On Saturday I went to Long Beach Comic Con, a fairly young comic book convention that is small enough that comic books *GASP!* are still the primary focus.
Imagine that.
Anyhooters, it was pretty epic for me because I attended as a “professional” aka a member of the press. My list of press passes has been steadily growing but this was my first for a comic con so it was very exciting for me.
😀 <– See? That’s me being excited.
Here are some of the highlights:
If you don’t know what Team Unicorn is then you need to crawl out from whatever rock you’ve been living under. The second I walked up to them one of them put her arms out and said “you’re a unicorn!” It was a proud moment for me, let me tell you! Yes, they are hottie mctotties, but what really struck me was how nice they were. They stood there and talked t-shirts with me (we all agree that Cafe Press sucks major monkey balls) for way longer than they needed to. Friendly hot girls? Yup, they exist.
I turned around and there was Clare Grant’s hubby Seth Green so naturally, I had to get a picture with him too. I’ve been a fan of this guy since My Stepmother is an Alienso when he and AlysonHannigan teamed up again on Buffy it was like nerdvana. Random fun fact: Seth was also an uncredited vampire in the orginal film version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. When I met him I blurted out that I was a big fan of his wife, which is very very true, but Seth, if you ever read this, my love of you came first 🙂
That Robot Chicken show is pretty cool too
After that we headed off to a light saber demonstration by Saber Guild, a not-for-profit costumed performance group. Apparently they do a lot of performances for charity which I’m all for. Some of the Jedi and Sith were better fighters than others but they were all very enthusiastic and the kids in the audience were super into it.
Big Daddy in the house
Here’s a video I took of the climax of the battle and the young Padawan who helped defeat Darth Vader:
Renowned horror master John Carpenter was in attendance. Not gonna lie, he didn’t look thrilled to be there, but he’s one of the most prolific sci-fi/horror directors of all time so I was glad that he was.
Big Trouble in Little Long Beach
Apparently Thomas Jane was there (representing Raw Studios with Tim Bradstreet) because at one point he came over the intercom and, speaking verrrry slooooowwwly, asked all of the men to stop what they were doing, take out their “pieces” and wave them around. I’m just going to assume that my dirty sense of humor correctly deduced what “pieces” meant. Alas, I didn’t see him which was a bummer.
On to costumed characters!
Wonder Woman was actually there with Wolverine but Wolvie kept getting pushed aside so that WW could take pictures with Asian Superman. Never thought I’d say this but Wolvie was kind of a bitch.
Gotta love those stunna shades
I’m pretty sure that this pop can tab creation is supposed to be Iron Man. Old school Iron Man circa 1963 before he hired Maaco to paint his suit red and gold.
The magnetic chest plate gave it away
Believe it or not, these two crazy kids had never heard of Night of the Living Trekkies, they just randomly decided that dressing up as Starfleet Zombies would be awesome. I’m still not sure how I feel about my favorite franchise being combined with my biggest fear…kind of seems like a conspiracy against me.
So wrong. So very, very wrong.
This guys claims he’s dressed up as a video game character and NOT a Doctor Whocharacter but I choose not to believe him and I straight up told him so. I’m pretty sure I made him laugh under that rubbery exterior.
No dude, I am not your mummy
Speaking of Doctor Who…I was pretty stoked to find this hot female Dalek.
Exfoliate! Exfoliate!
On to the next franchise – Star Wars! Jango Fett was hanging out by the light saber demonstration. Obviously doing recon.
That’s my “badass” look. Intense, I know.
Big Daddy Darth Vader was hanging out by the Occupy the Death Star booth.
What can I say? I’ve always had a thing for bad boys.
He thought I was adorable.
I don’t let just any masked man pinch my cheeks
This robotic R2D2 was controlled incognito by a guy who kept his hand in the bag over his shoulder. People would walk up to it and it would move, confusing the heck out of them. It was pretty funny.
See the confusion?
Y’all know I heart me some Harry. There were no Gryffindors in sight but there was a Ravenclaw and a Slytherin. Although, to be honest, she looked way too nice to be a true Slytherin.
With hair like that she’s gotta be a Malfoy…right?
“Occupy” paradies were all over the place but this was probably my favorite.
It’s funny cause it’s true
And last but not least, I leave you with two awesome t-shirts. This first one I found at a t-shirt vendor. I didn’t have the balls to buy it but I thought it was fucking hi-larious.
Tempting…
And me wearing my brand-spanking new Team Unicorn t-shirt the morning after.
So I was just kidding, I have one more thing for you. A video shot as I was leaving LBCC. You can see me in motion for once!
