes cast panel, Iron Man cast/trailer/suit reveal, passing of Spock ears, and gazillion other distractions on Saturday take it's toll on the floor attractions...

As for sights of my con, lets continue with that, moving away from more booth-centric to more costume heavy pics. With the masquerade on Saturday, there are no shortage of crazy costumes to be found (and the occasional celebrity sighting)...

First up we have Edgar Wright and Nick Frost (writer/director, and supporting actor of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz) who my wife and I were walking past one morning while I was on the phone, and even after repeated requests for her to get out my camera and get their picture she was puzzled unwilling, until I explained who they were, then she chased them down and got them to pose for this shot...

A great Superman and Slave Leia...

A really cool Abbey Chase, Danger Girl...

An awesome Haruhara Haruko from FLCL (Fooley Cooley), Catwoman with Ghost Rider...

The giant Optimus Prime booth display, and a funky Bumble-Bee!

And the Mach 5 from the upcoming Speed Racer Wachowski brothers movie...


Unfortunately I didn't have my camera on one morning walk-through when I was surprised to see Rosario Dawson turn around and walk out the Dark Horse booth... there was also a great Nacho Libre with full on massive gut that I missed snapping a shot of because I couldn't think of the Nachoooooooooooooooo cry soon enough...

There's always next year. :)

Tune in tomorrow for some details on what off hours of the con were like, and some shots of friends in and around the con.

SDCC 07 update 3: Thursday

Another day, another shitload of people, and the sell-outs continue, as Friday (tomorrow) has also sold out as well.

I tried to get shots of interesting attendees, but missed a couple... most notably, Stan Lee as he was whisked by in front of my table surrounded by security. Alas, my camera takes forever to set for a shot, so I missed him!
I did grab Sid Haig (Captain Spaulding of House of 1000 Corpses, and The Devils Rejects fame), and he was cool enough to hold this pose for a ridiculously long time...

There were at least 3 slave Leia's walking around, this was perhaps the best (there's no shortage of them around cons these days)...

And this morning, as I grabbed my copy of Comics From Mars #1 (by Paul Pope), and King City volume 1 from Tokyopop (by Brandon Graham), I found the Cherry Darling amputee model, and got her picture (along with a mob of other photogs)!

My wife, Tami, made it to the show, for the first time this trip, around quarter to 5, just in time to hit the Lost season 4 panel... I'll try and upload some pics on that later...
Sounds like they basically highlighted how "everything ties together, and they know where it's all going", ha ha. Look forward to more flash forwards, the Dharma initiative fully revealed early on, the return of Michael (who appeared as a surprise guest on the panel), and the significance of Rousseau and her story over the next two seasons.

Tomorrow I've got two good friends hitting the show, Randy Kintz (Jason and the Argonauts), who's also from Portland and will likely be hanging at the table, and Javier Hernandez (El Muerto), who's got a screening of the independent film adaptation of his comic at 9PM at the con. Tami and I, and likely some friends, plan to attend the Aztec Zombie Wilmer Valderrama feature!

SDCC 07 update 2: Preview night gridlock

Wednesday/preview night at San Diego Comic-Con 2007 was much like 2006... packed!

Click for a look at the finished Heroes booth, as you can see it's meant to be Isaac's loft, complete with floor mural, and the Tim Sale paintings from the show (I assume they're prints)... and some of the crowds outside the hall Wednesday afternoon.
As with last year, what used to be the one night one could comfortably walk the floor, was just like every other day of the con, wall to wall people. Many people complained that the main floor (the media/big booth center of the con) was an aisle to aisle wall of people.

Meanwhile in small press, sales were slow, as usual for any preview night/first day of a show. No worries there. I did sell quite a few things, and catch up with many many friends.

The buzz on the floor so far, at least at my table where my sketchbook and prints sport Grindhouse/Cherry Darling images, is that there's apparently an actual amputee model dressed up as Cherry at one of the booths...

I'll have to investigate and bring back photographic evidence today! (stay tuned)

In the meantime, here's some photographic evidence of what the studios want you to be talking about, the 300 DVD...
Not only does Dark Horse have stacks of 300 Spartan shields (with the DVD release date emblazoned in all it's glory), the studio has even gone so far as to have mobile billboards cruising the streets (something I've not seen here before)!


Here's the back of the Marvel booth, a giant blow up of the massive recent X-Men 200 wrap-around cover art from David Finch (sorry for the crap pics, I need a new digital camera!)
After looking over today's program, the only panel I'd like to see is the Lost Season 4 panel with show runners Lindelof and Cuse discussing the new season, series finale buildup, and season 3 DVD (and surprises oh my!).

