Pages Tagged “Comic Con”
Reviews
- Doubletree Hotel San Diego Downtown The location is good for Comic-Con, though it’s a 40-minute trip to the convention center. It’s hard to review much else, because we were there during major remodeling.
- Holiday Inn on the Bay (San Diego)
- Omni Hotel San Diego Rooms and service are very nice, and it’s right across the street from the convention center.
Blog Posts
- Two Years Without a Con
Surprising no-one, WonderCon will be online-only again this year. Last year’s event was canceled just as we all started to realize that Covid-19 was spreading in California. And while the winter surge in cases is finally slowing down, the coronavirus is still more prevalent out there now than it was last March. They’re still hoping […]
- Too Soon, Comic-Con
Earlier this week we were talking about cosplay ideas for when we can finally go back to comic conventions. Literally the next day, I read that LA Comic-Con is planning an in-person convention in December. OH HELL NO! I don’t care that they’re limiting attendance, requiring masks and distancing, and keeping it at the cavernous […]
- No Wonder
WonderCon has been our main fan convention for the past decade or so. We’ve been every year since it moved to Anaheim in 2012, and several years back when it was in San Francisco. But this year it’s not happening. By February we were already looking at what was going on with the new coronavirus […]
- Finally starting to miss SDCC
I’m half-following the build up to San Diego Comic-Con. I haven’t been there since 2014, though I’ve been to WonderCon and Long Beach every year. The first year I couldn’t get tickets I shrugged. It’s exhausting, and there are other cons. I didn’t even try this year or last. But now I find I’ve started […]
- Comic-Con Economy: What a Difference a Decade Makes
SDCC Blog reports that Comic-Con International is expected to be the San Diego Convention Center’s top economic generator of 2018, “with 130,000 attendees and an estimated $147.1 million in regional impact.” That’s a far cry from 2008, when the con was derided as “decidedly low-rent” and generated “only” $41.5 million, half the impact of the […]
- Rediscover THIS Day, But Maybe Not THAT One!
Google Photos has been sending me its usual “Rediscover this day!” collages from Comic-Con 2013. On Tuesday it sent me a collage built from July 18, and on Thursday it sent me a collage built from July 20, marking Thursday and Saturday of the event. Wait, what about Friday? Well, here’s the interesting thing: Friday […]
- Comic-Con with a Stroller: Geek Parents with Kids Under Five
Geek families will inevitably want to bring their kids along to cons. Here’s our experience balancing our own fannish interests with a small child.
- Not Going to Comic-Con This Year (But I Feel Fine)
I tried, but couldn’t get tickets to SDCC for the first time in years. Oddly, I’m only mildly disappointed.
- This Fan Used To Post Tons Of Comic-Con Coverage, Then Stopped. Can You Guess Why?
Social media has enabled fans to follow SDCC without setting foot in San Diego, but being part of the conversation has a cost for those at the con.
- Comic-Con 2014 – Now That’s Better! (Writeup, Photos and Cosplay)
We managed to do a lot more of what we planned at SDCC this year, from signings to swag to media events…and even got in on the cosplay scene.
- Five Ways to Use a Smart Watch at Comic-Con
Reading up on wearable computing got me wondering: I probably wouldn’t use a smart watch every day, but would it help at special events like conventions?
- SDCC Lottery: The Least-Bad Option?
SDCC is moving to lottery-based pre-registration for 2014 to even out the crush of everyone hitting the site in the first 10 seconds after launch. Instead of first-come first-serve, you sign in anytime within a window and it randomly assigns your place in line. Looking back, the turning point for crowds and being able to […]
- How Disneyland is Like Comic-Con
It’s been a few years since I’d been to Disneyland, and with NYCC happening this weekend, I couldn’t help but compare the experience to San Diego Comic-Con.
