It's over. In the end, the sale wasn't slow at all - it just was competitive. Or rather, it was divided between people who knew how to game the system and people who didn't.
I'm sure CCI put a lot of time and money into this new system, but it's not fair nor effective, in my opinion. It needs to be 1 Member ID for 1 waiting room session and that's it. This should be doable so I don't know why it's not designed that way.
If you didn't get a badge today, I do know how devastating that is. Please look into other Cons like NYCC, Emerald City, Dragon Con, etc. San Diego has a classic grandeur, it's true, and I know it would be emotionally difficult for me to miss it. But there are other Cons and they have a lot to offer.
9:51 am
I thought this sale was running slow - but it actually isn't, not that slow. It's just a lot of people in the waiting room. The end of PN, Saturday and Friday aren't that different from other Open Reg sales.
9:47 am
Okay, this is officially a very competitive sale. Yes, Open Reg always is, but basing my numbers against former years - this is tough.
And to make it even more bittersweet, I got in just before Preview Night sold out - but the 3 first-timers I bought for only wanted 2 days. It killed me to leave Preview Night on the shelf.
9:16 am
Nearly everyone I know is stuck in "more than an hour" land. Tough sale.
8:25 am
What can we expect today? A raucous, brutal competition? More tech snafus? I don't know! But it'll probably be typical in that many of us won't get the days we want or won't get a badge at all.
If you do run into trouble, remember to screenshot everything and stay calm. And don't try any shenanigans, as CCI has proved their detectives are onto you.
What is with SDCC23? First a bunch of people got their Marriott rooms cancelled; now some people have been notified their hard-won badges have been revoked. Others found out that the Preview Night waiting list wasn't a thing, despite being invited to sign up for it. What is happening? Haven't we all suffered enough going 2 years without a Comic-Con?
Open Registration is tomorrow - and it will likely be a bloodbath as always. But first let's talk about the scandal of the week: the "refunded emails" and CCI's ominous warning that "if we detect that a participant has shared their waiting room information or URL, they will be removed from the registration queue and any transactions linked to it will be canceled immediately."
Or as they refer to it, "waiting room shenanigans."
How to Avoid Cheating
If you're doing the sale tomorrow, read this lest you accidentally commit a CCI felony and lose your badge.
First of all: I agree with not cheating. But I think the onus is on CCI to create a badge sale experience that doesn't allow for it. This new process is full of weird loopholes and if some people exploited them - well, how did they not see it coming? This is a population that sleeps outside for days just to attend a 50-minute panel and obsesses all year about a 4 day conference. The high demand for an SDCC badge ensures that those who obtain them are highly driven, often emotional, and usually cunning. Of course some people were going to cheat once they figured out they could!
So here's what happened, as I understand it. Some wily people copied their badge session URL (not the link that got you into the waiting room) to help others jump the line. Let's say my walking man is predicted to go live in 2 minutes while yours says 29 minutes. I can copy my link, send it to you, and voila, now you're about to go live in 2 minutes too. I don't know if this will still be possible tomorrow but regardless, you shouldn't do it even if you can, because it will mean losing your badge.
(I could be explaining it wrong, so please explain the real situation in the comments if you know.)
Those who did this have had their badges refunded. As in cancelled. I'm guessing CCI's IT team/vendor was able to detect URL dupes and identify the cheaters. They're still eligible for Open Registration. But I do feel bad for those who didn't know they were cheating. That includes buying group members who had no idea what their buyer did, and people who accidentally shut down their waiting room session and asked a friend to quickly shoot them their URL. I'm sure some people were in this boat and just assumed they'd randomly be added in.
Well, now we know: don't do this tomorrow.
How bad will Open Registration be?
I don't know, but Returning Registration seemed pretty generous overall. I just didn't see as many people groaning over their bad luck as usual. Does that mean fewer badges in play tomorrow? Will demand be lower? I'm helping 3 first-timer teenagers tomorrow and I have zero guesses as to what they'll get.
