Well, I'm back. After five days in San Diego and a few back in the office, I've had some time to reflect on my experiences at Comic-Con this year. I shared a bunch of them in the HotSpot, conveying mostly my affinity for the convention and the kind of atmosphere it engenders. But, despite all the fun I had hosting hours of live video and walking the show floor, there are some things that have stayed with me that I wish I'd done differently. So read on, dear reader, to read a reasonably readable list of some of my Comic-Con regrets.
1. Not taking a free pedicab ride. There were rows and rows of eager young bicyclists ready to haul me around the Gaslamp District in kingly fashion, yet I ignored them. I was happy to stretch my legs after hours in the Hard Rock suite/studio, though I can't say the same for some of my griping co-workers - four blocks isn't that far to walk for dinner, folks! It was the sponsored ones that offered free rides that I wish I had ridden, if only to lord my luxury over all whom I surveyed.
2. Not talking to Danny Pudi. So I sidled up to a urinal to make good use of it, and shortly realized that I was relieving myself next to Abed from the NBC comedy, Community. "Hey dude, I love your work on the show! We always quote your character in the office the day after a new episode! My wife and I are huge fans! You rock! Troy and Abed in tha MOOORnin'!" All of these lines remained unspoken as I evacuated my bladder in silence. By the time I was done, he was gone. Strangers At A Urinal Code upheld, opportunity missed.
3. Not buying books with pictures in them. This oversight was driven home when I unveiled my show floor haul to GameSpot EIC Ricardo Torres, who instantly admonished me for buying only books with words. I was happy with my purchases: a cheap copy of A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin (gotta see what all the hype is about) and Embassytown by China Mieville, a modern British fantasy author who is one of my favorites. But c'mon! It's COMIC-Con! No comics? Not even a graphic novel?! In my defense, I would have grabbed some Buffy and Angel & Faith from the Dark Horse store, but the line was really long. Like, soo long. Not much of a defense, I know.
4. Not seeing Joss Whedon or David Jaffe. As you may have gathered, I'm a fan of Joss Whedon, and when I saw him three Comic-Cons (Comics-Con? No, Comic-Cons.) ago, I really enjoyed it. So when Community Maven Synthia came back to the work room late one night with a signed poster and news of more Dr. Horrible, I sighed a heavy sigh of regret. I would have loved to see the Twisted Metal panel, too. I'm not a big fan or anything, but David Jaffe is very passionate about the stuff he works on and has a lot of respect for the fans. I really enjoyed seeing him talk last year. This year, I had to content myself with watching the Twisted Metal panel video we shot.
5. Not buying this Martin Hsu print. I mean, look at it. So pretty! So colorful! So whimsical! So I-really-don't-have-a-good-place-for-it-in-my-apartment!
6. Not rebuking the Lord of the Rings: War in the North player during Tonight on the Spot. Check out that dude I talked to starting around five minutes in. He's all, The Lord of the Rings is super wordy! And I'm all, whatever dude your game froze I gotta go! And I shoulda been all, if you don't appreciate the elaborate world-building of a true literary master than maybe you should just hold your tongue, knave! Buuut I didn't. Ah well. Check it out below, and keep watching to see me, Jody, and Maxwell pose with Gandalf. True story.
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