World’s Greatest Toys!

This could be my favorite costume of the entire convention. On Saturday night, we walked the line of fans waiting in queue for the Comic-Con Masquerade Ball. We found this young girl who created and wore an incredible Captain America costume, and I was really taken by its faithfulness while being quite original and clever.

She had cuffed boots, but they had heels! She had the shield, but it was the old-school 40s-style badge shield!

Perhaps most impressive was her addition of iconic American patches, one on each arm.

Big props to this girl. I’m guessing she is maybe 15 years old, and a case-in-point example of my assertion that Geek-Grrls Rule!

Update: August 5, 2007 — It has been brought to my attention that this “girl” is actually a 19 year-old woman who regularly engages in CosPlay at comic book conventions. I apologize for my inaccurate guess.

As usual, Mego toys were few and far between on the exhibitor floor at San Diego Comic-Con. I did pick up a beautiful, unpunched ©1975a (1st Version) Mr. Fantastic from the Fantastic Four.

The best selection of Mego toys was found, not surprisingly, at Mark Huckabone’s Heroes West Coast Booth. Mark always brings an impressive array of figures and vehicles. Even if you’re not in the market to buy, Mark’s booth is a mandatory stop, year after year.

San Diego is a really beautiful town, featuring some phenomenal views. We stayed at the Harbor Sheraton, quite a ways from the hustle and bustle that surrounds the convention hall. Each night, we sat on the deck and enjoyed the moon light shimmering off the water. From our quiet hotel room, we could see downtown San Diego and watch the boats and battleships that dot the horizon.

Taking a much-needed rest on Saturday afternoon, Andrew, Martha and I were chillin’ out in the convention hall’s atrium. I spotted an adorable woman about 50 feet away. When she raised her head and gazed over our heads, I struggled to reconcile the emptiness where her eyes should be.

“Andrew, check her out,” I nudged my buddy. “Oh, cool,” he said. “She’s doing the ‘Dark Willow’ thing.” Not being a fan of Buffy, I had to take his word for it.

She started to leave the area, so Andrew and I ran over to request pictures. She is really pretty, but the black contact lenses were really creepy!

Having failed to bring drops, she was blinking her dried-out eyes furiously. She was a good sport and managed to keep her eyes open long enough for us to get some cool images.