Levar Burton touched me and Mark Sheppard told me I’m cute! AWESOMENESS OVERLOAD. (Caitlin)

Mel, Adam, and I are all exhausted from three straight days of Starfest, Denver’s epic sci-fi con. Getting our thoughts processed and pictures uploaded will take a day or so–there was just SO MUCH GOING ON! Seriously, though, it was an absolute blast and we can’t wait to share stories/pictures/musings with you guys this week.

I’ll tease you bitches with the best Matt Smith cosplay EVAR:

Fezzes are cool!

Building Killinger (Caitlin)

It’s been a hot minute since we’ve talked cosplay here at the blog, so you, dear readers, are due for updates! As I mentioned in an earlier post, I’m building a Lady Henry Killinger costume for SDCC. Killinger is on track to be my first completed con costume, and I may have the opportunity to debut it at next month’s Starfest. So, you know, I’m excited.

Here are some of my materials/base items:

Chef’s coat, double breasted, black. Chefworks has a lovely coat in a women’s cut, and this baby fits like a dream. I’ll be putting the Killinger logo on the front in the next day or so.

Stethoscope. I know, I know, Killinger’s isn’t red. BUT IT WAS SO PRETTY, I HAD TO BUY IT.

White house slippers. I’ll be walking SDCC incomfort, thank you. I used black felt to make the skull designs, and will be hot gluing them on shortly.

 

 

 

The magic murder bag. I found this bag on Ebay after an exhaustive murder bag-related search. The handcuffs, silver Killinger logo, and interior lights are a work in progress.

The mask. This base mask was at a lovely little costume shop here in Denver called Disguises. It has some nicks on the nose, but I fixed it with a little paint. I used a sewing pencil to mark the mask as a guide for the paint. I painted the design in with paint pens, which I think came out beautifully.

Obviously, there’s still plenty of work to do. However, I’m confident that this can be a respectable costume and will do justice to Dr. Killinger’s magic murdering ways! Stay tuned for more updates!

Summer Blockbusters or Bummers? You Decide! (Caitlin)

This summer, our nerdy cup runneth over. It isn’t just SDCC, it’s the delicious eye candy we’ll get in the form of fun movies! Since several of these flicks will have panels at SDCC, let’s do the breakdown…

We’ve got superheroes all over the place, due in no small part to Marvel’s Avengers build-up, but we’re expecting DC/Warner Bros.’ Green Lantern to hold its own in the masked good guy market. Just this morning, Rise of the Apes saw its release date get pushed to August (formerly November), so that’s a summer flick now, as well. Pirates/Cowboys/Wizards/Aliens round out the list, so I’m genuinely surprised there are no movies with “Ninja” in the title this summer.

Sorry, Twihards, but Breaking Dawn isn’t coming out until November 16th, so we’re leaving it off this poll…take solace in the fact that you’ll see Robert Pattinson’s shiny-ass face in IMAX when the time does come.

Which summer movie has got you all hot and bothered? (Sorry, couldn’t resist…that was like, lame dad terrible.) If you don’t see your nerdy flick listed below, tell us about it in the comments! Or, you know, just to rage anonymously on the Internet.

Prelude to SDCC: Starfest! (Caitlin)

This April 15-17th in Denver, Colorado, our household of merry geeks will be attending Starfest! For those of you not familiar with Starfest, it was originally a Trek con back in the day (geeze, with a name like Starfest, who would have thought?), but is now all-around-sci-fi-oriented. There are still plenty of Trek-themed events, like a Klingon Breakfast (which I can only assume is like those Disney character breakfasts, and the idea of having some surly Klingon serve me pancakes is HILARIOUS) and a Tribble Race (again, in my imagination this involves dressing children up like giant furballs and having them run down a track as they confusedly run into each other for my amusement).

This will be my first real con, though I am no stranger to nerd events and parties, so I’m pretty stoked. Guests include Jonathan Frakes, Mark motherfucking Sheppard (he’s that big of a badass, guys, check IMDB), Morena Baccarin, and a bunch of the DS9 crew.

Interesting note: my mother, who lives back on the east coast, has been looking for a reason to visit me out in Colorado. She’s a big Trek fan, so I’ve been trying to convince her to fly out for this. Here is an excerpt of the conversation:

Me: Come to Starfest! Doooo it.
Mom: Well, the last day of it is Palm Sunday, and the church–
Me: What’s more important here, really? Going to church, or telling Jonathan Frakes you thought he was dreamy 20 years ago? JESUS WILL UNDERSTAND!
Mom: You make a convincing argument.

For more information on Starfest, check the link-age: http://starland.com/wp/starfest/

Comics: The Heart and Soul of Comic-Con (Caitlin)

It seems like it should going without saying, right? Comics and comic culture should be a big part of why people go to SDCC; however, for better or for worse, SDCC covers a lot more ground these days. Movies, television shows (even Glee? REALLY?), toys, webcomics (if you want to go comics-on-comics-meta, read The Gutters), tech/nerd toys and collectibles…I could go on. Now, as excited as I am to go to panels for things like Supernatural and Venture Bros., Hall H gods willing, I cannot wait to see some of my favorite comic book writers and artists. The list of special guests for this year’s SDCC  is a work in progress, according to their website, but I see some big names that make me smile!

