Forgive me if you were looking for the Toy Maniac column this week. Just this week I am switching gears to focus solely on the San Diego Comic Con. Last year was my first year attending this monster event. I had grown tired of watching the event of G4 and reading about it here on Mania. It really is Christmas, Hanukah and Nerdvana rolled into one. Where else can you see A list celebrities and directors pitch their films to you that will be arriving over the next year and half? Where else can you get a preview of everything that will happen next in the world of comics? Where is the one place that you, a loyal member of the Geek culture, can reign supreme? Sure there are plenty of conventions through out the year but trust me when I say nothing else comes close to San Diego. I wasn’t nearly prepared for all that went down last year in San Diego. Thankfully I had a few friends, real pros, that helped me out. Unfortunately for me I have yet to experience the Con as an attendee. You might think the press really has the golden ticket but more often than not, no nothing security guards despise us more than anything. All I am trying to do is bring the convention to those that cannot attend. That gripe is for another day. The following is my convention survival guide and a little thing I like to call Comic Con Karma.
MAKE a PLAN (yeah right):
There is that old saying that the best way to make God laugh is to make a plan. This is a great place to start in surviving the SDCC. The schedules have long been posted for each day’s events (see official site). The best thing to remember is that these “planned” events can change at a moments notice. Last year two huge snags screwed up the first days events programming. The first happened in hall H (we’ll get to more on hall H next). While waiting for the events to get rolling a huge tapestry fell in hall H. While I was way up in the front, safely locked into the press cage, a fellow journalist was on his way in and had a tapestry support beam land on his head. This pushed the days events back over an hour. So if you were trying to see Keanu Reeves and The Day the Earth Stood Still (2009) then jet off to see something else, you had to make a decision on what is more important. To bad hindsight couldn’t play a part in that. The other big problem for many of the convention goers and panelists was that a huge tractor trailer truck turned over and caught fire on the highway. Imagine that you are on your way to Nerdvana and a flaming meat truck is all that is keeping you from paradise. So be prepared. Not everything is going to work out the way you or the SDCC planners expect it. Get there early and plan on a fall back event. The best way to be prepared is to pick up the SDCC on-site newsletter. Consider it like picking up the daily paper. The newsletter is the best way to see all the changes and plan accordingly.
Hall H (stands forHeaven and Hell):
It seats approximately, 6,500 people. It is fully equipped with all the latest technology. Seas of people go in and out of hall H at Comic Con, but will you be one of them? People line up for hall H as if they are going to buy tickets for a concert. There are some with sleeping bags and pillows who will spend all day there (be warned of the New Moon Twilight fans taking up a lot of space). Unfortunately your best plan is to try and get in early for something at hall H. If you want to get all the latest on James Cameron’s Avatar my suggestion is to get there early, maybe even three or four panels early. There is always plenty of down time to shop the floor but to witness what promises to be an historic film changing event there should really be no decision.
As you are camping out inside, remember there are bathrooms inside Hall H. Get snacks and water ahead of time because believe it or not you might not get back in. IPods and portable entertainment devices are your best friend. They may be the only things that keep you from ripping your eyes out as you sit among the screaming fans of Twilight.
SWAG:
Hall H also promises some sweet swag if you are lucky enough to get it. T-shirts are all the rage. Even though you become a walking billboard it is what we all want, an indication to the rest of the world that you were there and you saw it first. I have only two pieces of advice on this. First, watch out for a volunteer hitting you in the face with one (happened to me). They’ll think it is funny while you on the other hand will be blinded as you walk in from the bright sunny San Diego to a large dark cave. Secondly, if a new panel is about to start have a friend watch your stuff and causally head up to the front doors and try and snag one of the new shirts they are handing out. This little move insured me one Watchmen t-shirt.
Comic Con is ripe with all the best swag. T-shirts, posters and bags to hold all your swag booty insure that you will get to take something home. Last year I bought one exclusive and came home with a full suitcase full of t-shirts, posters and masks. My wife sighed in relief when I told her how much money I actually spent but then gave me the dirty look as if to say, “where is all this stuff going to go?”.
