I first met Tucci, an award-winning illustrator and graphic novel writer, at San Diego’s massive Comic-Con International in 2010. Tucci was intently drawing away in his display booth seated next to an aged but unbowed veteran of WWII’s famous 442nd Regimental Combat Team.

On closer inspection, I saw that that Billy was personalizing a panel connected with his then-current offering, “Sgt. Rock – The Lost Battalion.” This illustrated novel was a beautifully rendered fusion of the fictional Sgt. Rock combat hero with a historically accurate account of the 141st Regiment’s rapid advance into German lines only to be cut off in the rugged Vosges Mountains region.

Running low on food and ammunition and with casualties running high, the divisional commander made the decision to break the German siege of the 141st by sending in the 442nd. The 14,000 men who would serve in the 442nd, a regiment of Japanese-Americans recruited out of internment camps, earned 21 Medals of Honor, more than 9,000 Purple Hearts, and more than 18,000 medals overall – the greatest number of decorations for any unit of its size and duration of combat service.

Tucci has an eye for detail and, in the case of his military-themed work, this detail is fortified by personal service in the Special Forces as an enlisted man in the 1990s.

I saw Tucci again last weekend at the Austin Comic-Con, where his latest work caught my eye because it was so decidedly out of his usual superhero, military, beautiful fantasy samurai/geisha woman pinup genre: a graphic novel about, as Tucci said, “The greatest superhero of all time.”  “Billy Tucci’s A Child is Born” is indeed about the greatest of superheroes; great because he is real, immortal, and to this day is so relevant that the modern world marks time by the date he was born: Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

“A Child is Born” follows the birth of Jesus through 25 pages of 84 magnificently illustrated panels based on the gospels of Matthew and Luke.  The prophecy of Isaiah 9:2-7 serves as the books preface, foretelling the birth of the Savior who “…will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

True to a traditional telling of the Christmas story, “A Child is Born” adds a modern astronomical element as well, offering a scientific explanation for the “star” seen by the Magi.  We see the Magi referring to a triple conjunction of the planet Jupiter with the star Regulus in the constellation the Lion – representing the Kings of Kings of the House of Judah.

In the afterword we learn that Rick Larson, a lawyer, had become “obsessed” with figuring out the puzzle of the Christmas star that signaled Christ’s birth. Acquiring an astronomical software program, Larson ran it back about 2,000 years and “uncovered a celestial poem so beautifully written it changed (his) life forever.” Larson produced the DVD “The Star of Bethlehem,” which Tucci used to incorporate the extra-Biblical but historically-accurate account of the rare astronomical activity that would have drawn the attention of the Magi.

Published by Apostle Arts, “Billy Tucci’s A Child is Born” saw its first printing this month, just in time for Christmas.  It marks the artistic end of a trying year for Tucci, who saw victory declared in his wife’s battle with breast cancer.  As Tucci explained why he was creating a book without the usual “cowls and capes” to his oldest son, “Jesus is a superhero, William – the greatest superhero ever to walk the earth!”

See www.achildisbornbook.com for details.

–BIG THANK YOU TO OUR CONTRIBUTORS AND COMMENTERS–

Due to the superb day in/day out of our family of contributors, according to Technorati,  Big Hollywood is now a Top 100 site in the world of film, politics, entertainment and comics.

We’d also like to thank our vibrant community of commenters who add so much to every post.

No easy thing. And BH is just twelve notches from taking a fifth crown.

We also want to thank the many, many sites out there with whom we exchange the link love.

