2011 San Diego Comic Con: The Scandalous Costumes

All photos courtesy of Larry Berger Photography ©2011

The pomp. The pageantry. The surgical augmentations that cause babies to salivate, a wistful twinkle in their eye. All of this, and more, can be found wandering the convention.

Costumes are plentiful and varied, some amazing, some childish, like the selection of greeting cards in a Hallmark store. But all these costumes share one common trait: boobs.

Imagination. Unnecessary around so much skimpy attire. The San Diego beaches are a black tie affair in comparison, bikinis as provocative as a nun's habit. But don't blame the girls for their suggestive costumes. They can't help it. They are drawn that way.

Even the press wear costumes. Nothing screams serious journalism like a reporter dressed in a Star Trek jumpsuit. But if it increases ratings—what the hell!

Costumes of Disney characters are popular. Never Mickey Mouse, though. Maybe if his little mouse ass was hanging out of his trousers he'd be a more popular choice. Here Snow Not-So-White meets Bigfoot. Nary a dwarf in sight. Less they're hiding in Bigfoot's magnificent pelt.

Comic Con. Only one of two locations a man can walk up and ask you to rub his lamp. And not violate a local statute. The other place: the U.S. Senate.

Huey Lewis once sang, It's Hip to be Square. He lied. What's even more tragically un-hip? Wearing as much blue as this girl. A fashion faux-pas. Unless you're a Smurf.

Girls dream of growing up and becoming a princess. Proof that's a bad idea. Stick with wanting a pony, sweetheart.

Remember those test questions that asked you to identify which item was unlike the others. Let me give you a hint: it's not Batman.

The Playboy Club had a presence at the Con this year. You're welcome.

The last picture was completely gratuitous. I'm ashamed. But I need the hits. Do you know how many people Google Playboy? Let me make it up to you. Here are photos suitable for the whole family. As long as they're over 21. Bonus points for finding the tattoos in the pictures. Think of it like Where's Waldo. But with body art.

Sinful. That's how I feel. I need absolution. But who can I call?

Ghostbusters. Funny. You're a regular comedian. Seriously, my soul is in peril. I'm too pretty for damnation.

The taste of sweet salvation finally. Wait. That's your costume? Someone had too many years of Catholic schooling. Either that or he got lost on his way to the San Diego Theologi-Con.

Cue Lou Reed, because this concludes our walk on the wild side of San Diego Comic Con. The Con isn't all scandalous costumes, though. But that is best left for another post.

2011 San Diego Comic Con: The Authors

All photos courtesy of Larry Berger Photography ©2011

San Diego Comic Con. A phrase that makes the heads of geeks everywhere explode like lumpy, fleshy pinatas barfing up Smarties. This yearly Nerd-gasm by the bay is no longer just Comic-geddon; it is Pop Culture Ground Zero, the crossroads where movies, comics, books, and toys lovingly embrace.

Authors are plentiful, like poppies in Afghanistan. Literary panels discuss themes like putting the Epic in Epic fantasy, writing the Apocalypse, and Space Odyssey, Alien Encounters, and Future Worlds. The amount of Science Fiction and Fantasy activities are immense, like salad choices at Soup Plantation, a book smorgasbord. Authors chat, sign, surreptitiously take photos of scantily clad individuals walking the floor, and generally brave the unwashed masses, always with a smile on their faces.

This is their story.

125,000 Nerds. Most with poor dietary practices. And plenty of opportunities to blame their farts on others. This is what you take away from Comic Con: the Stench. Noxious fumes prowl the floor, a Fart Fog more horrible than anything in a John Carpenter movie, ready to combust with the slightest provocation. Here Patrick Rothfuss protects his beard. Wise man.

George R.R. Martin was a very popular man at the Con. Having a critically acclaimed HBO series will do that. Here Martin and Daniel Abraham sign the Fevre Dream graphic novel for those valiant knights of Geekdom who braved the floor.

Polka. The music can't be stopped, can't be contained. It happens. Spontaneously. Like an accordion playing flash mob. Here Jim Butcher enjoys a polka classic, Sweet Child O' Mine, performed by the Waldo Butters Five. Oom-Pah-Pah with me.

