Surviving San Diego: Part One

It's known by many names. 

The Big Enchilada.  Geekstock.  Comic Book Mecca. Whatever it's nickname, the San Diego Comic Con is the largest confluence of pop cultural currents on the planet...and something every comic book fan should try to attend at least once.

Me?  I've been to two Comic Cons, one in 2003 and another in 2005.   Both trips had plenty of positives and a few negatives, but overall they were some of the most exciting, interesting, surprising and...yes...surreal experiences of my life.

However, as fun as those visits were, I sure would have appreciated getting some advice from experienced "Con Veterans" as I was planning them (especially the first one). Sure, I was able to nab a few tips here and there off the internet, and the Con itself does a fairly good job of explaining things, but alot of my plan was pure improvisation...exciting and invigorating in one way, yet not always the ideal situation when you're spending wads of cash to fly thousands of miles to a bewilderingly huge event in an unfamiliar city.

With that in mind, I thought I'd share some of my own tips, observations and recommendations for those of you who'll be attending your first Comic Con this summer (July 26-28), or maybe contemplating a future visit.  I'm by no means as experienced as others are, and every person goes to the Con with a different set of expectations and goals...but for people who are:

(A) essentially superhero comic book fans,

(B) on a budget and

(C) not a comic biz big-shot, reporter, networker, or acolyte/sidekick, maybe I'll have some helpful information for you.

Rather than cram everything into a single entry, I thought I'd tackle individual topics over the next several weeks, including:

1.  Getting There and Where to Stay

2.  Gearing Up

3.  Getting Around

4.  Striking a Balance: Programming vs. Exploring

5.  People Watching

Oh, by the way, I will be hitting the Con again this summer...though this time around I'll only be attending on Sunday, the final day.

Why only one day?  Well, while toying with a return trip earlier this year, I came across some great airfare deals. So great, in fact, that I suggested to my wife that we take our family vacation this summer in sunny San Diego...the same week as the Con! 

You see, during my previous two "pilgrimages", it was a little frustrating to spend virtually the entire four days inside the San Diego Convention Center without getting to see anything else in that beautiful oceanside city.  So, this time around, I'll get to soak up the San Diego experience for most of the week, then hit the Con for awhile on Sunday with the family, who have no earthly idea what's in store for them.

That is, if they haven't read my San Diego Survival Guide by then.

Comments

[Great White Snark]

Looking forward to the series... I'm headed down to my first(!) Comic Con for all four days(!) and I'm already wondering how I'm going to cram everything in. You going to check out the Superman/Doomsday screening on Thursday?

[Mark Engblom]

If I was there all four days, I'm sure I'd be sneaking a peek of Superman/Doomsday...but this time I'm only stopping by on Sunday, a comparatively low-key day.

I'm sure you're pretty excited about your first trip down there. Hopefully I've got a few tips to make it even more enjoyable. I'll be posting the next one either tomorrow (Saturday) or Sunday. It's the "Getting There and Where to Stay" information, which is probably a moot point for most people going this year (at least I'd HOPE most people would already have their airfare and hotel squared away by now).

[Heather B]

I made it to my first Comic-Con ever today with my son and we live here in San Diego lol. Had free tickets but was unable to stay the whole day. I hope to go all days next year to see everything and everyone. I dont buy anything but love seeing the characters and such...

you can see my post on it here
http://www.heathersblog.com/2007/sd-comic-con-2007/

[oscar]

I attended my first Con this year. And even though I'm a casual comic book fan I still had an awesome time. Since you were on there Sunday I thought you might like to see some of the stuff from the first two days. Zannel had great coverage, both pictures and videos, of the Con. You can see it at www.zannel.com/comiccon. Enjoy!

[Margaret]

these are great! well done.