pictures from the 2021 Comic-Con Special Edition, part 3

Sunday was the last day of Comic-Con 2021, and like it sometimes does, it had a very relaxed atmosphere around it. By this time, I had seen most of what I had wanted to, so I was in the unusual position of not having much of anything on my immediate schedule. Because of this, I got to do thing that I otherwise wouldn't, which ended up being really enjoyable. Let's take a look at Sunday, November 28th at the Comic-Con Special Edition! 

Fresh off the trolley, I went to check on the mammoth skull at the La Brea outside exhibit. Yes, it was still there. Good.

 

It was a Sunday morning in November, and that meant Steelers football. Bub's is a Steelers bar located right by Petco Park, so it was easy to walk from the convention center right to the bar, where I got to watch the game with some fellow Steelers fans! So how did the game go? Let's not talk about it!

I decided to take a walk over to downtown San Diego's Now Or Never comic shop. This shop opened a few years ago and I've always been meaning to check it out, but I never got the chance during a regular year at Comic-Con. A slow Sunday gave me the opportunity to go inside for the first time! My next post, faithful readers, will be all about this store and my experience there.

After leaving the shop, I walked back to the convention, and decided to give Peacemaker's Proving Ground another shot. I tried to wait in line for this experience the day before, but the line was much too long and moved much too slowly.

On Sunday, however, I only had to wait about 20 minutes before I was able to get in. I joined a group of five other people and approached Peacemaker's trailer, which was set up to look just like the character's home in the show.

Once we got inside, we were given some safety equipment and a Nerf gun. After a few minutes of instruction, we were off on our obstacle course-style mission.

I tried to take a few pictures inside the obstacle course, and all of them turned out terrible. This blurry shot is the best one that I managed to get. This was about halfway through, after dodging enemy fire and accidentally killing a hostage.

Once we made it through, we got to this photo opportunity where we were declared Peacemaker Proven (and encouraged to watch the HBO Max show). The whole thing was a ton of fun and easily the best event at Comic-Con this year. During a regular year, this still would have been a really popular site, but it would have taken all day to get through. I'm really glad that I was able to get through this on the last day. I'm really enjoying the show, too!

I then walked back through the Gaslamp, where I was invited to play a game.

Here's Loki and a few variants.

I saw these folks near the Hilton, outside of the convention center. I asked to take their picture and the guy asked if I was sure I wanted him in it as well. The maroon suit looks like something a Batman villain would wear, so yeah, guy, I do.

As I made my way through the Gaslamp, back toward the convention center, I saw some guys handing out tins of mints with the Freak Brothers logo on them. I knew that there was supposed to be an offsite event for this new cartoon (based on the 1960s underground comic??), but I couldn't find it anywhere. At a show that was probably 30% the size of a normal year, that was surprising, so I asked one of the logo-shirted people about it, and where I might find this event. The guy looked so relieved that someone was actually seeking out their space. He pointed me to the lawn area between the Hilton and the convention center.

After some searching, I found the Freak Brothers bus tucked away behind the hedges, out of sight from most of the convention. As I approached, two other workers waved me in and tried to give me more tins of mints. They were obviously thrilled to see someone - anyone - in the area. I was the absolute only convention attendee there. Hiding this bus behind some hedges where no one could find it was a real choice that they made, and it was kind of funny to be one of the few who found it. There was music, some bean bag chairs, a phone charging station, and tables with freebies like posters and, again, mints.

I spent a few minutes check the place out, and eventually another guy wandered in. We played a game of corn hole and then I left. It was weird. Everything about it was weird.

The show ended at 5:00 on this day, and it was getting late in the afternoon by the time I walked back to the convention center. I hadn't been inside at all, so it was time to check the floor out one last time before it was all over.

Things really slowed down toward the end, which was a new experience for me at Comic-Con. It usually rolls right along until they close the doors. But there were still things to see, such as inflatable Gizmo.

And this guy. Video game character? Probably.

I feel like this guy had been waiting 25 years to wear this at Comic-Con. Congratulations, guy.

I guess this was Studio Ghibli's first convention appearance in the United States? Good for them.

At this point, I was just taking pictures of anyone who walked by.

Heritage had this Fantastic Four cover on display, which they estimated would sell for around $50,000. Cool.

Listen, the dress code was pretty lax at this show. It takes some guts to go in like this, but then again, I guess he had his face covered.

This was a really elaborate group costume.

More Spideys! I do not know what is happening with the one in the middle.

Near row 100 and the Funko area, the convention set up a lot of backdrops where you could take pictures. This was, of course, because they had some space to fill, but a lot of people took advantage.

I don't know if they'll ever have room for stuff like this again. It was an interesting way to take up space.

Lumpy Space Princess made an appearance.

The Rocketeer is always a good choice, and the helmet works doubly well this time around.

I was disappointed at the dearth of comic book vendors at this show, especially since it seemed like there were more at the New York Comic Con just a few weeks earlier. But I still managed to get a few books and got to gaze at some more, like this rack that included three copies of Fantastic Four #1!

The show ended at 5:00 with not a lot of the usual fanfare. I made a number of last-minute purchases and tried to take it all in. This was the first San Diego Comic-Con in over two years! It was definitely different, but I enjoyed every minute. It was a lot of fun.

Of course, there's always some residual energy that leaks out of the building when the show ends, and this year was no different. Captain Marvel greeted me outside of the convention center as I was leaving.

The sun was starting to set when the show ended. It made for a calm scene outside.

Cars parked on the curb! Wild. Can't wait to go back.

These two clearly are not speaking to each other. Time to beam up, Spock.

