the obligatory comic-con post (that’s mostly about the guild panel)

I didn't see enough of Comic-Con to give a comprehensive report. What I
experienced was a miserably hot and insanely crowded main vendor floor
that was more difficult to navigate than I ever remember it being
before – especially on Friday.  My highlights were visiting with the
friends I could get within 100 feet of and replacing my my Green
Lantern T-shirt. My regrets were not getting to go to any panels, not
being able to introduce Ryan to my friends who we couldn't get anywhere
near, and not having the time to do the usual exploring that always
results in discovering wonderful new books and artists, (hopefully,
I'll be able to spend lots of time at the small press booths I love so
much in October at Long Beach Comicon.)

What I can do, though, is talk a bit more about The Guild panel, which is what I remember most clearly, anway.

I almost skipped Comic-Con entirely this year. Without any new books (the release of Memories of the Future has been pushed back three times because I was working on Leverage and The Guild, and went to Seattle for a D&D session with Acquisitions, Inc.) and without a lot of stock on hand, it just didn't make sense to try and get booth space, invest in a pass and a hotel, and spend four days down there that I really needed to spend up here writing and publishing.

When Felicia asked me to come to The Guild panel on Friday, though, it was pretty easy to commit to one day of Nerd Promery, especially since I was going to be in Escondido the night before.

Incidentally, knowing that you have to get up at 7am the following day and plan to spend all of it getting your geek on gives +10 to all saves vs. Yeah, I Think I Will Have Another Beer. (Well, at least it does for me. I saw a few people at Comic-con who clearly rolled poorly the night before.)

So Friday morning, I met up with the cast of The Guild, and secretly rode to Comic-Con in a limobus that had been provided by Xbox. Did I mention that the limo had multi-colored pulsating lights, lasers, numerous video screens and a stripper pole? For those of you keeping score at home, a stripper pole is not as sexy as you'd think at 9 in the morning. Unless, I guess, it's the end of the previous night for you and your buddies.

There was a discussion about the stripper pole, and we all wondered if there were strippers who specialized in on-the-road dancing, and if so, did they log their experience by hours or miles? These are the things we wonder about, up here in the rarefied air of Xbox-provided-stripper-pole-limobus riding.

When we got to the convention center, they drove us into this loading dock that was down a ramp and through some security that wasn't nearly as tight as I was expecting. When we got out of the stripper-pole bus (as it came to be called) I felt like I was in a rock band. A few moments later, when all of us were walking down the hallway toward the elevator that would grant us access to the convention hall, I felt like I was a rock star – and I wasn't even in an awesome costume!

Fun fact: I was the only member of our entire party who not only thought the crates marked FREEMAN were hilarious, but stopped to take a picture of them that isn't nearly as awesome as I thought it would be. Oh well, I couldn't find a crowbar, anyway.

We went into the green room, where all of us tried – and failed – to keep our cool when the likes of Keith David, Dominic Monaghan, John Cho, Amanda Fucking Palmer, and Neil Gaiman walked in.

I could tell you stories, but what happens in the green room stays in the green room, except for this picture that I captioned Best. Tweetup. Ever. and posted with the explicit permission of all involved.

After a 20 minute wait, we headed down the hall to the stage entrance. I walked a little bit behind the rest of the cast, so I could plausibly claim that I was just there watching my friends. Yes, I'm crafty like that, so you'd better watch yourself, if you know what's good for you.

We listened through the door while they played the music video — which is hilarious and perfect and must be seen by everyone in the world or I'll unleash the Doomsday Device* — and then the cast walked in, to thunderous applause. It was pretty awesome to hear them get such a wonderful reception, from what I'd soon find out was a standing-room-only crowd. I heard the familiar theme music a moment later, and I knew that the screening of season three's first episode had begun.

I pressed my ear to the door, and listened. As the reveal of me and the rest of my guild grew closer, my heart began to pound. I'm not going to lie to you, Marge, for the first time in years, the
terrifying knot of nerves that usually sits in my chest before I go
onstage wasn't just cut, it was obliterated by excitement.

I heard my voice, and the audience gasped — they gasped! Then, there was a moment of silence, followed by a roar of cheering and applause.

Kim Evey (who most people know as the producer of The Guild, but I know as my friend and former ACME castmate) took the podium and said, in a sad voice, "We really wanted Wil Wheaton to be here today . . ." in a happy voice she continued, ". . . so he is!"

