After years and years of dreaming
about it, I have finally gone to the world's largest and
most popular comic book convention--San Diego Comic-Con. I can honestly say Comic-Con was the most overwhelming and insane experiences of my life, but it was also one of the most fun.
Comic-Con, also known as SDCC, was so crazy and tiring that when I got home I was completely worn out and a little shell shocked. In fact, I felt like it took me at least a week to recover from four days of walking, standing in line and being pushed and shoved through a seemingly endless crowd of people. I read that SDCC is massive and that couldn't be more true. Before I went, I read numerous Web sites, blogs and even a book that gave tips on how to survive Comic-Con. I also went over the official schedule numerous times to come up with an itinerary. But nothing could really prepare me. So many events were going on both inside and outside the San Diego Convention Center that it was tough to decide what to pick most of the time.
Even though the size of SDCC didn't surprise me, I was completely amazed seeing it and the large crowd of people in person. When I first arrived in San Diego the Wednesday before Comic-Con (SDCC goes from Thursday to Sunday) I saw so many people who were clearly in town for the event. I could pick out most of them by their comic book or sci-fi related t-shirts and some of them by the plastic poster tubes they had slung over their shoulders. I felt like I was part of something huge, which was a pretty cool feeling. That feeling was made even stronger when I picked up my Comic-Con badge and official swag bag, which I thought was way too huge to carry around but was a nice souvenir. So many people were carrying bags around that first night that it seemed like almost everyone I saw was someone who was attending Comic-Con.
When I first went into the San Diego Convention Center's Exhibition Hall on the first morning of Comic-Con I felt right at home. The Exhibition Hall, where booths are set up for comic book stores and distributors, toy companies and major entertainment studios, is the heart of Comic-Con. The Exhibition Hall at SDCC reminded me a lot of the hall at Baltimore Comic-Con, which I've attended for the last three years. It didn't take long for me to realize that the hall at SDCC is not only much larger than the one at Baltimore Comic-Con but it is more commercial. My brother (who I went to Comic-Con with) and I saw a few smaller comic store booths but the first major booth we came across was the DC Comics booth, where a demonstration was going on for the upcoming video game "Injustice: Gods Among Us." None other than Ed Boon, co-creator of the "Mortal Kombat" video game series, was showing off some characters and fighting moves in the game. (On a side note, I was so excited to see Nightwing, my favorite DC Comics character, is going to be a playable character in the game.) I didn't expect to see something that awesome going on so early in the day.
I went on to see booths for Sony, Warner Brothers, Lionsgate and a lot of other major companies. I spent a lot of time at the Mattel booth, which was especially cool. Part of it was designed like Castle Grayskull from "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" in celebration of the franchise's 30th anniversary. The booth showed off all of the figures from the Masters of the Universe Classics line of action figures, which I collect. The Marvel Studios booth had a really impressive set up that displayed all of the suits from the "Iron Man" films. Before I went to Comic-Con, I created a list of all of the booths I
wanted to see and I really only got a good look at about half. Part of
the reason was that I didn't give myself enough time in the Exhibition
Hall. But the main reason was that the Exhibition Hall got so crowded on
Friday, Saturday and Sunday. People were walking in every direction and
a lot of people were lined up for various exhibits and autograph
signings that it was tough and confusing to work through the crowd. Unfortunately, I also didn't get to buy a lot of collectibles because I had to fly home and it would have been a lot of trouble to carry it all home.
Another site at Comic-con was the people in costume, known as cosplayers. Although Baltimore Comic-Con has its share of cosplayers, there was definitely a larger percentage of people in costume at San Diego Comic Con. I also saw a wider variety of costumes and many extremely well
done. Of course there were some costumes that weren't so well done, like
one guy who simply wore a pair of underwear and a tank top (at least I
assume that was supposed to be a costume.) Some of the best cosplayers were people who were working at the booths but there were plenty of attendees who looked just as good. I did my best to get as many photos of cosplayers as I could. In some cases, it was difficult to compete with other people taking pictures because too many people would be crowded around a particularly impressive group of cosplayers and the cosplayers would move on before I could get to them. People taking pictures of cosplayers was another reason the Exhibit Hall was so tough to maneuver. I read on several sites that the polite thing to do is to pull the person aside so you aren't blocking a major path, but unfortunately a lot of people didn't know or care that they were holding up the flow of traffic.
