My Thursday Comic con re-cap

Okay here we go.  I have taken all of the 4000+ pictures off my camera and will put some pictures with these posts. 

Thursday was a considerable slow day for me.  I am not one for the panels anymore as that info leaks out fast that me reviewing it would just be redundant.  I do not remember what I was in line for in the morning but I know that I left it because I received a tweet that Warren Spector would be signing Oswald the Lucky Rabbit hats at the Hard Rock hotel to promote the new Epic Mickey 2: the power of two.


Being a D23 member I was one of a few to have the hat signed by Warren Spector.  Being the first I got the be the 'test' hat and I have three signatures, one on the ears, one on the back, and one on the inside of the hat.  The rest of the hats should only have signatures on the inside.  It was entertaining to have the lovely ladies helping with the distribution, crowd and line control. 

After that I spent some time at the Omni for the WIREDCafe Oasis.  I would have pictures but I was told upon entry that there are to be no pictures.  So I obliged and returned it to my room.  The WIRED Cafe is a great getaway from the hustle and bustle of the convention floor.  The drinks are flowing, there are decent finger foods, and cool sponsors and vendors.  Oh yeah and the stars always seem to stop by for some reason or another.  On this day, John C. Reilly and Sarah Silverman were there before leaving for their panel to promote Wreck-it-Ralph. 

When I returned to the convention center I lined up for the CBS signing of the new show Beauty and the Beast.  I personally like how CBS did their signings.  If they weren't ticketed, the people were informed to just show up under the sails and one of the corrals will 'herd' the fans in.  From there a booth staffer would escort about 20-30 people to the booth to meet the stars and have their autographs and pictures.  Signing for Beauty and the Beast were Kristin Kreuk and Jay Ryan.  I felt kind of sad for Jay Ryan as most of the people there were calling out for Kristin Kreuk only.

That was pretty much the day at con.  On the the after parties.  Most of the more exciting ones are the invite only ones (NERD HQ may be the only exception to this).  I attended the IGN/CAPCOM party promoting Resident Evil 6.  This was a great party.  The crowd was full of energy and the drinks were flowing.  Exciting for me was meeting Shane West.  He was really cool to talk with and when a picture was requested, he gladly did it but he wanted a drink before he did the picture.  So Shane orders me a Vodka Cran along with his Vodka Soda then takes a picture with a happy fan. 

The Music was flowing and the people were dancing because Jermaine Dupri and The RZA were DJ and Hypeman for the night.  I always had respect for JD as an MC but didn't know his DJ skills.  The RZA kept the energy up and even had a bottle of Ciroc passing around for everyone to share.  It was a fun night but I felt the after effects the next day. 

Friday recap will hopefully be done by Wednesday.  I would like to hear what everyone else did and how they enjoyed their Thursday.  Please comment.  Thanks for reading!

The Con is over... but a rant is included

While the actual experience of San Diego Comic Con has ended, the reviews and reports post con are always an interesting thing to read.  As the many I'm sure you will likely read mine will contain highs and lows and everything in between.  I will also be adding some photos of the events I attended.  I will probably not get my post con review report up until later this week. 

But one thing I must rant about before I end for the night is the process the Sony Entertainment booth decided to do regarding the autograph session for Community held on Friday morning.  As a veteran of Comic con line and booth signings I always ask how booths will conduct their sessions and Sony was nice enough to tell me on preview night that "We will probably not start lining up for the signing that day until 30 minutes of the signing time."  Cool.  But I also know how all you (me included) comic con-ers minds' work.  So Friday morning I make my way to the NBC Sony booth and 'hover' around the booth asking all the workers any info or updates on the signing.  I don't expect them to tell me exactly how it will happen but I always attempt to build rapport with the staff so that I am familiar.

So 10am passes by and more people begin making their entrance into the Exhibit hall and of course the crowd around the Sony booth continues to grow.  No security there to tell us to "move along" or "you can't stop in the aisle".  But as most people who have been to a couple of San Diego Comic Conventions know, hey let's just line up and create some order and semblance of a line.  No problems so far.