- Death Star Window
Partway down the central escalator at the San Diego Convention center, you can look down the long cylindrical skylight that makes up the roof of the lobby, rings forming the appearance of concentric circles. Years ago, a friend of mine referred to it as the Death Star Cannon shot, and it’s a popular one to […]
- I Survived Comic-Con 2013!
Intense stress, doing the impossible, meeting artists, keeping a toddler entertained, chaos good and bad, and a genuine medical emergency.
- Going to the ER at Comic-Con: Not the Peanuts I was Expecting
You don’t expect to find peanuts in coffee, but two sips were enough to put me in an ambulance and wipe out an entire afternoon of Comic-Con.
- Tips: Keeping Connected at Comic-Con
Smartphones, live-blogs and social networking have brought their own challenges to the crowded world of Comic Con. Here are some tips for staying connected.
- Comic-Con 2012: Back With a Vengeance
Back to San Diego! Comic-Con 2012 was a lot more fun and a lot less overwhelming than usual this year as we took in three days of the four-day convention.
- WonderCon as a Test Case for Comic-Con in Anaheim
With all the talk of Comic-Con International moving out of San Diego someday, it was pretty much impossible not to consider this weekendââ¬â¢s WonderCon as a test case.
- Don’t Use Third-Party Links in Email – Object Lesson: Comic-Con Registration
A click tracker that couldn’t hold up to the strain of Comic-Con registration prevented thousands of potential attendees from getting into the system in time.
- Overheard at a Comic Con
Overheard at LBCC: “Some guy asked me, what’re YOU dressed up as? And I said…a Muggle?”
- Just One Day at San Diego Comic-Con 2011
With only a day at Comic-Con, it’s really about the trade-offs. Fewer panels, more floor time: Thundercats, apocalypse, Flash mobs, costumes & collectibles.
- Comic-Con: Down the Barrel
Comic-Con International sold out this weekend. The convention isn’t until July, which makes the January sell-out surprising enough…but tickets didn’t even go on sale until this past Saturday, and were all gone by the end of the day! In past years, tickets haven’t been a problem. This year, they’ve become as hard to get as […]
- SDCC Ticket Meltdown
Comic-Con 2011 ticket sales crashed under heavy load shortly after going online. I think weâre seeing another shift in the process of getting to Comic-Con. It used to be that, as long as you were aware of the onsale dates and could both plan your trip and pay for your tickets far enough ahead of […]
- Comic-Con 2010 Sunday: Storming the Castle
A final day to explore the exhibit hall, stand in line for events, meet artists and pick up a sketch. Plus a parking snafu.
- Comic-Con 2010: Saturday. Into the Con and Out Again
Saturday was the big day for big presentations: Harry Potter, Green Lantern, Sucker Punch, Leverage, No Ordinary Family. Throngs of people, and islands of stillness.
- Comic-Con 2010: The Main Floor
The exhibit hall is starting to feel like a city, with an illusion of permanence from year to year. You can’t see it all in one visit, but you can try something different each year.
- Comic-Con 2010: The Gaslamp Crush
Comic-Con turns 5th and L into a geeky parody of the Las Vegas Strip, only the cards have pictures of spaceships instead of strippers.
- Comic-Con Tally: Sketches, Signings & Swag (2010)
Stuff we brought home from Comic-Con this year: signed comics and books, sketches, shirts, posters, and even a water bottle.
- Friday at Comic-Con 2010: Art and Downtown San Diego
Comic-Con takes some getting used to, but it does happen. Friday I did a lot of walking at the convention itself and through the spillover into Downtown.
- Comic-Con: Missing Badge Scare
What when through my head when I lost my badge at Comic-Con with two days to go: Would I be able to get back in? And if not, what would I do in San Diego?
- Comic-Con 2010: Thursday – Crowds and Costumes
A busy day of crowds, lines, costumes, DC Comics, Scott Pilgrim, bad science, twisted genres, Naomi Novik, Geoff Johns and more.