–TICKETS FOR ‘110 STORIES’ GO ON SALE IN NEW YORK TODAY–

People I trust tell me this is a play exactly as advertised and attached to a very worthy cause:

Via BroadwayWorld.com:

To commemorate the Tenth Anniversary of 9/11, a highly distinguished cast of film, TV & amp; stage actors will gather for a benefit reading of Sarah Tuft’s “110 Stories” on September 8th & 9th at The Skirball Center for the Performing Arts i n Manhattan. The illustrious cast – including, subject to availability: Lauren Ambrose, Andre Braugher, Billy Crudup, Edie Falco, Melissa Leo, Aasif Mandvi, Chris Noth, Vincent Piazza, Andre Royo, Susan Sarandon, Stelio Savante, Pablo Schreiber, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Michael Stuhlbarg, Kathleen Turner, Merritt Wever & others TBA – will share first person accounts of the tragedy.

According to 110 Stories’ Playwright/Creative Producer Sarah Tuft, “It’s the human side of history, without politics & agenda, giving voIce To those who experienced 9.11 directly.” A love letter to New York City, the play was most recently performed by an esteemed cast at The Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles in 2010 with proceeds going to LA Red Cross for Haiti relief.

The Tenth Anniversary benefit reading of 110 Stories is Executive Produced by Ryan Heil/LIVEStyle Entertainment & Produced by Samira Qureshi, Stelio Savante & Cori Silberman. Proceeds from the event will go to the New York Says Thank You Foundation.

You can purchase tickets here.

–ENDRE BALOGH’S PHOTOGRAPHY BOOK ARRIVES WITH DAVID MAMET FORWARD–

Longtimes readers remember Endre as on one of Big Hollywood’s early, crucial contributors. While primarily a musician, Endre’s interest in photography has resulted in the coffee table book: “Black And White In Bloom – Photographs by Endre Balogh – With a Forward by David Mamet.”

Please check it out here.

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TODAY’S QUICK HITS

FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA BACK IN THE DIRECTOR’S CHAIR

IF YOU COULDN’T MAKE THIS YEAR’S COMIC-CON, HERE’S A PHOTO DIARY

AVENGERS ARTWORK REVEALED: NORTON OUT. RUFFALO IN.

JOHN CUSACK IS EDGAR ALLEN POE

RANDY QUAID WANTS TO COME BACK TO AMERICA

EXCELLENT COMIC-CON COVERAGE AT SCREEN RANT – SCROLL, SCROLL, SCROLL…

HARRISON FORD AS WYATT EARP?

TRYING TO CARE. FAILING.

TRYING TO CARE. FAILING.

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CLASSIC PICK FOR TUESDAY JULY 26, 2011

TCM:

6:30am EST: Days of Wine and Roses (1962) —  A husband and wife fight to conquer alcoholism. Dir: Blake Edwards Cast:  Jack Lemmon , Lee Remick , Charles Bickford. BW-117 mins, TV-14, CC, Letterbox Format

One of director Blake Edwards’ best films, comedy and otherwise, thanks to an unforgettably haunting performance from Lee Remick, and Jack Lemmon delivering one of the finest performances ever put on the screen.

Much has been written about this harrowing, mature tale of a young Manhattan couple who have everything before they lose it all to the nightmare of alcoholism (and worse) — so I’m not going to rehash all of that. Instead, I’ll make one observation as to why I think the film remains as powerful today as ever: the stark contrast between the first and second half of the story.

The first hour or so of “Roses” plays like a straight-forward Billy Wilder comedy/romance. The gorgeous black and white, on-location Manhattan photography mixed with the production design and J.P. Miller’s witty and romantic script, could’ve worked just as well had the film’s emotional tone never changed. We love these characters and we’re rooting for them to be together. You can’t ask much more from a movie than that.

The second half, however, takes you into the darkest of places in ways you never expect. As each new scene unfurls and the couple spirals deeper and deeper into the despair of their addiction, you feel the horror of every plot-turn like a punch to the gut. This is directly due to how well the first half of the film is executed. The impact of having seen Lemmon and Remick’s characters at their best — young, vibrant, and with their entire lives ahead of them — compared to who they eventually become (as individuals and a couple), is devastating. You feel the loss every bit as much as Remick’s father, who’s played so well by the great Charles Bickford. The impact of remembering who they were is where the film’s emotional power really comes from.  