I find myself at the back of the booth and hope that I am somewhere near the line will begin to form.  11am comes around, I check twitter on updates on the panel and begin getting more anxious about how this autograph session would start.  At 1130 I hear security staff talking about which doors to send the talent through.  Sweet, they are coming soon so a line has got to form.  Also around this time there are a couple of A One security staffers stating, "This is not a line" and "You all have to keep moving" and the best one "All the tickets are gone.  Sorry you did not get one".  Huh?!?

Here comes the cast of Community.  Everyone rushes to the area to take what pictures they can as the cast files into the booth, then they all return to their original area of the "unofficial" line and wait as the line should predictably move forward as hopeful fans file in.  NOPE!

Suddenly hands start raising in a sea of people stopped in a main aisle way at the front of the booth.  I overhear "They are randomly picking people out of the crowd".  Seriously!?!?  I leave my spot in the 'unofficial' line to confirm this.  Yup.  The person in charge of the booth, Michelle, starts picking people or pairs of people to enter the booth.  No line start.  No line End.  When asked Michelle says, "I'm picking people who seem like real fans".  That may not be verbatim but that was the general gist.  So what do you think the crowd of people do as this 'special selection' is being done?

You probably guessed right, push closer to the booth.  And then the first threat comes from the security.  "If people do not move back and keep moving the signing will be cancelled".  "Well we're not getting right now, so why should we" was a response from the crowd.  This selection continues to happen with no pure rhyme or reason.  I see a girl crying at the side of the booth and am genuinely concerned.

Her name coincidentally Michelle, was upset because she was following directions as was told by another booth staffer and now is being denied by the booth entry.  I talk to Craig, a Sony Staffer ushering the people out after they have completed meeting the cast, who verbally consented with me to provide updates on the signing as he was aware to try and get Michelle into the line.  He responds with a shrug and ignores me and doesn't make any eye contact in my general vicinity for the remainder of the signing.

Michelle and I never made it into the booth but we did get close enough to take pictures of the cast and received pre-signed t-shirts after the cast had left.  For me the shirt is nice but having that interaction with Danny, Alison, Joel, Gillian, and Yvette is the experience I cherish more.  But I did get Gillian's attention from where I was and got what i think is a pretty decent photo.  Thanks Gillian! =D

Sorry for the winded rant but I feel having the details really helps to experience that moment.  Now am I upset that I did not get into the signing.  Yes, but I can accept that because getting into the exclusive lines is not a given.  What does upset me about this signing session was the procedure.  This type of procedure was like the WB signings of the past and is what prompted the WB to move to a ticket raffle/bracelet system.  But what makes this worse is that there was so much chaos.  At least with the old WB system, a line started with a "front of line" sign and was cut off with an "end of line" sign.

There is no real 'fair and balanced' way to conduct a cast signing but I believe that having some order is necessary and not having one person deciding who is let in and who isn't.  Save that action for the bouncers at a night club.

Thanks all for reading.  I will get my week review of Comic Con (or Nerd Camp) as soon as possible.

Preview night is done.

For those who went, I hope you enjoyed as much as I.  I still think for the 20-25k people who had preview night passes that it was a full and packed convention center.  When you times that by 5, bodies will be bumping into each other so please say your "excuse me" or "pardon me" and "thank you" when necessary. 

I want to post pictures up from day 0 but I am tired and will probably only get about 4 hours of sleep before Day 1 (thursday) begins.  That said I will cover quickly what I did in my three hours of time on the convention floor and my plans for tomorrow.

We actually got let in about 30 minutes in advance so I made my way as quickly as I could the DC booth as news went around that Jim Lee would be signing for the last hour of preview night.  YAY, got it.  Unfortunately I forgot my books and I couldn't get a sketch.  I went to each of the major production booths (FOX, WB, CBS, Lionsgate, Legendary, Sony) to get what swag I could grab before lines got too long.  Ugh.  Didn't end up getting much.  What I was able to do was get information about autograph schedules to my schedule in order.  By the end of night I got a Legendary Shirt, A shonen jump bag, and thanks to twitter a signed poster for the power rangers super samurai movie.  YAY!

