So I split off from the group, and set out to sample some of the other panels and offerings both in and outside the Con! And like our favorite catch-all Jeopardy category, I got to experience quite an assortment of things!
I was actually referring to the “potpourri” category
So in answer to the question Bekah posed in this post, these are some of my other highlights of Comic Con:
Geek and Sundry with Felicia Day
If you are not familiar with Geek and Sundry, it is like the Holy Grail of geek content all in one place. It has articles, community fora and shows. Most of the content centers around gaming, but they really cover anything geeks like, for example they have a post up now on the best shows for history geeks which features Vikings and Outlander, among others. The shows are fabulous, and could be best described as “Felicia Day and her best friends dress up in costume and play video games with people in the gaming world while asking hilarious questions and all-around making you want them as your BFFs.” I am partial to Co-Optitude, in which Felicia and her brother dress up and play a lot of classic games, and LARPs, that follows the adventures of people playing live action role play.
The panel was hilarious! I fell in love with Felicia Day in Dr. Horrible’s Sing-a-long Blog, and love that she’s providing a platform for female gamers! Plus, her “The Flog” follow her adventures doing things like pole dancing and playing “quidditch,” and she does a mean booby-honkin’ (TM):
I won’t bore you trying to summarize the panel that brought us the phrase “the Eiffel Tower of shame”, but the sizzle reel (around minute 5) is a great intro to the bounty that is Geek and Sundry. Felicia also announced 8 new The Flog episodes in celebration of Felicia’s new book, and some kind of companion RPG game for Will’s TableTop show so viewers can play along at home (don’t really know what that is, but it sounds like gamer catnip, and will be introduced at GenCon). Here’s the whole panel for your perusal:
The man in the high castle
As a part of my “day o’ hall 6A”, I was introduced to Amazon’s new show The Man on the High Castle. Based on Philip K. Dick’s story, this show explores life in the United States if the Axis powers had won WWII. The year is 1962, and the Germans hold the eastern part of the U.S., while Japan has a tenuous hold on the west coast, making for a very different kind of cold war. Here is the trailer:
This show looks great, and the creator is Frank Spotnitz, formerly of The X-Files, Millenium and Hunted. The cast was on hand for the panel, including Rufus Sewell as a high-ranking Nazi, Cary Tagawa as a Japanese official, And Alexa Davalos, Luke Kleintank and Rupert Evans as fka Americans who are trying to negotiate the new reality.
But the real power of the show comes from the parallels between a world cowed by secrets and power at the hands of a fascist government, and today’s world of corporate dominance and government secrecy. As Frank Spotnitz pointed out, the book is a powerful reminder that “it is not inevitable that the good guys win,” and that democracy is an amazing thing, but it is in constant need of tending.
Sense8
Sense8 is a fantastic show that I just found out about a few weeks ago (thanks to some tweeps who share my “interests”*), and I was so excited to find out that its panel was right after Vikings! The show melds sci-fi and mystery, following 8 people around the world who have developed sensate powers, meaning they can slip into one anothers’ experiences. But not only do they not understand what’s happening, there are also some dark forces trying to destroy them. There is great diversity of cultures and sexual orientations represented, and as a bonus, Naveen Andrews stars as the ‘mentor’ for the 8 as they explore their powers (I have crushed on him since The English Patient – yum!). For anyone who didn’t follow that description, this is all you need to know: SEXY IS IN THE HOUSE!
Apparently Sense8 was not sanctioned to be at SDCC for reasons that I don’t completely understand, so only the show creator Joe Straczynski (the Wachowski siblings are writers for the show) was on hand for this panel. This was disappointing, as I really needed some in person exposure to Lito and Hernando – because this:
Unfaheoihaugeuagpugaegafgak!
I was happy to hear a little about the creation of the show, and how the showrunners dealt with the logistics of shooting all over the world, especially because I was sure to find out whether or not Sense8 has been renewed for a second season . . . except that I didn’t. The show is still in negotiations with Netflix, and all I can say is “Netflix, you best not be getting in the way of my M/M fix, or there will be TROUBLE!”
You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.
Read about the awesome that is Sense8 here! We will keep you posted on season 2!
* Interests include: hot guys kissing, cops who discover they also like peen, P in the B and macrame.
Sleepy Hollow Brunch
Sleepy Hollow decided to really leverage the fan madness surrounding the show at last year’s con by ramping up and doing absolutely nothing this year!
Well played, Fox. Well played.
All kidding aside, the Con was weirdly early this year, and the writers, cast and crew are deep in filming right now. But I was pretty disappointed considering the absolute mind-boggling fuck-wuckery that was the Sleepy Hollow season finale, I feel like we fans really need a little hand holding to get us through this.
Somebody please hold me!
Fortunately, the god of Sleepy Hollow event planning heard my prayers, and organized a brunch outside the con with Lyndie Greenwood (Jenny Mills) and Orlando Jones (Frank Irving), and it was a blast! Orlando showed up at the restaurant, and immediately walked over to the server at our table, introduced himself as a new trainee, and proceeded to take our orders:
He got my water order perfect! This man has a bright future in the food service industry!
Lyndie showed up soon after, decked out in a cosplay costume that she made herself!
Pinterest that shit, girlfriend!
Both of them worked the room liked pros, which I guess is what they are, and actually had to be dragged away from chatting with fans in order to get to the official photograph portion of the morning. While Lyndie was sitting at our table, I tried to get some tidbits about the upcoming season, but she claims to be in the dark at this point.
I have to admit, I was a total embarrassing fangirl with these guys! I blathered on about how much I love Sleepy Hollow, and it scored me some big hugs from the both of them – no shame in my game!
Bring it on in here for a hug Orlando!
Two words: great morning!
Calm before the Con
By far my most random Comic Con adventure was the time I spent at the Cat Cafe. Yes, I said “Cat Cafe.” Before I explain, let me tell you about Outside Comic Con (dot com). This is a great site because it lists information on all kinds of things happening outside the convention – like the Sleepy Hollow brunch, Conan O’Brien show tapings, Nerd HQ events, Petco parking lot happenings, and of course, the Cat Cafe’s “Coffee and Kitties at the Con.”
I think this is a fabulous idea! The convention is so stressful with its long lines, horrible food and people who compulsively stop short in front of you to look at some dumb thing instead of moving off to the side LIKE ANY CIVILIZED HUMAN BEING WOULD KNOW TO DO!
Ahem, as I was saying, some pet-therapy is the perfect way to start or end your day with some furry zen. The best part is that you get a free beverage and tote bag, and the money goes to the San Diego Humane Society. I reserved a spot for Friday morning, and hung out with some great cats like Kelly, Elyse, Roo and my new honey, Levi:
Look at you, you gorgeous loaf of cat!
I swear this is what kept me sane through the 4 hours I spent in 6A waiting for the Vikings panel to begin!! Bonus: all of the cats are available for adoption, so you can go home with a truly one-of-a-kind SDCC souvenir!
So that is “whatever the eff I did” during Comic Con! Tune in next year when I ride up and down the elevator at the Hotel Palomar waiting for famous people to get on.
What did you find to fill your Comic Con downtime? How was Nerd HQ? Did anyone do Conan? Who’s coming with me to the Cat Cafe next year? (Bekah, I’m looking at you!)
