http://blogs.kpbs.org/comic-con/ Where Superheroes Matter en baccomando@kpbs.org Copyright 2008 2008-08-06T08:14:00-08:00 http://blogs.kpbs.org/index.php/comic-con/comments/the_mind_bending_experience_of_jodorowsky_at_comic_con/ http://blogs.kpbs.org/index.php/comic-con/comments/the_mind_bending_experience_of_jodorowsky_at_comic_con/#When:02:12:00Z My first post was about my passion for Jodorowsky. So how cool was it that when I met up with horror filmmakers Jacob Gentry (The Signal) and Adam Wingard (Pop Skull) we talked about the genius of Jodorowsky. These are the types of encounters that make for great Comic-Con moments. Movies, Aaron Soto, Cathy Alberich 2008-08-03T02:12:00-08:00 http://blogs.kpbs.org/index.php/comic-con/comments/horror_filmmakers_talk_about_asian_extreme_cinema/ http://blogs.kpbs.org/index.php/comic-con/comments/horror_filmmakers_talk_about_asian_extreme_cinema/#When:17:57:00Z There are a lot more people at Comic-Con than the program schedule may lead you to believe. I caught up with two young horror filmmakers at this year's Con: Jacob Gentry, one of the directors on The Signal, and Adam Wingard who made Pop Skull. We started talking about filmmakers that had impressed or influenced us. Two names that came up: Takashi Miike and Kiyoshi Kurosawa. In fact Asian Extreme Cinema in general was something we all had in common and felt the need to discuss. Movies, Aaron Soto, Cathy Alberich 2008-08-02T17:57:00-08:00 http://blogs.kpbs.org/index.php/comic-con/comments/pineapple_express_at_comic_con/ http://blogs.kpbs.org/index.php/comic-con/comments/pineapple_express_at_comic_con/#When:09:14:00Z Pineapple Express opens today so I thought it would be appropriate to run a highlight from the panel at this year's Comic-Con. Producer Judd Apatow moderated and actror-writer Seth Rogen, actor James Franco, and indie director David Gordon Green were on hand to answer questions about their "weed action comedy." They sneaked about ten minutes of the film at the panel. You can also check out the official trailer from Sony below. Movies, Beth Accomando 2008-08-06T09:14:00-08:00 http://blogs.kpbs.org/index.php/comic-con/comments/masquerade_2008_best_original_costume_the_rock_by_blair_heald/ http://blogs.kpbs.org/index.php/comic-con/comments/masquerade_2008_best_original_costume_the_rock_by_blair_heald/#When:17:36:00Z Meet Blair Heald. By day, human services specialist for the County of San Diego. By night, an award-winning cosplayer. Blair has participated in amateur costuming competitions since the late '90s. At his first Comic-Con appearance, he won Best in Show for a massive Giant Robo costume. He's become well known for specializing in robot costumes. But this year, Blair decided to do something different. He created an original 7-foot rock monster as an homage to the popular Masquerade "rock" chant. This year, he took home three awards including Best Original Design. Here is his routine, posted to YouTube by a member of the audience. You can see many of his other costumes in fan videos posted online. Congratulations to Blair and all the other creative cosplayers who make the Comic-Con Masquerade a must-see event every year. Costumes, Nathan Gibbs 2008-08-05T17:36:00-08:00 http://blogs.kpbs.org/index.php/comic-con/comments/the_ladies_of_horror/ http://blogs.kpbs.org/index.php/comic-con/comments/the_ladies_of_horror/#When:08:01:00Z For me, the San Diego Comic-Con is all about the contribution of artists to the realm of the Fantastic. While most of the ateendees battle lines at Hall H for the Hollywood studio panels (that hardly ever hit the right note for the genre), I look forward to meeting the real artists in the industry. This year my focus is on the hard working woman of horror cinema. My interviews at this year's Comic-Con range from horror icons such as Elvira, to great solid actress like the amazing Ashley Laurence (Hellraiser), to well know horror expert Jovanka Vuckovic editor-in-chief of Rue Morgue magazine and many more! Let's celebrate the Girl Power of horror cinema! Movies, Aaron Soto, Cathy Alberich 2008-08-03T08:01:00-08:00 http://blogs.kpbs.org/index.php/comic-con/comments/comic_con_spotlight_on_cartoonist_mike_peters/ http://blogs.kpbs.org/index.php/comic-con/comments/comic_con_spotlight_on_cartoonist_mike_peters/#When:06:36:00Z Every year Comic-Con invites special guests and puts a spotlight on them in solo panels. This year one of the special guests was cartoonist Mike Peters, creator of Mother Goose and Grimm and award-winning editorial cartoonist. In his solo panel, Peters delighted the audience with the most roundabout, rambling yet hilarious tales about his life. Panel moderator Mark Evanier only got to ask about three questions in the hour-long panel, and I'm not even sure any of them got answered. But it didn't matter because Peters was such an energetic and entertaining speaker. He talked about his mom and her TV show, about having a severe stuttering problem and being cross-eyed, and about