A huge IMAX movie screen is being set up in Horton Plaza Park for 2017 San Diego Comic-Con!
I just learned a bunch of cool events are coming to Horton Plaza Park for 2017 San Diego Comic-Con!
On Thursday at 7:30pm there will be an exclusive IMAX movie. I saw them setting up the equipment an hour or so ago. At the time of this posting I still don’t know what movie! (UPDATE! The movie is NOT Atomic Blonde as I surmised, but something else entirely. It’s called #IMAXandThrill, an exclusive IMAX Experience, featuring the one-of-a-kind IMAX pop-up theatre that you see in my photo!)
On Friday from 10am-4pm Netflix will be giving away branded koozies in the park.
On Saturday from 12pm-4pm there will be a Nickelodeon ice cream cart with free ice cream sandwiches. They will be promoting the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie.
On Saturday 6pm-7:30pm there will be an ATOMIC BLONDE fan event that requires a Comic-Con badge.
On Sunday 4pm-4:30pm there will be a Cartoon Network Steven Universe music video taping open to the public, and a big surprise is promised!
…
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
Wile E. Coyote in a business suit disguise. He secretly peers out of a window at the Chuck Jones Gallery. He’s hoping The Road Runner might zoom on by.
Wile E. Coyote was spotted this morning peering secretly from a window in downtown San Diego. Dressed in business attire, which was almost certainly a clever disguise, the patient cartoon character seemed to be waiting for his breakfast: The Road Runner.
As I walked down Fifth Avenue by the window in question Wile E. Coyote remained perfectly still. Like a cat. He appeared ready to activate another of his diabolical schemes. For a moment I hesitated with vague fear, searching the sidewalk and building above for a dangling anvil, a rocket or a large spring. Nothing.
And so, breathing a sigh of relief, I safely walked past the Chuck Jones Gallery in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter.
Is it Bartman? No? Then it must be another funny Bart Simpson superhero identity. This cool utility box is located in North Park!
Here come photos of another Bart Club utility box! This fun street art can be found in North Park at the intersection of El Cajon Boulevard and 30th Street.
This is the fourth instance of zany Bart Simpson artwork I’ve documented on the Cool San Diego Sights blog. You might recall there’s another Bart Club utility box in North Park, not very far from this one.
Looking down El Cajon Boulevard in San Diego past some imaginative Bart Club street art.Bart Simpson is a cat!Bart’s face takes on different forms and expressions.A cyclops eye or three eyes . . . Bart is one versatile cartoon character! A very creative artist has had some fun with The Simpsons, the longest-running animated show in television history.
A human connected to technology in this new public art mural. Park it, charge it! The seven-story parking garage is located at 707 Broadway. This photo was taken from 7th Avenue.
During a walk several days ago my eyes lifted with surprise at a very cool new sight. An absolutely gigantic mural has appeared downtown, on the seven-story parking garage located at 707 Broadway!
A quick internet search revealed the identity of the creative person behind this public artwork. Christopher Konecki of Cohort Collective is a self-taught spray paint artist whose work can be seen elsewhere in San Diego, including nearby at SILO in Maker’s Quarter. This particular piece, which was finished a couple weeks ago, is said to be the largest mural in San Diego. The wildly imaginative, cartoon-like design is meant to convey the intersection of evolving communication technology with art and personal human experience.
These photos proceed from the west side of the parking garage, to the north, and finally to the east. You can see just how colorful and amazing this art is!
The huge cool mural wraps around the parking garage. I see a hot air balloon, phonograph, radio tower, satellite and various buildings, all interconnected like a circuit.The artwork engages the eyes and mind with its detailed composition. Two clusters in the image are connected by the Coronado Bay Bridge.Moving around toward the brightly sunlit east side and 8th Avenue. The high mural is viewed beyond some trees.The parking garage adds its color to the adjacent building’s futuristic graphic, at 707 Broadway in downtown San Diego.And finally we are on the east side of the parking garage. Very cool!
…
Follow this blog for more photos of cool stuff! Join me on Facebook or Twitter.
People enter the Art of Comic-Con exhibit, opening today at the downtown San Diego Public Library.
Today a very special exhibition opened at the downtown library’s 9th floor gallery. The Art of Comic-Con, developed by Comic-Con International and the San Diego Public Library, contains a huge collection of original artwork used throughout the 45 year history of San Diego Comic-Con.
The exhibition runs through August 30 and should draw a crowd during Comic-Con week. During today’s two hour opening reception, super popular cartoonist Sergio Aragones was on hand to talk with fans and sign copies of his 40th anniversary Comic-Con cover. He was very friendly and spoke with everyone in line for a minute or two, always smiling and laughing and posing for the camera. He’s into his fourth decade of writing and drawing the adventures of the hilarious and very successful Groo the Wanderer!
