San Diego Comic Con

[Yehudi]

Anyone else going? Not as excited for the big movie panels but I am for the offsites (Buffy scavenger hunt!)

 

[Buzz]

Wish I could but alas it is not to be.

 

[tony]

Not going but I’ll be online at all hours of the day(s) trying to grab as many of the Funko exclusives as possible.

 

[screech]

I went to Comic Con 5 years ago (or something like that). If you haven't been, it can be an intense experience, but it can also be a lot of fun.

 

[myhoneyhoney]

Not going but I’ll be online at all hours of the day(s) trying to grab as many of the Funko exclusives as possible.

You can buy Pops online from SDCC?! How?

 

[Japanfan]

Please share your experiences with us, Yehudi.

Comic Con would be way to intense and busy for me, but must be a whole lot of fun. I enjoy watching the panels for some shows online, but don't know anything about the activities you refer to.

 

[screech]

Please share your experiences with us, Yehudi.

Comic Con would be way to intense and busy for me, but must be a whole lot of fun. I enjoy watching the panels for some shows online, but don't know anything about the activities you refer to.

When I went I didn't do any off-site activities, because I was making sure to be in line HOURS in advance of panels I wanted to see. For example, one day I wanted to see a panel at 6pm. The first panel of the day in that room was at around 1 or 2 pm. Even though I had no interest in the other panels, I was in there in time for the first one, just so I was guaranteed to have a seat for the one I wanted to see. So I was lined up outside the hall by 9ish.

Some of the lines are 2+ km long.

One day I wanted to try to 'win' tickets to an autograph signing. The lines for the signing opened at (I think) about 8 am the day of. The convention centre itself opened an hour (I think) earlier. I was lined up outside the convention centre at about 1 or 2 am, and was at least 1 km from the entrance. So in all I was lined up for about 7 hours for the ticket lottery. Thank god I 'won' my ticket. A lot of people don't bother booking hotels - they just bring sleeping bags and unroll them outside the convention centre to be first in line.

It's definitely an intense experience. I'm glad I went, but I'm not interested in most of the things there anymore, so I personally wouldn't go back. It makes me think of an amusement park in a lot of ways - you line up for huge amounts of time, for something (a panel) that lasts comparatively little.

I met some fantastic people, though. And I was introduced to some shows that I'd never heard of otherwise, then ended up watching and enjoying.

And I definitely felt out of place dressed in my regular clothing.

 

[Japanfan]

Yup, way too intense for me. Especially given that I am particularly fond of sleep.

 

[MacMadame]

My kids go to Fanime here in San Jose (and once I went) and it's a lot less intense but still fun.

 

[myhoneyhoney]

We’re thinking of trying out SJ Fanime next time. We need to come up with costumes... er... cosplay.

 

[tony]

You can buy Pops online from SDCC?! How?

Most of them are shared exclusives with Hot Topic, Target, Barnes and Noble, etc. A very few are Con-exclusive (usually the 500 limited count) but most others are available as long as you’re online at the right time. I got pretty much all of them that were available online last year- but some sold out in a minute or two.

I have a TON of Pops. It’s ridiculous.

 

[Yehudi]

This will be my third time going to San Diego. I think you need to plan and have various backups if plan A fails and don’t get too caught up on seeing all the big shows. Some of the “smaller” panels can be just as amazing like seeing John Barrowman and Aisha Tyler argue about Marvel vs DC, or “sterling archer” actually making an appearance at the Q&A (really an animation on the screen while H Jon Benjamin did the voice in the back)

You get some cool freebies like an augmented reality T-shirt or back when they were promoting PanAm, a free Pan Am bag (for old timers, pan am bags used to be a huge status symbol).

There’s also a lot of cool things going around like the oversized splatoon obstacle course or blade runner

 

[screech]

This will be my third time going to San Diego. I think you need to plan and have various backups if plan A fails and don’t get too caught up on seeing all the big shows. Some of the “smaller” panels can be just as amazing like seeing John Barrowman and Aisha Tyler argue about Marvel vs DC, or “sterling archer” actually making an appearance at the Q&A (really an animation on the screen while H Jon Benjamin did the voice in the back)

You get some cool freebies like an augmented reality T-shirt or back when they were promoting PanAm, a free Pan Am bag (for old timers, pan am bags used to be a huge status symbol).

There’s also a lot of cool things going around like the oversized splatoon obstacle course or blade runner

I agree - the freebies really are great. I was walking through the exhibit hall and got a free poster for a major movie, as well as getting to meet the cast - all because I could answer a random trivia question

I managed to get to see all the things I wanted to, which was pretty spectacular. Plus, like I said, because of the necessity of getting into the halls early, I was introduced to shows I'd never heard of (like Psych) that I ended up becoming a fan of.

And the people - the people you meet are absolutely fantastic. When in line for one of the halls, I made the mistake of mentioning I'd never seen Dr. Who, which turned into an hours-long light-hearted debate on the best seasons to watch, involving about 20 people around me.

 

[Yehudi]

And the people - the people you meet are absolutely fantastic. When in line for one of the halls, I made the mistake of mentioning I'd never seen Dr. Who, which turned into an hours-long light-hearted debate on the best seasons to watch, involving about 20 people around me.

I agree. And I like that you could basically get out of line to go to the bathroom and grab lunch and the people you are with will absolutely save your spot.

The cosplay is my favorite thing. I don’t do it myself but the people who do are talented and creative. Like the couple who went as Indiana Jones (the female) and the Boulder (her boyfriend) or the woman who turned her stroller into a funko box.

 

[Yehudi]

My voids

Seeing Danai Gurrira at Nobu
Then seeing the cast of Walking Dead in the lobby of the Hard Rock
Getting Bobby Moynihan’s autograph and telling him Snooki was my fave character of his
The Laika Museum (the animators were the best part). Henry Selick was signing autographs when I was there.

Best exclusives

The Sophia Petrillo T-shirt from the ABC booth

Best swag

The memberberries ball. I heard the predator swag was cool too.