We interrupt your regularly scheduled comicCon update to inform you that a bootleg video of Tron 2 has hit the internet.  I can’t wait to see this one!

Thanks Roy for the link out to the trailer.

Saturday night I went out to eat at Bucca di Beppo.  I’ve never been there before so it was pretty fun.  I walk in the door and I start to see the decorations.  I was thinking that the Pope center piece on this table might demand a certain amount of reverence.  Look at our table.  We were not reverent.

 Grant was trying to be serious and had no idea that Leah was giving him bunny ears.  I’m not quite sure what I was reacting to, but I’ve got a good idea it was the bowl of Tiramisu.

So, I kept on telling Grant that he could put that whole spoon in his mouth.  He didn’t think that he could and I tried to explain that all he had to do was hook his pinkies into the corners of his mouth.  I had to show him how it was done.

These 3 rebel pilots have made their own comic with another friend.  Thank you Nicky, Liz, Roxanne, and Ashley for sharing your work with me.  I haven’t got a chance to read it yet because my kids won’t let me have it back.  Next we have an Autobot and that other robot friend R2 D2.

On the left in the uniform is Mish’al.  I met him at Celebration Japan where he was working on the Dewback project.  It was absolutely amazing that I saw this guy wearing this Dewback shirt and then looked to my right and saw Mish’al.  Next is Amanda and Matt who in the tradition of all super famous couples have combined there name to be aMattnda.   I made Amanda into a sketch card.

I ran into one of the other Celebration Japan Artists Monte Moore on Wednesday.  He mentioned that there may be an opening in artist alley and then I got a call from him on Thursday night.  He had just got back from dinner and had met with the Lady who runs the Artist Alley.  One of the guys in Monte’s group was not able to come so they had an open table.  So I sat at the table most of the day and didn’t get to see much of the convention, but I did see the Nerd Herd car from the TV show Chuck.

table.that I could fill.

I flew in from Japan on Tuesday and stayed with my cousins.  I went down to San Diego Wed. for preview night and then hit the floor on Thursday.  My cousin Jeff came along for all the excitement.

I got ready for the event by wearing my Star Wars Japan 30th anniversary shirt.

The Mummy was advertising with a small troop of Teracotta soldiers.  I found Iron Man and Ben 10 there as well.  Right across from Ben 10 was the Atom booth.  I was scheduled to work the booth on Friday but I thought that I would check in and see how things were going.  It turns out that I was mistaken and that I was supposed to work the booth on Thursday.

 At the convention there are always lots of free stuff to grab and people wearing great costumes.  This first photo is a combination of both.  The Warner Bros. booth were handing out these great big bags to put all your free stuff in and this girl decided to make a costume out of it.

Next is Emma Frost and Phoenix followed by the Elvis Trooper.

I got to meet Steve Sansweet in Japan and then spent about an hour and a half talking to him in LAX.  I asked him if he was ever mistaken for George Lucas.  He clearly stated that he had the beard first and the George was actually trying to look like him.  :D  I was working at the Atom booth and saw Steve walking up and ran over exclaiming, “Mr. Lucas!  Mr. Lucas!  Can I have a picture taken with you?”  :D  He shot me a look and said, “Oh Spencer” then posed for the photo.  The next celebrity I met is never confused for someone else, Pikachu.

That evening was the Star War Fan Movie Challenge.  I forgot my badge and Justine from Atom came down and escorted me directly to the VIP section.  We sat a row behind Kevin Spacey and lost to the forcecast.  I took a few photos and I just love Mary Franklin’s vintage Star Wars shirt!

As I was packing up and leaving Japan I had to get a few more shots.  My very small room and very big toilet.

Mike “Chef Vader” with a Japanese labeled Redbull.  Mike Edmonds who played the Ewok Logray in Return of the Jedi, and Japanese Star Wars artist Tsuneo Sanda.

I got to the airport and totally had Star Wars on the brain.  I saw these security cameras and thought that it looked like I was on Hoth.  Then I had to pose with Jude Law for my sister Susan. 

well, I’m back but I haven’t finished writing about Japan, so we’ll see if I can get things all caught up.