Want a panel full of Epic Fantasy star power. How about George R.R. Martin, Brandon Sanderson, Patrick Rothfuss, and Christopher Paolini discussing who has the biggest one. Novel, that is.

Martin, Sanderson, Rothfuss, and Paolini were only four members of the panel. Kevin J. Anderson was another. Every fantasy panel needs a science fiction counterpoint. Keeps the fantasists from making tons of shit up. Like unicorns. Real scientists don't believe in animals that shank people.

Rare pictures. There were a few. Like this one of Brandon Sanderson not writing. Yet still he managed five thousand words for the day. Conclusive proof there are a thousand monkeys in a basement somewhere writing the sequel to The Way of Kings.

Christopher Paolini has extremely large business cards. Here he gives one to a fan who collapsed under the weight. Still, the cards keep him from being mistaken for Harry Potter. Sometimes.(Note: Don't check his hairline. He hates that. Siriusly.)

Life is more than just Fun and Games, they say. Duane Swierczynski disagrees. Funny story: I tripped in front of the booth. Went heels over ass, crumbled into a pile of Paul. Looked for the Accident People. Didn't find them. Elusive bastards.

Accident people not scary enough? How about a maniac wielding a chainsaw? Or poltergeists? Both straight from the mind of legendary horror director Tobe Hooper. Here Tobe signs his new book, Midnight Movie.

Redheads have more fun. It is a proven scientific fact. They take great photographs, too. Lucky Kim Harrison.

Ben Loory writes fables. And nightmares. Damn good ones. Comic Con certainly provides a wealth of material for more. Maybe Ben's next book will be titled, Stories for Nighttime and Some for Cos-Play.

Debuts. I'm always looking for the next hot one. Buzz has The Night Circus as a can't-miss book. I certainly didn't miss picking up a copy signed by author Erin Morgenstern.

Teamwork. That's what Comic Con is all about. It's bigger than one person, one movie, or one comic book character. It takes a village. One incredibly nerdy village. More appropriately, a Geekopolis. Even writing books requires teamwork. Like Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck writing collectively as James S.A. Corey. See, people working together accomplish great things. Take that monkeys!

Want to stop a robot uprising? Daniel Wilson demonstrates how. Flash a copy of Robopocalypse at them; stuns them like a grenade.

Five minutes later, an opportunity arose. A robot charged. Daniel's method still fresh in my mind, I acted on instinct. It worked. Probably saved my life. Here's my close call.

Injuries are part of the Con. Writers autograph until their hands fall off. By Sunday, it looks like a leper colony in the signing area. Yet they persevere. Champions, that's what they are. Besides, it is in their contracts. Here Joe Hill soldiers on.

Long post. But it's almost over. Time to celebrate! An adult beverage is appropriate for making it through my ramblings. Maybe more than one. Or you can listen to Kevin Hearne and go get Hammered. Proof Kevin's awesomeness is boundless.

The thing I'll most remember about the 2011 San Diego Comic Con: the gratuitous nudity. Fond memories, indeed. But that is for another post.

Winner of The War That Came Early: The Big Switch Giveaway

Interesting title: The War That Came Early. Figure the war coming late is much better. Not as good as the war not coming at all, though. I always thought of war as being punctual. Guess I was wrong.

This all leads up to giving away a copy of Harry Turtledove's THE WAR THAT CAME EARLY: THE BIG SWITCH. Wow, that's a mouthful.

The winner is Kathrine G. from Washington. Congratulations! Enjoy the book!

Thanks to everyone who entered! And if you didn't win this time, there are more giveaways coming soon!

Winner of the Hammered Giveaway

Let's get Hammered. I apologize if that got you into a drunken frenzy. Wasn't my intent. My intent was to announce the winner of the HAMMERED giveaway. So here goes.

The winner is Christian S. from Utah. Congratulations! Enjoy the book!

Thanks to everyone who entered! And if you didn't win this time, there are more giveaways coming soon!

Winners of The Sentinels: Crude Deception Giveaway

Want to run a book blog? Then you've got to do the obligatory announce-the-winners post. It provides closure, so people can sleep at night.

Two copies are up for grab in THE SENTINELS: CRUDE DECEPTION contest. Gordon Zuckerman's historical thriller is certain to keep you up late into the night, turning pages.