If you follow the facebook page then you know that I’ve been more than a little obsessed with Doctor Who lately. I tend to do that. Get obsessed with something and then turn around and get obsessed with something else. Thankfully I have AMAZING taste in obsessions.
Two months ago I was a Doctor Who virgin. Sad, I know. I wish I had the time to invest in all of the amazing science fiction and fantasy shows that are out there, but I don’t. I have my shows that I follow religiously and for the rest I embark on epic television show marathons. It actually works out pretty well for me. Everything stays nice and fresh in my multiple-franchise-fact-packed little brain and I don’t have to wait a whole agonizing week for the next episode to come out. It’s a pretty sweet deal if I do say so myself.
And I do.
Anyhooters. I got through Seasons 1-5 (aka Doctor’s 9, 10, and the first of Doctor 11) ridiculously fast. Seriously…that whole unpacking and organizing my new house thing took a major productivity dive. Then something horrific happened. Netflix wouldn’t give me any more episodes. I wasn’t (and still am not – stupid broken computer 🙁 ) set up to BitTorrent them and I was really hoping to not have to buy them on Amazon Instant Video (just bought a house, remember?) I went through Doctor withdrawals. It was pathetic. But I started organizing my house again which I GUESS was a good thing. Pssh.
Then the season finale came and BBCA did a whole marathon of season 6. Thanks GODS! Then I had to go out of town. Gah! How did I ever live without a DVR? I have no idea. Since I got back I’ve been watching episodes between cleaning, organizing, wedding attending, yadda yadda yadda and I am FINALLY all caught up. Phew!
So here are my thoughts on the Doctor, his companions, his enemies and all the rest. Watch out, because as River Song would say…SPOILERS!
1. Is it a good thing or a bad thing that I will spend an entire day talking like a Dalek?
2. I brought this up on the facebook page but it warrants repeating:
Does anyone else think it’s weird that the daughter of the guy who played the 5th Doctor went on to play the daughter of the 10th Doctor and gave birth to the daughter of the guy who played the 10th Doctor?
3. Dear Doc #9…you’re cool in a goofy “wait, aren’t you supposed to be a villain?” kind of way. Your smile could light up the room and was really adorable. I feel for you because you got all of the cheesy special effects and that really sucked for you. Plus, you only got one season which was sad but kind of awesome because it made way for Doc #10. I feel bad for admitting that but it’s true. Still, you’re the one who dragged me in and solidified my Doctor Who addiction and for that, I will always be in your debt.
4. Wait, did I hear it right that the Doctor killed his entire race in order to defeat the Daleks?? That’s some fucked up shit right there.
5. OMFG enough with the creepy dolls. What is it with creepy dolls??? Ugh, I hate creepy dolls.
6. I’m not gonna lie, when we first met Donna I wasn’t a huge fan.
Donna with Doctor #10
When they ditched her in favor of Martha I thought, yup, right decision! Then they ditched Martha and brought back Donna and I thought, wtf? didn’t we establish that Donna was annoying?? Then I started to crazy love Donna and I was hoping she’d stick around for a while. When her storyline ended I cried. Not just because it had ended but because of the way it ended and how they made her go back to being annoying Donna. She had the worst fate of all the Companions and my heart still breaks for her.
7. Speaking of Martha…
Martha with Doctor #10
I love how the Producers had such a hard on for Freema Agyeman that they cast her as Martha RIGHT AFTER casting her as Adeola, the Torchwood minion who got all Cyberman’d in “Army of Ghosts.” Did they think we wouldn’t notice that it was the same chick? Not hardly. I can see why they did it though. Martha was fantastic. I felt bad for her that she was the rebound chick but that’s the price you pay for being a Companion, you’re going to get hurt somehow. At least she went all girl power and took off on her own and became a badass soldier. Now she’s a lawyer on Law and Order UK with Lee Adama. Girl gets around.
8. Badger’s back!! I heart you so much Mark Sheppard. I mean, is there a sci-fi show that you won’t do?? Please say no.
Frakking badass
9. Aside from being a better title than “The Doctor” I never really got why the show was called “Doctor Who.” I mean, sure, people ask “doctor who?” every once in a while, but not really enough to make it the title of the show. Now, thanks to a fat blue man with no body, I expect to find out the answer to that question and holy fucking crap I can’t wait!
10. Dear Doc #10…I’m pretty sure I’m in love with you. You had the best hair, the best clothes (sorry, Doc #11, but bow ties aren’t that cool), the best facial expressions. You speak volumes with nothing but a raised eyebrow. The whole daughter paradox thing creeps me out a little but I could get past that. I get it Rose, I totally get it. I would hit that too.
11. The thought of fish fingers and custard makes me want to barf. But that scene was fucking brilliant.
12. I’m confused….is Rory still plastic? Or did he get converted back to being human somewhere along the way and I just missed it?