If you didn't partake in Returning Registration, you should definitely study CCI's badge sale guides. Yes, even if you've done a badge sale before. It's different this time. I'd say the biggest confusion came from the fact that you picked your days with Preview Night in a separate area (lots of frantic people asking "Is Preview Night already gone?") and even if you rode in on your Member ID and saw your information, you could still buy for 3 other people and not yourself. That also threw off a lot of people.
Another question - if I buy your badge, and we both have our credit card information in our profiles, who gets billed? I do, as it turns out.
And there are other common questions - so really, do read the instructions, don't commit fraud, and stay calm if something confuses you during the sale. You've got time, so just pop into Twitter or another forum and ask - someone will answer.
I'll analyze it in depth later but 2 people in my group who got picked while PN was still available got "Page not found" and then sent back to "more than an hour" wait time. Were those sessions not linked to a Member ID? I don't know. They said we could use the link in the email so that shouldn't be a reason. I'm interested to hear if this happened to many others.
The fact that we could all open as many waiting room sessions as we want is unacceptable. People who realized that gamed the system; people who didn't got screwed (unless they got very lucky with their one session.)
The UX on this is godawful. I am ready to write a grant for the Melinda Gates Foundation and beg for a new UX/IT team for CCI. How did they make an already clumsy system worse? The way you selected days one by one with Preview Night on a separate screen was very confusing and I guarantee it cost people valuable time.
Sorry to be negative but today pointed out many errors that need to be fixed before Open Reg.
9:35 am
The waiting room seems to be working well. Fingers crossed everything is smooth from here on out.
9:28 am
We'll go into the waiting room at 9:30 and the sale will begin at 10: am. Allegedly.
9:20 am
Allegedly we'll know by 9:30 if this is being rescheduled or not. I don't think it should go forward today. Trust is at rock bottom levels, people are irritated, and the sale is already projected to run long. I'd prefer they reschedule for November and build some intense resilience before then.
Also, some people have undoubtedly wandered off, thinking it's not happening. It wouldn't be fair for them to miss out.
8:11 am
If you're deeply frustrated, getting "Service unavailable" and then "Connection has timed out" and the perennial favorite, the blank screen - you're not alone. I can't find anyone who's accessed what must be a lonely waiting room right now.
Are we looking at rescheduling? Unless an IT wizard pulls a rabbit out of the hat, probably. We'll see if they turn it around in the next 15 minutes.
Our first SDCC badge sale in 3 years is here! And to commemorate the occasion, we have a new process process and confusing changes. Here are a few last-minute things to review.
Timing
If you've done a lot of badge sales, you may have an approximate mental timetable of when Preview Night badges sell out, when Saturday sells out, and so on. Tomorrow none of that applies. CCI has estimated the sale could be about 50% slower. If that's true, a lot of us will work ourselves into a frenzy thinking we're not getting picked for anything. So keep this in mind.
FWIW, Special Edition did move slower - but I didn't think it was 50% slower. I really don't know what to predict for tomorrow.
You will get a time estimation to help you understand your place in line. Don't give up if your ETA looks dismal. Even if badges are selling out, hang in there. During Special Edition, people were wailing on Twitter about how they might as well just end their session - and in the end, everyone got a badge who wanted one.
Your Member ID Account
If you're one of those people that never bothered to update your password after the system change last year - but still received your badge and went to Comic-Con this summer - go reset your password now.
Make sure to upload your credit card number as well.
Your Devices
In previous years, CCI would say not to use your phone or iPad and people would anyhow. That's really inadvisable this time, apparently. Check their tech tips to make sure you're aligned with the process.
The Waiting Room
This year, no codes are needed. CCI has instructed us to access the waiting room from our Member ID accounts. But yesterday's email said we can also just click this link. I expect you'll have to enter your Member ID and password to go in that way. You can't just open a dozen browsers to multiple your waiting room presence - I don't think.
The Competition
Unlike previous Returning Registrations, we have 2 pools of combatants: SDCC 2022 attendees and 2021 Special Edition attendees. It's safe to say that Venn Diagram is almost just one circle - almost. There are definitely people who went to Special Edition that didn't have a 2022 badge.
