This past weekend was my very first trip to the big show. I have been to Wonder-Con a number of times when I lived in San Francisco, and was in walking distance of the show, but I live in LA now so this was an actual pilgrimage. My girlfriend surprised me with the tickets. Well kind of. I knew she was trying to score tickets. I didn't want her too because of the expense involved, but I knew that wouldn't stop her. We got them last minute on eBay for Saturday and Sunday, and booked a hotel for Saturday night.
I am basically a shy person and not really into the celebrity thing so I really like to go to these things just to soak in the atmosphere, hear some interesting panels, and get some good comics deals. Being my first time I didn't want to have any expectations or any must sees I just wanted to take it all in. And there was a lot to take in. We left at around 7:30 and I was thinking of checking out the Lost panel until I heard that people were already lined up for it 4 hours before it was starting. That seemed to be the theme of the event as the lines for everything major are massive. So we were content to wander around the exhibit hall. I went to a Marv Wolfman panel on writing. I bought some $1 a piece comics while my GF wandered more of the exhibit hall. The crowds were of course a bitch, but just being there you don't mind it so much. While I was looking at the comics OI kept hearing this roar from the other side off the room. I later asked my GF what that was and she said "oh some girl named Olivia Munn". Apparently she is popular with comic-conners.
The only big star" we were able to see was Kevin Smith who did his usual Q&A (BTW while waiting in line for him my girlfriend was checking out all the comic-con twitters and I saw cooleddie posting from CC). The Q&A was basically a set up for him to riff on topics, but goddamn is he funny. Even my girlfriend laughed out loud. He had the line of the night with "only at Comic-Con can someone in a Spock costume look at someone in a Chewbaca costume and go what a fucking geek". He also had a line about his dad being into Alpha Flight after Northstar came out of the closet that I don't quite remember, but it practically had me on the floor. After Kevin we went to the masquerade fro awhile and then it was back to the hotel. The next day we were a little burned out so I did some more shopping for a bit and we went home.
One thing I noticed is that a lot of the booths at CC are more for promotional purposes than at WC which is largely commercial. It was a lot more to see, but a bit overwhelming and somewhat superfluous at the same time. It is also a little amazing that so many celebs come to this event. Some people were telling my GF that that has been going on for about a decade and didn't used to be like that so much.
On the negative side I don't think the show was well organized. There has to be a better way to get into a panel you want to see than stand in a line for 5 hours. Crowd control wasn't that great either. Coming out of the Kevin Smith show apparently turned into the battle of the four armies as crowds from all different directions literally converged in front of the building. And most of the people in an official t-shirt are utterly useless to ask for information on anything.
One word of advice for people planning a trip. Try and not go without a lot of advanced planning. Our hotel wasn't near the show and we got lost trying to find it driving around at midnight. You have to know in advance where you're going to eat or you'll be trapped inside the CC paying $20 for a couple of cheeseburgers or facing a two hour wait at any restaurant within a mile radius of the convention center. After all that I think the gods of fortune really decided to turn against us and the weekend kind of turned into a comedy of errors. I lost my badge for Sunday. My girlfriend lost her ATM card when it fell out of her pocket. On the drive home the check engine light came after we had gotten half way home and my girlfriend was panicked we'd break down(we didn't, but she does need a new transmission). Oh and we got stopped by a cop a few blocks from home. for running a red light.
All in all though it was a fun and unexpected diversion. We learned a lot about how to prepare for future ones and we are definitely going to try and make this an annual trip.
I am basically a shy person and not really into the celebrity thing so I really like to go to these things just to soak in the atmosphere, hear some interesting panels, and get some good comics deals. Being my first time I didn't want to have any expectations or any must sees I just wanted to take it all in. And there was a lot to take in. We left at around 7:30 and I was thinking of checking out the Lost panel until I heard that people were already lined up for it 4 hours before it was starting. That seemed to be the theme of the event as the lines for everything major are massive. So we were content to wander around the exhibit hall. I went to a Marv Wolfman panel on writing. I bought some $1 a piece comics while my GF wandered more of the exhibit hall. The crowds were of course a bitch, but just being there you don't mind it so much. While I was looking at the comics OI kept hearing this roar from the other side off the room. I later asked my GF what that was and she said "oh some girl named Olivia Munn". Apparently she is popular with comic-conners.
The only big star" we were able to see was Kevin Smith who did his usual Q&A (BTW while waiting in line for him my girlfriend was checking out all the comic-con twitters and I saw cooleddie posting from CC). The Q&A was basically a set up for him to riff on topics, but goddamn is he funny. Even my girlfriend laughed out loud. He had the line of the night with "only at Comic-Con can someone in a Spock costume look at someone in a Chewbaca costume and go what a fucking geek". He also had a line about his dad being into Alpha Flight after Northstar came out of the closet that I don't quite remember, but it practically had me on the floor. After Kevin we went to the masquerade fro awhile and then it was back to the hotel. The next day we were a little burned out so I did some more shopping for a bit and we went home.
One thing I noticed is that a lot of the booths at CC are more for promotional purposes than at WC which is largely commercial. It was a lot more to see, but a bit overwhelming and somewhat superfluous at the same time. It is also a little amazing that so many celebs come to this event. Some people were telling my GF that that has been going on for about a decade and didn't used to be like that so much.
On the negative side I don't think the show was well organized. There has to be a better way to get into a panel you want to see than stand in a line for 5 hours. Crowd control wasn't that great either. Coming out of the Kevin Smith show apparently turned into the battle of the four armies as crowds from all different directions literally converged in front of the building. And most of the people in an official t-shirt are utterly useless to ask for information on anything.
One word of advice for people planning a trip. Try and not go without a lot of advanced planning. Our hotel wasn't near the show and we got lost trying to find it driving around at midnight. You have to know in advance where you're going to eat or you'll be trapped inside the CC paying $20 for a couple of cheeseburgers or facing a two hour wait at any restaurant within a mile radius of the convention center. After all that I think the gods of fortune really decided to turn against us and the weekend kind of turned into a comedy of errors. I lost my badge for Sunday. My girlfriend lost her ATM card when it fell out of her pocket. On the drive home the check engine light came after we had gotten half way home and my girlfriend was panicked we'd break down(we didn't, but she does need a new transmission). Oh and we got stopped by a cop a few blocks from home. for running a red light.
All in all though it was a fun and unexpected diversion. We learned a lot about how to prepare for future ones and we are definitely going to try and make this an annual trip.
