Geekscape Roundtable: Our Top 3 Moments Of SDCC 2019!
It’s still hard to believe that it’s over, but SDCC 2019 has come and gone. Our blisters are beginning to heal, our sunburns are beginning to peel, and we’re here to reminisce about some of the amazing moments that we had over the past weekend.
If you weren’t able to make it to SDCC yourself, there’s tons of coverage right here on Geekscape.net to catch you up. Derek and Mikaela provided numerous recaps detailing just what can happen over the course of a day at this massive, massive event. Among other things, you can read (and watch) all about the impressive offsite events from around the Gaslamp District (including Amazon’s amazing Prime Video Experience, and FX’s terrifying and hilarious Fearless Forum), Mikaela also chatted with the co-creators and author of the new Audible Original Stan Lee’s Alliances: A Trick of Light, and Jonathan has posted up the annual SDCC episode of Geekscape, where he interviews many of the multitudes of individuals that stop by the Geekscape Booth each year, including Daryll ‘DMC’ McDaniels, whose conversation with Jonathan about mental health is worth the download alone.
We had a myriad of amazing moments at SDCC this year, and here are some of our top three!
Jonathan London
For me, San Diego Comic-Con is more than just the biggest pop culture convention in the world. It’s what I have long used as a barometer for Geekscape’s growth and success over the years. Are people still discovering the brand? Are they excited to find out what we’re all about? Do old school Geekscapists still use SDCC as their yearly chance to hang out with us face to face? The resounding answer this year was “YES”! So with that being said, here are my Top 3 experiences from SDCC 2019!
#3 – Super Action Man announces his 2020 Presidential campaign at the Geekscape booth.
Many of you enjoy Super Action Man’s antics. Perhaps you see them as a necessary evil for all the good he does day in and day out in keeping America safe from various threats around the world. Personally, I don’t like him. I think he’s a psycho. That being said, his multiple appearances at the Geekscape booth this year had everyone who witnessed them talking. He handed out campaign buttons, took photos with fans, kissed babies and shouted campaign promises like “Make DC Comics great again” and “Less Alt Right and more All Night!” I for one am glad that SAM has finally chosen to perform his All-American antics in the bright light of day instead of clandestinely carrying countless unspeakable acts of violence in the name of patriotic babes, barbecues and bravado.
#2 – Mandatory Geekscape team dinners unless your name is Derek Kraneveldt.
This is an SDCC Geekscape tradition that I had let fall by the wayside for the last few years. I’ll admit it. I was not in a good headspace and after spending the day at the Con I often found myself wanting to just step away from everything. But in retrospect, what I was stepping away from was the entire purpose of going: experiencing a week with the Geekscape team and keeping my finger on the pulse of how the team was doing (see above on the whole “yearly barometer” thing). What’s worse… I had missed countless hilarious moments with Matt, Derek and the team that were crucial to what larger companies would call “team building”. Since I’m not going to have anyone from Geekscape walk on coals anytime soon, not attending our nightly dinners are a pretty big missed opportunity for me. I found myself so distant by this past January that I literally told Derek and Matt that I was instating mandatory team dinners at SDCC. Matt responded “oh, Jon… we’ve been doing them. You just haven’t been around.” That was a pretty heartbreaking moment. Well, unless you’re Derek and have promised yourself to Amazon Studios every single night in the pursuit of free food and liquor (I’d say he’s a cheap date but his fiancé Mika was shackled to him for these events… read more about them here), our nightly team dinners were some of the brightest moments of my SDCC. From singing “God has a new thang” out loud in restaurants to hearing how the Geekscape team spent their day and acquainting myself with new members like Stephen Bay, the Geekscape dinners were the best parts of my day. I love my team, they crack me up and I can’t wait until we’re causing a scene next year or just picking on Matt for continuing to insist on Old Spaghetti Factory.
#1 – Talking mental health with Darryl “DMC” McDaniels at the Geekscape booth.
I’ll tell you right now why none of the SDCC 2019 exclusives, panel announcements or giant parties and events are on this list: I intensely do not care about them. In fact, other than an hour on Friday and Saturday night spent at parties, I actively avoided all of them, choosing to put my limited time and energy (during the single week each year where these are in the shortest supply) towards what I really care about: all of you! This is my 15th straight Comic Con. None of the big pop culture events or announcements or parties have lived in my brain during that time like the conversations, dinners and times shared with friends, both old and new! The majority of what is celebrated at SDCC each year is so incredibly disposable that I suggested to the team that we should start a betting system on our site to see which shows, properties and brands wouldn’t exist in just one year (but, you know… “don’t hate, create” and all that). What matters are the people who are there and make up our community. And we are suffering through a real mental health epidemic that is costing people their lives. Knowing that, I don’t really enjoy the disposable pop culture stuff anymore but I see the importance in using metaphors, stories and the shared passions that bring us together to keep us all going. I’d rather talk about the “real shit” than the things that just don’t really matter. Because of that, the highlight for me was my talk with Darryl “DMC” McDaniels on the podcast we recorded at the Geekscape booth. Darryl started the podcast interview thinking he’d be talking about his comic book and I think he was taken a bit by surprise when I turned the conversation towards mental health and his battles with depression. But like the “real gangster” he is, he didn’t blink and went all in in talking about it. Listen to the conversation on this week’s episode and tell me that wasn’t some real shit. And the real shit is what Geekscape is all about. Thanks for an awesome week full of real experiences, everyone!
