July 27th, 2006: Comic Con Wrapup 2006!

We came. We saw. We had a blast!

The San Diego Comic Con 2006 is now a thing of the past. A fond memory filled with fun, frolic, food, and... uh... gimme something else that starts with "f." Fortification! Yeah, that'll do...

The Pirate Cove Crew arrived on the scene early Thursday morning, collected our badges, and hurried over to the Small Press Area. Much to our delight, we discovered we were on the far right of the convention center, facing the Cafe Express and dining tables. Our neighbors, Poseur Ink, had already arrived and set up, bemoaning the fact they couldn't continue to make use of our table & chairs. Further in the other direction was Studio Foglio, which was a special treat for Joe as Phil Foglio's work has been influencing Joe since the mid 1980s! Other new friends and familiar faces found among the Small Press Pavilion were Matt Doughty, Team Atrox, Onion Head Monster, Domestic Abuse, Sugarfree Comics, Miller & Mullet, and Strongarm Labs which had some OUTSTANDING posters for sale!

OK, now that you've exhausted yourself by checking out all those links, we return you to our previously scheduled Blog entry!

So where was I? Oh, yes! It was Thursday morning and by the time Noon rolled around, we'd been visited by many rabid Pirate Cove fans and even MORE Comic Con visitors who had never heard of Pirate Cove before. Considering we gave away over 400 copies of the giveaway comic during the course of the show, I'd say we managed to convert more than a handful of 'em.

The Pirate Cove Crew this year, in case you were curious, were Joe D'Angelo, Randy Carter, Joy McLean, and Mark McLean. They're in that picture up there. Mucho thanks to Gregg for the photographical assist!

Friday and Saturday got very very busy. Joe attended a couple webcomic panels and Randy attended panels for Battlestar Galactica and Stargate. Joy ate lots of crab from Joe's Crab Shack. Mark ate everyone's leftovers. And prompty threw up on Saturday night.

Meanwhile, back at the Pirate Cove table, we were visited by several celebrities! David Arquette popped in to purchase an official Pirate Cove Pumpkin T-Shirt (and proceeded to shout at his friend who was halfway across the hall "HEY, CHRIS! YOU WANT A PUMPKIN SHIRT, TOO?") and film composer Christopher Young stopped by to pick up all of our new material. And Joe met some guy who created a little TV show you may have heard of called "The Simpsons." (Thanks to Scott for that handy camera!)



But the real celebrities were the Pirate Cove fans Joe and Randy had the opportunity to chat with. We discussed whether or not the house in Las Vegas was insured for water damage, whose bedrooms got blown out by the molotov cocktails, and exactly how cute a couple Louis & Edre make.

Saturday night found us all stumbling around the Gaslamp District after a healthy dinner and napkin fight at Dick's Last Resort. It was nice to see them serving Fat Tire beer at Dick's!

And then... it was over.

With a mixture of sadness and relief, we all cheered the announcer who, at 5PM on Sunday afternoon, said "Comic Con 2006 is now over. Congratulations, all you survivors!" Within 10 minutes, the entire Cafe Express dining area became devoid of tables, the main lights went out, and the carpet was being rolled up. We packed up our gear and last minute purchases, bid a fond adieu to straggling friends, and hopped on the shuttle back to our hotel. A short five-hour drive in traffic later, and we were home. Where we passed out. For several days.

I'm always left wanting more after Comic Con. There's ao much to do... ao much to see... ao much to buy... and even being there four full days just doesn't seem enough! Problem is, I doubt I would survive if Comic Con were extended to two full weeks!

A huge hearty THANK YOU to everyone who supports our insanity, to everyone who stopped by Small Press Table M-11, and to the friends who are always willing to lend a helping hand! Let's do this again next year! And in the meanwhile, let's see what other shows Pirate Cove can turn up at in between!

Viva Las Vegas!

- J!