- Internet Access at Comic-Con
This year they had two wifi networks in the lobbies & event rooms, one free & crowded, the other paid & nice. Phone reception varied widely.
- Comic-Con Quotes: Twisting Genres
Authors China Mieville, Naomi Novik, Scott Westerfeld, Daryl Gregory and more discuss mixing things up with books that defy classification.
- Comic-Con Quotes: Epic Fantasy
Fun quotes from fantasy authors Brandon Sanderson, Christopher Paolini, Patrick Rothfuss, Megan Whalen Turner, and Brent Weeks.
- Comic-Con Crowd Weaving
Sometimes, weaving through the crowds at Comic-Con is easy. Other times it’s like being herded, or swimming upstream. But maybe a video game metaphor is best.
- Leverage at Comic-Con 2010
Write-up, funny quotes, and photos from the Leverage panel at Comic-Con 2010 in San Diego.
- Four Days at Comic-Con 2010 (Index)
Comic-Con International (San Diego) was fun and exhausting as usual. Here’s an index to all of our panel writeups, quotes, stories and photos.
- SDCC, Universal, and Not-Produced-Here Syndrome
Itââ¬â¢s funny how some companies will go out of their way to avoid acknowledging the competition. Does anyone really think that the Comic-Con audience will best remember Sigourney Weaver for a supporting role in Baby Mama?
- Comic-Con Hotel Deadline & Second Chances
Today’s the last day to cancel a hotel reservation with no penalty, so rooms should free up soon. If you’re waitlisted, you may have a second chance at a hotel.
- How to Get a Hotel for Comic-Con
Planning to go to San Diego, but couldn’t get a hotel room through the convention? Here are some things you can try to find a place to stay during the con.
- Comic-Con Hotel Experience: 2010
After 8 hours I finally got my hotel confirmation. It wasn’t one of the 12 I’d requested, but it’s downtown. Here’s what happened, from what I could see.
- Comic-Con Hotels 2010: Reviewing the Reservation Form
Travel Planners finally streamlined the process to minimize the impact of the massive traffic spike that always accompanies Comic-Con reservations.
- Pre-Game Thoughts on the New Comic-Con Hotel Procedure
SDCC used to let you pick your hotel from the rooms still available, then crash. Now you’ll submit a list of choices and wait to hear back from them.
- Comic-Con 2010 Hotel Block Opens March 18
SDCC and Travel Planners are making some interesting changes to the hotel registration system to fix some of last year’s problems. But will they work?
- Comic-Con Sellout
Crazy: 9 months ahead, full-event Comic-Con 2010 tickets are already sold out. 1-day tickets haven’t gone on sale yet.
- Comic-Con 2009 Complete Index
Hereââ¬â¢s a quick index to all of our posts about the July 22-26 Comic-Con International in San Diego: here, at Speed Force, and on Flickr.
- Comic-Con Triathlon: Running Through Downtown San Diego at Night
A story of the night I ran, jogged, and caught a breaking-down pedicab to make it to on time to see the Worst Cartoons Ever.
- The Other 10 Essentials of Comic-Con
You know how to pack for a trip, and to bring your camera, batteries, and a water bottle. Here are 10 things you might not think of that will come in handy.
- Looking for a Good Android Twitter App
I love Twidroid, but I’m looking for a good secondary app – I’ve tried I Tweet, Twitly, Loquacious, Twit2Go and Twitta, but none of them quite make it.
- Why I Want a Netbook (and why I’m not letting myself get one)
I’ve started seriously thinking about a netbook to get around a few issues with posting by phone, but I know I’d only use it once a year.
- San Diego: Enlarge Your Convention Center
San Diego is getting worried about the size of their convention center
- Comic-Con Hotel Block Opens March 19, 2009
Well, that’s cutting it close with just a few weeks’ warning. It used to be you’d know months ahead. Of course, the con block used to not sell out either.
