San Diego, CA
Attendee of the Week: Cash Branson
Every week from now until San Diego Comic-Con, we’re celebrating you: our readers! So let’s meet this week’s Attendee of the Week:
Cash Branson
@captcash
Where are you traveling from for San Diego Comic-Con?
Pittsburgh, PA
How many years have you been attending?
Since 2013
What was your favorite panel and why?
I love attending any cosplay panel to learn what’s new in crafting and to get ideas.
What is your favorite exhibitor or artist booth and why?
I’m a Marvel junkie, so you can always find me around there in cosplay (usually as a Marvel character).
What is your favorite item you’ve ever taken home from the convention (swag, exclusive, merch, etc.)?
The coolest piece of swag I’ve ever gotten was a copy of Defenders #1 (2017) signed by the leads of The Defenders Netflix show! Netflix had an activation and invited Defenders cosplayers to show up. So I dressed as Daredevil, imagine my surprise when Charlie Cox, Mike Coulter, Kristen Ritter, and Finn Jones walked out and gave us all copies of the latest Defenders book signed by them! And where do you think I heard about the cosplay Invite? Here on the SDCC Unofficial Blog!
What was your favorite autograph session and why?
I’m a comic nerd first and foremost. At SDCC I was able to meet one of my favorite authors, Tom King, at the DC Booth. He signed my Mister Miracle (and my copy of Vision #1 despite that it was a Marvel book)!
Tell us about your most memorable celebrity encounter at the convention.
At this point there have been so many! SDCC is crazy for randomly bumping into celebs. My favorite one was probably at the premiere of The Boys in 2019. Mind you, this was the first any of the public had seen of The Boys and well before it became the hit it is. I had read the comics and knew who the production staff was so I had high enough hopes for the show that I made myself a Homelander cosplay. As the showrunner, Eric Kripke was introducing the cast and he called me out from the audience and I got the chance to hug Anthony Starr, Homelander himself!
What was your favorite offsite and why?
I love the offsites! It’s hard to pick a favorite, but I absolutely love how the Gaslamp District transforms during Comic-Con. One of my favorites was last year’s Hellfire Gala held by D23. It was effectively the Met Gala held by the X-Men in a who’s who of the Marvel Universe. I attended dressed as Doctor Doom with a retinue of Doom Bots.
Where is your favorite place to eat during the con?
That’s a tough call. I did really enjoy the Mooby’s pop-up from 2023. It was really entertaining to get View Askewinverse snacks!
What is your favorite thing about San Diego Comic-Con?
The other fans! It’s so much fun to see so many folks so passionate about their fandoms. I’ve gotten to know so many folks from all over.
What is your best tip having a good con?
Follow the SDCC Unofficial Blog! No, seriously. They are invaluable in knowing what is going on and where and how to get tickets for it! Beyond that plan it, but be open to change. Prioritize the things you HAVE to do vs. what you really want to do. You won’t be able to do everything and that’s ok! If there’s something you HAVE to do, get in line for it at least 2 hours early.
Do you tend to do the convention solo or with friends?
How would you describe SDCC to someone who has never been before?
Nerd Mecca. Everyone should go once just to see how crazy it is.
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Joan Endres
OBITUARY
Born January 1939 in Cincinnati Ohio. Died February 14, 2026, in San Diego, California, with her sons at her side. Her beloved husband Dean passed away in 2010.
Joan was the only child of Thomas and Edna Palmer. In 1943, the family moved to San Diego, where Joan graduated from Helix High School in 1956.
In 1957 Joan married Dean Endres of San Diego, where they raised two sons. Joan followed her two great passions outside the home, the Arts, and Gardening. Both activities being a way to bring beauty to others and to the community.
Joan received a degree in Environmental Design from San Diego State University, and afterwords worked at UCSD, for the Campus Architect.
As an artist, Joan worked in various media, especially ceramics. She was active in many cultural and arts organizations, eventually becoming President of the Combined Organization for the Visual Arts (COVA). Later she turned to gardening, with the Water Conservation Garden at Cuyamaca Community College and the Master Gardener Association of San Diego County.
Joan is survived by her son Jeff and wife Katrin, grandson Jackson, and son Todd Endres, all of La Mesa, and sisters Alice Buck of Phoenix, Elaine Kennedy of San Diego, Nancy and husband Don Jones of Vista, Eva Budzinski of Cloudcroft, New Mexico, and their children and grandchildren.
There will be a Celebration of Life for Joan in the near future. Those who wish to attend should contact celebratejoanuvart@gmail.com to receive details when they are confirmed. In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully suggests a donation to the Water Conservation Garden or the Diego Visual Arts Network (SDVAN).
The San Diego State Aztecs’ have moved off the bubble and back into the NCAA Tournament’s Field of 64 in the latest ESPN’s Bracketology projections.
The Aztecs must feel like a yo-yo, but now it’s in a good way. Bracket expert Joe Lunardi moved them from the bottom of the First Four Out — No. 72 — to holding the Mountain West’s automatic bid after an 89-72 home romp Wednesday night over Utah State, which had held the auto-bid in bracketology for a few weeks now.
Lunardi now has the Aztecs as the No. 11 seed in the West Region, with a projected first-round date against former MW rival BYU in Portland.
Lunardi wrote that SDSU’s auto-bid “shifts the entire bubble.”
Wednesday night’s victory not only pulled the Aztecs (19-8, 13-4) into a tie with Utah State (23-5, 13-4) atop the MW standings, but it was just their second Quad 1 victory in six such opportunities.
SDSU’s next two games are both Quad 1 chances, at New Mexico on Saturday and then at Boise State on Tuesday night.
The win lifted the Aztecs only one spot in the NCAA NET Rankings, to No. 43. Those rankings are used by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee as the primary sorting tool for selection and seeding for March Madness.
SDSU’s resume for earning an at-large berth has been on shaky ground all season, and was seriously damaged last week when the Aztecs lost at home to Grand Canyon and were then routed at Colorado State, both Quad 2 games.
SDSU’s best bet to assure a trip to March Madness for the sixth straight season is to win the MW tournament in Las Vegas and claim the automatic bid. That requires winning three games in as many days, and perhaps a third showdown against the Aggies, who beat the Aztecs 71-66 in Logan on Jan. 31.
Lunardi now has Utah State projected as an at-large team, but still with the No. 7 seed in the East, facing No. 10 Texas A&M in a first-round game in St. Louis.
New Mexico (21-7, 12-5), lurking just a game behind SDSU and USU, has dropped from the Last Four In at No. 68 to the First Four Out at No. 70.
The Aztecs were the unanimous preseason pick to win the MW regular-season title in their final season in the league before moving into the Pac-12 along with Utah State, Boise State, Fresno State and Colorado State.
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