Also it appears that all the booths are really on top of getting lines in order and where the lines will begin and end and where specific cut offs are within the convention floor.  Of course people will still be stopping and blocking aisles to take pictures of props and stuff but I got a feeling that security actually has things under control.

As far as my schedule tomorrow my only really plan is to try and get into the Disney panel in Hall H.  Since it is before twilight that could be difficult.  There is a signing at the CBS booth for Elementary at 11am, Psych in ballroom 20, and about 10 other things that I'd like to do that all happen around the same time.  But what I listed are my main goals.  Not a lot but also I feel could be time consuming.

What are other people's plan for Day 1?  Also no one found or spotted me today so for Thursday I will be trying to give away the SciFi Swag.  I will post what line or booth I'm at and what I'm wearing so it won't be too hard to find me.  Enjoy!

What to bring to Comic Con

Hello again to my fellow readers of this little blog of mine.  I was up tonight getting my packing done as preview night is less than 24 hours away and Day one of comic con will start approximately 30 hours from now.  So here are a few quick tips on what to bring to comic con.

Backpack - I believe a backpack is super important to have.  It seems pretty obvious but I use to think that having one of the many bags passed out at comic con, WB and SYFY just to name a couple, was enough for me.  But not having a free hand to look at something or to grab a pen or to snap a photo, or to look at the twitter feed or even to eat got to be quite inconvenient.  Even with the new WB bags converting as a backpack was not really as comfortable as my personal backpack.

Poster Tube - Another necessity of mine.  I believe Fox has been giving out poster tubes for the past 2-3 years now but those tubes won't fit the full size 27x44 posters.  I also suggest having a smaller 12-14" x 1" diameter tube to handle the smaller posters.  Lastly try to get a comfortable strap for the tube or get one of those heavy duty plastic ones with the strap built in. 

Folder - I suggest having a small 1/4 - 1/2" binder and/or a trapper keeper type folder to hold postcards, photos, portraits, and other items that you don't want rolled or folded.

Sketch Book - This, of course, is only pertinent to the art lovers out there but it should also be a no brainer.  What's good about having one is when you run into the random star or special person and need something for them to sign.  Boom! Pen and sketch book and you're ready to go.

Business Cards - For those who may be looking to network but it is also a good way to make new friends and share info when the phone dies or the pen dies.

Snacks - I may have said this in my previous posts but I want to get the most out of the con.  Heck it only comes around once a year and I would rather wait in line for panels and such rather than food.  Have non perishables handy such as trail mix, PB&J sammich, bag of chips.  It's not a meal but it will sate you until you truly want to sit down for a meal.

Again I hope this helps the newbies. 

More tips for the comic con newbie!

I'm here again to drop a few nuggets of knowledge as my anticipation for the con is making it difficult for me to sleep.  I could be getting more work done before my 5 day vacation to nerd camp but I figure let's write this out.  It actually helps me for my packing and prep.

- Have a pen and some paper handy at all times.  Whenever a program change occurs, such as a panel changing rooms or signings changing times, it's good to write it down.  It also helps to retain information about specific booth freebies and contests.  Now I know many of you, me included, manage pretty much everything on our smartphones but I prefer to conserve the power for more important things such as twitter updates, text messaging, and contacting my group of friends. 

- The pen also helps to manage raffle tickets you may get from booths.  Contests and raffles are happening all around the clock and if booths use the same color or type of ticket it can get rather confusing.  Write down the booth number and time of raffle on these tickets.

- Do the Masquerade ball.  Before Hollywood and the pop media invaded the comic con, it was about the comics and costumes.  Most, if not all, of the costumes are home made and can be pretty amazing how detailed they become.  I haven't gone in the past 3 years (hey I've been doing comic con for over 15 years now) but I believe they are given out the morning of the Masquerade ball (Saturday).  Reserve your tickets early as it does fill up quickly.  There is an overflow room, but you wanna be where the action is.

