Nut up or shut up.

Last night Dawn and I finally managed to get out and see Zombieland. If you loved Shaun of the Dead, you’ll love Zombieland.  Okay, maybe some of you out there won’t. Maybe some of you didn’t even like Shaun of the Dead. In that case, I ain’t talkin’ to you… but we can agree to disagree so long as you keep reading Zombie Ranch.

For the rest of you, go see it. You won’t be sorry. In the first five minutes I already felt my $11 ticket price was well spent, and it just kept getting better. I can’t say too much without spoilers; in fact I don’t want to, because they kept a lid on some moments in this movie that were really fun and surprising. See it while there’s still an audience around to cheer and holler along with you. If you must wait for rentals, then plan to invite a bunch of friends over.

It’s one of the most purely entertaining movies I’ve seen all year, zombie-related or otherwise. These writers, this director: they are our peoples.

Anyhow, on the subject of “Nut up or shut up”  (as Woody Harrelson’s character often states throughout Zombieland)… today’s the day we mailed off our application for a table at the Small Press Pavilion at the big one: The San Diego Comic Con. SDCC is the 800 pound gorilla of the popular arts world; no other comic convention, at least in the United States, even comes close.

To qualify for a small press booth we not only have to shell out $350, but we had to submit a publication for judgement and approval by a review jury.  I picture our Zombie Ranch preview sitting in the middle of a sacrificial table, surrounded by sinister robed figures deciding our fate. Which is no doubt ludicrously off the mark and it’ll be more likely be a few qualified lads and lasses in t-shirts and jeans passing it around.

SDCC has gotten so huge that we’re not too optimistic of our chances, but at least we’ll be in by the October 23rd deadline, and you never know unless you try.

Oh, even if you’re just planning on attending SDCC and you haven’t ordered your passes yet, you’d better get cracking. They’ve already sold out of their four-day+preview night badges, and who knows how long the four-day badges without preview night will last at this rate? Stop by http://www.comic-con.org/cci/ sooner rather than later and lock it in. And while you’re at it start looking into hotel reservations as well.

Dawn and I bought our passes already so will at least be there as fans even if we don’t get the table. But I’m definitely predicting right now that the remaining 4-day passes will be gone by New Year’s.  So if you’re going, get a move on!