returning to his school twenty years after graduating to be inducted into their hall of fame. The way Peters' mind hopscotches around and the details that he focuses in on provide a small clue to the way his creative process must function as he comes up with editorial cartoons and ideas for Mother Goose and Grimm. Click on the video above for his answer to Evanier's question about where he was from. The look on Evanier's face reflects the fact that Peters would just go off on a tear and only occasionally return to the question at hand. But then sometimes it's not the destination that's important but rather the journey and how much fun you had getting there. Peters provides a great trip. Thanks to Comic-Con for clips from their spotlight panel for our news coverage. 2008-08-03T06:36:00-08:00 http://blogs.kpbs.org/index.php/comic-con/comments/rick_baker_talks_about_cgi_and_make_up_effects/ http://blogs.kpbs.org/index.php/comic-con/comments/rick_baker_talks_about_cgi_and_make_up_effects/#When:01:26:00Z I like the way Rick Baker -- make up artist extraordinaire -- keeps it real. Sure he uses computer effects to make his make up work even better, but  he doesn't rely solely on CGI. Baker was at Comic-Con to discuss his work on the new Wolf Man starring Benicio Del Toro movie for Universal. I caught up with to talk about Guillermo Del Toro and CGI. 2008-08-03T01:26:00-08:00 http://blogs.kpbs.org/index.php/comic-con/comments/samuel_l_jackson_does_double_duty_at_comic_con/ http://blogs.kpbs.org/index.php/comic-con/comments/samuel_l_jackson_does_double_duty_at_comic_con/#When:19:32:00Z Samuel L. Jackson was a major presence at two panels this year at Comic-Con. He appeared on the Afro Samurai: Resurrection panel and on the panel for Frank Miller's adaptation of Will Eisner's The Spirit. If you haven't checked out Afro Samurai --the American made, anime style SPIKE TV series -- make an effort. It is awesome. Jackson is a popular celebrity at the Con because he seems to enjoy the fan interaction, and the characters he's played have become such iconic figures in pop culture. Someone at The Spirit panel asked him about all the action figures that have been made of his characters -- Shaft, Mace Windu, Afro Samurai and maybe upcoming ones for Nick Fury and the Octopus (the villain he plays in The Spirit). Jackson voiced preference for Mace as an action figure (because of all the various figures available) but says he has all his figures displayed. Jackson went on to discuss the comic book characters he has played, even though some of them began as white characters in the original comics. Thanks to Comic-Con for video clips of the panel for our news coverage. Comics, Movies, Television, Toys, Beth Accomando 2008-08-02T19:32:00-08:00 http://blogs.kpbs.org/index.php/comic-con/comments/tori_amos_talks_about_the_image_comics_book_based_on_her_songs/ http://blogs.kpbs.org/index.php/comic-con/comments/tori_amos_talks_about_the_image_comics_book_based_on_her_songs/#When:01:45:00Z We posted a video of Neil Gaiman recounting his first introduction to Tori Amos' music more than a decade ago at Comic-Con. Now check out the panel Tori Amos was on at this year's Comic-Con where she discussed the gorgeous Image Comics book Comic Book Tattoo, inspired by her songs. Rantz Hoseley joins her on the panel. Amos explains how she got to play "S&M artist with corporate." She also describes the special, limited edition version of the book. Sounds decadent. Thanks to Comic-Con for clips of the panel for our news coverage. Comics, Beth Accomando 2008-08-02T01:45:00-08:00 http://blogs.kpbs.org/index.php/comic-con/comments/the_watchmen/ http://blogs.kpbs.org/index.php/comic-con/comments/the_watchmen/#When:18:49:00Z I have had a few discussions over Comic-Con weekend about which upcoming movie best embodies what comic books and Comic-Con have to offer the big screen. Almost everyone narrows the field down to two: The Spirit and The Watchmen. The Spirit is an old comic book series created by the grandfather of comics, Will Eisner, about a detective turned masked vigilante. It is directed by Frank Miller (Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, 300) who is more well known for his comic book writing than his movie making. He was recently very involved in Robert Rodriguez’s adaptation of Sin City. And so far, The Spirit looks a whole lot like Sin City. The movie stars Gabriel Macht (Because I Said So), Samuel Jackson (Snakes on a Plane, Pulp Fiction) and Scarlett Johansson (The Island, The Prestige). I plan to see the movie, it looks like it could be good. But ultimately it’s a comic book for which I have only a passing knowledge. A good friend attended the panel and was underwhelmed by both the 2007 and 2008 Comic-Con panel. I see most big budget sci-fi, fantasy, secret agent, and comic book hero movies. I usually find something to really like about them, so I am cautiously optimistic. Moving on to The Watchmen... Movies, Aaron McFarland 2008-08-01T18:49:00-08:00