Comic-Con 2007!!! (Part 4 - Pseudo-Celebrities and Crowds)

Previously, on Schnorr: At the Comic-Con...

Arnold Schwartzanegger: "Andrew, you've got to get out of here! They're coming for you!"
Schnorr: "We're not going anywhere. We fight here and now...this is our destiny."
Keira Knightley: "Andrew, I love you."
Schnorr: "...I know."
Nameless Redshirt: "Here they come!"
Schnorr: (Picking up a practice sword.) "Give them nothing! But take from them...EVERYTHING! RAAAAAAARGH!"

And now, the exciting conclusion Part 4!

If you had read my previous Comic-Con photoblog, you may recognize this fellow. He's the eponymous character in the video game Alien Hominid. The game was made by Tom Fulp, creator of Newgrounds, where many of the Internet's biggest fans have originated (and then been stolen by YouTube users). I even have a Flash cartoon on that site. That's a topic for another day, though.

In any event, the Hominid seems rather dressed up this year. I never found out what the deal with that was.

My goodness! It's just a big reunion of all my old drinking buddies! I don't think the horned fellow (or lady?) is from any particular movie or show. It's just a generic costume. Last year, when I was threatened by the beast, he (she...I really think it may be a woman under all that), I was given a card for some costume maker. Too bad I threw it away shortly afterward. But I must admit, even though I've seen that costume before, it's still pretty technically impressive.

This is a perfect example of me having no clue what movie/show/game these people are from, and not really caring. The thoughts going through my head? "Oh, they dressed up, and it looks as though they put some effort into into it. I'll take a picture." And this is what you're left with...*cough*

Me: "Hey, you're that guy from the Assassin game."
Him: "I am."
Me: "You're not a very good assassin."
Him: "Why do you say that?"
Me: "Well, assassin's are supposed to be covert. You're out in the open. Everyone can see you."
Him: "It doesn't matter. Nobody can catch me."
Me: "But...you have a huge TV strapped to your back (not pictured)."
Him: "It doesn't matter."
Me: "It doesn't?"
Him: "No. Nobody can catch me."
Me: "So, what if I tried to catch you? Right now?"
Him: "You couldn't."
Me: "Oh?"
Him: "No."
Me: "Oh."
Him: "..."
Me: "...Can I take a picture?"
Him: "Yes."
*SNAP*
Me: "Ha! Now I captured your image, and your soul!"
Him: "Don't make me kill you."
Me: "Yeah, I'll go now."

Ha! Take a shot!

Another! Take another one!

(Yes, I realize that neither of the previous two pictures contained a stormtrooper proper, but c'mooooon. Besides, in a drinking game, you're usually not picky.)
This was the companion of the predator I had shown last time. I love how absolutely confused this guy appears to be. Also, does he have a weird skin, or is he wearing a fishnet outfit? Kinky (by which I mean, ew)!

This kid gets my vote for the best original costume not based on any specific character. I can actually see this as the villain in some made-for-TV movie loosely based on video games. Y'know, like he enters video game-land to spread chaos and crushed spirits. What was most impressive about his costume? Well, you see those piranha plants on his hands? They actually opened and closed, for serious snapping action. It was so cool that I forgive him for looking like he came out a Linkin Park concert.

Here's what I think his theme song would be (though the song is about Howard Dean, I think the insanity present is still relevant).

You know, I can be a little punk when I want to be. Like with this guy. He was trying to play as though he was blind - swinging his lightsaber all around - but I knew he could see perfectly fine. How did I know? Well, besides the fact that he would be a walking liability otherwise, he completely posed this picture. So, I go up to him later and stand up in front of him, trying to get him to hit me, someone else, something. Well, he just stopped doing anything. My line: "Well, I guess the Sith are easy to defeat." I walked away, satisfied in knowing that I had annoyed some guy.

...And I'm not sure, but I may have fought him last year).

Ah! Ah! Take a shot, baby!

While I liked the way that this Wolverine dress-up put the little markings on his hand to make it seem as though the blades were coming from somewhere, I don't know...he just doesn't have the same impressive physique of the gentleman I encountered last year. (In case you haven't been able to tell as of yet, there are some interesting parallels that I'm able to pull betwixt the two years).

...Wow, just...sometimes, even I don't know what to say, a picture's that ridiculous. You know, I want everyone to write their own captions in the comments section. A dollar goes to the best one!*
*Will not be honored.

I think this one, here is a perfect example of the theory that if superheroes (in particular, female superheroes) existed in real life, and dressed up as their comic-book counterparts, they would look both weird and skanky. It's really funny how a certain design works well in one medium and so, so poorly in another. In any event, I believe that was supposed to be the unknown X-Men character, Emma Frost. Why is she so unknown to viewers of the movies and TV series? I don't know for sure, but I'll assume it has something to do with the fact that she's pretty...pretty skanky, that is! Swish!

During a time of darkness, a time of unrest...one man, a weird pair of goggles, and a pretty big hammer must fight against evil. He travels long and far until he reaches the desolate land known as...the food court. His name is Gergadon, the Guy.