There is a lot of stuff to get. Just make sure you actually want it. If you have a buddy at home who couldn’t make the trip and is a big fan of said item than grab it for him. Taking it because it’s free is not only extremely wasteful but stupid. You will quickly notice how each and every person quickly becomes the size of two people after they are strapped with two giant swag bags and a travel poster tube (totally worth picking up before you go to the Con by the way).
The best part of the swag is that it lends into Comic Con Karma. Grabbing something for a friend or co-worker who cannot be there only ensures that you get something in return. Obviously you get see and experience everything first hand but sometimes that really cool piece of swag falls right into your lap. Something happened to me that proved this theory as I in turn gave a Spider-Man mask to a small child that was upset he did not get one. I turned the corner and a friend presented me with the Clone Trooper mask from a day I had missed out on. Strange how the world works but Comic Con Karma has been with me ever since.
Cosplay:
Cosplay is at it’s height during Comic Con. Never will you find a better or more diverse group of people who love to dress up. Ask to take a picture but be quick about it when you are on the floor. There are a lot of people moving around on the floor and when you are twenty or thirty people deep trying to get by the Gentle Giant Jabba the Hutt it is completely frustrating. When you do take a picture thank the person for it and try and get their name. Sure this may create an awkward situation but those can usually make the best stories. If anything you might discover that the man dressed up as Zorro walking the floor is actually the Sam Raimi (two years ago, true story).
COMICS:
The biggest thing to remember is that it is all about the comics. Many will argue that is no longer true since Hollywood saw the potential of what the SDCC could be. Many of us will hit Marvel and DC for all the free comics and to pick up their exclusives but let’s try and remember the little guys. Walk the floor and check the more independent comics. These are writers and artists with a dream. One day they just might be the people on the panel in hall H and you’ll have the bragging rights of having seen their work first. Remember, it all started with the comics and it should end there as well.
The Floor:
The floor is huge at Comic Con. Aisles upon aisles with multiple dealers and stands all trying to get our attention. Booby booth girls, in all capacities, will also being doing the same. Learn your surroundings. Rely on text messaging to find your friends because you’ll hear nothing on your phone. Keep yourself small. Overloading yourself with unnecessary swag and/or giant costume weapons insures you from not moving quickly from place to place.
EXCLUSIVES:
I have already featured several of the SDCC toy exclusives in the Toy Maniac Column. Let us not forget all the comics, busts, animation cells and statues that will be available there as well (see full list). If you are unable to make the Con this year many of the exclusives will be available online (see why here). My best advice is that if you have to have the exclusive get it right away. I know that I said there was plenty of time to shop but some of these exclusives run out fast. I put this little gem (see t-shirt picture) off and still regret not picking it up to this day. If you plan on buying some of the bigger exclusives but know that the airlines are going to charge you extra for taking it on the plane, fear not. There is a FedEx Kinko’s office right inside the convention center.
YOUR SDCC BAG MUst Have THE FOLLOWING:
Most of us have a messenger bag. The problem with these bags is that they kill your shoulders. Trust me, not only is a back pack better for your back but it makes it much easier to walk the aisles on the show room floor without bumping into every other person with your bag. Take out or off all unnecessary items as well. Anything that can weigh it down like buttons or additional pouches you are not going to use. You bag should have the following:
-A camera with extra batteries and memory cards
-Hand sanitizer
-iPod, iPhone, Blackberry whatever you need to kill time waiting in line
-Several comic book bags and boards to ensure your exclusive comics get home in grade A condition
-Sun block, sunglasses or baseball hat, the hall H line usually runs out side ands there is little shade
-Snacks, power bars, water (hold onto the bottle to refill it) because the food inside is way too expensive (the items below cost me $15)
-Deodorant/ antiperspirantswhich are not only for you but the guy standing next to you as well
-Gum, Binaca (breath spray) and mints
Mania’s Own Richard Kuras at Comic Con:
If you have anything to add please feel free to put it in the comment section. Best of luck and we’ll see you at the San Diego Comic Con!Here is a great look at all the colorful characters you meet on the SDCC floor.