Here are a bunch of photos! My small camera did its best in the dim light of the gallery…
Someone heading in to check out the gallery is wearing a 1997 Comic-Con International shirt.The Art of Comic-Con is a first ever museum exhibition consisting of original artwork used for past comic conventions.A cool mural composed of covers from past San Diego Comic-Con programs, plus other affiliated conventions.Past souvenir program covers feature many different superheroes and pop culture characters.A riot of fun images dazzled many visitors to the opening of this special exhibit.Close photo of part of the Comic-Con program book mural.I see Bart Simpson, a bunch of Marvel heroes, Star Wars characters, Balboa Park and much more.This part of the exhibit traces the history of the Comic-Con International logo and the development of the popular toucan mascot.Fun artwork that was used during the 40th anniversary of San Diego Comic-Con.The toucan is flapping around anticipating another Comic-Con!Someone checks out a display case containing an example of an Inkpot Award. These are presented to outstanding authors, artists and other creative luminaries every year during Comic-Con.I spotted Krypto the Superdog taking a nap among more enthusiastic human Comic-Con fans.Visitors check out original comic book art created for Comic-Con souvenir program books over the past 45 years.The Art of Comic-Con special exhibit contains original work from more than 60 notable cartoon and comic book artistsAll kinds of animals hang out in San Diego!Space alien asks Marmaduke for directions to Comics Con. It will be mere blocks from the Central Library! In a few weeks, I expect to see a few aliens walking around San Diego, too!I guess Jimmy Carter was having troubles during a past Comic-Con.Cartoonists of every stripe have contributed greetings for the Comic-Con souvenir book over the years.I spotted Conan the Librarian in downtown San Diego’s incredible new library!Commander Spock of Vulcan visited Earth back in 1974. Comic-Con then was held in the El Cortez Hotel, a couple blocks from where I’m preparing this blog!Mickey Mouse headed down to San Diego one year. I’m willing to bet he’ll be here again this year!In 1981, Peter Parker lost a game of strip poker with Mary Jane Watson!This guy is probably still looking for the San Diago Convention Center.Kid checks out a hands on exhibit showing how comic books are produced and printed.A penciled panel featuring Batgirl in action. Part of a cool display which demonstrates the processes involved in creating a comic book.Inked and finished cover of the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con souvenir book. The art celebrates the 75th Anniversary of Will Eisner’s The Spirit, by artist Michael Cho.Visitors to the San Diego’s Art of Comic-Con museum exhibit enjoy a huge mural from a 2008 book cover created by legendary cartoonist Sergio Aragones.Check this out! The mural by Sergio Aragones, of Groo the Wanderer fame, contains hundreds of characters romping about San Diego during Comic-Con!Everyone is heading toward San Diego! I bet they’ll crowd into the Gaslamp for an enormous cosplay and pop culture party!Gazillions of fans and cosplayers are assembled in front of the San Diego Convention Center!Superheroes are swinging and flying all over the place!The silly Sergio Aragones characters have materialized in San Diego from a fertile imagination.One wall in the Central Library museum contained original art used to create past Comic-Con souvenir book covers.Artwork used for the 1989 program book cover.1993 cover artwork from the legendary comic book and graphic novel artist Frank Miller.The Justice League flies into action in this original 2011 cover art from fan favorite Jim Lee.John Romita, Jr. drew some of Marvel’s Avengers for the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con souvenir book.Dave McKean cover artwork for 2013 Comic-Con.Jim Lee drew Superman for this WonderCon program book cover in 2013.Cliff Chiang’s Wonder Woman graced the cover of WonderCon’s program book in 2014.Sergio Aragones signed his covers from the 2008 book “Comic-Con 40 Years of Artists, Writers, Fans and Friends”. He’s a super friendly guy!If you’re going to 2015 San Diego Comic-Con, head to the 9th floor of the downtown library. The gallery is up there, along with some great views of the city!
A very cool comic art gallery created by IDW Publishing opened a little over a week ago in San Diego’s Liberty Station.
This morning I enjoyed an incredible treat. I checked out the new San Diego Comic Art Gallery, part of IDW Publishing’s new headquarters at NTC Liberty Station. IDW is the fourth largest comic book publisher in the United States, and their rapid expansion was the reason for their move. Their new home is in a renovated barracks at the historic Naval Training Center San Diego, located in Point Loma. NTC Liberty Station has become home to a number of other museums, galleries and cultural attractions, a few of which I’ve blogged about already.
The first exhibition at the San Diego Comic Art Gallery concerns the art of Kevin Eastman. He is a co-creator of the stupendously successful Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. He and Peter Laird imagined the funny characters during a casual brainstorming session over thirty years ago. Their Mirage Studios was founded in 1983. IDW now owns publishing rights to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, so original artwork provided by Kevin Eastman appropriately fills the comic gallery for the public to freely enjoy. Perhaps the most incredible part of the exhibition is a realistic representation of his studio, filled with creative materials and his own personal collectibles. There are shelves and shelves of toys, figurines and cool pop culture stuff!
Flash photography is not allowed in the museum-like gallery, because the light degrades the extremely valuable artwork. Consequently, many of my photos came out dim or blurred. Here are a few which turned out reasonably okay. They provide a flavor of what you’ll see should you visit!
The first exhibition of the San Diego Comic Art Gallery features the work of Kevin Eastman, co-creator of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.Kevin Eastman began reading comics and drawing at a very young age. Major influences include Jack Kirby and science fiction. He created a character named Ninja Turtle just for fun.One of several TMNT drawings in a front window at the new San Diego Comic Art Gallery.Many examples of original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle artwork are on display in the fun, family-friendly museum.Foot Warrior Chick and a Foot Ninja with cloak, two enemies of the world-famous comic book, movie and cartoon turtles.Images in one display show some work of comic artist Kevin Eastman and the studio where he has worked.The studio you see before you is what I work in today. Every item has been brought from my home studio, and personal collections spanning over thirty five years. Cowabunga Dude!Photo through glass of the Kevin Eastman studio, transported to San Diego for this special exhibition.Wood panel by studio window shows the four funny, dynamic turtles in action.Venus, wearing a blue mask, overlooks visitors to a room where kids and adults are encouraged to draw, experience and read about comic art.Inked panel is one sample of the fun TMNT artwork on display at the Kevin Eastman exhibition.From sketch to finished page, visitors to the gallery can view a comic book’s creative process.Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, Donatello and Splinter, the Turtles’ sensei.Shredder, the villainous leader of the Foot Clan in New York City.Colorful graphic depicts Raphael, of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.Life is Art. Paint your Dreams.
…
To enjoy future posts, you can “like” Cool San Diego Sights on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.
Cool San Diego Sights! 