Stephen Bay (of Analog Jones and the Temple of Film)
This was my very first time going to San Diego Comic-Con, and the journey definitely did not disappoint. I had a ton of experiences that I could have listed here but for speed, I’ll narrow it down to three. Without further ado, here we go!
3. Ray Harryhausen: The Lost Movies Book Panel
If you know me, then you know that I love stop-motion animation. There was no way I would turn down a chance to hear about the godfather of stop-motion himself, Ray Harryhausen, and his lost movies and scenes. Filmmaker John Walsh put together this book with never before seen drawings, projects, and characters from more than a dozen films from Ray Harryhausen. His presentation of how talented and hard-working Harryhausen was was a fantastic window into Harryhausen’s incredible career in Hollywood.
A bonus was sitting with two of Weta Workshop’s special effects contributors that were just as big of fanboys as I am. I loved every moment of talking with them before and after about how he affected their childhoods and their work today.
The book will be available on September 10, 2019. Pre-order today! That should earn me a free book.
2. The Angry Video Game Nerd Panel
Not many YouTube stars are as well known as James Rolfe in the gaming community. He’s the angry video game nerd that plays the sh*tty games, so you don’t have to. James Rolfe shared his experiences of being a YouTube star and filmmaker. He’s always well-spoken and honest about the struggles and successes of his long career on YouTube.
The most memorable and bizarre moment of the panel came at the Q&A when a fan asked about James Rolfe’s friend and contributor on AVGN, Mike Matei. A fan waited in line to ask about the size of Mike Matei’s penis. I’m not kidding. Why anyone would ask that is beyond me but talk about a strange moment!
1. San Diego’s environment!
San Diego’s embracement of nerd culture was by far the best experience for me. The entire city just gave me a big dorky hug that I will never forget. Every restaurant and bar had drink and food specials based off comic hero’s and villains. The streets were loaded with cosplay characters and street performers at night. On top of all that, it seemed like every block had events planned with stars or personalities based on anything comics or anime. All this was before you even stepped into the convention center to be overwhelmed and amazed with trailer drops and displays of future movies and streaming shows to come out soon.
I have to take a second to call out the Geekscape crew that gave me this opportunity. I can’t thank them enough for getting me a press pass and letting me experience SDCC 2019. All seven of us stayed in one hotel room and got along great. It was like I knew all of them, and we had just met. Thank you Geekscape for one hell of a trip. Let’s do it again!
Josh Jackson
3: The Nintendo Lounge
I was expecting to ignore the Nintendo Lounge this year since nearly every game on display was either out already or was covered during E3. Then I found out that MyNintendo members could scan their QR ID’s for free Splatoon 2 keychain sets that represented Team Chaos and Team Order from the Final Splatfest, (which happened to be going on during the con). That may have got my foot in the door, but there was plenty of reason to stay, including a special Southwest Airlines sponsored stage in Mario Maker 2 and a very odd digital claw game. Plus, being able to play games like Luigi’s Mansion 3 that I can’t wait to own come October was a huge plus.
2: Borderlands 3 Museum of Mayhem
Coincidentally, I had just finished Borderlands 2 a few days prior to the convention to prepare for the upcoming third game, so I was on a huge Borderlands kick when I happened to walk by the museum. Once inside, the room was filled with framed concept art, character statues, game themed paintings and a variety of cover ideas that ultimately failed to make the cut. Speaking of cutting, a free barber was on site to brand the game’s logo in the hair of fans, while Moxxi’s bar and photo ops kept the party going in the back. But it was easy to ignore all of that when we learned that codes were hidden throughout the exhibit that would grant points on the Borderlands VIP website to unlock in-game gear. We’d have to be psychos ourselves to pass that up.
1: Ryme City (Detective Pikachu Activation)
It was cool enough to be surrounded by the sights and sounds of Ryme City. From the subways to the alleyways and storefronts featured in the movie, I would have left satisfied based on that alone. It wasn’t until we got to Howard Clifford’s office however that it became my favorite activity of the convention. Mocked up like his desk from the film with Mewtwo leering in the background, (but not in a way that would lower our Defense), the room was loaded with a collection of items from the game that an evolution obsessed mastermind would surely collect. Seeing classic items like the Fire, Water and Thunder Stones and newer ones like the Shiny Stone and Prism Scale was a lifelong Pokemon fan’s dream come true. Even non-evolution based items like the Nevermeltice sat proudly on display. I literally wanted to leave with the entire office!