The plot never turns on the topic of alcoholism. It turns on the young couple’s relationship. Act two doesn’t begin with anyone going on some sort of bender. It begins with our protagonists coming together. Pipe is certainly (and brilliantly) laid for what’s to come, but like any romance picture, this is the story of two people the audience wants to see together and the obstacles that keep them apart.

If “Roses” were a story about alcoholism, it would be as forgettable as most films about alcoholism. Wisely, “Roses” is first, foremost and always a love story. The drinking is merely an obstacle to their finding a way to be together; a devastating, heartbreaking obstacle.  

 A perfect film in too many ways to count.

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Please send tips/suggestions/requests to jnolte@breitbart.com

As the trailers started to circulate the web, I begrudgingly admitted they looked pretty cool.  My geek streak is certainly wide enough to get down with some old-fashioned alien invasion stuff and I realized that the movie would feature my beloved Marine Corps, OSR (Ooh-Stinkin’-Rah). However, my distrust still prevented me from getting excited about it.

As the release date neared, I was torn.  Do I go see the movie, take my licks and try to enjoy the action aspect of it or do I give it a pass?  I decided on the latter.  I was not going to pay good money to go watch my brothers and sisters get crapped on again.

Then, last week I read an article in which Aaron Eckhart talked about the film:

“This movie, in my opinion, is meant to be a love letter to the Marines. We had their full cooperation. They had my full cooperation. I tried to get it right. I think this movie is very reverent towards the military and reverent towards the ranks, both the officers and the Marines and the grunts. I don’t see how any Marine can see this movie and feel like they’ve been at all taken advantage of. I think this is going to be an oo-rah moment for them.”

Now, look.  It’s not like I’ve never been lied to by someone trying to get butts into seats but this struck me as a quote that would be pretty doggone hard for Mr. Eckhart to walk back.  So, I decided to take the man’s word for it and plunk down my money for a few tickets.

Aaron Eckhart is no liar.

Battle: Los Angeles is a kick ass war picture!  Eckhart’s turn as SSgt Nantz was impressive and the rest of the cast was very good as well.  Tons of action, some particularly tense moments and some tender ones as well.  And get this… the Los Angeles audience cheered at the end.  I haven’t seen that in this jaded town in quite a while.  My wife, her father and I left the theater exhausted.

Now, I’ll leave the critiques of the finer points of filmmaking to those who do it (I’m looking at you, Leigh Scott).  My mission today is to set your mind at ease and get your butts into seats.   No sucker punches in this one, kids.

Eckhart called it a “love letter”.  Marines, prepare to be wooed.

Semper fi.

Too great an indulgence in adolescent exhibitionism can often suppress the audience appeal of a work of culture.

That’s apparently what happened to the new film Kick-Ass this past weekend. It had an unexpectedly weak first three days, finishing second in U.S. movie ticket receipts, behind How to Train Your Dragon, which is in its fourth week of release. The newly released comedy Death at a Funeral finished third, with a $17 million box office take, about what was expected.

Kick-Ass is by no means a a sleazy film, but it’s more than a little sanguinary and includes some very nasty language—spoken by children, no less.

It brought in a respectable $19.8 million, but that was much less than the $30 million industry observers had expected it to snag. The industry buzz was that Kick-Ass would have strong appeal to audiences after getting an excited response at last year’s Comic-Con and a big wave of Internet interest.

It went into theaters with an R-rating, however, which is generally a drag on ticket sales, and the fact that the central characters were children but the film couldn’t be seen by that age group was clearly a difficulty. It did get good reviews, however, and the studio’s head of distribution said he expects word of mouth to be strong.

Of course, he’s paid to say that and to hope it’s true. Hence the lesson remains. Sensationalism can be great fun, but it’s not as big a draw as Hollywood seems to think.

