San Diego Comic-Con 2018
San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) started in 1970 in the US Grant Hotel basement, with just over 300 attendees. Now, there are over 150,000+ people registered each year! That doesn’t include the thousands of people who don’t have a badge but attend the offsite events, which are open to the public.
We’ve been going to SDCC every year since 2013, and have also attended WonderCon, Long Beach Comic Con, and Designer Con. I remember the first thing that struck me when we arrived in San Diego in 2013 was the community. Yes, it can get extremely crowded. It can also get pretty overwhelming. Hotels are hard to come by and Amtrak is notoriously horrible at keeping to their schedule. And there are definitely complaints about the lines. However, it’s a 4.5-day event where everyone is there to have some fun. The community that builds among people from all over the world outweighs all of the negatives that comes with crowds. I’ve met so many people while waiting in line or walking the floor.
And that’s the thing about cons: there’s something for everyone. Even though “comic” is in the name, from the beginning the founders wanted to include other genres that they thought deserved more attention, such as films and literature. Now, the convention is even more inclusive. Not just in terms of the exhibitors, but also in terms of the programming and the attendees. People from all backgrounds come here to enjoy the convention, and a lot of them cosplay as whatever they want. Since I’ve been attending, I haven’t heard and derogatory comments about race, gender, sexuality, or religion. It truly is a welcoming environment, and that is one of the best things about the cons I’ve attended.
The Floor
The exhibit hall (or “The Floor” as we call it) is a massive 460,000+ square foot area where exhibitors can set up their booths and lure convention goers into buying exclusives, mystery boxes, comics, art, or other things that they are selling. Some of the booths are more interactive, and have games set up for giveaways. Others are set up by gaming companies (Square Enix, Nintendo, Blizzard, Capcom, etc.) and host demos of upcoming games, or gaming tournaments. To celebrate their 50-year partnership with Peanuts, NASA had a booth that was always packed! Comic-cons are not just about entertainment anymore. Education plays a huge role, and a lot of educational booths, including art schools, are almost always packed. It’s really great to see how much the convention has expanded!
Gaming
SDCC also attracts a lot of gamers, and not just video gamers. A lot of people come out to play card games (Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh, etc.), board games (both old and new), and role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons. There are entire rooms set up just for these sorts of games, and it’s so much fun to meet new people, hang out, and play. Last year, one of my friends introduced me to D&D. I was really nervous about playing at first, since the other 6 people there were very experienced. My friend assured me that it would be fine and when he introduced me to the group, they all helped me learn the game and we ended up having a great time together!
Some game developers also use SDCC to beta test their games before release. It’s a great way for them to get feedback, and a great way for players to try out the games before release.
Panels
One of the best things about SDCC is the programming. Most years, a lot of the heavy hitters come out: DC, WB, Marvel, etc. If any of you have ever waited in line for Hall H, you probably understand why there is a merit badge specifically dedicated to getting in. The feeling of walking through the doors to get to Hall H is euphoric.
After seeing a lot of the bigger panels over the years, this year I focused on some of the smaller panels. One of them was the Peanuts Family Album panel, which consisted of a bunch of Peanuts experts talking about the obscure and mostly forgotten characters of the comic strip. When there was about 15min left in the panel, the room was shocked when the original Lieutenant Uhura, Nichelle Nichols, walked in and sat in the front row! I knew I’d never get another photo opportunity like this and took full advantage.
By far one of my favorite panels I attended this year was Cartoon Voices II, suggested by Minhan! There was a ton of talent there, including one of my personal favorites: Kiff VandenHeuvel who voices Zachary Comstock in Bioshock Infinite (part of my favorite gaming franchise of all time). I waited outside of the panel for him and was able to chat with him for a few minutes about Bioshock. He shared stories of his time in the studio, including a run-in with a Big Daddy, and we took a picture together!
Artists’ Alley
One of my favorite places to visit is Artists’ Alley. Thanks to some enabling by my Master’s thesis adviser, I started collecting art several years ago. In Artists’ Alley, there are so many talented artists that just walking through the aisles can get slightly overwhelming. One of my favorite artists is Sara Richard, who does art for several major titles like Rick and Morty and My Little Pony. She’s just such an awesome person to be around: super chill and always smiling. And her art is amazing! If you look at her banner behind her, you can see the incredible detail she puts into all of her pieces.
Both Minhan and I have asked her to do several commissions for us over the years and she’s done such an excellent job with all of them:
Here are some of my other favorites that we got from other very talented artists over the years:
Final Thoughts
I love going to cons. The community is great and always welcoming. People from all over the world are brought together to enjoy the event. There is a ton of talent present, and it really makes for a great interface for people to interact. You never know who you’ll see on the floor (I’ve seen Gal Gadot, Jason Mamoa, Sean Astin, Elijah Wood, Katrina Law, John Barrowman, Robert Kirkman, Greg Nicotero, the casts of The Flash, Arrow, The Walking Dead…the list goes on), and there are amazing cosplays everywhere. For SDCC, the entire city gets into it. Trolleys are decorated, hotels have huge banners, pop up shops appear, and restaurants have SDCC-themed menus.
I can’t emphasize this enough: cons are not just for “superhero comic nerds”, which is something I hear a lot. I didn’t even get a chance to chat about independent publishers, small press, and other forms of media. There really is something here for everyone, and people are accepted for who they are. It really is a unique experience and I love going very single time! Even if you don’t have a badge for SDCC, there are plenty of off-site events you can explore.
But in the end, it’s all about having a great time with people you love!
As usual, comments, conversations, feedback, and messages are always welcome!
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