The Peacemaker exhibit stayed open for a little while after the show ended. I ran over and hopped back in line at the food truck. This thing was a lifesaver over the weekend. I ordered some cheese sticks and almost missed my trolley out of the city because of 'em. I had to run while choking on fried mozzarella in order to catch it. Worth it.

pictures from the 2021 Comic-Con Special Edition, part 2

 Is it time to look at more pictures from the 2021 version of Comic-Con? It is! These are all from Saturday, the second day of the show.

For a number of obvious reasons, this Special Edition show was much more stripped down than what you would expect from a regular, pre-2020 convention. The banners were even more low-key, with the toucan taking top billing, rather than having the usual Marvel movie franchise as a sponsor.

Black Widow gets set up as doors open.

Here's a Kingdom Come-era Wonder Woman costume!

I was surprised that I didn't see more costumes that incorporated masks at this show. Here's a perfect example of what you could do with a great costume that you happen to be wearing during a pandemic. What a great Shredder!

The huge SDCC banner made its return to the front of the convention center!

I hear that there are a few Toys R Us locations still functioning in Canada. Maybe Geoffrey is starting the long trek.

HBO's Peacemaker show was by far the most popular offsite event, and it's one of the few things that got close to feeling like how things used to at the show.

And true to Comic-Con fashion, this line took forever to get through. I didn't make it on Saturday, but I kept an eye on this site all weekend.

The barbell is a nice touch. I wonder if he could've brought it in during a more normal year?

Sam Wilson's Captain America and Spider-Punk!

If you moved, she shot you, straight up.

Is this War Machine/Punisher mashup canon? Also, look at this War Machine/Punisher mashup's cannon!

Bob and Linda Belcher continue to be a solid middle-aged fan costume, and the masks add another fun element to these.

What...what is this Captain America statue? An anime thing? It looks like an anime thing.

I asked these folks for their pictures because at first I thought it was a weird Planet of the Apes/Gilligan's Island combo. I quickly realized that they were actually dressed as characters from an anime series. It was too late for me to back out. I took the picture.

I went to some panels this year! I usually plan on going to a bunch but then never find the time. This one was about the Comic-Con museum and their new Gene Roddenberry display.

This was the best group costume by far. How did they get 10 people to go to Comic-Con and all dress up? I don't think this could've happened in a regular year. 

These shots are mandatory.

I don't know what "Under the Oak Tree" is, but good on them for getting the strongest man in the world to help out at their booth. Also, it was great to see a big, gaudy Comic-Con display under any circumstances!

Here's another good use of a costume with a mask. Sub Zero here also had a vape pen that he used to blow smoke for pictures, which certainly broke a lot of convention floor rules, but, okay, it did look like he was breathing out frost.

This was a great Adora costume!

It didn't get much busier than this on the show floor, which is of course a wild departure from years past. You can see here that there also wasn't any carpet on the convention floor. I miss the crowds! But it was nice to be able to walk wherever you wanted to on a Saturday.

Here are a couple of space cowboys.

I guess these are also space cowboys?

Toward the end of the day, I went back outside and checked out the Peacemaker display again. In addition to the trailer/obstacle course that was the main attraction, they also had a food truck set up with free food for the whole day. That was quite a throwback! When I arrived, there were maybe 10 people in line, and everyone could get one item from the menu...but you were allowed to get back in line as many times as you wanted to. Did I try everything on the menu? No, but I did all right. The mozzarella sticks were great! 

Peacemaker's sidekick Eagley was on hand, too, complete with a really thick Brooklyn accent. 

Eagley was also available for more formal pictures.

I enjoyed getting to hang out at this offsite for a little while as the show was nearing a close. I was determined to get in to the actual obstacle course the next day.

There were a number of themed tables and chairs set out on the lawn. It was all very laid back. I definitely enjoyed it.

NBC's La Brea also had a small offsite nearby. I have not seen La Brea. I hear it's about falling into a sinkhole and finding a new world inside the earth? Like hollow earth theory stuff? I mean, okay. Anyway, I got my picture in front of the glowing logo, pretending to sink into what I imagine is prehistoric earth for some reason.

The whole thing took about three minutes to get through, if you took your time. You walked past the logo and saw some wreckage, like a stop light and street sign.

And, uh, an ambulance. The folks working the display gave away from branded swag from the back of the ambulance. I got a water bottle and a portable charger.

And there was also a Wooly Mammoth skull? And some mysterious fog. This was a weird event.

I went back in the convention center for an after-hours panel and found this dancing robot just hanging out and having a good time. It's Comic-Con, baby!

Hawkpeople!

I almost never make it into the Marriott Hotel for a regular year of Comic-Con, despite them having some things that I'm interested in. It's just hard to find the time (and it takes so long to wind through the crowds to get there)! This year, though, in the time between the end of the show and my panel, I got to check out some of what they had to offer, including this awesome (and dimly-lit) pinball room. The machines were set up to play for free, and I played for a solid hour before leaving. It was a lot of fun, and something that I miss out on during a normal year. 

Back to the convention center, where I ran into Mr. Nimbus. A shudder to think what it was like walking around shoeless all day.

Up the escalator.

And into the panel room, where I saw this guy casually walking around with a copy of Action Comics #1. Now, is this the 1938 original? Let's not ask so many questions and just believe that it was.

The panel I was so excited about attending was the Dr. Horrible Sing-Along Blog! One of my favorites. There was no after-show karaoke this year, for the standard reasons, but I hope to make in back in 2022 for another round.

The night ended and I took the trolley back to my room. I waited with Magneto and wondered why she couldn't simply pull the trolley to us with her incredible powers. It was a long day for everyone, I guess.

That's it for the middle day of this Comic-Con adventure. There are more pictures to come!