Countdown to @Comic_Con: 63 Days!

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @AdamReisinger

Note: This is part of an ongoing series looking ahead to San Diego Comic-Con 2011, as contributor Adam Reisinger prepares to attend the convention for the first time.

I generally don't go to "The Cleveland Show" for pointed social commentary (or, really, anything for that matter), but this past Sunday's episode was particularly relevant, as it was set at San Diego Comic-Con. One of the main stories of the episode centered around Cleveland's son, Cleveland Jr., leading an uprising of the traditional "geeks" at Comic-Con against the new media "invaders", who had taken over the show space but really had nothing to do with comics.

Though I've never been to the show, I'm well aware about how big of an issue this has become. In fact, almost every I've talked to who has been to the show has generally expressed two sentiments to me when I tell them I'm going for the first time this summer:

- You're going to have so much fun

- It's too bad you couldn't have gone before it got so big

In this case "before it got so big" is really code for "before Hollywood decided Comic-Con was the perfect venue to show off everything, regardless of its connections to the worlds of comic books, fantasy or science fiction." On "The Cleveland Show", that was represented by the fictional NBC sitcom "Schwim Team", starring David Schwimmer, but in the real world, things got out of control -- based on the reaction I could see around the blogosphere -- with last year's "Glee" panel. It seemed the only connection between the show and the convention was that fans of "Glee" call themselves "Gleeks". As much as I enjoy "Glee", when I think "Comic-Con", I think Stan Lee and Adam Hughes and Batman and cosplay and all that stuff. Not Lea Michele and overwrought teen drama.

As it is, that ship has sailed on Comic-Con, and while it might (read: will) result in having a harder time getting a seat for panels, I'm not going to let it get in the way of enjoying the things I want to enjoy at the show. And if it does, I'll just have to do this:

#nerdsunite

Countdown to @Comic_Con: 84 days!

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @AdamReisinger

Note: This is part of an ongoing series looking ahead to San Diego Comic-Con 2011, as contributor Adam Reisinger prepares to attend the convention for the first time.

84 days may be just a blip in the whole of human existence, but when waiting until San Diego Comic-Con arrives, it feels like an eternity.

That's why it's good to have a "holdover" convention. Something that isn't to the scale of SDCC, and doesn't require a massive amount of travel, but has a good enough guest list to keep you interested.

For me, that convention happens to be taking place this weekend: Boston Comic-Con. 

This is my second consecutive year attending this show, though this year it's moved to a larger venue in Boston, the Hynes Convention Center. The show doesn't necessarily have the largest national following, and it's only a two-day affair, but the high-profile names they're able to bring in are impressive nonetheless. This year's show is headlined by Neal Adams (Batman, Uncanny X-Men), Joe Kubert (Hawkman, Flash), J. Scott Campbell (Danger Girl) and Frank Quitely (Batman & Robin, All-Star Superman) among many others. I'm particularly interested in seeing Campbell and popular cover artist Adam Hughes, and hopefully getting original sketches from both of them -- though admittedly the odds of that are exceedingly slim. 

Even if I completely strike out on sketches and don't buy a single back issue from a vendor, just the experience of being at a show will go a long way towards holding me over until July.

Check back next Thursday for the next installment of "Countdown to Comic-Con", and be sure to follow Adam on Twitter @AdamReisinger or visit his website, www.adamreisinger.com

 #nerdsunite

Countdown to @Comic_Con: 17 Weeks!

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @AdamReisinger

Note: This is the second entry in an ongoing series looking ahead to San Diego Comic-Con 2011, as contributor Adam Reisinger prepares to attend the convention for the first time.

17 weeks.

Still seems like way too long to wait until Comic-Con, but if you're in California, you don't have to -- at least, sort of.

If you're in San Francisco this weekend, you can stop by WonderCon, which is the only other comic book convention put together by the organizers of San Diego Comic-Con -- as it has been since 2001 (prior to that, the show ran independently). 

While there is definitely a fair amount of time and space devoted to non-comic media at WonderCon, the show still retains the majority of its comic book roots. If you're looking for the "Glee" cast or previews of "Breaking Dawn", this probably isn't the show for you.

However, because of that tighter focus, WonderCon remains a much easier show to attend. 3-day tickets are only $40 (compared to $107 for SDCC) and, amazingly, are still available. In addition to the normal comic book convention fare (dealers selling massive amounts of books, artists plying their trade, a masquerade), this year's WonderCon will have a presentation on the upcoming movie "Green Lantern", with stars Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively appearing on stage. Their panel at last year's SDCC was a huge hit, and considering how much closer we are to the movie's release -- June 17 -- this event could be the last real chance for the stars to sell the hardcore fans on the movie. 

I'm literally on the opposite coast from the show, so there's no chance of me getting out there (getting to San Diego is going to be enough of an ordeal), but if you're in the area, I highly recommend checking it out . It'll be like a taste of San Diego without quite the same level of insanity. 

Check back next Thursday for the next installment of "Countdown to Comic-Con", and be sure to follow Adam on

Twitter @AdamReisinger or visit his website, www.adamreisinger.com

#nerdsunite