I walked into the room, did my best not to trip over anything, tried not to be intimidated by the size of the audience and their enthusiasm, and took my seat on the panel.

I was feeling pretty good about myself. I hadn't done anything stupid, I kept my hands where people couldn't see that they were trembling, I hadn't crapped my pants … and that's when I saw that Joss Whedon was sitting in the front row. About ten feet from me.

Let's take a look inside Wil's head, shall we:

Me: OMG OMG OMG

Brain: What?

Me: JOSS WHEDON IS RIGHT THERE! HE CAME TO THE PANEL AND HE'S RIGHT THERE!

Brain: Okay, just be cool.

Me: OKAY I'M BEING COOL.

Brain: No, you're staring.

Me: What?

Brain: You're staring. Stop staring.

Me: Shit. Okay. I'm not staring now. [pause] HOLY CRAP DID YOU SEE THAT JOSS WHEDON IS RIGHT THERE IN THE FRONT ROW?!

Brain: Yes, you mentioned that. Also, you're staring again.

Eventually, I broke out of the loop, which in WhetonIX looks like: (if near.joss=1, do {stare.like.idiot} fi;), and I enjoyed the rest of the panel. As I said in my post a few days ago, "I've known, written, and performed with a lot of these guys for
years, and I'm not surprised in the least that everyone loves them so
much. It rules to see so many people in the world (millions per
episode, I guess) finding out for themselves what I've known for years.Season 3 is going to kick thirteen different kinds of ass, and I'm thrilled to be a small part of part of it."

When the panel was over, we walked back to the green room and convinced each other that, yes, it was all real and they really did like us. The cast went to do all their booth-related duties, and I went out to explore Comic-con as just a civilian with my son for the first time in years.

Overall, though, I enjoyed myself. When we got home, I told Anne about the panel. "It was so weird to
feel like all these people were excited and happy when they saw me
in The Guild," I said. "I'd gotten to used to people automatically deciding that
I was lame and they hated me because of a character I played when I was
14, I didn't really know how to react to them, well, liking me."

"How did you react?"

"I was happy, and I may have done a little dance."

"You danced?"

"Okay, I jumped. Once. I had to maintain my composure, you know."

"Obviously."

"But it's weird, you know? On the one hand, it felt good — heh. 'I feel weird, but also good!' Um, that's …"

"Wesley when he's drunk. I know."

"How d—"

"I live with you. I pick things up."

*Not really. Oh, it needs to be seen, but I'm saving my Doomsday Device for something else. Besides, it's more fun to actually threaten to use the Doomsday Device than it is to actually use it.

Discover more from WIL WHEATON dot NET

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

101 thoughts on “the obligatory comic-con post (that’s mostly about the guild panel)”

  2. O.M.G. Trying not to laugh too hard at work…
    Not succeeding…
    Getting too excited for Season 3 of The Guild…

  3. Not this year, as it conflicts (like it always does) with important family birthdays.
    Maybe next year (which I’ve been saying for years.)

  5. That is all kinds of awesome. Though it makes me even more nervous for how I will react at PAX and if I will remain cool while I walk around with my press pass and actually have to talk to someone super awesome.
    I always love reading when the people who others go all fanboy/girl for do it themselves. But then I worry I am going to be a tard since I am new to this world and you so are not.
    On another note: I hope the stripper pole gets wiped down regularly with Clorox.
    Edit: Since Memories has been delayed a couple times, do you still see it ready for PAX?

  8. Wil, enjoy your posts quite often – this is one of the most entertaining ones I have read of late!
    Glad they loved you – others are finally realizing what many of us have known for so long.
    Kevin.

  10. so nice to read that people like you, who are somewhat of a ‘celebrity’, also get starstruck by some.
    i was in the comic-con masquerade this year, and so was backstage for getting dressed and such. took a wrong turn coming out of the little boys room, and went to a door i thought was the masquerade dressing room. some nice young lady opened it up for me with a lovely smile. i entered and was confronted your above-mentioned green room. sadly, you weren’t in there, but the whole cast of true blood was. quite odd to be staring at anna paquin when you were expecting to be staring at various anime cosplayers practicing their dance moves.
    needless to say, i just sidled up to a empty wall, pretended like i belonged there for a few minutes and observed the natives in their natural habitat, while they waited for their panel to begin and started making their way to the stage.
    somewhat surreal, to say the least. not unlike walking around downtown portland a while ago and seeing wil wheaton in courthouse square!