So, I'm off to catch the Sheraton Suites green route shuttle and tool around the hall looking for items like Paul Pope's THB preview book, and maybe the Jason Pearson Body Bags preview... not to mention the millions of items I've forgotten or don't know about yet, before the doors open!

STAY TUNED!

SDCC 07 update 1: Pre-Show booth action

San Diego Comic-Con International kicks off this evening with it's Wednesday night preview from 5:30 til 9PM, but before any attendee's can get in, all of the exhibitors, artists, and convention contractors get things set up.

As I made my way in through the hall this year, I was more impressed than ever with some of the massive booth displays. As you know, Comic-Con has become a pop culture festival more and more, and the mainstream booths seem to be getting bigger and better each year.

Here are a slew of shots from just some of the highlights, or pernsonal interests of mine from the floor, as things are finalized...
Here's the giant (about 30' wide) Pirates of the Carribean (black pearl?) replica that we saw being trucked in on the news the other night...
Across from it is the always impressive SCI-FI booth...
A life-size Jabba The Hutt (who apparaently talks too!)
and more Star Wars coolness, including this giant animated-style Leia... and life-size Yoda kicking ass (from the Clone Wars movies)

Mordor(?), from The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, the polar bear creature from The Golden Compass (all 8' tall and real as life!), some Spartan armor from 300 you can purchase and wear around the house (or possibly the office?), Frankenberry (if only they had Booberry!)and a World of Warcrack (er Warcraft) elfin chick!



And then click on these images to get larger views of Marvel's booth (yes, they have an actual booth at Comic-Con this year!), a hasbro booth that's actually a full on store recreated on the con floor, the really cool G4 tech-TV who'll be broadcasting live from the con on Friday and Saturday, a giant bad ass Cherry Darling (Planet Terror/Grindhouse), the swanky 60's Batmobile from the TV series, a giant 30ish foot tall WB watertower, and entire booth for the NBC TV series Heroes, still under construction, complete with giant apocaliyptic mural on the floor!!!





So now I've finished lunch and it's back to the con to open things up and let the chaos begin!!

SUPER REAL NOTES - San Diego Comic-Con 2007

San Diego Comic-Con International 2007 starts for me today!

We're flying out this morning.

This is the premiere event in the industry, which just keeps growing, and growing. This year it looks like they've already sold out the 4 day passes, and have also now sold out of Saturday entirely. I don't think that's ever happened before!

Super Real will be on exhibit from the Small Press Pavillion spot S16
We'll have every copy of the book, sketchbooks, prints, sketches and original art, as well as sketchbooks from friends of the series (and maybe even some of them hanging out at the table).

It's always great to meet fans and catch up with friends, so please stop by the table!

SUPER REAL NOTES - Sketchbooks and Comic-Cons

Here it is, less than 24 hours before our annual trek to sunny southern California, and the mayhem that is Comic-Con International!! I say "our", because since my first year solo exhibiting the con in 2003 (back in those infant stages of Super Real), my wife has joined me. She used to help at the tabel a bit, but now she just goes for the good times checking out the show, the town, and the people. This year, we're even bringing our dog Choco (the chihuahua)!

Anyway, as I try to wrap up the endless loose ends and fully prepare for the 8 day trip, and 5 day show, I wanted to share some more info on the new sketchbook I'll be debuting at the show, and the latest addition to my 2007 convention schedule:

2007 Jason Martin SKETCHBOOK: PLANET LADIES

A goofy, somewhat awkward title, but one I think works visually well with the Grindhouse inspired cover image, that also tells you what's in store inside... namely 22 pages of pinups, sketches, and commissions featuring only the ladies of fandom.
My first book featuring art completely outside the scope of Super Real.

Like the previous Super Real Sketchbooks, this one also comes with a personal sketch in each copy.
They're $10 and available via PayPal if you get your orders in before Comic-Con (end of next week).
Paypal id - jasinmartin@hotmail.com
Please add $2.50 for 1st class, or $5.50 for priority US mail (international please email for shipping).

Also, act quick if you want one of the remaining 2006 Super Real sketchbooks, I anticipate selling out on those in San Diego.

WIZARD WORLD CHICAGO

If you can't make it to the mecha of comic cool in San Diego, maybe you can make it to the next best thing?

I'll be in artist alley at Wizard World Chicago again this year, so if you're at the windy city con, I'll see you there!
(Stay tuned for more details on this one)!

MEANWHILE AT THE MOVIES... Transformers the movie

Went and saw Transformers last weekend. There have been so many movies this summer, but I thought Transformers was a good one to catch on the big screen. I saw FF2 but missed Spider-Man 3, and unfortunately, it was already gone in all the first run theaters around here (just in the old smaller venues, which defeats the purpose).