13. I will never look at angel statues the same way again. Ever.
Ever.
Ok, fine. You can blink one eye at a time. Smart ass.
14. STFU! Jack is the Face of Boe?!?
15. “Vincent and the Doctor” is one of the greatest episodes of television I have ever seen. Not so much because of the giant invisible chicken, but because of the last 10 minutes. I don’t think it’s possible to watch it without shedding a few tears. Tragically beautiful.
16. Will someone please sell me some hallucinogenic lipstick already?!
17. Rose is probably my favorite Companion.
Rose with Doctor #9 (I had to get him in here somehow)
She’s adorable in her bucked-tooth, cockney accented way but mostly I think it’s because of her chemistry with Doctor #10. I cried the ugly cry when he had to leave her in the alternate dimension. Sorry, Mickey, but you simply can’t replace the Doctor. When she started popping up in the background of season 4 I think I screamed a few times. I miss that combo.
18. Amy is a very close second.
Amy with Doctor #11
I like her spunky Scottish redhead attitude and her relationship with Rory is adorable. I was ridiculously happy when Amy chose Rory over the Doctor after that weird sort-of-but-sort-of-not love triangle thing they had going on there. If they had kept going in that direction it would have been seriously awkward when River started coming around more often. Rory should wear that Last Centurian costume, like, all the time. So cute.
19. Is it just me or is everyone reminded of The Gentlemen from Buffy the Vampire Slayer when they look at The Silents (aka The Silence)?
I swear, this is one of those situations where the DW writers know what the fuck is really going on and the rest of us are all oblivious. Seriously, how many of these fuckers have I killed in my life and I can’t even remember doing it??
20. Ok really? Giant green alien babies? Sorry Raxacoricofallapatorian’s, but you’re just not that scary. Although, I suppose you’re better than the Adipose….
21. Dear Doc #11…you’re cuter than #9 but not as cute as #10. But I dig your fluttering randomness…I keep debating with myself whether or not you’ve got multiple personality disorder. I’m still undecided. I like that you’re angier than your predecessors. You’ve got that whole “brooding tortured old soul” thing going on inside mixed with that “big goofy man-boy” exterior. It’s a good time for all. Ditch the Stetson but keep the Fez. Fez’s are cool. It’s weird how it looks so good on you. I wasn’t sure how you were going to get out of that whole death thing but I’m glad you did. And well done on the wife front. You’ve got good taste in women.
22. Emperor Palpatine + Nazgul = Headless Monks. Am I right??
23. I’m conflicted. Now I don’t know if I’d rather have a Starship or a TARDIS. I used to be so sure that I wanted a Starship but a TARDIS isn’t restricted by the speed of light or timelines or the need for warp coils. *sigh* I’m sorry Gene Roddenberry, but I think I need to go with the TARDIS. Now excuse me while I go hang my Trekkie head in shame.
Can't I just have both?
24. The two-episode story arc where all of the former companions come together to help defeat the Daleks (“The Stolen Earth” and “Journey’s End”) is probably my favorite part of the whole series. I love seeing the forces of good coming together to defeat evil and I was so happy to see Rose get her happy ending, even if it meant that Donna lost hers. The part at the end when the Doctor tells Donna’s family that she was the most important person in the whole universe and that generations of alien worlds will tell stories about her was so poignant. All of her dreams came true and she can never know about it. Ugh. Gutwrenching. And the look on the Doctor’s face when he gave Rose to his weird hand clone, knowing that he would never see her again but that she could be finally have peace with part of him. Ugh. Gutwrenching. The science fiction aspect is great but what separates Doctor Who from the rest of the sci-fi pack is the emotional wallop it deals you on a regular basis. I lost count of how many times this show has broken my heart.
25. And last but not least, my hero, the one and only River Song. How does one go about explaining all the of epic awesomeness that is the Doctor’s wife/murderer? Although…technically I guess she didn’t actually murder him…but you know what I mean. The woman gave up any possibility of ever regenerating again in order to save the Doctor after the first time she tried to kill him (again with the fabulous lipsticks!!) And she made the ultimate sacrifice to keep him alive from the Shadows. It’s not just her loyalty that makes her so endearing. It’s her spunk. And maybe her hair. The Doctor solves problems without violence whenever possible but he has no problem with letting River shoot people. Honestly, would he be able to talk her out of it? Probably not. God I love a woman with a gun. She’s just as clever, if not more so, than the Doctor. The only woman in the universe that can match him. The fact that their timelines are reversed just adds to the tragic beauty of their romance. They can never truly be together. All they have are stolen moments in time in which they never know how well they’ll know each other. It’s practically Shakesperean!