Comic-Con: A Rookie’s Experience Day 3 & 4

My third and fourth days at Comic-Con 2009 were very busy and kept me moving around all day and night. Since many of you have been following me on Facebook and Twitter, I’ve decided not to go through what all I did and saw. Instead, I have come up with something that will be extremely vital for a pleasent Comic-Con trip for anyone who goes for the first time. Here are my 7 Rules for Rookies:

Rule #1 – Keep your camera on you at all times. So far here, I have seen Stan Lee, Lou Ferrigno, Nestor Carbonell, Kevin Sorbo, and many other celebrities. A lot of famous people come to Comic-Con not only for their specific project, but many are here to see the other events and be with the fans. We saw some of them walking around downtown the past couple of nights, stopping for photos or shaking hands of fans who approach. Even sitting at the hotel bar writing articles I have seen famous people nonchalantly walking down the hallway. Morgan Spurlock, director of Super Size Me, ordered Starbucks right in front of me. You never know who you will see here at Comic-Con, so keep your eyes peeled.

Rule #2 -Get ready for more lines here then on Kate Moss’ pocket mirror. Anticipation is half of the fun at Comic-Con. Until that excitement wears off after standing outside in the San Diego sun for an hour and a half only to not get into the panel to catch Paramount’s Iron Man 2. Every morning Roman got up at 6 a.m. to get his Comic-Con exclusive figures, an experience he will be writing about shortly. Depending on the event, sometimes the lines would move quickly, other times they just went no where. Lines at the Starbucks, lines for the bathroom, even lines to get people into lines. Best bet is to get somewhere early, one or two events in the room you want, and stay there. I got into line around 8 a.m. and chatted with some other Lost fans and wept about how sad it is the show is ending after this next season. We got let in and I found fairly good seats (I like sitting near the screens in the hall that are for the back areas, rather then trying to get the coveted middle front seats. After the panel, Jeff, Roman and I met outside Hall H, since the next panel had a small amount of people in line and we would be able to get some lunch and get back before the event before Iron Man 2 let out and more people in line would get seated. Turns out, we were way wrong. Next to no one left the panels leading up to Iron Man 2, so even though we were pretty close to the front of the line, we did not get in. Defeated, but educated.

Rule #3 -Early bird gets the worm, or a really good seat. As previously stated, the trick with these lines is getting places early and then viciously defending them. T-Day, or the day Twilight: New Moon, taught us that. We knew all the fans of the series take their passion for the books and films more seriously then they take their middle school academics, it was no shock to us to see the tents that had been set up from the previous night just to get into the panel. They knew their stuff; all the New Moon fans left their Jonas Brothers shirts at home. They sat through the first panel, transcended human consciousness through meditation (screaming), then promptly left. Half the room was gone as the stars fled the stage. More then likely, most of the New Moon fans were already inside and would not mess up the chance to catch their favorite stars. So get in line as early as you can, plant yourself in your seat, then find the quickest route to your next event.

Rule #4 -Keep your friends close, and your hotel room closer. One of the advantages to having a hotel close to the convention center is being able to roll out of bed, hit the Starbucks in the lobby, then take a 4 minute walk to the line for Hall H. Hotels farther from the convention center will typically be less expensive, but convention travelers need to allot extra time for travel. The historic section, where most of the bars and restaurants are, can get jam packed with people because of the narrow streets and sidewalks. Get online and find the quickest way to your destination, and you’ll never be upset for the extra time you spent finding out that going in a straight line quite usually is the best way regardless.

Rule #5 -Pick your panels carefully. Remember in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, when Indy had to pick the cup of Christ after watching that Nazi age-out like in front of our eyes like Daniel Radcliffe from Harry Potter? That is what it is like to pick out which panels and events to go to sometimes. I love the TV show Psych but it conflicted with another panel I was also excited for. I would make the comparison of a dad not being able to pick which child they love more, but I could end up loving my first son more then the others. Decide what you want to do the most, map out where you need to be, and try to only be slightly disappointed with yourself when you realize something cooler happened at the event you skipped.

Rule #6 – Batteries are like circus bears; keep them full or they’ll kill you. More power was used to charge laptop computers at Comic-Con then the Hover Dam has generated since it’s completion. Outlets were being rented out by shady characters who seemed to be getting a kick-back from the power company. I dimmed my computer screen down so much I had to use my cell phone as a flashlight. Jeff smuggled in a kerosene powered generator so we could Twitter. Anyway, you get the picture. Power is hard to come by in the Ballrooms and especially Hall H, so save as much energy as you can before you get in and while you’re in there if you’ll be using your computer. Secondly, if you want access to the Internet, get a wireless network card. Yes, paying $50 a month for a network card is ridiculous when they offer free Wi-Fi, but it’s not worth losing signal every time someone walks by dressed up as Boba Fett (happens more then you’d think). Bite the bullet, buy a wireless network card, and post away.

Rule #7 – Free and good almost never describe something…except for free hugs. A lot of stuff is up for grabs for Con Artists (my name for people who know how to navigate the crazy of Comic-Con). Some of it is expensive, but a lot is free. However, when it comes to attempting to please the thousands of fans showing up to everything for 5 days, quality is skipped in lieu of quantity. Understandably, some stuff is pointless, but there are some gems here and there. If you are looking for a collectible or an exclusive, expect to pay up. I always take anything put in front of me (hence, my need for starting the Atkins Diet), so much of the stuff I ended up packing perplexed me. I need to have two Jonah Hex temporary tattoos, but four is just unnecessary. Either way, every year is different, so bring plenty of cash with you when you head out to San Diego.