Liz OhanesianWednesday night, we tried to work our way through the exhibit hall at the San Diego Convention Center. But Preview Night for Comic-Con isn't terribly different from most other nights at the mega-convention. It's crowded, loud and every few seconds you're bound to see something else that grabs your attention.
We weren't able to traverse the entire exhibit hall in one night, but we did get through the section home to vinyl toys and some unusual prints. Check out what we found.
Hi-Fructose
Credit: Shannon Cottrell
Art magazine Hi-Fructose will be home to signings throughout the weekend and has a slew of limited edition goods in stock as well. At 2 p.m. on Thursday, Greg “Croala” Simkins will be on hand to sign his “Dinola” wood prints, which are limited to fifty pieces. Friday, Hi-Fructose will unleashe Jeff Soto's exclusive Seeker vinyl figure. Saturday, Brandt Peters and Kathie Olivas will be signing Black Skelv exclusives.
Crossover
Credit: Shannon Cottrell
Crossover is a toy-heavy booth filled with lots of artists. Several of the artists involved have collaborated for their Comic-Con exclusives, creating toys that reference each other's work.
Camilla D'errico
Credit: Shannon Cottrell
When we asked Camilla D'errico if she had any limited edition or exclusive pieces at her booth this year, her friend laughed. D'errico has filled her booth with limited edition work, from giant plushies to one-of-a-kind screen prints to beautiful books from her solo show in Rome. Also, San Diego Comic-Con marks the debut of Tanpopo Vol. 3.
Tara McPherson
Credit: Shannon Cottrell
We spotted a good sized crowd hanging around Tara McPherson's booth Wednesday night for book signings. Amongst McPherson's pieces are lovely concert posters for bands like Faith No More, The Melvins, Sleater Kinney and Liars.
Grass Hut/Gargamel
Credit: Shannon Cottrell
Comic-Con regulars Grass Hut and Gargamel were often neighbors at Comic-Con. This year, though, they are sharing a booth. Gargamel has toys with custom paint jobs. Meanwhile, Martin Ontiveros and Le Merde have mash-up some of their designs for a few cool pieces available at the booth and Kiyoshi Nakazawa has a limited edition silks screen print of “Down Town Flood,” one of his contributions to the 2008 show “3000 Worlds in a Moment.”
Munky King
Credit: Shannon Cottrell
This year at Comic-Con, Munky King is debuting their first platform toy. Omi is based on Chinese opera and Japanese Omi masks. Each piece is packaged with a frame and removable base. The first series includes work from artists like Greg Simkins and Yoskay Yamamoto. Their Comic-Con exclusive, though, is based on Munky King's logo and designed by Lap Ngo.
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