Fanboy freakout Friday at Comic-Con

BY THE POWER OF GREYSKULL!!!

Friday at the San Diego Comic-Con seemed busier than previous days. The long lines and cramped isles made it tough to get around, but I still managed to see some great panels, successfully hunt down a rare graphic novel and get an autograph from my all-time favorite artist. Sweet! Oh yeah, and a bunch of people wore their costumes, making it the freakiest day of the convention and the most fun. I’ve got pictures!

MARIO AND THE PRINCESS. AREN’T THEY CUTE.

The first panel I was going to attend was Warner Bros.: Watchmen. I’m a big fan of the graphic novel and can’t wait to see how director Zack Snyder is going to translate it into a movie. The line to get into the panel was really long, but I got in anyway. About 30 minutes later someone announced the room was full and no one was leaving which meant nobody could go in. Oh well, I did get to talk about the Watchmen movie and graphic novel with some of the fans in line so it was still fun. Plus, I learned a valuable lesson: Get in line early if you really want to see something.

G4’S ATTACK OF THE SHOW CO-HOST OLIVIA MUNN. SHE’S PRETTY.

Next, I roamed the convention floor on the hunt for free stuff, cool t-shirts and the Akira manga vol. 6 that I’ve been searching for since day one. On the way, I just happened to run into Olivia Munn, co-host of Attack of the Show on G4. I’m a big fan of that show, so it was pretty exciting to see her up close and personal, well not really personal. I was completely star struck and couldn’t say a word. I know, I know, it’s lame, but I couldn’t help it. At least I got a picture.

THIS IS A CONTINUITY NIGHTMARE.

After going through dozens of boxes of graphic novels, I finally found the Akira manga vol. 6. Score! That book was super hard to find. I could have paid $100 or more online to get it but instead it only cost me $15.

Then I got in line to see James Jean, artist and Eisner Award winner for Best Cover Artist for the past four years. When I first started reading the always-excellent Vertigo series Fables, I noticed his amazing cover work and have been following and collecting his comic and other artwork since. Now, since I’m such a big fan, I was a bit nervous about meeting him. When it was my turn to step up I think I said “I’m a big fan” about 10 times. He was super nice though and gave me an autograph and a Fables sketch that blew my mind. I did not expect to get a sketch and it’s really good, of course. I also bought a couple of signed exclusive prints. Seeing James Jean will probably be the coolest moment of Comic-Con for me. Check out his website for more.

ARTIST JAMES JEAN AT THE GIANT ROBOT BOOTH.

The next few hours I spent watching panels. The first was The Spirit with writer and director Frank Miller and some of the cast, including Samuel L. Jackson and Jaime King. Next was The Saga Continues: Star Wars 2008 which was all about the upcoming Star Wars: The Clone Wars movie and TV show and the new video game The Force Unleashed. They showed new, exclusive footage of everything and all of it looks amazing.

The best panel of the day was Entertainment Weekly‘s The Visionaries: Filmmakers — Kevin Smith, Frank Miller, Zack Snyder and Judd Apatow. It was a riot! Kevin Smith was so funny. He had everyone in Hall H laughing hysterically. Judd Apatow brought a lot of laughs too and the both of them kept things rolling as they all talked about the movies they’re currently working on and general nonsense.

Here are some more pictures. Enjoy!

ONE OF THE BEST JOKERS I SAW ALL DAY. BUT NOT AS GOOD AS…

…THIS JOKER! THIS GUY WAS TOTALLY IN CHARACTER AND SCARY AS HELL.

EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE! THIS ONE IS FOR YOU JAYSON PETERS.

Stay tuned for more from the San Diego Comic-Con.