- Panel or Person.  This is a question I am always faced each year.  Do I attend the panel and get the first scoop on the next season of my favorite show or see new fresh trailers for blockbuster movies or wait in line to meet the person for maybe 5 seconds.  This is tough because if I didn't attend a panel I would have missed the awesome performance of Jeffster and the awesomeness of Andrew Garfield in spiderman PJs.  But meeting stars in person is awesome in itself.  It is amazing how beautiful some people are when you are less than 5 feet from them, such as Alison Brie and Yvonne Strahovski.  Most signings tend to happen immediately after the panels, at which point a line has already formed.  Raffles may make it different, but you never know.

- Always get the daily newsletter.  It is the first thing I always look at each morning before the con.  There are paper copies right when you get off that first escalator in the morning, but you can also access this at the comic con website.  Always look at these as it will inform you of last second stars arriving that day.  It also has a list of the artists and where they will be.

That is all for now.  I need to sleep as much as I can because I know that I will be getting less sleep at comic con than I would at Vegas, no kidding!  Anyway hope you enjoy reading.  I will be posting messages sporadically throughout the con giving away freebies and collectables I have obtained throughout my many comic cons.  All I will do is tweet my location and the first one to find me will get it.  Just post on your twitter a picture with the item.  Thanks.

Ten tips for first times

San Diego Comic Con is just around the corner (just 4 days from now) and have been going for many years so I like to consider myself somewhat of a veteran of what expect and how to plan for the 4.5 days of awesomeness that is Comic Con.  I have had the joy of meeting many people there and I tend to think of Comic Con as nerd summer camp.  With the size and changes that Comic Con has gone through over the past 5 years, many people who are fortunate enough to be first timers or even second timers still have trouble experiencing a fun and enjoyable Comic Con.  Below I will list 10 simple tips that I feel will help make sure that your Comic Con experience will be a little less stressful and more enjoyable.

10. Look at the programming schedule.  So many people are just so happy to be there that they don't look to see what time events or panels will start or in what ballroom they will be at.  Full programming is already out so create a tentative schedule of what things you wish to do.  Then get acquainted with the map of the convention floor plan as well as how to get to off site events.  Then when you get your schedule constructed...

9. Be prepared for lines.  Like any theme park, lines will be the crux of getting into an event or panel or being frustrated that "the ballroom is full" or "the line is closed off".  For most popular panels expect anywhere from 1-3 hours of wait time.  This is the same for autograph lines and exclusives.  Do not be shy to ask where a line will start or when it will start.

8. Have something to read/keep you busy.  Lines can take a long time.  Some people enjoy conversation and some people prefer to be left alone.  I prefer talking with people in line, you're all there for the same reason anyway.  But if you prefer to not be bothered, have a book, comic, tablet, nook and if you are listening to music bring headphones.

7. Eat.  It's amazing how people forget to eat when all these events are happening at one time.  I suggest buying food off site as the food in the convention center tends to be overpriced and bland.  The Gaslamp has many wonderful restaurants and bars.

6. Do not walk the main center aisles, if possible.  Most of the traffic will occur there and if you are trying to get from one booth to another and want to move quickly and less impaired, use the end aisles.  Not only is there less traffic but you may also find some nice booths. 

5. Do not bring personal items for autographs.  Most booth signings will only allow for their specific item, usually a poster, to be signed.  You could bring stuff for those at the autograph area under the sails, but they normally charge for the signature. 

4. Have a poster tube and documents folder.  For a lot of the things you pick up, you will probably want to keep it safe and neat and that means having something to put it in.  Forgot to mention a bag or backpack is also nice to hold personal items or freebies such as keychains, buttons, shirts, etc.

3. Keep your camera handy.  You never know when you may run into a star hurrying to a booth or just walking around the gaslamp.  If you want a picture keep it close by.

2. Phone management.  Most of us will be using our phones for many tasks.  With over 100,000 people, phones can be hard to hear and batteries can drain quickly.  A backup battery or secondary energy source will benefit you.  Also have twitter alerts on as information moves quickly.

1. Hygiene.  Please shower and maintain clean hygiene.  There are lots of people and some places are close quarters.  Be considerate.  Thanks.  The best freebie I ever got from a booth was a travel size deodorant from the Mattel booth 2 years ago. 

I hope these tips help.  I will be putting up other informative posts before the con starts.  Then I will be posting my reviews of each day hopefully a week after the con.