Episode 36: Alamo City Comic Con 2014What a difference a year makes… Last year’s Comic Con was at least ten times more amazing than their inaugural opening in 2013. As a matter of fact, during the Con’s first year, they brought in over 35,000 visitors during the 3-day raid on the Convention Center. In 2014, that number skyrocketed to almost 80,000 and in some reports, as high as 100,000 people.This year, I got to spend more time enjoying the con rather than worrying about recording for the podcast, but luckily, that actually helped me relax and record probably the same amount as last year. First up, I was able to interview the owner of Bean Pot Toiz, Grego and their social media manager, Kaylah. We talked about the success of the collectibles market and how Bean Pot Toiz is different from other “toy†sellers. We also discuss their new project, Bean Creative, which is all about the customization of toys, vinyls, and other collectible items. Grego also discusses some possible future project to help fill the void that ArtSlam left and gearing it more towards vinyls and toys as the medium. Kaylah discusses the social media aspect of Bean Pot Toiz, the creation of the company, and we finally learn about the idea behind the name and the face on the Bean Pot can. Be sure to check out Bean Pot Toiz at www.beanpottoiz.com, on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!Our next interview was with Aaron Casas of Casas Ink. He tells us about how he got started in the apparel business and talks about how limited the runs for each design really are. We discuss the tattoo and surreal inspirations behind the designs of his shirts and the fact that he’s only been doing this for a year and already has a booth at the Comic Con. I also find out what the mysterious Casas Ink monster is and what it means. You can see and buy Casas Ink’s shirts at www.casasink.com, on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!The video of the interviews can also be found on YouTube!The rest of this episode includes portions of the panels at the Con. The first panel you’ll get to hear is George Takei and focuses on his Broadway musical, Allegiance. He takes various random questions from the audience and tells a hilarious story about his flight into San Antonio the prior day.Next, we have the King of Comics, Stan “The Man†Lee! One thing is true about Stan Lee, he is a character. Honestly though, he’s probably answered the same questions more times than anyone could count, so he keeps it interesting by playing the self-obsessed, DC hating, old guy, BUT we love him for it anyway. Finally, we conclude the episode with some of the Weird Science panel which included Anthony Michael Hall & Ilan Mitchell-Smith. The two discuss what it was like working with John Hughes, their favorite memories of working on the film, and Kelly LeBrock. It was great seeing these two together again but towards the end, I kinda felt sorry for Ilan, who, since he hasn’t been in Hollywood much since the 80’s and only had Weird Science, remained quiet as Hall was asked a ton of questions.I hope you all enjoyed this taste of the Comic Con from 2014 and maybe I’ll bump into you at 2015’s Con. Thanks for listening!You can contact us on Google Voicemail @ 210-802-1197, @ www.210LocalMedia.com/contactus, on Twitter: @210LocalMedia, on Facebook: /210LocalMedia & check out our main site @ www.210LM.comAs a member of the 210 Podcast Network, we are partially brought to you by Audible.com. Get your free audio book download and free 30-day trial when you visit 210LocalMusic.com/Audible. It also helps us keep the podcast network running. Thanks for listening!www.210LocalMusic.com www.itsaguythingpodcast.com www.210PodcastNetwork.com