- Mastercard Chase: SDCC Security Snafu
A very long story about the adventures of a credit card at Comic-Con. May be funny someday.
- Reservations
Possibly jumping the gun, but last night I reserved a backup hotel for next year’s Comic-Con. Although considering that most of the big-name hotels right by the convention center are already booked (though I’m sure they’ve set aside blocks for the convention already) or want incredible amounts of money per night, perhaps it’s not that […]
- Being a Nexus – Comic-Con Bursting at the Seams
Comic-Con is spilling out into the city of San Diego with a massive media blitz, but what about us is so appealing to the Hollywood marketing crowd?
- Comic-Con 2008 Photos are Up!
Here they are: Comic-Con 2008 Photos. I’ve only got the first page or so labeled for now, but the photos should finish uploading by the time I post this. I’ll fill in the captions and titles over the next few days. More SDCC 2008 posts.
- Back from Comic-Con (2008)
Voice acting, sketches, waffles, a historic museum, creepy-edition Gaslamp, the Buffy musical, DC Nation, a security mishap, and more on the last day of Comic-Con.
- Comic-Con 2008 Autograph/Sketch Tally
This year I collected a lot of sketches and autographs at SDCC, from regulars like Sergio Aragonés and the Foglios to rare guests like Tori Amos.
- Tori Amos Panel and Signing – Saturday at Comic-Con
Tori Amos appeared at SDCC to promote Comic Book Tattoo, a collection of comics based on her songs. I was lucky enough to make it to her signing.
- Saturday Morning in Line at the Con (SDCC 2008)
Crowds, coffee and crazy lines: Waiting for Heroes in Hall H and navigating the floor from Artists Alley on up.
- Friday at Comic-Con
Pancake House, Read or Die cosplay, Sci-fi writers Connie Willis and Robert J Sawyer, Humor in Sci-Fi, the Field, and running into people we know.
- The Paper!
Hall costume for the day: Yomiko Readman, Paper Master — from the anime series Read or Die.
- Thursday Afternoon at Comic-Con
Crowd traffic improvements, Batwoman, Sergio & Mark, Girl Genius, the Flash Companion, and liveblogging DC Nation.
- Thursday Morning: Twos & Tori (SDCC 2008)
First full day at Comic-Con: breakfast at Cafe 222, tickets for the Tori Amos signing, artist/writer collisions, Dark Night cosplayers.
- Wednesday Night in San Diego
Forget Preview Night – it’s just as crowded and crazy as the rest of the con, complete with lines, swag, and sombrero-wearing donuts walking the streets.
- Bits and Pieces: Botox Shirt, SDCC Sellout, Spam Karma
Some random observations from today: A sparkly Botox T-Shirt spotted at lunch; Comic-Con has sold out; Spam Karma is being turned over to the community.
- Tori at Comic-Con!
Tori Amos will be signing copies of Comic Book Tattoo at Comic-Con 2008! Good thing I didn’t pre-order it, because I’ll need to buy it onsite to get in.
- Comic Con = Cheapskates?
Why doesn’t San Diego like all the business that Comic-Con brings them? Apparently we don’t spend as much as other conventioneers.
- The Flash Companion Arrives in July
The Flash Companion details the publication histories of each version of DC Comics’ Fastest Man Alive: Jay Garrick, Barry Allen, Wally West, and Bart Allen.
- Comic-Con – Get Your Tickets Now!
7 weeks to go, and Comic-Con is out of 4-day memberships. Single-day tickets are still available, but it looks like it might sell out this year.
- Hazards of Q&A Sessions
Time is precious. Don’t waste it with flattery, self-promotion, or claiming to speak for the rest of us. Just ask your question and move on.
- Comic Book Convention Prices Compared
On a per-day basis, Comic-Con isn’t actually that expensive compared to other big conventions like Gen Con and Dragon*Con.