Morgan, who became a pop culture sensation by playing Lacey Underall in “Caddyshack,” started her career in broadcasting. “I ran camera, I ran sound,” Morgan tells Big Hollywood. “But they wouldn’t let me on camera. ’You’ll never get a job,’ they said.

A few years later, she was sharing the screen with Chevy Chase in the 1980 comedy classic.

Morgan’s “Caddyshack” role gave her an early lesson in how Hollywood works, and it wasn’t pretty. The day before her nude scene, a producer called to say a Playboy photographer would be on set to snap pictures which would run in the nudie magazine.

Morgan balked. She was the Irish Spring girl at the time, and she didn’t want to be forced into something she hadn’t signed on to do.

Her agent offered little support.

“Honey, you’re not a doe-eyed girl from the Midwest. Handle it,” she recalls him saying. “I fired him.”

Morgan held her ground on the fateful day, even though a producer told her in an expletive-packed diatribe that she’d never work in the business again if she didn’t toe the company line.

“I don’t have a problem with nudity. I have a problem with bullying,” she says.

She had other on-set fireworks, too. She became one of many actors who had trouble working alongside Chase.

“We were fighting at one point and not speaking to each other,” she says. “He refused to work with me until I apologized, and I said ‘no.’”

She doesn’t harbor ill will towards the “Fletch” star.

“In any work situation or even in a sport, you work to the level of your opponent,” she says. “He did me a favor.”

Working with the late Rodney Dangerfield offered the opposite experience. She recalls having lunch with the pop-eyed funny man, during which he tugged at his collar as if he were on stage.

“Am I OK? Am I OK?“ he asked her. “Yeah, you’re stealing the movie,“ she said.

“Caddyshack” 1980

Morgan relives her “Caddyshack” experiences by participating in regular golf tournaments, often with some of the film’s co-stars.

Morgan, whose father fought in World War II, is passionate about supporting the US military. Her father, a Polish immigrant, lied about his age to join the army and was proud to be an American.

She uses her “Caddyshack” fame to appear at corporate events as well as help as many soldiers as she can.

She served as director of the Caddyshack Reunion Golf Tournament in 2006 in Oak Brook, Illinois, which reunited some of the “Caddyshack“ cast along with other celebrities. The event raised money for the Illinois Military Family Relief Fund, an organization which helps the families of National Guard members and reservists on active duty.

Morgan also starred in another cult favorite, the Disney film “Tron.” But you won’t find her in “Tron Legacy,” the new film coming to theaters next year, even though original stars Jeff Bridges and Bruce Boxleitner appear in the new movie.

At the recent Comic-Con, young women routinely approached Morgan to ask why won’t be co-starring in the new film.

She still gets a kick out of the reaction she receives at various public events.

“Men think they already know me,” she says. “But as they get closer and closer they become that 14 year old again. A lot of men do stammer and blush a little bit.”

But her fan base isn’t just older men who grew up ogling Lacey. Some autograph hounds are men in their 20s, while many others are women who connect with her famous character.

Morgan promises to share much more about her movie fame in her forthcoming book, “From Catholic School to ‘Caddyshack,’” set for release next year – 2010 marks the film‘s 30th anniversary.

For South Pasadena-based actor Greg Sestero, however, the dream became reality when his friend Tommy Wiseau managed to raise $6 million to write, direct and star in a movie called “The Room.” Keeping a promise he made years before when the two thespians met in a San Francisco acting class, Wiseau hired Sestero to be his co-star.

That should have been a happy ending, with the film either fading into oblivion or rising out of Sundance-style film festivals to become an indie sensation. Instead, “The Room” became wildly popular for an entirely different reason: it’s regarded as one of the great camp classics of all time, a movie considered so bad it’s brilliant.

Its monthly midnight showings at the Laemmle Sunset 5 theater in West Hollywood routinely sell out all five of the theater’s screens simultaneously, with crowds that have turned the viewing experience into the craziest interactive movie party since “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”

The entire crowd will walk out for five minutes during an especially long and graphic sex scene before reclaiming their seats, or members will throw spoons at the screen whenever a framed picture of a spoon appears onscreen (that happens a lot).

