It’s finally the weekend and Comic-Con is hitting full force.
FULL COMIC-CON COVERAGE: Comic-Con 2023
Friday at the convention center, there were cosplayers everywhere, including a special Barbie-themed meetup. Jamie Lee Curtis made an appearance for her graphic novel, “Mother Nature,” and a SAG-AFTRA picket line was seen at the south end of the Gaslamp Quarter.
Our reporters were out and about downtown looking for the best things they could find at Comic-Con. Here’s Friday’s list.
Cosplaying dogs
Linus and Lucy, who were dressed up as super hero toys, were taking a stroll on the San Diego bayfront. The two pups wore their costumes that won them the Humane Society’s Paw-mic Con contest. (Instagram .@linus_lucy_insta)
— Natallie Rocha
Wheelchair magic
Two kids were gifted custom wheelchairs from Magic Wheelchair, a Portland-based company that designs costumes for children in wheelchairs. Avy Cheng, pictured, received a costume of Peni Parker, a superhero from the Spider-Man comics, designed by Shawn Thorsson and his team at Thorsson & Associates Workshop. The costume fit to Cheng’s chair — even attaching to the wheels so it appeared like the character’s legs were rolling along with her.
— Maura Fox
‘Step Into Jurassic Park’ experience
Journey through Isla Nublar and see seven vignettes from some of the most iconic scenes of Jurassic Park at an activation at 325 15th St. in the East Village. This pop-up is a celebration of Jurassic Park’s 30th anniversary. It’s free and open to the public through Saturday from 10 a.m. at 8 p.m.
— Carlos Rico
NASA at Comic-Con
Here’s a lot of information in one sentence: In a couple years, people will launch a spacecraft at Jupiter because one of its moons might have an ocean which means there could be alien life swimming around in there. The vessel’s called the Europa Clipper. And if you stop by the NASA booth (#3845) they’ll help get your name engraved on that spacecraft! For free! You can actually do this online from anywhere by visiting go.nasa.gov/MessageInABottle. But the NASA booth people are very nice.
— Blake Nelson
Chainsaw Man and Power
Raine Conklin and Brendan Andrus, both from Santee, dressed as Chainsaw Man and Power from “Chainsaw Man,” a Japanese manga series. The anime follows Denji, a young man whose body can combine with a dog-like devil, allowing him to transform parts of his body (like his arms and head) into chainsaws. Andrus said it took about a month to make his harrowing costume.
— Maura Fox
A pirate ship for beer
Voodoo Rangers has taken over the San Salvador and turned it into a pirate ship during Comic-Con. There are drinks, games, music and more. Voodoo Ranger IPA has beer for sale and 100 percent of those sales go Lanfest, a nonprofit organization that focuses on building healthy communities through gaming. It’s free and open to the public for those 21 years of age and older, on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 12 to 6 p.m.
— Carlos Rico
Tiny Tina cosplayer
Indigo Halverson spent six months making this costume of Tiny Tina, a character from the video game series “Borderlands.” Halverson, from Corona, California, said it took a lot of research on the character’s look before sewing together the clothing and creating the foam hat and hair.
— Maura Fox
Luchador lore
Mexican wrestling icon Blue Demon Jr. unveiled the cover of his new comic book, in what was his first visit to San Diego Comic-Con. The new comic book, coming out later this year, will be the prologue to a new universe that includes a movie and a television show. Limited edition screen prints of Blue Demon Jr. by artists Humberto Ramos, Francisco Herrera and Jesse Hernandez will be on sale at booth 5017.
— Alexandra Mendoza
A deadly procession
The Echoes of the Unearthed procession from Paramount+ film’s “Pet Sematary Bloodlines” walked around the Gaslamp Quarter to promote the new film on Friday. There will two more processions on Saturday at 1 and 6 p.m. Plus, there is a Sinister Memorial and Sunflower installation at the Cat Cafe, located at 302 Island Ave., San Diego., open through Saturday.
— Carlos Rico
‘Andor’ cosplayers
A group of fans of the Star Wars series, “Andor,” gather for a photo. They’re dressed in costumes representing the prison uniforms worn by characters on the show. The cosplayers were heard chanting “one way out,” as they walked together through the exhibit hall, a nod to episode 10 of the series.
— Abby Hamblin
You’re welcome!
Darrell Waterford dressed as Maui from the animated Disney film, “Moana.” Originally from Hawaii, Waterford currently lives in Mira Mesa and says he’s a big fan of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who voices the character of Maui in the movie.
— Maura Fox
Medieval combat
Medieval combat broke out behind the convention center, in what looked like something out of a renaissance fair. The Society for Creative Anachronism organizes these yearly battle which occur every day during Comic-Con at noon and 3 p.m.
— Carlos Rico
Marvelous Maleficent
About three days ago, Escondido resident Jordyn Hoit decided to make a Maleficent costume. In a short amount of time, she created an elaborate design, complete with a pulley system so she can control the character’s wings from beneath the cloak. Maleficent, the villain in, “Sleeping Beauty,” who also had her own film series, is Hoit’s favorite Disney character.
— Maura Fox
The Junji Ito Experience
This weekend in the Marriott Marquis, there’s a portal into the “Ito-verse.” The gallery displays works of Japanese manga artist Junji Ito, who has been named a “special guest” at this year’s Comic-Con.
— Cameron Fozi
Pickle Rick
Comic-Con attendees may have spotted a giant pickle walking around the convention — that was Ricardo Robles, a Santa Barbara resident dressed as Pickle Rick from the animated television series “Rick and Morty.” Robles grew up in Lemon Grove.
— Maura Fox
Barbie cosplay meet-up
On the same day as the new “Barbie” movie’s official release date, cosplayers met up behind the convention center in their best Barbie and Ken attire for a photo shoot.
— Abby Hamblin
