Julia Slaughter

Posts Tagged ‘Comic Con’

As I may have mentioned a few times, in July I went to Comic Con and while I was there I was dragged, practically kicking and screaming, by my friend Rod to see the Eastwick panel. I never saw the movie, the Witches of Eastwick, and I am a reluctant fan of witches at best. Vampires and Werewolves I’m always willing to give the benefit of the doubt, but witches have to win me over before I’m willing to spend any of my hard earned money on them! I don’t really know why I’m that way, but I am…

Anyway, Rod announced that we were going to see the Eastwick panel for ABC’s new show and I rolled my eyes. He went on and on about how great the movie was, and was grievously wounded when I admitted that I had never seen it. When they announced that they were going to show us the entire premier and they dimmed the lights, I counted myself lucky that we only have an hour to go before the panel is over, and then – it got me. I don’t know when it happened but suddenly I realized that I wasn’t just tolerating the show but I was enjoying it.

The characters are well played by their perspective actresses and actors. I have to admit that Paul Gross, who plays Darryl Van Horne, stole the scenes that he was in and afterwards he stole the panel every time he talked. I suppose that he’s following in big footsteps since his role was played by Jack Nicholson in the movie but I think he owns the role completely when he’s playing it. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Eastwick starts in earnest tonight on ABC, I can’t remember the time exactly and I guess it would vary from time zone to time zone, but if you get a chance check it out.

This was the 40th anniversary of San Diego’s Comic-Con, it was my third con. (The second time I went for the full Comic-Con – the first year I just got to go for one day.) The advantage of being a veteran is that you know the ropes a little bit better, you know that you need to get your pass early on Wednesday for Preview Night because if you wait until the doors open for the event, the odds are good that you aren’t getting in with enough time to do anything significant. You know that there’s a reason that so many people are hauling back packs loaded with assorted nonsense,  that seems utterly useless, until you need it and then it’s critically important. There are little lessons, alot of them that you have to learn the hard way, by being there in the thick of things and there are always new lessons to learn every year.

The amazing thing about Comic-Con is that if you keep your eyes open there’s magic happening all around you, in some places that are absolutely unexpected. This year for example there were the little joys I’m somewhat accustomed to – little kids beaming with pride in their superhero costumes, the more exotic like the father who was dressed as a Jedi Knight carrying his son wearing dressed as Yoda. There’s also the moments that are a little less expected, walking on the exhibit hall floor – seeing Michael McMillian spending time with some friends, hearing the unmistakable sound of Kevin Grevioux (Raze from the Underworld franchise) talking to someone, or having Dave Gibbons ( famous artist, think Watchmen) identify the artist who did the print on your friend’s tee shirt.

If you can’t appreciate the little gems that you can uncover on the Exhibit Hall floor, rest assured most people can find magic in the panels and in the illustrious and elusive Hall H.  (I’m saying elusive because despite a seating capacity of 6500, people will stand in line for hours for the hope of getting a seat inside.) This year I fell in love with James Cameron’s Avatar thanks to 24 minutes of footage and ABC’s Eastwick after seeing the entire pilot, but I also laughed until I cried in the Webcomics Bootcamp panel with Scott Kurtz (PvP), Brad Guigar (Evil Inc), Kris Straub (Starslip), and Dave Kellett (Sheldon).

The magic of Comic-con even spills out into the streets. All over the streets of downtown there are signs for the con. There are stores that proudly open their doors and welcome Comic-con attendees. However there are also marketing people working their magic all around the convention center, there was some sort of fair being put on by Heroes, Syfy was passing out new bags and tee shirts promoting their name change and my favorite – you can go down the Rabbit Hole and join the Mad Hatter for a tea party.

I must also admit that I carried around a book hoping to run into one of my favorite authors that was supposed to be there somewhere.  (I never found Shannon Hale or figured out where she was supposed to be!)  I was trampled by a rampaging herd of Green Lantern fans thanks to Graphitti Designs. I also got nicknamed the Line Terminator for kicking two girls trying to cut in the Hall H line, not once, but twice.

At the end of the best conventions, if you are very lucky, you are swept up in a current of excitement maybe about a project that you’re working on or maybe about something that someone else is working on.  It’s like the thrill of falling in love,  it colors your world and makes it a brighter and more interesting place.

Every year that I go to Comic-Con I take TONS of pictures to try to capture the sheer size of the event. There are over 125,000 people there between the attendees, professionals, and exhibitors (or that was the magic number in the past), so just to put things in perspective for you when you look at the list of panels and programming offered and you hear people talking about not being able to see what they want here’s why – Hall H is the biggest venue that the San Diego Convention center offers it seats 6500 people. (And every year the fire Marshall comes to make sure that everything is in order so those rules are pretty strictly enforced.) I’m going to give the benefit of the doubt and say that at least 25,000 people are exhibitors that are tied into the Exhibit hall that means there are around 100,000 people competing for alot of the same content so like it or not – you’re going to end up in a line at some point in time. If you’re lucky it will only be for a few minutes but if you’re trying to get into Hall H, it could be for hours, so I wanted to share my tips and tricks for San Diego Comic-Con.