- Finding Back Issues: Then and Now
I’ve had parts of this in draft form for at least 2 years. Last night, while brushing my teeth, I decided to pick it up with a new approach. This morning, I jotted down a couple of notes. And earlier this evening I saw Comics Should Be Good’s post, Where do you buy your comics?—and […]
- Skiffy Links
Comic-Con 2008 hotel post-mortem at The Beat, the Seven Habits of Highly Effective Starship Captains at IO9, and Computer Love Day from Mandriva.
- Getting a Hotel for Comic Con (2008)
Tomorrow morning at 9:00 PST, rooms in the convention block go on sale for this year’s Comic-Con International. I was going to write up a bunch of tips last week, but CCI beat me to it by launching their own blog, Staying In San Diego. Visit it today, because it’ll probably be swamped tomorrow. (Though […]
- Comic-Con: Hotel Anxiety
Spent a good chunk of last night looking at travel websites. Accomplished 2 things: Arranged for a hotel to stay in San Francisco next month. Arranged for a back-up hotel for San Diego Comic Con, just in case we can’t get a room through the convention desk. Hotel rooms during Comic-Con have become a scarce […]
- Strange Sights of Comic-Con
Stormtrooper Elvis meets Sauron, free hugs, the human bulletin board, a crowd of women all wearing the same red dress, and more.
- Found âem!
Yes, we found both Waldo and Carmen Sandiego – twice! We didn’t even need a GPS! (And who would have guessed that she’d be in San Diego?)
- Comic-Con: Filling in the Gaps
Some random thoughts and anecdotes about Comic-Con that didn’t make it into other posts: It’s amazing that out of (reportedly) 140,000 people, you’re virtually guaranteed to run into people you know. For instance, I knew in person 8 people besides the two of us who were definitely going to the convention. Without planning, I ran […]
- Artist Encounters
Wednesday morning before we left for San Diego, I made a last-minute addition to my small stack of stuff to get signed: Sergio Aragonés’ issue of Solo. During my first half-hour at Comic-Con on Thursday, I found myself at the Groo booth, face to face with the artist. When I asked him to sign it, […]
- Comic-Con Photos are up for 2007!
After a post-Comic-Con evening of sorting and labeling, here they are: 293 pictures of costumes, convention sights, San Diego and more!
- Pirates vs. Sylar
I’m still attending Comic-Con in civvies, but Katie wore two costumes this year: another update of her pirate outfit on Friday, and a Sylar victim with a telekinetic slice across her forehead. Saturday, of course, for the big Heroes panel. She did the makeup from scratch, using latex and fake blood, and got a lot […]
- Flash Sightings at Comic-Con
I saw quite a few Flash T-shirts in San Diego this year, but only two people dressed as the Flash. Interestingly, both were women.
- Comic Cons Should Be Good
My daily San Diego Comic-Con 2007 reports are up at Comics Should Be Good, and photos are up here on Hyperborea.
- Wednesday in San Diego
We made it to San Diego after a longer than expected midday drive. (Traffic between Carlsbad and the San Diego city limits was a nightmare.) After checking into the hotel, we stopped for a snack and then headed out to the convention center to pick up our badges for Comic-Con. It went a lot more […]
- Comic-Con Hotel Booked! (2007)
Jammed phone lines, a busy fax, and an overloaded website turned a 5-minute booking process into an agonizing hour of waiting, timeouts, errors and restarts
- Comic-Con Photos are Up! (2006)
I’ve just posted our photos from Comic-Con. Cosplayers, San Diego sightseeing, comic creators, random convention stuff, etc. Check out all our Comic-Con 2006 posts!
- Only in San Diego? Volume 3, Part 2
Friday afternoon I was walking down Fifth with a couple of Subway sandwiches in my backpack. This section of the Gaslamp Quarter is almost entirely restaurants, and most of them have dining areas out on the street, with the host or hostess’ podium right there on the sidewalk. I had spotted something odd ahead of […]
- Post-Con Zombie
Comic-Con was fun, but exhausting. Add that to staying up too late last night and not being used to the heat when we got back…
- Comic-Con Costume Coverage
Have you noticed that media acts like EVERYONE at Comic-Con is in costume? TV shows actually recruit extra cosplayers to stand in the background.