One of the main draws of Comic-Con, especially for people who aren't as much into comic books, is the panels. San Diego Comic-Cons panels are famous for having major celebrities, directors and other personalities from television and movies. I made it to quite a few panels, but nowhere near as many as I would have liked to attend or even that I hoped to attend. There were a lot of panels that sounded interesting but a majority of them conflicted with another panel or something else I wanted to do. The itinerary I created before I left for Comic-Con mostly consisted of panels, with the ones I definitely did not want to miss getting top priority. Two things I didn't fully consider while I was going over the schedule are: (1) it takes time to get from one part of the convention center to the other and (2) many of the panels, not just those for major movies and television shows, have long lines. The San Diego Convention Center is fairly large, but it isn't too difficult to navigate if you know the layout well. Even though I tried to study the layout online, I didn't really get a feel for it until I actually saw the inside of the convention center. But even knowing the layout like the back of your hand doesn't help get around quickly when there are thousands of people in your way. Also, the two rooms where the most popular panels were held--Hall H and Ballroom 20--had lines so long that people who didn't make it in when the rooms first opened or get in line early in the morning had to wait hours to get in, if they made it in at all.
I made it to a few panels on Thursday, including the panel for Filmation (the company that produced "He-man" and other cartoons), "The Walking Dead" comic book, DC Collectibles and the television show "Nikita," but I missed one on the Batman comics that I really wanted to see. That day I learned that some of the people working at the convention center didn't always know what they were talking about. The panel for "The Walking Dead" comic had a long line and numerous people told me I wouldn't make it into the room but I waited around to see what would happen and ended up making it end. Unfortunately that wasn't as true for a lot of the other popular panels.
I got in line for Ballroom 20 at 7:30 a.m. on Friday morning in an attempt to see the panel for the show "Community," but by the time I got there the line was probably at least a mile long. The panel for the 10th anniversary of the show "Firefly" was a couple panels after "Community" and everyone who wanted to see that panel camped out or got in line early even though that panel wasn't until 12:30 p.m., so most of the people at the first two panels of the day were really just waiting on the "Firefly" panel. The panel for the show "The Big Bang Theory" was held in Hall H at 12:05 p.m. but that line was even longer than the Ballroom 20 line so I knew I wasn't going to make that. I also missed "The Walking Dead" television show panel. But I was determined to see the panel for the movie "Resident Evil: Retribution," so I got in line for Hall H at about 1:30 p.m. and didn't make it in the room until 4:30 p.m. Luckily I made it in time to see most of the "Resident Evil" panel. While the panels were pretty cool, I was surprised at the size of Hall H and Ballroom 20. Unless you have a really close seat, you can barely see the panelists.
The two panels that were my top priorities were the panel for the shows "True Blood" and "Supernatural," which were on Saturday in Ballroom 20 and Sunday in Hall H, respectively. I got up at about 4 a.m.--something I wasn't sure was even possibly--and got in line at about 5 a.m., but I was successful both days in getting in the rooms first thing. However, the lines were longer than anything I'd ever seen in my life! The lines went up one street, down a different street and wrapped up and down another street. I heard someone say that the line for Hall H on Sunday had 10,000 people in it at one point. On Saturday I spent most of the day in Ballroom 20 waiting on the "True Blood" panel, so I didn't get into the Exhibition Hall until late in the day. From what I've heard, Saturday is the busiest and best day to be on the exhibition floor so it was unfortunate to have to choose between that and the panels but the "True Blood" panel was something I had to see.
Comic-Con had even more events going on outside of the convention center. A lot of bars, restaurants and clubs had Comic-Con parties and events. For instance, one restaurant was set up like a forest from the show "Grimm" and the Petco Park stadium had a "Walking Dead" zombie obstacle course. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to go to those events. The one event outside of the convention center that I did get to attend was a meet up for a CNET podcast called "The 404," which ended up being one of my most memorable experiences from Comic-Con. I got a chance to meet "404" hosts Justin Yu and Jeff Bakalar, who were the nicest guys. It's one thing to see people who you are a fan of from afar or get to talk to them for a few minutes, but it's another to get a chance to have a conversation with them and get to know them a little.
I'll admit there were several times during Comic-Con when I felt like I had enough and thought there was no way I would ever go to another SDCC again. Most of those times were when I had been waiting in line for hours, my legs were sore from walking or I felt like I couldn't get from one place to another because I was tightly packed in a crowd of people. But, despite the number of times I cursed humanity, I am glad I went to Comic-Con because I had the experience so I will no longer sit home watching the coverage on television and wondering what it would be like to be there. I also got to meet and chat with a lot of very cool people, many of whom I met while waiting in various lines. However, I eventually realized that San Diego Comic-Con is something that you have to attend more than once before you really get used to it and have the knowledge and experience to handle it and get the most of it. If I go again, I wouldn't plan on going to as many panels as I attempted to attend this year and I would spend more time on the exhibition floor on Thursday. I would also try to get admission to preview night, which allows people to walk the exhibition floor for a couple hours on the Wednesday night before Comic-Con. I would also take advantage of more of the events taking place outside the convention center. The main thing to know about Comic-Con is that it offers a lot of possibilities and is an experience that can ultimately be whatever you make of it.
