Haven – a glimpse of Haven, Maine

Haven Biz Cards

The Booth on the exhibit hall floor at San Diego’s Comic-Con International for the SyFy show Haven was small, but fantastic.  One example is this small little give away, at first glance you might have thought the guys working the booth had their business cards lying out — but wait, they were for Dave and Vince, the brothers who operate the Haven Herald on the show.

And in the display case beneath the boxes of DVDs were props from the show — the letter Duke sent from the past to Audrey letting her know what had happened to him being just one example.

It was a bit startling to have fans, so enthusiastic about the show, yell at you from the far end of the booth, “hey, you, girl getting a Haven poster, did you go to the panel last year??”  I was so jarred by the abrupt yelling I might have said anything to get a bit of space, as I was caught up in the poster, the brother’s business cards, and processing all the cool props I had just read, and realizing how many of them I could place back to the episodes I had seen them in.  Some of the props had been general business cards and driver’s licenses, but others were keyed to very specific episodes, and like Duke’s letter, were iconic and brought back a rush of memories of scenes and plot points.

Four seasons of Haven have aired thus far, with a fifth eagerly anticipated by fans who saw a major turn of events in the fourth season as the status quo was reset and questions that were set forth in the pilot began to be answered.    If you have not yet seen this show, based on the Stephen King story The Colorado Kid, it’s time to tune in and start catching up.  Season five looks like it will be explosive in the best possible ways.

Agents of SHIELD Signing at the Marvel Booth

Ming-Na

Ming-Na

Clark Gregg

Clark Gregg – Coulson

Brett Dalton

Brett Dalton

I was five people from the end of the line for the Marvel Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. autograph session.  That autograph signing was, by far, one of my San Diego Comic-Con International highlights for 2014, and I am not just saying that because each of the kind ladies in the cast gave me a high-five (as did Jeph Loeb.)

By rights the cast could have been tired, and noticing that their session was about to end. They could have been shifting their focus to the fact they were about to move on to whatever came next, especially since it was approaching lunch time and often these events are so tightly scheduled for talent that they have a hard time finding a chance to sit down for a meal.

Chloe Bennet

Chloe Bennet

If the cast was feeling any of those things, you wouldn’t have guessed it to meet them and talk to them.  They gave every person who came through a bright smile, their full attention, and from first person to last made having stood in line for that moment of their time a highlight of San Diego’s Comic-Con International.  When you were in front of them you had no doubt that every ounce of their attention was devoted to you, and thanking you for tuning in every week to Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

But when they were done with the line they did not simply get up and walk away, instead they came down the few steps to where the crowd waited, and signed autographs for fans in wheel chairs.

Ask me to describe the cast of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D and Class Act comes to mind.

(And for those who love the Marvel Universe, I just have to mention, the Winter Soldier was the last person in line!)

Gotham – Lanyards and Badges

Gotham Lanyard Tag

Part of the Gotham promotion at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con International was at the Trolley Tracks area where people were handing out these very nice badges hanging from Gotham lanyards. Changing the angle on the back side and seeing the characters change identities was a nice use of the effect.

Vikings at San Diego Comic Con International

Vikings Cast at San Diego Comic Con International 2014

During the panel for the History Channel’s Vikings there was a lot of talk about the strength of the female characters, the intensity of the battle scenes, and the fact that a period of history rarely seen on TV, and cultures and places rarely portrayed are being brought to life.

Ragnar Lothbrok was a real person, written about in poetry, with a variety of legends having risen up around him.  It may be hard, in the case of Ragnar, to know the precise truth of his life, but knowing what we do about the time in which he lived, the History Channel’s show Vikings offers compelling entertainment, and an exciting glimpse into this period from the past.

Cast of the History Channel's Vikings at CCI in SD

The cast, which is working on Season 3 in Ireland, flew to San Diego for Comic-Con International, and talked about the experience of recreating both Norway and England from Centuries ago.  In season 3 more characters and, by the sounds of it, cultures and regions will be explored by our adventuring characters.

And as an added bonus for attending the Vikings panel, we received a Vikings Comic Book (published by Zenoscope) that I am looking forward to reading!