Use the buddy system. Most of the time you'll be camped out in only one hall for the entire day (or at least 4-5 hours), so having someone there to watch your stuff while you hit the head is the best thing you can do.
Go to the bathroom as early as possible and as often as possible. By mid-afternoon the bathrooms look and smell like Godzilla ravaged, ate, and then shit the contents of the entire bathroom out in one sitting.
NO WHEELED LUGGAGE! You can barely walk the floor in some spots (AKA The Con Shuffle), so it should be no surprise that those wheeled backpacks are not going to work here. Also, the use of wheeled bags on the con floor (if you're not a vendor) will get you booted from the con.
This year, supposedly security will be matching IDs with badges to see if the names match. If you sold your badge or bought your badge from someone on eBay, Craigslist, etc., chances are you're not getting in.
Comfortable shoes. Comfortable shoes. Comfortable shoes. I cannot stress this enough. The con floor is composed of concrete. All the organizers do is lay a very thin carpet over that concrete. Standing or sitting on concrete for 8 hours will feel like your feet have compressed themselves into your shins. One of the best ways to combat this is to meander in the bigger booth exhibits (DC, Lucasfilm, Sideshow, etc.) because they learned long ago to line their floor with anti-fatigue matting and padding. Trust me, you'll notice the difference.
Pick up a poster tube ahead of time for all the cool posters you will pick up. At the same time you pick up the tube, pick up a sketch book for Artist's Alley. There are still alot of artists that will do sketches for free. Sunday is sale day. Most of the vendors do not want to bring or ship all the merchandise back, so you can find really good deals that day. There are ATMs in the convention hall, but the lines for them suck hard (as do the fees). Some vendors will only accept cash. So if you plan on spending cash, take it out from an ATM ahead of time. Do not bring more money than you plan on spending. Whatever money you bring in with you to the convention floor, I guarantee you will spend it by the end of the day.
I'd definitely recommend bringing along your own snacks/food and drinks. If you don't feel like lugging food around with you all day ,though, and if you aren't currently waiting in line to get into an event or panel, there's a couple of options open. There's a ton of restaurants about 5-15 minutes walking distance from the convention center, which the folks at the convention center information booth will probably have maps/guides to. There's also one of the free comic-con shuttles that makes a stop right in front of a Ralph's store in downtown SD. And if you just want some snacks or a place to sit for a minute, there's a comic-con hospitality suite that they have in the hotel next door to the convention center (I *think* it's the Marriott, but I'm not 100% sure. They mention the hospitality suite in the events guide they give you on-site), and they'll usually have snacks (chips, cookies, etc) and soft drinks available for convention attendees there.
LOGIN
REGISTER
RSS
HOME
Use the buddy system. Most of the time you'll be camped out in only one hall for the entire day (or at least 4-5 hours), so having someone there to watch your stuff while you hit the head is the best thing you can do.
Go to the bathroom as early as possible and as often as possible. By mid-afternoon the bathrooms look and smell like Godzilla ravaged, ate, and then shit the contents of the entire bathroom out in one sitting.
NO WHEELED LUGGAGE! You can barely walk the floor in some spots (AKA The Con Shuffle), so it should be no surprise that those wheeled backpacks are not going to work here. Also, the use of wheeled bags on the con floor (if you're not a vendor) will get you booted from the con.
This year, supposedly security will be matching IDs with badges to see if the names match. If you sold your badge or bought your badge from someone on eBay, Craigslist, etc., chances are you're not getting in.
Comfortable shoes. Comfortable shoes. Comfortable shoes. I cannot stress this enough. The con floor is composed of concrete. All the organizers do is lay a very thin carpet over that concrete. Standing or sitting on concrete for 8 hours will feel like your feet have compressed themselves into your shins. One of the best ways to combat this is to meander in the bigger booth exhibits (DC, Lucasfilm, Sideshow, etc.) because they learned long ago to line their floor with anti-fatigue matting and padding. Trust me, you'll notice the difference.