Derek Kraneveldt
3: The Offsites (it’s too hard to narrow it down to just one)
I absolutely adore experiencing all of the different offsite events at SDCC. The fact that these incredibly impressive events are built from scratch at the level that they are… just to be torn down a few days later is just baffling to me. Every year these things seem to get bigger and bigger (and I always wonder just how much return these companies get from them), and this year was no exception. From the Amazon Prime Video experience (check it out here) that took fans through memorable experiences for upcoming shows like The Boys and Carnival Row, and the anticipated return of The Expanse (or even the premiere events that had the likes of Orlando Bloom and Cara Delevingne dancing around in animal costumes), to the FX Fearless Forum, which turned sunny San Diego into a terrifying 1980’s Summer camp (and right across the lawn provided much-needed It’s Always Sunny sunscreen to those waiting in line), to the activation for EPIX’ upcoming Pennyworth, which transported visitors to a 1960’s club rife with influence from the mysterious Raven Society.
I could go on and on and on, but while the charm of the show floor itself starts to fade after this many years (and as it gets busier and busier), the insane offsite events are an experience that I’ll never tire of.
2: The Team
SDCC is tough, because the event itself is the only time of year where much of the Geekscape team comes together, and there are simply so many things pulling for your attention that you never get to spend as much time with everyone as you want to.
Usually I’ll try to fly into LA to spend a couple of non-convention days with some of the Geekscape crew, but this year I wasn’t able to make it happen. That said, the moments that we spent together this week are moments that I’ll remember for far longer than any activation or exclusive. From reconnecting at Rockin’ Baha (pretty much my favourite place in the world) just an hour after my plane landed, to standing in line waiting for badges while Jon and Matt badgered me to experience ‘Nu Thing’ (see Jon’s list above), to nearly dying of laughter as we reminisced about old SDCC stories in Seaport Village one night after the convention, to realizing that in our ‘Goodbye SDCC’ photo that Matt looked like a ventriloquist’s dummy without a hand in it, to running into Josh and Megan completely by accident while in line for the Borderlands 3 Museum of Mayhem. There were just too many moments to list them all, and I absolutely adore all of them.
I consider all of these people family, and I wish that I could spend more time with them than I do.
1: Seeing the convention through fresh (Mikaela’s) eyes
This event is crazy. This event is exhausting. After seven years, there are absolutely elements of SDCC that don’t feel as fantastic as they once did (like the actual show floor, for instance).
SDCC is an event that you can describe, show photos and videos of, and tell people just how insane it actually is, but until you’ve experienced it yourself you really have no idea.
This year, my fiancé Mikaela joined me for SDCC. We don’t actually get to spend all that much time together, so if this wasn’t sweet enough, being able to experience the convention with someone who has never been to an event of this size before was absolutely reinvigorating. Seeing her excitement for grabbing an exclusive here, or for spotting a celebrity there, or for experiencing an offsite here, or for figuring out how we were going to get all of our crap home was simply phenomenal, and was a stark reminder as to why I started attending these things in the first place.
She also did a ton of work at SDCC that I’m still catching up on, and I can’t wait to see all of the incredible cosplay that she captured on the @GeekscapeForever Instagram page!
Mikaela Maxwell
How does one even pick a top 3 of SDCC!? I feel like I could have a top 3 of each day, however I will try to narrow it down so this isn’t a novel! So here they are in no particular order:
Meeting Daniel Danger
We have been collecting prints by Daniel Danger through Mondo for years now, and some of my favourite art is by him. I totally did not realize that he would have a booth at SDCC and was so pleased to accidentally stumble across it! I got to meet him, and hear him talk about the meaning of some of his pieces, and I got to buy a couple of prints directly from him (check out his store here)! Amazing!
Getting to go to the premiere of Carnival Row.
It was super neat to attend this exciting atmosphere where everyone was so jazzed about this project and stoked to present it to the world. The actual show was really great too, I’m now anxiously waiting to see the rest of it! And to top off the experience, Orlando Bloom was there!
Having the b’jeezus scared out of me at the American Horror Story activation.
This activation was so well done that I was almost grabbing the stranger in front of me to avoid getting lost or murdered in the middle of it. I haven’t watched American Horror Story in a few years, but I’ll probably have to now cause it was freaking intense!
And as a side note, my personal favourite was getting to spend so much time with Derek. We don’t very often get to spend so much time together and it was a real treat to get to share so many fun experiences! On top of that I got to meet the Geekscape team who are a bunch of his favourite people in the world! All in all the trip was amazing and I am so glad I got to go to SDCC 2019!
Matt Kelly
Most of my Comic-Con is spent by sitting at a table and shaking hands but that doesn’t mean that I left SDCC without a few highlights!
3) Scooters with Derek & Mika
Some people complain about the scooters but just riding through the streets with Derek and Mika and taking in the beautiful city is a blast for me.
2) Hacking at the table
Multiple times this week we’d start some hack circles with Jonathan’s Punchline branded Hacky Sack which lead to some great memories and a fantastic way to meet new people.
1) Dinner with the Team
Didn’t matter if it was Rockin’ Baja, Old Spaghetti Factory, Lolita’s or Coin-Op. Everywhere we ate had great food, even better conversations and laughter for hours.