There's also the weirdness of this: "To manage traffic on the day of the sale, technically anyone who logs in to their Member ID account around that time will enter a virtual waiting room. However, only those who are eligible for Returning Registration will be placed into the randomized queue for the badge sale. Ineligible members in the waiting room will be returned to their Account Dashboard once traffic slows down." What??? Why is this even a thing?
Let's hope that works as CCI planned.
Your Buying Group
The actual process looks a little different from last time - so be sure to look at the visuals they provided. You can still buy for 3 people (including yourself) but there's a different tab to register other Member IDs. Even if you're an old SDCC veteran, I really advise familiarizing yourself with the screen now.
All in all, I don't think there's any reason for panic. I'll live blog the badge sale. Till tomorrow!
CCI offered up some badge sale advice today - and unlike yesteryear badge sales, when you pretty much knew what they would say, some of it is worth studying.
The main two points I'd emphasize:
Check your password. Definitely do this. It's not just a precaution - my password didn't work last year and I had to get it reset.
Put in your credit card information now. I also rank this as a "definitely," even if you're worried about cybercriminals. It's worth having one less thing to worry about and slow you down during the badge sale. Yes, you have 15 minutes to complete it but you can easily lose some of those minutes if someone's Member ID is wrong on your spreadsheet or if you have a question about which days someone wants.
Everything else - testing browsers, not refreshing - is as you'd expect.
As predicted, the winds of autumn have carried in Returning Registration. I know there's been a lot of chatter on what an upheaval system changes will cause, but I don't think there's any reason to be anxious. Let's review.
Returning Registration badge sale is October 15. Saturday morning, same time, same bat channel.
Or rather, not the same channel. This year, as CCI charmingly put it, "the badge sale will take place in your Member ID account." I would reword that to say that you will access the badge sale from your Member ID account.
You'll still join a waiting room between 8-9 am PST and wait for the badge sale to begin at 9.
If this aligns with the Special Edition badge sale, you won't have a spinning blue circle, you will have an ETA, and the sale will move a little slower than previous sales. Those last 2 are important. Don't reach for the hemlock if your ETA looks bleak - and don't try to predict sell-out times based on when Preview Night and Saturday badges used to sell out. Just hang in there and see it through.
Don't worry about the sale crashing. I'm not saying it won't. But approaching this like we're all walking into a teetering ruin in a tornado just intensifies an already stressful day. Let's give some CCI some credit; they've had years to upgrade systems since our last badge sale. (They've definitely hired some skilled staff in other areas.) So let's just hope for the best - and it crashes, well, it will feel like old times.
Test out your tech as they recommend. Again, it's been years (unless you did Special Edition) so just run through and make sure your computer is friends with their systems.
Note that you still aren't supposed to use tablets and phones, and you still can't Paypal, GPay, etc. Just good ole Visa, Mastercard, and Amex.
I can't remember what the last full badge price was, but it's now $330. So if you buy for 3 people, be prepared to sell out $1K up front.
CCI promised to provide "visual step-by-step instructions," the study of which I think is advisable for everyone. So keep an eye out for their next update - and in the meantime, lock down your buying group details.
It's been not quite 3 years since our last Returning Registration badge sale: 12 October, 2019. We were told at this year's SDCC to expect another autumn badge sale. So while it might seem too soon to be thinking about SDCC 2023, we're probably only weeks away.
I am really hoping it isn't the 2nd Saturday in October again since I will be pre-Halloweening in Salem and devoid of my home turf tech cave. But if it is - or falls any time before November - now is the time to put on your badge sale mastermind hat. It's been 3 years; your hat is probably a little rusty. I know mine is.
A few things to think about:
The general badge sale process. If you didn't do the Special Edition badge sale last year, it was almost identical to a normal sale. The main differences were the absence of the spinning blue circle (I can't remember if the dad jokes were there) and its slower pace, as spelled out by the estimated wait times. While everyone ended up getting a badge without a problem, the leisurely crawl freaked a lot of people out at first, who were convinced they weren't going to get one based on previous badge sale paces. Will Returning Registration be the same? I think it will differ slightly from our last Ret Reg, but the general process will mostly be what we remember.