  11. That sounds like an incredible blast. Having experienced the rock-star lifestyle once or twice, I can attest to the surreality that lingers in the air when you’re around a mobile stripper pole or brandy glass full of monotone M&M’s. I’ve been lucky enough to have played a few big music festivals where I felt that perhaps they were mistaking me for someone else, that I wasn’t really the droid they were looking for.
    Also, I find that using a Doomsday Device too early in a relationship really just complicates things. I’d rather the end of time was something we could just ease into, like a hot-tub, when we were both comfortable.
    …the Doomsday Device is my penis.

  12. Wow, that sounds so amazing. Everyone deserves to feel like a rockstar at least once in their life. And the FREEMAN thing was funny! Why did no one else laugh?

  15. I rolled poorly on Thursday night (ended up at the Brutal Legend GWAR concert when I couldn’t find a lift to Escondido) so I missed out on what sounded like an awesome panel. Props to you and the rest of the cast, Wil! I can’t wait for the 3rd season. I already got my pro badge for Long Beach, looks like it’s going to be a good, mellow con.

  16. “I’d gotten to used to people automatically deciding that I was lame and they hated me because of a character I played when I was 14, I didn’t really know how to react to them, well, liking me.”
    Reading this one I had to grin, and I also had to make a typepad account just to tell you this:
    I’m glad I’ve gotten to know who Wil Wheaton is instead of who Wil Wheaton played on Next Generation. You’re an insightful, funny writer, and I always enjoy your posts (which I usually suck down via RSS feed). Keep up the great work!
    (and I would probably have a similar dialogue with my brainmeats if Joss Whedon walked into the room)
    -Turner

  17. Teh interwebz hasn’t sucked out my brain yet. I only recognized 3 names (Freeman not included) in the entire post. 😛
    Glad you had fun. I might watch The Guild (whatever it is and if it’s available in Canada) for season 3.

  18. Along with the “rockstar” theme. I swear to Dog, this has been my FB status all day (Devyani is the bellydance troupe I’m in):
    From the “where does my brain come up with this” file…dream from this am: Devyani was taking a private plane to perform in Vegas (in costume, no less) and we were geeking out over the fact that we were sharing the plane with Wil Wheaton and Dr Teeth & the Electric Mayhem. I worry about myself sometimes.

  21. I had a similar reaction when I saw Joss in person. The really sad part is I forgot my camera, and was actually wearing my “Joss Whedon is my master now” T-shirt. Talk about missed opportunities!
    And for anyone who hasn’t already seen the stripper-pole bus:

  22. My husband and I were watching Robot Chicken the other day, the one with Snirkles. 🙂 Anyway my husband says “I don’t get it, people don’t like Wesley?” I tell him, “Apparently not, and I guess people didn’t like Wil Wheaton either.” He says “What? Wil Wheaton is cool! What is wrong with people?” I told him “Yeah, I don’t get it either.” So you have had some fans all along!! 🙂

  25. I’m surprised y’all managed to get people to quiet down after such an exciting reveal! I mean, that’s like the best reveal EVER…there weren’t even spoilers!

  28. I don’t usually comment here, though I do read your blog and follow you on Twitter, but this post makes me so happy that I wanna comment! =)
    I’ve never watched Star Trek (I know, I know… please don’t hate me), but I really enjoy your tweets and I really like you from what I’ve seen in Gorgeous Tiny Chicken Machine Show, Retardid Policeman and Criminal Minds.
    So, I said all of this to say that I was one of the people that gasped when I saw you at the end of the episode!!! I came all the way from Brazil to Comic Con, basically for The Guild and Joss. The Guild panel was AMAZING and to have you there made it even more awesome! And now reading that you geeked out seeing Joss there… it adds awesomeness to the whole thing and I’m SO excited about Season 3!
    (And if you, being you… awesome and all… geeked out seeing Joss… you can’t imagine how I was. I thought I was having a heart attack. Too much awesomeness in one room.)
    And now I forgot where I was going with this…
    I guess I just wanna say that as a huge Guild fan, I’m VERY happy that you are joining that awesome cast. And I’m sure it’s gonna be an epic season! Go Axis of Anarchy!!! =)

