Once again I have survived San Diego Comic-Con International. I love attending the annual celebration of popular culture and meeting up with old friends and making new ones. It brings back the memories of the days when I began attending in 1977 then began helping plan the conventions as a Member of the Board of Directors in 1978 at the El Cortez Hotel up until the time I moved on in 1986. Comic-Con has always held a special place in my heart and when I was invited to attend by a friend in 2009, it all came flooding back as to why I loved it.
The sights, the sounds, the excitement of the Fans. Meeting the comic-book artists, television stars and movie stars, all of whom were very open and friendly, glad to have a short chat with you... these are the things that make Comic-Con the immersive experience of the year. If you ever get the chance to attend, this is the one must see event of a lifetime. It has been around longer than just about any other comic convention, beginning in 1969 as a small group of fans that liked comic books and slowly building up to the spectacle we know today.
All the big name publishers were there, Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, Radical Publishing to name but a few. Fans lined up for hours trying to get in to see the many panels and many were standing room only. At the Marvel panel, Tom Hiddleston put in a surprise appearance in full Loki costume and persona that brought the house down. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost played to a packed room to about their latest film “The Worlds End” and these were just my high points! I even had the opportunity to participate in a round table interview session with the cast of the popular television show “Grimm”.
Due to the immense crowds at the panels I spent my time rolling around in the main exhibit hall visiting the different studio booths, checking out their offerings of the new shows coming up for the Fall season. Pirates, fairy tales, zombies, adventure, and vampires! The Cos-players were many and very interesting, displaying their skills at making and portraying their favorite characters and different genres from comic-books, movies and books.
NBC is bringing back “Grimm” and a new show with a modern update on “Dracula”. ABC has a spin-off of the very popular “Once Upon a Time” with “Once Upon a Time: Wonderland”. Both networks realises the opportunity of advertsising these shows in front of an audience of thousands!
There was a huge exhibit of some of the sets used on the forthcoming film “Ender’s Game” set up outside the convention Center. I got inside and it certainly whet my appetite for this film... and I want to see how closely they follow the book.
Four and a half days of sensory overload later, I look back at the most fun I have all year and look forward to attending next year’s gathering and the following years until I can no longer get around. It was and still is the most exhausting fun a person can have..!