Your buying group. The last 3 years turned a lot of buying groups into 52 pickup, with groups dissolving, merging with others, or just falling into silence. I think this is especially true for groups that are online only. If you're real-life friends with other SDCC attendees, you're probably in good shape. But if you lost touch with your online community, you might be feeling a bit fragmented right now. If that's you, start putting yourself out there as an orphan in need of a home.
Your money. God knows inflation is ripping through all of our lives like a scythe right now. If you're struggling financially, don't get caught by surprise when the badge sale is announced - start putting aside $$$ right now. Also figure out if you can pay for 3 badges during the badge sale - because if you can't, you won't be much use to your buying group.
Your hotel room. Don't be fooled by how plentiful the rooms were this year. (And they were, comparatively speaking - maybe not right off the bat but persistent people were able to get downtown rooms through the waiting list more easily this year.) There's every reason to think next year will be ugly again. Do what you can to get a fallback room, but be aware there's already been upheaval in that area; some people who booked Marriott rooms (Courtyard, Residence Inn, etc) for next summer had their rooms canceled. Brutal! If you have a safety room at the Horton like me, our rooms look safe... for now. Of course, there's really no telling what the future holds. Are we now in a situation where we need to reserve backups for our backups? Sounds like it.
Hopefully we'll see an announcement in a month or so. Till then!
San Diego Comic-Con 2022 is over. There's always a mix of sadness and relief when it's time to go back to real life; this year, though, it felt like we were leaving real life to go back to our false pandemic timeline. No, Comic-Con wasn't exactly like it used to be. But it still felt like a comforting piece of the past.
Did you like it? The consensus seems to be that SDCC 2022 offered more conveniences and greater ease in accessing panels, exclusives, signings, and offsites, but fewer of them to obtain. There were fewer celebrity sightings, less rarities on the show floor, not quite as many offsites - or at least, less grandeur in those offsites. Fewer events, especially on Saturday night. I liked it and appreciated the more laidback pace. Did you?
Let's break it down.
Community
Last Comic-Con, I wrote a post on SDCC aggression that not everyone agreed with. This year, I met several people who remarked on the changes in SDCC culture and felt that this year had returned to a more mellow vibe. I felt the same way for the most part. There were a few ruthless acts here and there. Our line friend Natalie was in a non-motorized wheelchair and found herself getting outpaced by the motorized ones, who zoomed ahead of her, and when her underage daughter tried to hold her spot while Natalie caught up, the daughter was shouted at and told to move by an older woman who promptly took that spot. Things like that happened. But on the whole - I felt like people were laidback and feeling euphoric to be together again. What seemed like a slightly more spacious Exhibit Hall may have given us all some breathing room.
Comics
I naively hoped that the missing presence of some studios would mean maybe a stronger focus on comics. That didn't happen, not really. And comics panels I went to were a third full at best. In fact, I made a rather depressing list of the booths, panels, and creators I used to regularly see at SDCC and realized hardly any were still there. Same with many former friends who used to go. I think this is why this aspect of the Con felt hollow to me.
The Pandemic
Inside the Con, everyone was masked - well, mostly - but outside was a mixed bag. I was relieved not to hear a sea of coughing inside the convention center, which is how my airport gate sounded on the way home. At the same time, I didn't see much signage about precautions. People seem pretty over the pandemic in general.
The Exhibit Hall
As expected. Not a whole lot of surprises, in my book. Every year it gets harder to find unique items - that feeling of hunting down rare discoveries has given way to walking through a vaguely nerdy flea market full of plushies and shirts and blind bag toys. Of course, on the flight home, the girl next to me had a really cute bag which she got in Artist's Alley from someone I didn't see, despite doing the complete floor 4 times. My discovery powers have waned.
One of the biggest issues I heard of was the lack of carpet. I never noticed there was carpet, but attendees far more observant than myself noticed and said the hard floor made their feet sore. Why was the carpet removed? I know the convention center sheltered homeless people early in the pandemic, so perhaps that was a factor.
One of the positive changes noted by veteran attendees - cooler temperatures and better smells. There were still a few dodgy places on the floor that smelled like a garbage truck capsized in a Florida swamp, but on the whole, the Exhibit Hall was a more pleasant place this year. It was significantly easier to move around, especially after 5 pm.