Bring your fully charged cell phone and put it on vibrate in your pocket! It’s almost impossible to keep your group of friends together, the odds are good that you aren’t all interested in the same panels and whatnot, but even if you are – the crowds are so immense that you get separated, cell phones help you find each other. (They do NOT offering a paging service in the convention center so if you get separated with no means of communication, you’re out of luck.)

Pack a Backpack full of Essentials, you’ll be glad that you have it. My backpack includes the following:

• Handiwipes, hand sanitizer, and travel sized lotion – If you’re flying solo you can’t get out of line to go to the bathroom so it’s nice to have the tools to freshen up. (The hand sanitizer dries your hands out so the lotion is a nice counterbalance.)
• A snack – this year it was dried fruit and some nuts. Yes, there are food vendors but again you can’t always leave the line. The people around me were overjoyed when I broke out my pistachios and shared. (Again this is where the handiwipes come into play.)
• Water or Fruit Juice – you need to bring something that will actually keep you hydrated, if you aren’t from California – it’s alot hotter than it feels and if you get stuck in line for a few hours outside Hall H, you’ll be glad you have it.
• The Program – this may seem like a no-brainer but more than once people asked to borrow mine because they had left it in the hotel. The odds are good that you’re not going to get into your first choice panel if it’s something really popular so you may need to develop a back-up plan.
• A Camera – whether you like to be in pictures or not, there are things you’ll see that you wish you had a camera for whether it’s a celebrity, or an amazing costume.
• Sunscreen – This mostly applies to anyone who is going to try to get into a bigger panel where you might get stuck outside for long periods of time. I got a fabulous Farmer’s tan while waiting to get into Hall H on Thursday.

Other things in the bag that are not essentials but nice to have –

• A book to read and my iPod – it’s rare but there are times you find yourself in line around people that you’d rather not talk to, it’s nice to have an escape plan.
• A pen and a scratch pad – sometimes you meet some amazing people and you’d like to stay in touch or if you’re creative you might get some idea that you want to hold onto, write it down, hurry! Something else amazing will distract you in a hurry.
• Contact Cards – a faster way to distribute information to the people you want to stay in touch with. I got some Moo minicards, I didn’t give them out often but I was glad to have them when I needed them.
• My old Dell Axim – Wifi is offered for free and sometimes while I’m waiting on a panel – I poke around on the internet, play silly games, whatever.
• Hoodie – sometimes the panel rooms get a touch cool, it’s nice to have something with sleeves. I also saw someone ingeniously using their hoodie to protect themselves from the sun while waiting for Hall H. (Too bad I hadn’t brought mine that day!)

Some important notes:

Keep your badge out and prominently displayed whether you wear it on the provided lanyard or not. As you move through the Convention center they check it at various points, you will be frustrated and frustrate the people around you if you have to stop and find it.

Cut in line and prepare to suffer the wrath of the people around you. I watched two girls get harranged and ridculed until they finally gave up and went to the back of the line. You are surrounded by people who want to see the same content you do, the difference is that they have been patiently waiting their turn – rest assured the crowd gets ugly when you try to jump ahead.

Do not save an empty seat so you don’t have to sit near a stranger! I must confess, I prefer to have an empty seat to act as a barrier between me and the person next to me but when you have literally thousands of people fighting to get in to see the show – is it really fair to hold that seat?

There’s more to the schedule than what you see in the program. If you know an artist or author you like is supposed to be there, check by the booth where they are supposed to be so you can find their signing schedule. There’s alot more going on at Comic-con than most of us even realize so it’s hard to keep track of it.

Accept defeat gracefully! This year I ended up in line over and over again for the Green Lantern Blackest Nights figures. I was shocked at the guy who started screaming profanity at the vendors in front of several thousand other people. Was it disorganized? yes. But that attitude makes the Con unpleasant for everyone around you.

Now for the most important note -

HAVE FUN! Everyone who goes to Comic-con has a unique experience, take it all in – it goes by fast!

Comic Con

Not the greatest picture, I realize – it was taken with my cell phone! However you can tell where my head’s at right now – I’m leaving tomorrow around lunch time. As for today, I’m at work, trying to get some things done but you can tell where my head is really at!

I suppose the 16th of July seems like kind of a random time to start a new blog, but next week I’m going to San Diego for Comic Con so I hope that I will have interesting tales to share and pictures to post.

This is my third year at Comic Con and I am really looking forward to it. The first year was pretty much complete and utter chaos, last year was a little better,  but this year not only do I have a better handle on how the programming works I have friends I’m looking forward to getting together with,  some of them that I’ll be meeting in person for the first time! Thanks to World of Warcraft I’ve made friends all over the country,  and fortunately some of them are going to Comic Con.

I have to admit that aside from the crowds and the higher cost of living,  I like San Diego and I love Comic Con.  The weather is beautiful, especially when leaving behind this humid, sticky 100+ temp weather that we’re having here on the Gulf Coast.  I was trying to explain to my Mom why I like Comic Con so much, and really it’s the people. Everyone is so friendly, even when they play Horde and you play Alliance. There is sometimes teasing, but it’s usually all pretty good natured.

So with a trip on the horizon it seems like a good time to embark on a new blog, hopefully I can find something worthwhile to say.