But the film is a hit on its own bizarre terms, and Sestero is proud to note that this Saturday’s screening should be the biggest one yet, as both BBC and a Canadian news team are sending cameras to record all the madness.

“I didn’t think this was drama or comedy,” explains Sestero. “I just thought this thing is going to be wildly entertaining. I think with Tommy, that’s one way to describe him – whether it’s an acting class or hanging out, going anywhere is an entertaining experience.”

Perhaps Entertainment Weekly describes the film best. In a recent story, the magazine noted that even celebrities have joined the film’s rabid fan club, with Cameron Diaz attending New York screenings and Paul Rudd hosting elaborate viewing parties of the film’s DVD in his home.

As writer Clark Collis notes:

The Room is a San Francisco-set love triangle involving a banker named Johnny, his friend Mark, and Johnny’s fiancée Lisa, who is sleeping with both men.

The film does seem to be beset with problems. Various subplots are inadequately resolved or simply disappear altogether, including the throwaway revelation that Lisa’s mother is suffering from cancer. The film’s many rooftop shots feature an unrealistic San Francisco backdrop, thanks to some less-than-impressive greenscreen work. There are lengthy, un-erotic sex scenes, the last of which prompts a section of the audience to depart the auditorium temporarily in mock protest.

Finally, in one sequence, a sharp bone seems about to erupt from Lisa’s neck for no reason at all.

Sestero first showed interest in show business by writing an unproduced sequel to “Home Alone” that the original film’s writer, John Hughes, acknowledged warmly in an encouraging note after the aspiring scribe sent him a copy. He notes that “The Room” hasn’t ended his career, but has amazingly opened new doors for him, including upcoming roles in two films by Regent Entertainment, producers of the Oscar-nominated film “Gods and Monsters.”

Between roles, he and Wiseau hopscotch the planet hosting screenings in more than 30 cities – from London to Sydney – where the fan base has also rapidly grown. And while he’ll be in New York promoting the film during the Aug. 29 LA screening, Sestero sounds like he’s ready to defend the film for a long time to come.

“It was one of the three top-selling DVDs on Amazon a few weeks ago,” says Sestero. “We were at Comic-Con last month and it’s insane how many people know about it. All I can say is people are riveted. Except for the sex scene where people purposely walk out for a minute, not one person leaves their seats in the entire movie, even to get a drink or go to the bathroom. How often do you notice that?”

“The Room” plays at midnight Saturday at the Laemmle Sunset 5, 8000 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood. Advance ticket purchases are highly recommended.

Eddie Murphy said something like that to Ron Howard on SNL back when Howard was making the transition from Opie Cunningham to big-time Hollywood auteur. And now I know how Mr. Murphy feels: Fox has green-lit a sitcom called “Rednecks.”

When I saw the title, I winced, then thought, “I wish I could write for that show.” This illustrates the relationship I have with stereotypes and character-based clichés; I keep them at an arms length embrace. It thrilled me to see white trash characters north of the Mason-Dixon line in “Gone Baby Gone.” But you change the accents, swap Boston, MA for Austell, GA, and I’ll act offended while secretly admitting the portrayal is dead-on. “Rednecks” it turns out, is set in Buffalo, NY. Let the head-scratching ensue.

Stereotypes are to artists as idiots are to the Obama administration – i.e., they’re both useful. But both can bring down their respective masters. Here’s a bottom to top list of stereotypes and clichéd bullsh*t I’m ready to see retired.

