Comic Con: The Party's Just Getting Started

[posted by Borys]

A noteworthy development at this year’s Con was its evolving party scene.

For years, parties involved informal gatherings of comic creators and fans, mostly in hotel lobby bars, as well as company dinners. This year, things were kicked up a notch with more organized film and TV-oriented parties and swanky soirees that inspired the amibitious Con-goer to change clothes at the end of the day and go from a Green Lantern T-shirt to Hugo Boss. Well, at least a Gap t-shirt. And because all the parties are centralized in the San Diego’s Gaslamp District, party-hopping is a breeze.

Sci-Fi Channel threw a cool rooftop party at the Hotel Solamar attended by not only the channel’s “Battlestar Galactica” cast members, and Colin Ferguson from its breakout hit “Eureka,” but also director Jon Favreau, Stan Lee, Marvel Studios' gang including Michael Helfant, Ari Arad, Jeremy Latcham and Stephen Broussard, plus comics writer Geoff Johns and producer Adrian Askarieh. At that party producer Daniel Alter called the Con, and its growing party scene, “Sundance, but with cooler movies.”

Many segued from Sci-Fi to the Rogue Pictures gathering, which was kicking it back at Stingaree, a slick restaurant-bar a block away that was also the scene of a private Picturehouse dinner for Guillermo del Toro and his "Pan's Labyrinth" people Thursday night.

Friday night saw DC Comics’ throw down its second annual bash at Tesoro Restaurant. The party had the comics crowd  - Johns, Grant Morrison, Marc Andreyko, Mark Waid, Howard Chaykin, Dan DiDio, Paul Levitz - and the film crowd  - Mike Dougherty, JC Spink, Mason Noveck, Eric Olsen, David Goyer, Josh Olson, Tom DeSanto - but it also drew actors, including “Galactica’s” Edward James Olmos and James Callis.

Kyle Newman and Adam Goldberg were on hand for a celebration of their ode to geeks “Fanboys” (it’s about four friends who journey to Skywalker Ranch to see a screening of “Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace”) at club Confidential. "The Grudge"co-producer Shin Shimosawa spun tunes that people actually liked while wrestler Diamond Dallas Page tried to get filmmaker Darren Aronofsky to do some of his yoga moves.

Universal threw a kegger Friday night to promote its frat-set movie “Accepted.” Beer, burgers and dogs were on the menu, skater boyz carved up a half pipe, and a rock band blasted on a stage. Among the multitude enjoying the outdoor shindig were the likes of scribe Adam Turner and Thunder Road’s Rick Benattar and the “Fanboys” gang. The movie’s Jonah Hill was making his first trip to the Con and was geeking out. Over what? Sci-fi? Anime? Comics? Over everything. “I’m a Comic-Con geek!” he enthused.
Photo (from left): Universal's David Ortiz, actor Edward James Olmos, DC Comics' Gregory Noveck

Comments

[Rachel Kadushin]

With all of the really good early panels (like starting at 10:30 am) who had the energy to go to these parties? I'm guessing some people took naps during the day -- but then missed out on a lot of the convention.

Oh, well. If I know about a party in advance, I might nap up for it next year.

-Rachel

[guillermo vasquez garcia]

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