San Diego Comic Con 2010

Claudio Sanchez and I at the con

I can't believe I managed to make it out to SDCC this year. Every year I try, and every year I fail, muttering to myself (sigh, maybe next time). And this time it happened! Thanks to my good friend Matt Melvin of Cyanide and Happiness, I was able to get a badge and fly out last minute to join him and many others at the biggest comic book convention EVER!
I ended up flying out alone, and truth be told, I was expecting the experience to be only sub par since I was going to be alone in a new place. However, as soon as I got on my plane, I knew the entire weekend was going to be perfect. Which it was.

The first event that promised good fortune on my trip was the plane ride itself. I ended up sitting next to a nice young lad from England who was at the con for work. We spoke the entire flight and became friends! If that wasn't enough, add realizing Claudio Sanchez and wife Chondra Echert were on the same flight as me! (I spotted them at baggage claim! I said nothing..lol)

Mr. Sanchez, Chonny, Blaze and Miki strike a pose!

I arrive at my hotel and it's BEAUTIFUL! They were ten minutes late in preparing my room so they upgraded me to the business suite with a view of the marina, Sea World (which held fireworks every night), the tropical little forest and pool (WITH WATER SLIDES) in the backyard, all to be seen from my balcony. It was amazing. And the Con hadn't even started!

When it does start, I arrive and meet the wonderful Miki (fellow coheed fan and street team member), Chris Burham (artist for Amory Wars, mentioned in previous posts), Blaze James (Coheed Manager and great human being I have yet to meet until now, after knowing him for over a year..lol) and the entire Boom! Studios gang (Claud, Chonny, Mr. Sheldon, Peter David)
To add a tasty cherry to the mix, my amazing friend Amanda was able to come up from long beach and stay with me for half the trip.

Chris Burnham and Peter David

The entire thing was just more than I could ever imagine. The life and energy at this event was something I will always find so invigorating. In a way, I found myself wishing I had the company of certain people when I was out there, some one to share the adventure with. But on the other hand, I was glad I ventured across the country on my own. I was able to fully appreciate the experience and had the freedom to meet up with all these amazing people who were just waiting to have a good time!



Now, I can go on and on about the wonderful things I experienced, but to sum up:

I had an AMAZING time at the Boom! Studios after party with the gang
I finally met someone I have so much respect for and have been wanting to meet for a while
I spent some time with great new friends and got to see my good good friend Amanda <3
I had a conversation interrupted by Gerard Way (I'm not mad at all.lol)
I saw AMAZING PANELS
I saw AMAZING COSTUMES
I Got A TON OF COMIC BOOKS/POSTERS/TOYS
I took A BUTTLOAD OF PHOTOS!

It was just, perfect.....

Art: "Dear Ambellina"

Laying in bed at 4am, I had a million things I should have been doing. Sleep being one of them. But I decided to do none of that, and instead played around with a photo I've had lying around for months.

Here's a portrait of the Prise Ambellina. A Character from Amory Wars. An angel of sorts who was forced to burn her wings off before starting embarking on a mission to find and protect the crowing, Claudio Kilgannon.

I really like this because it's a bit abstract and looks like a cool album cover <3