5. The Angry Black Man: Once Ice Cube starred in a series of family movies, this cliché came to a screeching halt. Not that I think Ice Cube is a sell-out…on the contrary…

4. Selling Out: U2’s a sell-out, Sam Raimi’s a sell-out, Sean Penn’s a sell-out…good for them. I’d jump at the chance to sell-the-hell-out. All of these guys are doing what they’re doing so that wouldn’t have to work at a Dublin Brewery, or a Detroit assembly line, or…I dunno. A friend of mine said, “I used to like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but after ‘Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magik’, they sold out.” Funny. I knew folks in 1991 who thought the Chili Peppers were sell-outs BECAUSE of that album, and now it’s their defining album. And for what it’s worth, there’s nothing wrong with working at a Dublin brewery, a Detroit assembly line, or…I dunno.

3. The Left-Wing Documentary: Really, I thought the trailer for “Food, Inc.” was fascinating, right up to the part when an interviewee said, “They’ve made it illegal to…” and a picture of George W. Bush flashed up on screen. After that, all I heard was “blah, blah, blah.”

2. Getting Offended: I laughed at most of the anti-Bush propaganda. The closest I came to getting offended by any of it was when I saw a kid at Ivanhoe Elementary School in trendy Silver Lake/Los Feliz wearing a shirt that read “I hated Bush Before It was Cool.” And now, the jOker poster. I thought we were supposed to be the stodgy prudes, but no, the left has their panties in a twist. Suck it up, you panty-waists! I’m gonna pour sugar on your feet to keep the ants from eating up your candy asses.

1. The Bitter Ex-Jock: This one’s close to my heart. Nerds/geeks/dorks/dweebs have this fantasy that they will one day be rich, that the jocks who torment them will be stuck in [insert Podunk town here] lamenting the glory days. The nerd will move to L.A. or New York, and will return to [insert Podunk town here] to rub it in the jock’s face. The whole premise of the Ryan Reynolds smarm-fest “Just Friends” was based on this cliche. I was a nerd/geek/dork/dweeb. I moved from Powder Springs, Georgia to Los Angeles. Well a funny thing happened for me on the way to L.A., and that’s that I realized (a) the Podunk town ain’t so bad, and (b) the jocks were probably right to pick on me. We nerds/geeks/dorks/dweebs are often a bunch of intolerable know-it-alls, especially in packs (see, Nerdis Gras, also known as Comic-Con).

I remember a moment when me and a jock in my high school really connected, because he liked the Beastie Boys as much as I did. “What do you like about them?” I asked feverishly, without giving him a chance to answer, “I like that they take the hip hop culture and infuse it with the suburban punk rock aesthetic.” He said, “I like listening to it in my car while I have sex,” high fiving his friends on the way out the door. Undaunted, I countered, “You didn’t really answer my question!” He returned, gave me a swirly, a wet willy, and a wedgie, at which point I considered the conversation closed.

Don’t get me wrong, nerds/geeks/dorks/dweebs… I am you, and you are me. Sometimes jocks dig Star Wars too; they just don’t feel the need to pontificate about it while dressed like a Tatooine farm boy.

Doing that will and should get you slapped on any number of systems.

Which might have been how it was, and even how some purists wish it had stayed, but no more…

Uhm, I mean, No More!

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For first-timers nothing can prepare you for the actual event, including someone warning you that nothing can prepare you. What you’re in for is a monstrous mash-up of film, television, graphic novels, celebrity, and humanity. “Vast” is the only way to describe the San Diego Convention Center. It looks to be as large as one of those “Star Wars” matte paintings which gave infinity of depth to certain locations… and this infinity is packed with people. Tens of thousands of them snaking through aisles, waiting in line for events, stopping at rows and rows of booths filled with catnip; everything from life-size Terminator replicas to Princess Leia key chains, graphic novels, posters, comics, action figures, DVDs…

The event lasts four days, and it’s easy to see why. Just giving the proper attention to everything on the main floor would take a day or three. But scheduled throughout are panels, presentations and sneak peeks held in huge auditoriums on the upper floors.