  30. OMG Wil! That *IS* the best tweetup ever!
    So cool that you had Joss Whedon sitting so up close to your spot on the panel. Very cool, indeed.
    Sounds like you had some very enjoyable moments during Comic Con. You have to hold on to those special moments – sometimes, they are few and far between in real life. I’m glad that you had those. Some very cool ones for your collection.
    Congrats on the new series work – I’m especially happy for you that it is a project you are excited to be a part of. Far too many kinds of awesome!
    Thanks for sharing your insights; you truly paint a beautiful picture with your words. Thanks so very much for sharing. 🙂
    Oh, at @szark – thanks for the link – very humorous video!

  31. I too am on the other side of the pond and it’s times like this that make it hurt 🙁 Sounds like I missed one hell of a show. Wil are you ever coming to the UK?

  32. Oh, and here’s the thing I noticed about Joss: the whole time he sat there, he just beamed at Felicia, like he was so proud of her. I thought that was awesome.

  33. I apologize. I was not intending to wound, I was just looking for information. You see, I may have the need for a device of my own soon. I was hoping you might be able to point me to a good store or hire out your services to me. It is difficult to find a good Doomsday Device anymore.

  37. I watched most of TNG from the beginning. I really didn’t have much choice in it, being in a family of Trekkies and a geek in small-town Louisiana, and I’m proud of it. Until a few years ago, I only knew you from that character.
    Personally, I never had a problem with Wesley, and actually liked the character. I thought it was cool that a person just a few years older than I was could have the responsibility of piloting the Enterprise and playing on the holodeck, and I really wished I was in the future during the episode with Ashley Judd.
    I’m sorry you had to endure the newsgroups and hatemail directed towards you about that time, because I’ve never come across anyone who thought you or your character was lame.
    Since I’ve joined Twitter, and through that, your blog, I’ve really enjoyed the insight into Wil, the man. Your keynote at PAX a few years ago hit all the right notes and cemented your status with me as a guy I can endorse wholeheartedly.
    I’ll be requesting your books as Christmas gifts and looking forward to seeing you on Leverage and The Guild. Hopefully Joss will bring you in on his next project.

  38. That sounds like it was so much fun, Wil. Wish I coulda been there… sigh… One quick thing: I think you were so excited, writing about your stripper pole, that you wrote this: “Unless, I guess, it’s the end the the following night for you and your buddies.” Also: very jealous that you were in the same place with Dom Monaghan. You lucky duck!! Of course, he was lucky too, being in the same room with you. 🙂
    -Alicia (@AliciaWag)

  40. LOL Down with Moe, then! 🙂 Now when are you gonna make your way out to good ol’ New Jersey, hmmm?
    -Alicia (@AliciaWag)

  42. Just think of a plane as a relatively long-term, non-hassle-free stepping disc… please? 😀
    -Alicia (@AliciaWag)

  43. Sure. A turbulent, over-priced, uncomfortable, crying-baby-filled 5 hour stepping disc.
    Sorry. Now I’m just being glib. 😉

  44. Exactly! 🙂 See, it’s *almost* the same thing… 😉 Seriously, I do wonder if you’ll ever make it to an event out this way. You’ve got lots of fans on the east coast (let’s all wave together!) I think you’re a really groovy dude, & I’d love to shake your hand & tell you that in person. One day, maybe…
    -Alicia (@AliciaWag)

  46. Getting in that loop is inevitable when in the presence of individuals you admire hugely, or have a boatload more power than you do. Head dude in my department has more brass on his collar than Picard. I pray every time I have to go to a meeting with him that I do not make a WTF career-ending stupid comment in his presence. He knows my name, but I don’t think he’s associated the name with the face yet. You sir, don’t have that luxury. Take a deep breath, and remember you have a boatload of people who would geek out the same way just to meet you.

  47. when i saw joss whedon at comic con, i squeaked! like a mouse! and then i said “yay! Joss Whedon!!” and he looked at me…
    i think i would have done the exact same thing if i had seen you too “yay! Wil Wheaton!”

  49. Damn, with Mr. Wheaton becoming a huge star again, he won’t be going to the smaller Cons anymore, and no more Rock Band. It makes me sad.

Comments are closed.

Related Posts

Recent Posts