The winners are Linda K. from California and Pat W. also from California. Congratulations! Enjoy the book!

Thanks to everyone who entered! And if you didn't win this time, there are more giveaways coming soon!

Winner of The Map of Time Giveaway

Things have been content-non-existent around here lately. There is a good reason: I spent the week at the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con. Then there was the recovery period.

Well, I'm recovered and ready to announce the winner of THE MAP OF TIME contest. This lucky person will receive a copy of THE MAP OF TIME by Félix J. Palma.

The winner is Matthew W. from New York. Congratulations! Enjoy the book!

Thanks to everyone who entered! And if you didn't win this time, there are more giveaways coming soon!

Excerpt - Low Town by Daniel Polansky (Doubleday)

I'm nearly finished with Daniel Polansky's Low Town, and my early word is: it's one of the best books this year. I'll review it closer to its drop date, but here is a teaser to tide you over until then.

Enjoy!

"Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day" by Ben Loory (Penguin)

Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day
Ben Loory
224 pp. Penguin. $15.00
Pub. Date: 7/26/2011
ISBN-13: 9780143119500

Reviewed by Paul Stotts

Publisher Blurb: Loory's collection of wry and witty, dark and perilous contemporary fables is populated by people--and monsters and trees and jocular octopi--who are motivated by the same fears and desires that isolate and unite us all. In this singular universe, televisions talk (and sometimes sing), animals live in small apartments where their nephews visit from the sea, and men and women and boys and girls fall down wells and fly through space and find love on Ferris wheels. In a voice full of fable, myth, and dream, Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day draws us into a world of delightfully wicked recognitions, and introduces us to a writer of uncommon talent and imagination.

Short story collections aren't my normal thing. It is the literary equivalent of a fried mozzarella cheese appetizer as opposed to a meal consisting of two proteins, veggies, and a Chocolate Bundt cake (I have no idea what a Bundt cake is, but saying the word Bundt fills me with girlish glee). Both can be delicious, but like with eating, I read for satisfaction. So I avoid short stories typically.

Ben Loory points out this egregious mistake in his stunning collection of short stories, the aptly titled Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day. As the kids today say, My Bad! Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day contains 40 imaginative fables, nightmares, and literary oddities, each fighting hard for the title of wittiest and most unique. Loory operates at a high level throughout, cranking out gems like The Octopus, Death and the Fruits of the Tree, and UFO: A Love Story among others.

All the tales spring from a fantastical universe, where the level of wonder and magic Loory creates staggers, inspiring a near child-like awe. Reading Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day is like seeing ideas explored from an entirely new and fresh perspective; it is familiar, yet ethereal. An out-of-body experience in a couple thousand words. The stories demand reflection, letting go is an impossibility. The seeds Loory plants in the reader's mind develop into treasures that are indelible.

Dreaming, loss, fear, and love are common threads that run through the stories. These themes are all very human, emotions that are easily identifiable to the reader, but Loory explores them in a profound new way. Humans yearn, but so does an octopus in Loory's universe. But seeing it written this way provides a clarity to the human experience, one that is not evident to us since we inhabit our experience. Once again, it is an out-of-body experience, but this body is the whole of humanity.

Ben Loory is an extremely talented and exciting new voice, one that is stretching the limits of contemporary fables in interesting ways. There is magic in Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day, not some concrete hocus-pocus, a lady disappearing out of a cabinet with a wave of a hand. This is more subtle; this is fantasy that springs out of a sense of wonder. And it's stunning to behold.

Author Signatures - Elizabeth Bear

One of these days I need to read more Elizabeth Bear. I read All the Windwracked Stars, but that novel never engaged me. I hear good things about her novels, so I plan to try something else at some point.

News - 2011 San Diego Comic-Con Exclusive: Fevre Dream Graphic Novel Signed By George R.R. Martin and Daniel Abraham

If you are going to this year's San Diego Comic-Con this week, here is a cool exclusive to check out. Avatar Press is releasing the Fevre Dream hardcover at the show, and even better, allowing you to get it signed by both George R.R. Martin and Daniel Abraham. Talk about a sweet deal.

For more information, check out the Avatar Press website.