CGC's San Diego Comic Con Review

When it comes to comic book conventions, there are none bigger or more impressive than the one held annually at San Diego. With over 3 miles of convention floor, hundreds of exhibitors and professionals, and close to 400 events, it has become a focal point for not just comic book fandom, but also for movie studios, network TV companies, toy manufacturers, and all types of media.

Situated among a host of comic book exhibitors like Heritage, Comiclink, Mile High, Harley Yee, Dale Roberts, Graham Crackers Comics, was the booth for CGC, which was kept hopping and bustling for the entire 5-day event. Fans took advantage of CGC's presence to submit their comics directly to the company, saving themselves the cost of mailing them in. While plenty of comics were submitted under the regular tiers, a huge amount was also submitted for CGC's prestigious Signature Series label. There were no shortage of opportunities to receive creators' signatures as guests this year included many modern day talents like Jim Lee, J. Michael Straczynski, Ethan Van Sciver, Geoff Johns, Bryan Hitch, Ed Brubaker, and J. G. Jones as well as industry legends like Al Feldstein, Bernie Wrightson, Joe Staton, Al Jaffee, Jim Starlin, Wendy Pini, and Ray Bradbury.

Some of the more notable events included a panel about Comedy Central's "TV Funhouse" with creators Robert Smigel and Dino Stamatopoulos (and an appearance by Triumph the Insult Comic Dog), "Family Guy" stars Seth MacFarlane and Seth Green giving fans the lowdown on the upcoming spinoff "The Cleveland Show", a discussion by Image founders Jim Valentino, Whilce Portacio, Marc Silvestri, Rob Liefeld and Erik Larsen about the future of Image, a 20th anniversary reunion of the cast and crew of "Mystery Science Theater 3000", and an exclusive first look at the 3rd season of the hit show "Heroes" which drew a standing ovation from the crowd! In all, the show was considered a huge success by creators, retailers, and fans alike, and left a lot of people looking forward to the 2009 show next July!