Transformers was a lot of fun, it started strong and finished big. Shia, the concept Camaro, and the boom box Decepticon were the highlights, but the movie got seriously lost in the middle and had way too many pointless characters/plotlines (why did we need to continue the thread with the GI's? and Section 7?!? WTF was that?!). The ending was fun, but I thought the Transformers themselves were, while fairly awesome to look at, pretty lifeless. And while the climax, the Autobots and Decepticons going toe to toe in downtown LA was cool, it could've been bigger in scope, and better realized (yes, I know, I'm crazy, but cut a half hour of some of the pointless shit, and give us a more complex, longer, and bigger climax - that's the big payoff, and it was good, but not epic, and it could've/should've been).

So, a B- as a movie, and A- as a theater experience.

Here's my fan art for the movie (which will be a print at next week's San Diego Comic-Con!), the Bumblebee 2009 Camaro with the girl from the movie:

SUPER REAL NOTES - Special #2 VARIANT cover evolution 3 (drool cup not included)

And here it is, the final artwork for the variant cover to the Super Real Special sequel - SUPER REAL VS THE MOVIE INDUSTRY!

This is the 50/50 ratio Tarantino themed variant by Jonboy Meyers (Danger Girl: Body Shots, Ninja Scroll, Low Orbit: Riot Grrrl), with colors from Scott Kester!

Pretty fucking cool hunh?!?

You can see more of Jonboy's work (along with his frequent collaborator Scott) at his website or his DeviantArt gallery

STAY TUNED for more behind the scenes artwork from the upcoming book,
jason

SUPER REAL NOTES - Special #2 VARIANT cover evolution 2

Turned in the solicitation information to Diamond today for the Super Real Special sequel - SUPER REAL VS THE MOVIE INDUSTRY, so it's officially on the schedule for a November release... (Yes, it's barely mid-July and I'm living in November)

Yesterday I shared the roughs for the variant cover from Jonboy Meyers (Danger Girl: Body Shots, Ninja Scroll, Low Orbit: Riot Grrrl), and today I'm back with the color flats.
Umma Thurman eat your heart out!

Please check Jonboy out if you haven't at either his website HERE or his DeviantArt gallery HERE

Turn in tomorrow for the final cover (you ain't seen nothin yet)!!!

STAY TUNED,
jason

SUPER REAL NOTES - Special#2 VARIANT COVER evolution

Things are moving forward on the new Super Real Special sequel - SUPER REAL VS THE MOVIE INDUSTRY on all fronts, and as I'd mentioned, I'll be sharing artwork and behind the scenes tidbits as we go...

After showing the work up for the regular cover, now it's time to show off the awesome variant cover!

The variant cover artist for the special is someone who you might've seen around recently, he's a hot new emerging talent that's now working for Wildstorm - Jonboy Meyers.

Jonboy made a splash recently in Image's LOW ORBIT anthology, with his RIOT GRRRL, and is currently pitching in at WILDSTORM on titles like NINJA SCROLL, DANGER GIRL: BODY SHOTS, and some more top secret future stuff.

Jonboy was actually lined up to do some interiors, but as is often the case, schedules get wacky and things don't line up, so I'm really glad he could still work up a cover. Since he was slotted to work on the Tarnatino themed section featuring Holly, his cover is a take on that, with a nice Kill Bill vibe goin on!! (And don't worry, we've got someone really cool and talented picking up his spot!)

This is his rough outline for the cover.
You can check out his website HERE and his DeviantArt gallery HERE

Turn in tomorrow for the next step!

STAY TUNED,
jason

SUPER REAL NOTES - Special #2 cover evolution 3 & info

Here's the final mock up (final image may vary) for the cover to the sequel special, SUPER REAL VS THE MOVIE INDUSTRY, coming to comic shops this November.Here we have all the elements put together; the homage artwork to Giant-Size X-Men #1 featuring our SR cast, now bursting from a movie screen, and with some zoom/blur audience in the foreground (side note - the four audience heads here are actually the four guest artists!)

The book will be double-sized (48 pages), full color, be written by me and feature four guest artists, along with a section by me as well as a series of pinups, all featuring the cast in situations from blockbuster movie franchises (including; Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Tarantino, horror and more!).

The four guest artists are:

Dan Mendoza
Jerry Gaylord
Dennis Budd (Model Operandi, Consumed)
and featuring Josh Howard (Dead@17, Lost Books of Eve)

I'm very excited about all the creators, both the featured artists, and the pinup/cover artists (more info to come there), lined up for the special! It's also very cool to get the iconic Josh Howard on some interiors for the book!!

Watch for more details, and coming soon, more behind the scenes for the creation of this epic special, all leading up to it's release this fall!!

STAY TUNED,
jason