Comic Con started in 1970 with a whopping 145 attendees at the U.S. Grant Hotel in downtown San Diego. They held 2 events that year, the first one being a test and the 2nd one, the real deal, which attracted twice the number of attendees with guests such as Ray Bradbury and Jack Kirby. From The Grant hotel, it then went to the El Cortez Hotel, and then the Convention & Performing Arts Center in 1979. In ’92, it moved to the Convention Center, where it is today.
In 2008, for the first time ever, the event sold-out in advance with an estimated whopping 140,000 visitors.
The 2010 Comic Con International takes place from Thursday, July 22nd to Sunday July 25th. There’s also a preview night for the early arrivals that happens on Wednesday, July 21 and as noted, it takes place at the San Diego Convention Center, which you’d think is big enough, but actually, of late, is not. Downtown San Diego is almost getting too small for this bad boy.
Right now, the only tickets available are the Single Day Membership tickets for Thursday and Sunday. Fri & Saturday are sold out. Thursday looks to be about 70% sold out and Sun is just over 50% sold out.
Survival Guide to Comic Con
Comic Con is an event. For the attendee, it can be akin to a survival test of sorts, and surprises.
If you go alone, you’re gonna have a go at it. You need to balance out line standing, panel attendance, seat retention with bathroom breaks. It’s brutal and you need to plan ahead. I avoid coffee in the morning, because if you get up from a good seat in a panel, you WILL lose it.
I went fr Pt A, zig zagged to Pt B, then Back to the panel entrance at Pt C!
Lines… there are going to be a lot of lines and long lines at Comic Con. Lines that take sometimes hours to stand in. And if you’re looking to the big events in Hall H, well, if you were a Twilight fan, and considered front row seats important, getting in line the night before was the best option. Last year, I thought an hour early was a good plan for Sunday’s Smallville and Supernatural panels. Apparently those who got there 2 hours before me had different ideas.
For one, if you’re new to the Con experience, having a buddy is critical. One can hold your spot in line or your seat so you can dodge out to the bathrooms. If you’re solo, it can be rough.
If you’re new to the Comic Con experience and think you’re going to get autographs, bring money. Most autographs cost money. Mark Hamil’s autograph was around $75 for the first one. And he was popular.
Badges
You get lanyards and a plastic sleeve for your attendance badge. I’ve not had any problems with them, but get or bring a binder clip or paper clip and clip the top of the badge sleeve closed. That will keep it in place. See, she has her badge!
Schedules
It’s critical to plan and plot. In 2008, I meandered over to the Ghost Hunters panel and discovered that the line wrapped out the back door, around the end of the convention center and down the front street. Nope, didn’t get in. They didn’t plan on that large of an attendance!
You need to pick and choose the more important panels, and don’t be lured away by ‘maybe that will be cool’ panels.
Comic Con is really a perseverance test and a test filled with challenges to planning and plotting. I don’t even think about going anywhere to eat. There’s a grocery store a few blocks east. I hit that up the night I get there and get snack / munchies supplies and fluids for when I’m in the Con. The snack carts aren’t cheap, plus you save money for your dinner forays. There’s a Hooters and tons of other pretty decent places to check out for dinner or late-night activity in downtown San Diego.
There are also day-end screenings, usually in ballrooms of the hotels. You might want to look at what takes place around the convention after 5 p.m. and see if there’s anything there, then plot backwards to the beginning of the day.
Bring camera(s). Set them to infinity in case you need to take quick pictures cruising the floor and then you can adjust after that first shot. The folks in costume will stop and pose if asked. Don’t be shy. You’ll be happy later. In the panels, take practice shots while the lights are on and then one final practice shot when they go down…. you want to set your camera for low lighting so your flash doesn’t go off and create a mob-mentality focused on you. My camera uses the flash to strobe focus in the dark, so yea, the mob-mentality can happen.
Japan's Comiket Crowds
I know I’m forgetting a lot of things but the big thing is look and plan and prepare for long lines. Very long lines and thick crowds on the convention floor. Be nice, be polite, but be quick. There’s lots of swag in different places so keep your eyes peeled, your camera ticking and have some fun, more or less.
If you don’t yet have a hotel room, dude, get it now if you can find one in downtown San Diego. They book up quick. If you can’t fine one, get one farther out, but keep checking once or twice a week for cancellations if you want to be close by the event. It never hurts. Otherwise, well, that’s a bit extra time. I’ve never driven there. I’ve flown in, taken a taxi and then spent the next 4 days walking everywhere. I couldn’t begin to tell you what it’s like for traffic. Never dealt with it.
Here’s the link to Comic Con… check it out, read it carefully and know that you can only buy tickets online. I don’t think they’re serving up tickets on-site. COMIC CON Website.
