My friend told me that standing in the line for WonderCon 2009 was like standing in line for a keynote address by Steve Jobs at Moscone Center. Since the comic book convention split one hall between the registration area and the exhibit floor, the support beams for the convention center in the registration area reminded me of the ship support areas on the “Battlestar Galactica” TV show. I was more interested in the panels rather than looking at the exhibit floor. One day in the City wasn’t enough time to cover a convention like this.
Pandorum Panel
After seeing a new trailer for the sci-fi horror movie, “Pandorum,” from the creators of “Resident Evil” movies, it had strong hints of “Alien” and “Event Horizon” in the storytelling. The three unknown cast members who had no clue what to talk about except make lame jokes about a sex tape on the future DVD release.
Star Trek Panel
The “Star Trek” panel showed a new trailer that made me believe that the new movie will successfully re-launch the franchise. My favorite part was Dr. McCoy (Karl Urban) pointing out that the Enterprise doesn’t have a captain or a second-in-command, and Kirk (Chris Pine) saying, “Actually, you do,” before taking the captain chair himself. The panel had a wide-ranging discussion about being faithful to the original series while breaking new ground. A second movie may happen if a good enough script comes along.
Autograph Table
Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher from “Star Wars” were signing autographs. I got an autographed picture of Princess Leia in the slave girl costume. I was quite speechless in Carrie’s presence. “What’s your name? Is that C-H-R-I-S? Here you go.” I didn’t have the courage to admit that I missed her cameo in “Fanboys” because I didn’t recognize her as the doctor. I saw only one woman wearing the slave girl costume.
Dealer Room
While walking around the dealer floor, I saw a bunch of guys dressed up as Dr. Manhattan from the forthcoming “Watchmen” movie. All of them wearing blue body paint, Speedos and sandals. One guy nailed the character. The others should have gone to jail for indecent exposure. No one would have noticed them if they walked around San Francisco like that. (For naked people walking the streets, go to Berkeley across the bay.) Most didn’t have the tall, thin and muscular physique that the Dr. Manhattan character requires. A pair looked like naked “Smurfs” who got beaten to death by the “Star Wars” stormtroopers running around the place.
