July 22-July 24, 2010 will always be remembered as the Sucker Punch adventure, at least for me.

On the very first day, the first signs of Sucker Punch’s presence were found at the Gentle Giant’s booth where the costume and maquettes were proudly displayed. Unfortunately, that was the only sign besides a few random guys overheard talking about it. Actually, there was also a bag WB gave away with Sucker Punch swag but we epically failed in getting that so let’s pretend that didn’t happen.

The second day, definitely more promising. Why? A poster showed up above the Sucker Punch display at the Gentle Giant’s booth and a wider version of it at the Legendary Pictures booth. Even more so? The wide spread Sucker Punch scavenger hunt for bracelets, one for each of the five girls.

So it’s a bracelet, what’s the big deal?

The fact that it was an activity that got a lot of people’s attention. Yes, there was a lot of free stuff being handed out at Comic Con 2010, especially if you made it to booths at the start of the morning or into panels and made the trek over to the Marriott to claim your bounty. But making you work for the ultimate goal, getting a free Sucker Punch t-shirt and a chance to go to the Sucker Punch after party if you could and did download an app and had the right bracelets (each had a barcode on the back of them)? It was genius as far as creating a stir and making it more memorable than all the free t-shirts being thrown into the crowds. Not only could you get a piece of the Sucker Punch swag by collecting the first four at various locations around the large Exhibit Hall, each location being significant to Sucker Punch, but there was more to it than just that.

Holding out on the white Baby Doll bracelet until the WB panel the next day, where only 6,500 people were let in to max out capacity, where most of the people in the front 1/3 of the room and more had spent the night to earn those seats (thanks a million again Bee and Shortie!!!!!), made the presence of Sucker Punch and the mystery behind it more present in a person’s mind.

Mind you while typing this I’m very aware that I’m biased, being a big Vanessa supporter and fan. I admit that. However, when random people are approaching you on the Exhibit Floor or even in Hall H to get a picture of all 5 bracelets, asking what the movie is about because they love the concept art on the t-shirts being given out as prizes, that’s when you know WB was successful in their mission, when the entire team was in creating buzz and awareness. That’s of course not even counting the reactions of those other people in Hall H with us!

The teaser trailer that’s been released this week is amazing, it really gets the curiosity going and creates a desire to see it, like now. Even people who don’t know the actresses or recognize the director have now all stated they want to see it, that it looks stunning, that they think it will be a visually fantastic film. Now add more scenes and a few more plot reveals to it and you get what was shown, not once, but twice during the WB panel on Saturday. By now most people have watched the teaser and have read all the many raves and recounts of that Hall H Sucker Punch segment so I’ll refrain from recapping again so not to drag this on. (Sorry if you already feel that it has!)

What is most memorable about the panel though, besides clearly the segment put together to debut there, were the reactions of the cast themselves and the little things that went on up on that stage that clearly showed they were a close group of people, actresses and director together. All five women were possibly more excited than us down in the audience seats to see the segment. As they twisted and turned in their seats up on the stage to look at the large screen behind them, smiles were plastered on their faces in anticipation, in excitement, in nervousness. After though, that’s when the true grins were there on those same faces along with some actual shaking, body and voice. That’s how pumped they were. So much so, Zack Snyder actually asked if they could go down to sit in the audience to watch it again because they he knew how much they wanted to clearly watch it and he wanted that for them. All five were excited for that chance, to see it fully, but out of them Vanessa was the quickest to jump out of her seat before they all had to be called back to their seats on the stage for Zack to finish answering the last question. I will never forget the way Vanessa literally bounced up. I swear I felt her excitement from where I was sitting.

Oh, and the pride and excitement in his voice when he took the chance to call each of them up, one by one, at the start of the panel? Further proof of the respect and true bond they created over those long months of training and filming to make this fantastical movie.

Then again, Zack seems like that type of man, to not only be a brilliant director but a great person too. We were lucky enough to run into him and his wife, Deborah, after spotting a unique Sucker Punch t-shirt design that wasn’t anywhere else on the Exhibit Hall. Long story short, after a simple inquiry of how Bee and Ayen could get the t-shirt, it was revealed that the woman Bee was talking to was actually Deborah Snyder, soon to be joined by Zack himself. They both loved our enthusiasm for Sucker Punch and were pleased to know how much we all were fans of the movie already, fans of past work. We even got to witness some playful marital banter when we asked if they could hook us up with the after party but were eventually told no because WB, not them, organized it, as much as Zack joked that Deborah really was the event planner.

Moments later, seeing them join Alex Pardee at the Gentle Giant booth to check out the t-shirt they were selling and the whole Sucker Punch set up, only further proved the type of relationship they shared together, something that so far has been evidenced by the amazing products and images displayed at Comic Con 2010 alone.

Speaking of Alex, I would not be doing a good job on this blog if I didn’t highlight how wonderful of an artist and man he really is. He had his own booth, far from Gentle Giant, Legendary and WB but always seemed to have an ongoing line of fans himself, and for good reason. For each signing he did, he took the time to actually draw a character that came to his mind, talking to each individual as he did it. Not many artists at Comic Con did that, in fact I can’t recall seeing any others that did take that time for their fans. Alex also has an amazing memory, remembering names and faces, even the day after meeting them. Yes, we were very surprised when he did and felt very honored he did.

So what of Vanessa Hudgens? She was everything to be expected in that panel and during the autograph signing that happened after that at the WB booth and more. Her smile was almost always on her face, her giggle as charming as ever. When she sat up there on the stage and poured herself water, she made sure to do so for Emily Browning and Jena Malone as well, usually sharing a quiet laugh in the process. During the panel she didn’t talk as much as the other women she was sitting up there with but when she did, it made a definite impact and wasn’t just to talk, actually answering the question asked of her. Also, what must be said, is out of all of the people up on that stage, including the panel for Harry Potter and Green Lantern, except maybe for Ryan Reynolds, she had the widest range of facial expressions but definitely the most energy, followed closely by Jamie Chung.

I think all of us who made the trip to Comic Con 2010 in San Diego, CA had a blast, although we definitely came back tired, but have fond memories of it for all the different things and events we attended. By far though, without a doubt, what is at the foremost part of our memories of this extended weekend is Sucker Punch and the fantastic true kick off it had, highlighted off course by seeing Vanessa in person but from afar, unless of course you count her being a few feet away as she left the WB signing.