SDCC Recap: Day 2

By: Mithrandiel

After a strong start to my show, I went into Friday (day 2) with renewed energy. Despite being local to San Diego, I decided to splurge and get a hotel room for a couple of nights: it would be nice to have a place to unload purchases, and just generally rest and recover as needed from Friday through Sunday.

The view wasn’t half bad either…

Heading down to the hall, I arrived early enough to comfortably get into the exhibit hall line without having to navigate outside for 30 minutes like I did the day before. I also ran into a very convincing cosplay on the way. Thankfully, Mr. Jameson was in an accommodating mood.

While western comics are typically front-and-center at Comic Con, there’s certainly plenty of love for manga to be found on the exhibit floor. One of the more popular titles to arrive in recent years is Vinland Saga, and it enjoyed a large booth that showcased the forthcoming deluxe editions (similar to Berserk’s run).

Looking forward to our Bandai Namco visit later that day, I became preoccupied with toys as I wandered the exhibit hall floor. From oversized statues to action figures, there are far too many temptations for the toy junkie at Comic Con. I remained resolute and successful in resisting the urge to buy all the things!

It did help to stop by Jada toys and have a chat with Michael Jimenez. Originally starting with die-cast model cars, Jada toys has expanded to action figures and other collectibles. Take a listen below to my brief conversation:

After some more hall-wandering, I went to a spotlight panel on Rick Remender. A notable comic writer/creator responsible for titles such as Deadly Class, Seven to Eternity, A Righteous Thirst for Vengeance and many others, the panel (hosted by an up-and-comer named Robert Kirkman?) was a celebration of all things Remender.

There was also an announcement for a forthcoming series called The Holy Roller, which pits a vigilante hero wielding a bowling ball against Nazis. Sounds like a good time to me!

After the panel, Mr. Remender held a signing in the exhibit hall, and I happily lugged numerous large hardcovers for him to sign. When I complained that he must have made these oversized hardcovers to torture his fans, he insisted the exercise was good for me.

I mean…I can’t find a flaw in the logic.

After spending some time at the Image booth getting the books signed, I was due for an appointment with Bandai Namco Collectibles. We’ll cover my interview with Justin Cavender and all the goodies they had on display in a separate article, but suffice it to say there was plenty for me to enjoy at the booth…!

The afternoon was filled with more hall-wandering, but in the midst of it I had to swing by the Felix Comic Art booth and say hi to Daniel Warren Johnson. I’d be seeing him again that night at the Eisners, but when I stopped by to get my Transformers ashcan and Void Rivals signed, one of the Felix staff volunteered to take our picture. You can see Felix in the background…thoroughly confused.

Before long it was approaching the evening and Lance and I were expected at the Eisners! For those unfamiliar, the Eisners are essentially the Oscars of the comics world. Writers, artists, even retailers are recognized for their contributions to the industry. It was our first time attending, and it was a real treat.

Throughout the night, we were treated to seeing some of the industry’s most talented creators: Tom Taylor, Tom King, Mitch Gerads, Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, and so many others.

Daniel Warren Johnson was honored with his first Eisner award for the exceptional Do A Powerbomb! - our favorite comic series of 2022.

Some of the other winners included:

Best Single Issue/One Shot: Batman: One Bad Day: The Riddler, by Tom King and Mitch Gerads (DC)

Best Continuing Series: Nightwing, by Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo (DC)

Best Limited Series: The Human Target, by Tom King and Greg Smallwood (DC)

Best New Series: Public Domain, by Chip Zdarsky (Image)

Best Writer: James Tynion IV, House of Slaughter, Something Is Killing the Children, Wynd (BOOM! Studios); The Nice House on the Lake, The Sandman Universe: Nightmare Country (DC), The Closet, The Department of Truth (Image)

Best Penciller/Inker: Greg Smallwood, The Human Target (DC)

Overall, it was a fantastic event, and I happened to get a few other pictures throughout the night as well…

All in all, Friday was amazing. Some fantastic memories made, great connections in the world of toys and collectibles, and generally a day well-spent.

Stay tuned for what was in store on Saturday and Sunday, as the weekend quickly ramped to a peak and began to wind down before we knew it!

Were you at the show on Friday or attend the Eisners? Thoughts? Feel free to leave comments below!