Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Comic-Con: Just Take Their Avatars

What if the Guild was a LARP group?

Somewhere, there is at least one Guild fan who wonders how the show's logo would look like it it were really Felicia Day, Vincent Caso (Bladezz), Jeff lewis (Vork), Amy Okuda (Tink), Sandeep Parikh (Zaboo), and Robin Thorson (Clara) instead of their cartoon selves.

Well, that photo above will give you an excellent example. But they went one better and showed up in the flesh for their panel during day two of Comic-Con. This came after one unforgettable video called (I think) "Take My Avatar". Felicia said afterwards she wanted to write a song with the style of Stacey Q. Maurissa Tanchareon and Jed Whedon, two of many behind Dr. Horrible, helped out and produced the video. Jed directed it as well. It will go into general release a week before season three begins, about August 25th. Those on X-Box can get a preview if they know who to ask. One thing is for sure, you haven't lived until you see Jeff and Sandeep rap. Take that, Lady Gaga. That MTV Moonman belongs to Codex and her crew.

The Guild, dressed for fantasy

BUT....that wasn't all. The crowd got a look at the start of season three. In short, the gang is still trying to deal with the events of the party. That includes Clara and Vork having a moment, and Zaboo necking like crazy with Riley, the tall chick Codex hates. However, one moment will sweep it all away.
The Guild is about to be challenged by a group of gamers so ruthless, they cut ahead in line when a new game is released...or worse.
They are the Axis of Anarchy, and their leader is.....Wesley Crusher?

Sitting With the Enemy

Yep, that's Wil Wheaton. He said afterwards he was going nuts not being allowed to say he was part of this.
Someone else was under stress, too...

Guild Director

Sean Becker, who introduced the season three opener. He also mentioned how hard they worked: 12 episodes, 13 locations, more than 100 pages in script, all in 15 days.
Then comic book writer Scott Allie announced a Guild comic book, where the gang is seen in game mode and the real world, and how they often crash. It's amazing no one's tried that yet.

So, how has the cast enjoyed their massive boost in fame? The year before, a few only knew of Felicia and her little show. Thanks to Sprint and Xbox, it's very different. She admits thanks to Sprint and X-Box, their show has been exposed to millions of people. Those without X-Boxes can rely on MSN video.

Felicia was asked how she was able to make the gang ethnically diverse. She says she write characters for her friends. Jeff agreed, and explained why he went bald for his role, but not really. She was also very proud to get people who buy X-boxes, and not necessarily for the games, to see the show. She also gets a lot of female gamers aboard, too.

She also had a lot of nice things abut Twitter, which she did last year during Dr. Horrible's panel. She says it's great it allows her to communicate directly with the fans, and they she doesn't like celebrity culture where people deify others for not much. That, however, is OK with Sandeep.

They have had the experience of fans recognizing them. Jeff said it happened to him at a Steak and Potato Hut in Tuscon. Amy said the new popularity has gotten them a party bus. Vincent says he's a few people who are a little like Bladezz. Wil admitted he was into MUDs, which are like Worlds of Warcraft but it's in text rather than graphics. He's moved away from that, but is looking forward to being a big part of the fate of the Guild in 2009.

The new season, including the video that will be the MTV Dance Video of the Year in 2010, all starts August 25th. More at watchtheguild.com.

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