- Con Sundae
Sunday at SDCC was, oddly, more crowded than Saturday. Maybe it was the desperation of the last day combined with the fact that it was still on the weekend. We got in later, closer to 11:30, since we spent the morning packing. I did a final round of back-issue hunting, and ended up not buying […]
- Saturday at Comic Con
Neither of us spent more than an hour or so on the floor on Saturday, in part out of self-defense. Comic-Con is usually the most crowded on Saturdays, though we didn’t see much difference from Friday this year. After the Flash panel, I went back to my back issue hunt. Found quite a few in […]
- 50 Years of the Flash at Comic-Con 2006
Carmine Infantino, Mark Waid, Geoff Johns, Danny Bilson, Paul DeMeo & Brian Bolland talk about their parts in the history of Barry Allen, Fastest Man Alive.
- Fry Day at Comic-Con
I spent more time walking around outside today, so I did get to fry a bit. (Not too much, fortunately.) Oddly enough, one of the first hall costumes I saw on Friday was Thor. Caught the Stardust preview. It looks very promising. Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess were there, of course, plus screenwriter Jane Goldman […]
- A brief conversation with Sergio Aragonés
In which I apologized that I couldn’t make it to the Sergio and Mark panel this year, and the artist made the perfect response.
- Thor’s Day
Not that I saw anyone dressed as Thor, but it seemed an appropriate description for a Thursday at Comic-Con. No earth-shattering news so far, but then it was only a Thursday. Katie went to the voice acting panel and the Animaniacs panel (mostly in connection with next week’s DVD release. I went to the Carmine […]
- Badges? You don’t get no stinking badges!
There was no line by the time we reached Comic Con, but we had to bounce around to multiple tables before we could pick up our badges and get inside.
- On Comic Con and Baseball
San Diego’s public transportation system couldn’t handle the combined pressure of Comic-Con and a weekend of baseball games. Talk about packed.
- Cosplay Photos are up (SDCC 2005)
Iââ¬â¢ve posted our photos of hall costumes that we saw at this yearââ¬â¢s Comic Con, including Katieââ¬â¢s own pirate costume.
- News from Comic Con 2005
Jedi costumes, Fellowship! The Musical, Jim Henson 50th Anniversary, Groo vs. Conan and a ton of movie previews: Serenity, Mirrormask, HP4, Fountain & more.
- Suggestions for Comic Con
Update July 2009: I’ve got a newer, longer list of Comic-Con Tips over at Speed Force. Based on experience from the last few San Diego Comic-Cons, here are a few recommendations: Pre-register, as early as possible! Not only will it save you money, but the line to pick up badges is always much shorter than […]
- Mythed Opportunity
I’ve been searching eBay for the old Myth Adventures comics and somehow completely forgot about it when I got to Comic-Con. D’oh!
- Comic-Con Photos (2004)
Photos from San Diego and Comic-Con are up! Sightseeing, panels, and exhibits Hall Costumes / Cosplayers
- Only In San Diego? Part 2
More strange sights at Comic-Con: Indigo Grills, a Martini Ranch, the Death Star cannon hidden in the convention center, and Salvador Dali’s hotel soap.
- Comic-Con Report: Days 1-2 (2004)
First weekday trip to SDCC, including webcomics, MirrorMask, extended Return of the King, writing fantasy/sci-fi combat, and trying to eat in the Gaslamp..
- To The Con: Getting into SDCC 2004 at the last minute
Back in the day when you COULD get Comic-Con tickets and hotel reservations a week or two before the event. It still wasn’t easy, but it was possible.
- Comic Con! (2003)
Photos and comments from our day at Comic Con International in San Diego