Comic-Con, also known as SDCC, was so crazy and tiring that when I got home I was completely worn out and a little shell shocked. In fact, I felt like it took me at least a week to recover from four days of walking, standing in line and being pushed and shoved through a seemingly endless crowd of people. I read that SDCC is massive and that couldn't be more true. Before I went, I read numerous Web sites, blogs and even a book that gave tips on how to survive Comic-Con. I also went over the official schedule numerous times to come up with an itinerary. But nothing could really prepare me. So many events were going on both inside and outside the San Diego Convention Center that it was tough to decide what to pick most of the time.
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| A Comic-Con sign in downtown San Diego |
When I first went into the San Diego Convention Center's Exhibition Hall on the first morning of Comic-Con I felt right at home. The Exhibition Hall, where booths are set up for comic book stores and distributors, toy companies and major entertainment studios, is the heart of Comic-Con. The Exhibition Hall at SDCC reminded me a lot of the hall at Baltimore Comic-Con, which I've attended for the last three years. It didn't take long for me to realize that the hall at SDCC is not only much larger than the one at Baltimore Comic-Con but it is more commercial. My brother (who I went to Comic-Con with) and I saw a few smaller comic store booths but the first major booth we came across was the DC Comics booth, where a demonstration was going on for the upcoming video game "Injustice: Gods Among Us." None other than Ed Boon, co-creator of the "Mortal Kombat" video game series, was showing off some characters and fighting moves in the game. (On a side note, I was so excited to see Nightwing, my favorite DC Comics character, is going to be a playable character in the game.) I didn't expect to see something that awesome going on so early in the day.
 |
| The top of the Castle Grayskull area of the Mattel booth |
 |
| Cosplayers as He-Man and Superman |
One of the main draws of Comic-Con, especially for people who aren't as much into comic books, is the panels. San Diego Comic-Cons panels are famous for having major celebrities, directors and other personalities from television and movies. I made it to quite a few panels, but nowhere near as many as I would have liked to attend or even that I hoped to attend. There were a lot of panels that sounded interesting but a majority of them conflicted with another panel or something else I wanted to do. The itinerary I created before I left for Comic-Con mostly consisted of panels, with the ones I definitely did not want to miss getting top priority. Two things I didn't fully consider while I was going over the schedule are: (1) it takes time to get from one part of the convention center to the other and (2) many of the panels, not just those for major movies and television shows, have long lines. The San Diego Convention Center is fairly large, but it isn't too difficult to navigate if you know the layout well. Even though I tried to study the layout online, I didn't really get a feel for it until I actually saw the inside of the convention center. But even knowing the layout like the back of your hand doesn't help get around quickly when there are thousands of people in your way. Also, the two rooms where the most popular panels were held--Hall H and Ballroom 20--had lines so long that people who didn't make it in when the rooms first opened or get in line early in the morning had to wait hours to get in, if they made it in at all.
 |
| The beginning of the dreaded Hall H line |
I got in line for Ballroom 20 at 7:30 a.m. on Friday morning in an attempt to see the panel for the show "Community," but by the time I got there the line was probably at least a mile long. The panel for the 10th anniversary of the show "Firefly" was a couple panels after "Community" and everyone who wanted to see that panel camped out or got in line early even though that panel wasn't until 12:30 p.m., so most of the people at the first two panels of the day were really just waiting on the "Firefly" panel. The panel for the show "The Big Bang Theory" was held in Hall H at 12:05 p.m. but that line was even longer than the Ballroom 20 line so I knew I wasn't going to make that. I also missed "The Walking Dead" television show panel. But I was determined to see the panel for the movie "Resident Evil: Retribution," so I got in line for Hall H at about 1:30 p.m. and didn't make it in the room until 4:30 p.m. Luckily I made it in time to see most of the "Resident Evil" panel. While the panels were pretty cool, I was surprised at the size of Hall H and Ballroom 20. Unless you have a really close seat, you can barely see the panelists.
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| The "Supernatural" panel |
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| Jeff Bakalar and Justin Yu from "The 404" |
I'll admit there were several times during Comic-Con when I felt like I had enough and thought there was no way I would ever go to another SDCC again. Most of those times were when I had been waiting in line for hours, my legs were sore from walking or I felt like I couldn't get from one place to another because I was tightly packed in a crowd of people. But, despite the number of times I cursed humanity, I am glad I went to Comic-Con because I had the experience so I will no longer sit home watching the coverage on television and wondering what it would be like to be there. I also got to meet and chat with a lot of very cool people, many of whom I met while waiting in various lines. However, I eventually realized that San Diego Comic-Con is something that you have to attend more than once before you really get used to it and have the knowledge and experience to handle it and get the most of it. If I go again, I wouldn't plan on going to as many panels as I attempted to attend this year and I would spend more time on the exhibition floor on Thursday. I would also try to get admission to preview night, which allows people to walk the exhibition floor for a couple hours on the Wednesday night before Comic-Con. I would also take advantage of more of the events taking place outside the convention center. The main thing to know about Comic-Con is that it offers a lot of possibilities and is an experience that can ultimately be whatever you make of it.
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