Luckily I wasn’t alone. Big Hollywood Co-Owner (Andrew’s business partner) Larry Solov came along. Because he’s more organized than I am, we saw more than I would have alone and he was able to shake me out of a few nerd-fits as the vibe of the place bubbled something from deep inside. Did I really want to show Jim Kelly the Bruce Lee drivers license I carry everywhere and ask him to kick my ass? Did I really yell at a couple of “Star Trek” characters for disrupting the dork-space continuum as they recklessly engaged in a phaser war with cyclons from “Battlestar Galactica?” Was that me who subconsciously hummed the iconic episode music after sniffing “Pon Farr” at the Star Trek perfume counter?

Nope. All lies.

L-R: Me, the still impossibly hot Cindy Morgan from “Caddyshack,” and Larry Solov

Familiar faces are everywhere. In just a few hours we saw Lou Ferrigno, Mark Hamill, Big Hollywood’s own Doug TenNapel and Adam Baldwin (both of whom were rock stars constantly surrounded by fans).  Upstairs is where the autograph booths are concentrated. Dozens of fan-favorite stars shift in and out throughout the day and days. We saw Margot Kidder (Lois Lane), Gil Gerard (Buck Rogers), Richard Hatch (Apollo from “Battlestar Galactica”), Adam West (by far the most popular), George Lazenby (James Bond), Maud Adams (Octopussy) and a host of other Bond girls, along with familiar faces from cult films like “The Warriors” and various cable sci-fi shows.

Pose 2 — This time with me, Cindy, and Billy Crudup

And they all charge per autograph. At least twenty bucks for a signed photo but that does include a picture together. Easily the highlight of my day — and quite possibly my life — was getting a signed “Deuce Bigalow” photo from The Mighty William Forsythe (a personable guy but the short-fuse of menace he brings to the screen isn’t all acting). And imagine my excitement when Detective Chuck Fowler agreed to pose for a photo — and I would like to thank Larry for the artful way he captured this once-in-a-lifetime moment:

When you first arrive at Comic-Con make sure to drive up to the Convention Center and get a feel for what it might be like to park nearby. Roll down the window and take in your last breath of “convenience.” Then roll the window back up and look for someone who might help you find parking. Most people you ask will just laugh and walk off. Others are just as unhelpful but at least concerned enough to provide a list of provisions you’ll need for the walk from whatever parking you find back to the Convention Center: canteen, peanut butter crackers, tent…

You’ll end up parking a few miles away but at least it’s for a lot of money, which makes you feel like you parked close by. Then you jump on one of these, which costs nearly as much as parking… one way:

And be sure to remember where you parked. Who knows what these guys charge to pedal a grid throughout downtown San Diego.

Finally, you arrive. The lousy photo below barely captures about 5% of what’s going on outside the Convention Center. Everyone needs a badge to get in, so you have to make your way though all of this to find the will-call area holding yours:

Getting credentialed was fairly easy because Friday was Day 2. Thursday, opening day, was a madhouse.

People are everywhere, thousands of them. Thousands. Larry and I were able to find each other because we were the only ones dressed normally (I keed, I keed).

The first place we visited was the main floor where the atmosphere is filled with excitement and very, very friendly. As packed as it was (and it was packed) everyone’s in a good mood, just happy to be there. No pushing, shoving or even a hint of rudeness or impatience. The longer you’re there, the more impressive this reality becomes because Comic-Conning is hard. Not just the crowds, but the lines. If you want to do anything above and beyond browsing, you have to wait and hope to get in. Screenings, presentations, panels and even some autographs require patience and a willingness to stake out a spot. Even the food lines were daunting.

But still, everyone was in a great mood, having a good time, including me.

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Han Solo and Princess Leia are everywhere. So are Boba Fett and Stormtroopers. This Han sells it because he totally plays it straight (see below). Leia sells it because, well, look at her. Still haven’t figured out the Asian Elvis/Han Solo guy… But I’ll bet someone reading can explain it.

In case it’s still not clear, these photos were taken on 07/24/2009.

