Mark Hamill, Comic-Con exhibit hall

I believe he was shooting Comic Book: The Movie at the time. Never watched it. I hear it's a weird little commentary on the state of superhero movies at the time.

This marks the end point for this particular segment of the series. The output for this Comic-Con album was not as prolific as last year's event. It would be several years before I would get comfortable with color, and only after I had transitioned to digital photography. The analog equivalent is a tough medium to master.

Pt  29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41,

Julie Strain, Comic-Con exhibit hall

Promoting Heavy Metal: F.A.K.K.².

Pt  29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40,

Lara Croft cosplayers, Comic-Con exhibit hall

Another Lara Croft poses underwater at the Fathom Booth.

Pt  29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39,

Lara Croft cosplayers, Comic-Con exhibit hall

Lara Croft poses underwater at the Fathom Booth.

Pt  29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38,

Lara Croft cosplayers, Comic-Con exhibit hall

I was vaguely aware at the time that Mark Hamill was filming Comic Book: The Movie at the exhibit hall.

Pt  29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37,

Bridget Silvestri, Comic-Con exhibit hall

Bridget Silvestri, Comic-Con exhibit hall

Heavy foot traffic at the Top Cow booth.

Pt  29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36,

The Baroness and Darth Vader cosplayers, Comic-Con exhibit hall

Cobra forges an alliance with the Galactic Empire. That's going to end well.

Pt  29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34,

Boba Fett cosplayer, Comic-Con exhibit hall

Prowling the San Diego Convention Center for Han Solo.

Pt  29, 30, 31, 32, 33,

Cosplayers, Comic-Con exhibit hall

My early attempts at using fill lighting during an event.

Pt  29, 30, 31,

Cosplayer, Comic-Con exhibit hall

I'm not sure when Comic-Con instituted their costume weapons policy.  It has a oft-criticized anti-harassment policy.

Pt  29, 30,

Cosplayer, Comic-Con exhibit hall

For some reason, I shot this particular event exclusively in color. This may not have been a smart decision. Transitioning to digital was still a few years away in the future, so I was handling several rolls of color negatives. Not a preferred medium of mine, but I figured was still easier than having to expose for slide film.

Pt  29,

Mighty Mouse cosplay, Comic-Con Masquerade

Mighty Mouse cosplay, Comic-Con Masquerade

The Mouse is back! Last year's hit contestant was invited to appear on stage one more time. For an encore, he danced to the song "My Sharona."

This was the first time I attended the Masquerade from beginning to end. I recommend that Comic-Con attendees do this at least once. It's an amazing and inclusive celebration of fandom. But it does tend to sap one's energy, which will be sorely needed for Sunday bargain shopping.

Pt 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25

Spider-Man and Elektra cosplayers at the Marvel booth,  Comic-Con exhibit hall.

I did read Ultimate Elektra once, but have no memory of the comic.

Pt 15, 16, 17

Spider-Man cosplay at the Marvel booth,  Comic-Con exhibit hall.

The proceeding photos in the series were taken at the next Comic-Con I attended. Ready to take a trip down memory lane? It's been a while since the last instalment.

Remember the Ultimate Universe? I heard it's going away now. Except for Spidey. Just not the one pictured here.

For the previous photos of the series, go here:
Pt 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14

Fans line up for the Rocky Horror Picture Show midnight screening

Moon Prism Power meets the Time Warp. Cosplayers from different subcultures rub shoulders during Masquerade night.

 Pt 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

The Comic-Con Masquerade

You know how for years you keep hearing Comic-Con described (not without a hint of derision or perhaps self-loathing) as "nerd prom"or "geek vegas", so you finally move from the other side of the world just to see what it's really like? No? Anyway, I come into my first Masquerade late. The hall is packed, and the audience is cheering wildly. I look up at the huge stage and see a lone cosplayer, dwarfed by the two massive television monitors that flank him. He's lip-synching to the cheerful Mighty Mouse theme song booming from speakers scattered throughout the room. The cosplayer looks hilarious dressed in mock Mickey Mouse ears, nose, and whiskers, bright red and yellow spandex, with a puffed-up chest. And he exudes a clumsy, geeky charm, as he acts as if he barely remembers the lyrics. The crowd can't get enough of him. Some are even singing along. The energy is truly amazing. Far more intense than any costly event I've ever attended. As the performance ends, they spontaneously erupt into "MOUSE! MOUSE! MOUSE! MOUSE!" That's probably when it really hit me that I had finally made it to Comic-Con.

 Pt 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Cosplayer Selina Desire

The self-proclaimed Kat Goddess of Love was in the house. Looking at my old 35 mm rolls, I realize I didn't photograph that many cosplayers during the entire trip. This might have been personal reticence. Comic-Con was my first big convention. But I suspect the transition to digital has helped free-up my shooting habits. I may have been initially overwhelmed by the variety of things that were going on around me. And this made me conservative. But being able to fit two to four hundred images within a single memory card, as opposed to carrying a couple of rolls of film fitting only thirty-six frames each, is a huge step up in image capacity. The instant feedback is also quite useful when assessing what to photograph.

 Pt 1, 2, 3, 4, 5ss

Young cosplayer at the DC Comics Booth

Who watches the watchmen?
Who watched Watchmen?
Who will read Before Watchmen?

In the lead up to this year's Comic-Con International, I'll be posting photos from the very first Comic-Con I ever attended. Scanning old film negatives and cleaning up the images of dust and scratches is a pain. So enjoy my trip down memory lane!