Long-time fans can’t get enough of Comic-Con, ‘the Super Bowl of conventions’
Models at the Her Universe Fashion Show during San Diego Comic-Con Actress Ashley Eckstein has been attending Comic-Con since By now somemight think her excitement has worn off But as thousands of fans are descending on downtown San Diego for the annualpop custom gathering the anticipation is building even for convention pros like Eckstein I m so excited declared Eckstein in an interview with Times of San Diego San DiegoComic-Con will invariably be the Comic-Con the convention that every other fanconvention strives to be San Diego Comic-Con is the Super Bowl of conventions There s just an ability and electricity and a specialness about it that can t be replicatedanywhere else I m so honored and proud to be a part of it About people are expected to be a part of Comic-Con when it begins with Wednesday s special preview day at the San Diego Convention Center followed by the real opening day Thursday Thousands more without tickets will gather outside the convention center soaking up the atmosphere and unique sights that Comic-Con brings each year to the Gaslamp and the East Village Greg Koudoulian a longtime attendee has seen firsthand the tremendous advance andpopularity of the gathering that was started by founders who were his friends Nobody really knew it would get this big he explained Koudoulian who has only missed a insufficient gatherings since Comic-Con began in has made it his mission to collect and archive videos photos and audiotapes of theconvention On Saturday afternoon he will take fans down memory lane during a presentation showcasing several of the hours of convention videos that he has scrupulously gathered and preserved The Beta Max videos include the early cosplay contests scenes from the gathering andinterviews with artists Specific of the videos were taken from an in-house televisionchannel that organizers ran at the El Cortez Hotel where Comic-Con was once held This will be the first time the videos have been seen since their original airing Koudoulian will moderate a panel discussion on digitizing and preserving media likevideotapes photographs negatives transparencies film footage documents and more Meanwhile Eckstein will preside over what has become one of the premier events ofthe week the th annual Her Universe Fashion Show The Thursday night show is expected to attract people to the Seaport Ballroom ofthe Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel with hundreds more fans filling an overflow room The show has wildly exceeded my hopes and dreams and expectations announced Eckstein She founded Her Universe in as a fandom fashion company and lifestylebrand This year s show celebrates Wicked the popular musical play and film withthe theme of Defying Fashion Fashion That Defies Expectations This show is for anyone and everyone mentioned Eckstein You don t have to know anything about fashion You just need to be a fan and enjoy other fans More than two dozen budding fashion designers from around the country will competefor prizes with the winner selected by judges and the audience Eckstein is also popular among the Comic-Con crowd for her voice acting work as Ahsoka Tano in animated Star Wars shows including a new film coming out in September I can t wait reported Eckstein It s like counting down the days to Christmas