You might think this young man is a pale imitation of Harrison Ford, but I’ll bet this guy never had his chest waxed to bring “awareness” to his ailing career deforestation.

This is what happens when you give a camera to a balding, middle-aged heterosexual male.

Everyone loves to pose. Good sports, all.

Don’t let these photos fool you. Comic-Con doesn’t feel at all political. But Barack Obama is our president and he used to be popular, so there were a few things like this around:

The “Obama Inaugural Edition” (left) is about what you’d expect. “President Evil” has Obama taking on zombies with the heroic help of Sarah Palin, John McCain and Hillary Clinton. Just fun. Nothing political.

The ability to Comic-Con for four straight days must take a kind of super-human strength. After eight hours I was wiped and ready to go. So…

Weave through the crowd. $20 for the bike-car guy. Slow ride through sunny downtown San Diego. Get in my car. Crank the air conditioner. Enjoy the quiet and seclusion.

Nice people. Memorable time.

Many comic creators dreaded the move-in of the film and video-game industry. The center of the convention center is year-by-year sprouting more and more fancy studio spaces as evidenced by towering signs and a hogging of square footage. Meanwhile, fledgling artists with books under arm can barely afford their tables though there’s still a four-year waiting list to get booth space. With maximum occupancy filled by both exhibitors and attendees only one thing can happen…prices will go up. It’s the law of supply and demand.

As I stood within my booth today a huge swarm of convention attendees mobbed a booth. There was a sea of people trying to see someone inside doing a signing. The group was so big that even my six-foot-eightness couldn’t see who it was at the table. I pulled an Elvis-wearing-a-kilt aside to ask who was signing. “Jennifer Love Hewitt.”

In the afternoon I was joined by Electric Playground’s Victor Lucas for my yearly interview. Their show provides top commentary on video games and movies long before mainstream Hollywood media got either of these mediums. They don’t understand their broadest audiences and think people want to hear more about Perez or Paris Hilton than what’s going on with “Halo.” They’re wrong.

Mainstream entertainment news vomits, then trains and audience to consume it, then complain that the audience only wants more vomit. Entertainment news is lazy, they don’t want to dig up real events and only found the Comic-Con after five straight years of the sold-out event. They probably didn’t trust their audience’s interest in comics, and it’s probably unfathomable to them that the convention would be interesting even without Hollywood’s presence.

Comics have been around since the pyramids but video games and movies are relatively new to the scene. The medium of comics will outlive them and the Comic-Con will survive Hollywood’s flavor-of-the-decade interest just fine. In the meanwhile, it’s nice to sell books with Jennifer Love Hewitt signing right next door.

I got a boost when half way through the day Jon Heder and Dan Heder came by my booth. Jon was wearing a Dan costume and Dan came as Jon. I loaded them up with books and Jon told me about his new series he’ll be doing for Comedy Central and Dan is doing CG pre-viz work on a Gore Verbinsky project.

I keep bumping into one of my favorite artists, Eric Powell, who is a great artist and a good family man. He’s living the dream with his “Goon” comic book being developed into a CG animated feature by David Fincher.

The rest of the day is too similar to the previous days so I’ll shift to my dinner party I host each year for my forum buddies. We had a surprise guest, Gunnery Sgt. Nick “Pop” Popaditch! In case you haven’t seen his story on TV, he’s the Gunnery Sergeant that took a rocket in the face while battling in Fallujah. I met his family and gave him a copy of my graphic novel Monster Zoo, which was dedicated to our troops. He gave me a signed copy of his autobiography, Once a Marine. He has a bunch of different bitchin’ false eyes he swaps out. Tonight’s featured an image of a tank with cross-hairs.

I ended the night by having a cigar with my pals on the bay as a fireworks show launched from the Del Coronado Bridge. My voice is gone. I miss my kids since I leave for the convention before they wake and come home after they’re already asleep. One more day, one more post, then it’s a wrap.