CONFIRMED:

Grant Morrison
Yeah, he’s the crazy bastard who made Batman a pirate. The picture of him in this year’s SDCC annual (which is the same picture in Adam’s post below) makes Mr.

He was also a caveman.

Morrison look like a Bond villain. These are all…choices. Still, Grant Morrison is one of the top names in comics for a reason. All-Star Superman, Arkham Asylum, Batman and Robin (though his run has ended, his influence lives on in the current storyline), and Batman Inc. (which is an exceptionally fun read with astounding art, so stop what you’re doing and go catch up) are just some of his works for DC. The guy’s done a ton of stuff for Marvel, as well. He’s not Alan Moore talking-to-the-snake-gods-in-his-beard nuts, but he manages to juggle entirely silly amounts of references and character moments and plot points that you want to point at him and scream “You convoluted jerk! I’m going to be SO MAD when the smoke monster turns out to be some autistic Robin’s dream!”, but really…I can’t be mad at you, Grant Morrison. Please autograph my tits so I can get a tattoo of it.

Jo Chen
Don’t worry, dear readers, I won’t ask Jo Chen to sign my tits. She seems like a classy lady. Jo Chen is responsible for the stunning covers that accompany Buffy

Our Lady of Joss.

the Vampire Slayer: Season Eight. I have a special place in my heart for Chen’s work after Melinda and I stumbled upon a poster of her “Buffy with scythe” painting that had been signed by Joss Whedon and Chen herself at Forbidden Planet in NYC. Melinda put white candles around it on sconces and calls the painting “Our Lady of Joss”. Jo Chen’s iconic art has helped keep the Buffy legend alive and well, and for that I’m grateful.

Ed Benes
While his iteration of the Huntress costume is not my favorite (belly window +

Don't fuck with Oracle.

ass hanging out = FAIL), Ed Benes gave Gail Simone’s Birds of Prey a distinctive look that I can certainly appreciate. His art has a great sense of action, which is important for a team of badass ladies like the Birds. The SDCC website indicates that this year’s con will be his first US con appearance ever, which makes the occasion quite special!

 

 

WISHING AND HOPING:

Gail Simone
The writer for Birds of Prey, Secret Six, and a bunch of other stuff I care about, Gail Simone writes for those who enjoy badass, pro-GLBT characters with a sick sense of humor. Her Secret Six is easily one of the most wonderfully bizarre things on the market right now, and there’s no way to hate her Birds of Prey. Gail Simone made Hawk and Dove cool again, with the assist from Geoff Johns in his master plan for Blackest Night/Brightest Day, no easy task there. Her Huntress is a kick-ass woman, and it’s clear she loves the character even more than I do (which is to say, a LOT). Ms. Simone has also written some fantastic episodes of Justice League Unlimited and Batman: Brave and the Bold.

Bryan Q. Miller
The man behind the current run of Batgirl, Mr. Miller is known for his quirky dialogue that isn’t entirely unlike Whedon-speak (anyone who grew up with Buffy, Angel, and the like know what I’m talking about). He took a Batgirl a lot of
us weren’t sure about initially–Stephanie Brown–and made her likable and worthy of the cowl at the same time. Mr. Miller also wrote some of the better episodes of Smallville. Yes, I said it. Smallville. Got a problem with my not-so-secret nerd shame? (Side note: it’s okay to admit to watching Smallville. I promise. It’s the highest damn rated show on the CW, has been for years, so trust me when I say you’re not the only one watching.)

So what comic creators/writers/artists are you hoping to see this year at SDCC? Who have you seen at SDCC in the past that made you wet your pants with excitement/surprise/abstract horror? Shamelessly name drop in the comments!

So… WE’RE GOING TO COMIC-CON!

So at exactly, 10:55am Mountain Time, (thanks a lot Colorado), my room mates and I finally got to the fabulous confirmation screen stating that we were the proud owners of four tickets to San Diego Comic-Con 2011! BECAUSE WE’RE AWESOME!

The San Diego Comic Convention has long been heralded as the pinnacle of nerd/geek felanderings, every year having panels from all the top upcoming comics, movies, tv shows and other forms of fandom based pop culture. Common nicknames are Nerd Prom, Geek Mecca, Red Carpet… the list goes on.

But even though my room mates and I have been nerds for a long time we have never been to the SDCC. Tickets are coveted and hard to come by, and for us mountain dwellers of the fine state of Colorado, it’s quite the trek for us to make.

So this is going to be a special event for us and we want to share it with you, the internet! We want to document our journey, the building of cos play outfits, the planning of hotels and plane tkts and the like, all culminating in the arrival and time spent at this years SDCC.  

So join us! We will be posting a few times a week with personal updates about our journey through this process, both separate and together. Welcome to our adventure!

Also… because I totally haven’t said it enough today,

WE’RE GOING TO COMIC-CON!!!!!!!! 😀