Hello Skkawliens! It’s time for a very “special edition” of Con Stories: Con Stories San Diego Comic Con (SDCC) Special Edition (see what I did there?). For the uninitiated, in this post we’ll be sharing one memorable convention experience from each day of the con. Since I’m going solo this year, it’s stories just from me. So let’s get to it!
Update 11-28-2021: Day 1 and Day 2 are focused on Lumpia with a Vengeance related experience and Day 3 is focused on outside SDCC pop-up experience. You may want to scroll past Day 3 if you want to read about Day 1/2 and vice verse. Thanks!
Surviving Peacemaker Proving Ground and La Brea Pop-Up (SDCC Day 3)
For my third and final day at SDCC, I decided to take myself outside of the con, and check out the pop-ups located at the Gas Lamp area of downtown San Diego (close to the SDCC convention center). So I ventured to the Peacemaker Proving Ground! Check out some photos of the expensive below.
Basically the Peacemaker Proving Ground was a little obstacle course that you, and a couple buddies, can do to prove you’re not completely worthless. They didn’t allow photos within the experience so I don’t have photos to share, but suffice it to say you start off being drilled by the staff, handed some huge nerf guns and instructed to fight your way through a couple of obstacles. It was totally fun! After the experience you get to get free food from their Peacemaker themed foodtruck. The empanadas were exceptionally good and worth the little obstacle course to get them. Also, Peacemaker’s very own “sidekick” eagle, Eagle Star, made an appearance and it resulted in some fun moments with my Starlord / Skkawlord cosplay.
Following the Peacemaker camp, I made my way to the La Brea Experience pop-up which was just one street away. In contrast to the above, La Brea pop-up was a little more mellow. It consisted of three photo opportunity sites, where the staff encouraged you to take photos on theme with the 10,000 B.C. iconic destruction including the giant mammoth skull. Check out the photos below.
Don’t worry, no Skkawlords we’re actually hurt in the making of the above photos. It was a lot of fun though and I even got a free chapstick for my “surviving” La Brea at SDCC.
Meeting the cast and crew of Lumpia with a Vengeance (SDCC Day 2)
As I said in my first Con Stories post below, a huge part of SDCC (for me) is supporting the work of projects I connect with. On top of that, meeting the people that worked directly on these projects, hearing their stories and hard work behind getting their projects through the finish line is just priceless. That’s why it was so awesome for me to meet the cast of Lumpia with a Vengeance for my second day of SDCC’21.
The night before, I had attended the exclusive SDCC screening to Lumpia with a Vengeance, and I had blast! I was laughing for the most part, and I really enjoyed their panel (which was held before the show). I’ll talk more about that in a separate post, but suffice it to say I had fun during the screening.
So fast forward to SDCC Day 2 and I line up to get some Lumpia Merch (yes that’s an actual thing) signed by the cast and crew of the movie. To be honest, it was really great to chat with the cast and crew at the signing. Seeing the representation at the signing table was phenomenal: everyone at the table was Asian American (mostly Filipino American). Being able to share stories with them, about their movie was just awesome. Explaining how their movie touched me in a personal way, especially after being away from friends and family back in the mother land (Philippines) due to the Covid-19 restrictions was just downright warming. As you can can almost see from my face (with my mask on), in the photos below.
I couldn’t have asked for a more heartfelt, accommodating, and caring cast I have ever met in any convention I have ever attended. And I have attended a lot or conventions! As you can see from above I got A LOT of Lumpia Merch signed – a lot of it though was free like the prints and posters that they gave away for attending their panel or being at the signing. All and all, it was an overwhelming welcoming and amazing experience form a set of folks that I only met a day ago (at their panel). But they certainly felt like family to me. Exactly what comic con is about.
To the Lumpia with a Vengeance “family”, congratulations to a successful screening at SDCC, and I’m rooting for your continued success. Huzzah!
Hanging out with Lumpia with a Vengeance Cast Member Francis Custodio (SDCC Day 1)
A huge part of Comic-con is about meeting people with similar interests, and supporting the work of projects that you can connect with. That’s why it was so awesome when I bumped into Francis Custodio (Lumpia (2003), Lumpia with a Vengeance) while waiting in line to get into SDCC.
Francis reprises his role from the original Lumpia movie, as James (a.k.a Mon Mon), for the sequel Lumpia with a Vengeance. In Lumpia with a Vengeance, James is now a Dad and his teenage daughter Rachel (played by April Absynth) teams up with a Lumpia (a Filipino spring roll) bearing crime fighter (also from the first film) to prevent a mysterious crime boss from destroying their home town, Fog town. The cast and crew comprise of a diverse background (Filipino American, South Asian to name a few). It was so great to hear and see this representation at SDCC. Also, it’s close to my heart since I’m originally from the Philippines myself.
Here are some photos of me and Francis at the line to SDCC. He even showed me the official Lumpia comics too!
Lumpia with a Vengeance had a special screening at SDCC this year, and I’ll be writing all about that in a separate post. For now, it was so great to have met Francis and spent time with him in line talking about the new Lumpia movie.
Keep following us here to get updates from our daily SDCC Special Edition 2021 adventures. Also, we’ll be sharing any big SDCC Special Edition Reveals and Announcements as they happen from the con.
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