I had a shot of the Star Tours booth on the first day but I had to get the staff in there with their jump suits on.  :D

I was walking around a bit before the doors opened and I saw that Jeremy Bullock was standing by the autograph signing area.  I went over to talk to him and was Joined by the Self proclaimed British Cowboy JaKe and the artist of the incredible crossection book Richard Chasemore.

My new friends have returned for the third day straight wearing different costumes.  These costumes are all handmade.  It was great to have them stop by and talk to me.  They seem to draw a crowd around my booth for some reason.  :D

Here are some more costumes.  This is a second Slave Leia, some great kids costumes, and the Celebration Japan exclusive hoodie in action.  It was pretty neat, but a bit too expensive.  As you can see, my costumed friends also caught the attention of Matt Busch.

I sold some more prints and made some more custom requested sketch cards.  Then Darth Vader came by and just HAD to buy a sketch card of him self.

Lawrence Noble had worked the whole weekend sculpting a bust of Luke Skywalker.  After the convention had ended, Mark Hamill came over and was posing with the sculpture.  They had a raffle to give away a cast of the sculpture.  I was watching the event and then ran over to get one of my sketch cards to get Mark to sign.  He looked at the card and commented that he liked the smirk on Luke’s face.  :D

Because I missed out on going and seeing the line and the ribbon cutting yesterday, I made a point to get out there on day 2 and see what it was like.

Then I went back inside, before anything started up and was able to take advantage of my exhibitor status and have some fun before there was a line!  Randy and I took turns in the snow speeder and Denise snapped some photos.

Steve Sansweet had to have his turn as well.

We then moved on to the speeder bike.

Oh and then we had to get to work.

I got to see some more costumes at my table.  Including the Lone Trooper, the Philippine outpost of the 501st, Darth Vader and his cousin Chef Vader (mmmm, gungan!), Han Solo, and then yesterdays Episode II Padme as funeral scene Episode III padme, and yesterday’s Ahsoka as Asajj.

As I was greeting people at my booth, I saw someone walk up and I said “Konnichiwa” and then noticed that it was my dear friends from Odate.  I was a missionary in Japan 14 years ago.  Odate was the last area that I lived in and I had become very good friends with this family.  I am so grateful that they made the effort to come down and see me.  I gave them one of my proof prints and then Keiko explained that she had met Chewbacca and then bought one of my Chewie sketch cards.  We went to dinner after the convent and I am SO happy to have seen them!

The first day of the convention!  I left my room (on the 24th floor) to head down to the lobby and looked out the window at the elevators to see this wonderful shot.

So now the convention hall is all set up and my table is set up too.

I HAD to put the post of the Bandit from the cover of Hot Rod Magazine.  :D

Steve Sansweet was the master of ceremonies and opened up the event by cutting the ribbon with a lightsaber.  I actually didn’t get to see the opening, but I shot some video of the very first group of people RUNNING down the stairs and into the convention hall.

The day went pretty good.  I think that my sketch cards were priced a bit high so I only sold 2 of them.  It was fun to have people be excited about getting a custom created sketch card.  Most of them wanted to have their picture taken with me after they had bought a card or print.

I also got to meet some people that had gone to great lengths to be in costume for the event.  I met the girl dressed up as Obi Wan and I asked if she had seen the girl dressed up as Ahsoka.  She said that it was a friend and I told her to get her to come by my table so that I could get a photo.  A bit later they all showed up!  It was pretty cool.

I also had a blast talking with the kids.  This little Jango Fett was walking by Daniel Logan’s signing area and he called him over and signed his helmet for him.  I haven’t met him yet but that makes me think he’s a good guy.

And what Star Wars convention would be complete without Slave Leia?

 This is a shot of the convention floor from the entry stairway.  I’ll take another to show the changes.

The above logo is on the side of the Lego booth, and of course the full size snow speeder.

 Here I am standing in front of the hallway in the falcon, and then of course riding a dewback.  *Some of you may notice that I am wearing the same outfit that I had on in my India/Australia travels….PURE COINCIDENCE. 

These are near life size statues of the clone wars characters.

I’m interested to see what other things will be going on at the Star Tours booth.

I didn’t go all the way into the Lego booth because they were still setting up, but R2 was parked out front.