Gergadon: "Why is this place so empty?"
Cashier: "We drove all the people away, with our nine-dollar hamburgers! Hahaha!"
Gergadon: "What? How dare you!"
Cashier: "Well, that's capitalism for you."
Gergadon: "I suppose. All hail capitalism!"

I dunno, I really like this guys costume. I'd probably put it high on my list of costumes, though I'm really afraid that it's something from World of Warcraft. Still, it's just funny how awkward he looks there in the food court.

Oop! Take a shot! And, uh...a pink droid? I think that's worth three more shots, right there.

You know, I still have not seen the Transformers movie. I dunno, I just never got around to it. I heard mixed reviews. Some people said it was great, others said it was horrible. Who am I to believe? I suppose I should see it myself, but now it's out of theatres, and the best I can do is rent it on Netflix. Will I do that when it comes out? Perhaps. Probably, but there's no way of knowing for sure. In the meantime, here's a picture of Optimus Prime. He sure has changed quite a bit since last year.

Ah, and here's the Ark of the Covenant. Now, you may be asking yourself, "Why is the Ark, the most holy item in Jewish tradition, which was created after the Exodus from Egypt, being watched over by two statues which resemble the Egyptian god Anubis?"

Well, I...I don't know. I mean...wow. This is truly outrageous! Truly, truly, truly outrageous! I have never seen such a blatant case of anachronism in all of my days. I really hope someone got fired for that blunder.

(Oh, and this isn't the last we've seen of the Ark. Find out what happens next time!)

Okay, let me try to figure out what kind of scene this playset is portraying...

Indiana Jones is on top of a Mayan/Indian pyramid. With him are the evil Nazi Jewish Priest dude, a Pakistani guy with a shovel and torch, a cobra, and a three-fingered midget. They're all looking out over the side of the pyramid, but they all fail to notice the gigantic Indiana Jones hanging over the side. I...I can't even continue.

But this begs the question: is this the plot for the upcoming Indiana Jones 4 feature film. Perhaps it will involve some sort of cloning gone horribly wrong. One can only hope.

This is one I just stumbled upon (not literally). As I was walking around, I see a large group sitting in front of this panel. I can't really tell what the panel's for, but the booth was for manga (Japanese comic books). However, I was confused, as a a lot of the people in the panel were white (with one Asian guy and...a black dude?). Then I look a little closer and notice that the guy in the green shirt is none other than Wil Wheaton, who played the annoying little Wesley Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Nowadays, though, he runs a very well-written and pretty popular blog. I actually a link to it on the side of mine, and it's worth a read every now and then. So, as a fellow blogger, I felt compelled to listen.

Apparently, this panel was for a Star Trek manga. Drawn by Japanese, written by white people, with a black dude thrown in for good measure. Mr. Wheaton, apparently, was one of the writers. According to Amazon, the book is okay. But since it features a very flamboyant looking William Shatner inside, I think I'll have to pass.

Now, I'll admit, while Wil was very well-spoken, I simply wanted to run up, grab his microphone, and shout "Shut up, Wesley!"

Now, Comic-Con was full of pseudo-celebrities (with a fine sprinkling of real-yet-unapproachable ones mixed in). However, the majority of them would charge you to take pictures, as that's why they were there. However, Wil was there for another reason entirely, and didn't even think of charging people for pictures (at least, not while I was there). So, I had a bona fide pseudo-celebrity in my midst and the opportunity to take a picture...who can resist?

Problem: I was alone at the time, and I didn't want to give my camera to any of the other con-goers. Not so much because I thought they were going to steal it, but because, well, con-goers tend to have greasier hands than most, and I didn't want any nacho cheese stains on my camera. So, I decided to take the shot myself, yet I still wanted to be in it. And no, I didn't consider holding the camera at arm's length (I never like those shots). So, I decided my hand was good enough, and my picture was complete!

Aaaaand, that was the end of Saturday. However, as I had stated in a previous installment, my companions weren't with me, as one was giving blood. The original plan was for me to simply wait for them outside of the convention center. And so I did. I went across the street and waited. When I did, though, I watched the mass exodus of the convention center, and I decided to take a few shots, just to give you an idea of how many people were there.

To be honest, these pictures don't really give you that great an impression, unless you consider the fact that they were taken 45 minutes after the convention center closed. That means that this is just the "scant" remains of the con-going populace.

Yeah, like, when it was busy, those stairs would be filled with...is that the Jigsaw Killer's dummy walking down the stairs?

You know, seeing as the rest of the pictures are from Sunday, I should probably just stop here (after all, that'd make logical sense), but...

Who am I to make sense? Hoohoohaha! So here I am at the beginning of Sunday, the final day of the con. And while I am looking pumped and ready, my Gandalf-like friend seems pretty bored and lethargic (as is the wizards' way, I suppose). Want to see more of that Sunday? No? ...Well, too bad, because I'm going to show it anyway.

Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion Part 5 of Schnorr: At the Comic-Con next time!