How to Survive San Diego Comic Con

I have now attended my 10th SDCC and I would rank this years to be one of the best ones – I know, I always say that every year. I don’t know how it happens, but it really does feel like SDCC gets more and more crowded every year! Walking on the floor shuffling half a foot at a time can really strain your back! I guess I’m just not that young anymore. :PSo my comic con started on preview night. I love wednesday night and getting to be part of the first set of eyes around the con. Even though most booths look relatively the same and are even in the same locations every year, there’s always new stuff to see and more importantly new toys. I think after being to so many comic cons, I am pretty satisfied with what I’ve seen on the floor in about 5 hours. After that, it feels like the same thing over and over again. Thank goodness for panels.

In the past few years, I’ve started to attend the panels much more often. One of the best things about comic con is how accessible big movie stars are and all the exclusive sneak peaks you get. How often do you get to see the entire cast of LOST? Or be the first to see new footage from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows? I was really sad that there was no LOST panel this year since I attended the Damon/Carlton panel for the previous 2 years, but the Super panel on Saturday definitely made up for that. Seeing Rainn Wilson (Dwight from The Office), Ellen Page (Inception), and Nathan Fillion (Dr. Horrible, Firefly) was pretty amazing.

After the Super panel, we rushed over to the Jim Lee Q&A panel at 2pm , which was being held in a ridiculously small 60 person room (don’t they know who Jim Lee is?!?!). Of COURSE there was a huge line and I’m sure people camped out from the previous panel. It looked like there was no hope to get in. The panel had already started and we had no idea if they were allowing more people in. By 2:10, people started to lose hope and leave. At 2:15, Jim showed up (I guess he was late for the panel anyways)! But unfortunately, the staff started to tell everyone that the room was full and no one else would be allowed inside. BUMMER!! As we filed our way out of line, I went to the staff guarding the door and asked if there was room to stand in the back. Just as they said no, someone came out of the room and said there were TWO SPOTS LEFT! We immediate ran inside and were the lucky last two people in the room. Score! Jim drew Batgirl while answering various questions about getting started in the business, his best practices, techniques, and really just anything people wanted to ask. It was such a small intimate panel and I felt so lucky getting to experience it! Even though I have met Jim Lee plenty of times, it’s weird that I still get a little star struck whenever I see him!

Besides that and buying a bunch of toys that came in a bag big enough to fit 2 of me, I would deem this another successful comic con. Although I wish I could have hung out in the Gaming room a bit to play some 2011 drafts and rest my feet, I’m pretty happy with the way everything turned out.

I’ll leave you with some advice for anyone considering attending the con next year:

• wear comfortable shoes! I cannot stress this enough. Flip flops just don’t cut it (even though I keep telling myself I’ll manage). Gel pads in your shoes help too.
• please wear deodorant (and spread the word)! I wish this was just something people did out of courtesy at any gaming/comic convention. Its hot, people sweat, people stink.
• unless you’re planning on eBaying your toys, there is no need to line up for hours for the toys on the first night. SOME toys sell out, but they usually have plenty in stock. I bought all of my exclusive Mighty Muggs and a few other Hasbro toys on Friday night with no line. And if you’re really itching for that giant Galactus action figure, you might as well just wait for the price to go down on eBay, seriously! Is it worth the 3 hour wait to save like $20? I’d rather be getting some freebies or attending a panel!
• the trolley works… sometimes. I have mixed feelings about this. You can take the trolley for $5 a person, but the wait is sometimes long and the ride is sometimes dragged out. It took me about an hour to get home when my place was only a 15 min drive away. If you have 4 people with you, just chip in a few bucks, park at one of the $10-$15 lots around 3rd/A street and walk. It’s only a 15-20 min walk which is nothing!
• If you want premium parking next to the convention center, you have to register ahead of time for special permits.
• Bring water/snacks. Con food is not that great and downtown food is expensive. Also, when you’re camping out in a panel, you don’t have many food choices other than nachos so it may be a good idea to bring food if you’re going to sit in a panel all day
• not every freebie is a good freebie! I end up with way too much swag and way too much junk so I’ve learned to only the swag that I really really want
• take breaks and have fun!