Cosplay
I saw some great cosplay - but less of it. Did the mask mandates annoy serious cosplayers? Did they feel it wasn't worth their while? Or do people just not have the funds to pull together a truly stunning display?
Signings, Exclusives, Photo Ops
Relying on reports here: while there were a few snafus and cancellations, most everyone I knew who was chasing down an autograph or photo got it. Exclusives were a different story; I talked to someone who was so angry over Mattel and being in a line that went nowhere that they swore they'd never come back to SDCC.
One recurring observation: that people (creators, authors, performers) were charging a lot. I think we can all figure out why, so possibly we should have expected this, but attendees still came away with a bitter taste in their mouths in some cases.
Panels
I thought SDCC programming did a good job of bringing variety. I'd say the best panels I went to were Thursday night - a future-focused panel of female scientists and the following panel which was a mock trial trying the mayor of Jaws. I wanted to attend the NASA panel on the Webb telescope and a few others that didn't work with my schedule, but I wasn't all that chagrined.
Attendees reported being surprised at how easily they could move between back-to-back panels, even those in big rooms. One said that Ballroom 20 remained fairly easy to walk into or at least wait only a short time for and that Friday in Indigo Ballroom - which usually sees a lot of all-day stays - wasn't as bad as expected. What was bad: standing in line for The Rookie panel, only to find out it was just a Zoom conference. Not the same, CCI! Going forward, it needs to be clear when a panel is virtual.
I tend to go to smaller panels, which makes me a poor reporter for the big panels people care most about. Because I did see all of Saturday's Hall H panels up to Marvel, I can report that it was all business as usual. There were cute stunts, like making us sing Happy Birthday to Paul Wesley on the Star Trek panel and bringing him a Captain Kirk birthday cake, and The Rock appeared for his Black Adam panel in thunder and dry ice. (He also gave us all free IMAX passes.)
The biggest snoozer - House of Dragons. The whole panel seemed half-asleep, including Matt Smith. You know things are grim when George RR Martin is the liveliest panel member. All in all, I can't believe a GOT spinoff with "Dragons" in the title could be this boring but there it is. The dragon in the Dungeons and Dragons offsite was more captivating.
Hollywood
I heard lots of complaints that certain actors weren't there. That's not my priority so I can't comment, but attendees did seem to feel a bit cheated - and I noticed a drop in the number of "late night drunken celebrity encounters in the Gaslamp" genre of photos and stories that normally land on my phone between 2 am and 4 am.
Non-Attendees
New category for 2022. Here I refer to the many people who did not attend this year, who told me the Con would be dull or a hotbed of infection or have no nightlife - yet wound up tracking down the most granular details of offsite lines and Mattel scandals and texting me with questions and rumors. Did you know these people too? Did they blow up your phone, demanding details about every panel and announcement? Hopefully they go next year because their regret and yearning was clear.
The Saturday Hall H Line
This year was my first willing descent into Hell H in years. While I originally planned on doing the regular line, come what may, what ensued Friday night convinced me I would have bailed and gone back to my room. I'm just not hardcore enough like you fine people. However, one of my friends had an accident Preview Night that put her in ADA, and other friends dropped out of our Hall H line plan, and things shifted so that we wound up with a small group of ADA and attendants.
This was my first ADA line ever. Friends had previously complained about it but now I experienced it firsthand: placing disabled people to sit out in the sun with no cover on hard cement for an entire day - and then hardly any of them got in. Kevin, our line coordinator, was impressively efficient and we all became big Kevin fans by noon - but I don't understand why they couldn't just tell everyone waiting past a certain chute that there weren't enough wristbands, that the line was capped. That's really the cardinal sin of SDCC: wasting people's time. We all know we won't get into every panel we want to see. But at least give people clear information so they can leave and spend their time elsewhere. Also - since CCI repeatedly makes disabled people sit in the same blazing hot location year after year, maybe they could invest in some canopies or tents? Or just find another location that's more comfortable for people with bad backs, arthritis, neuroskeletal and mobility issues?
As for the regular line - I heard about it but wasn't in the thick of it. People kept messaging me their updates, with their initial confidence turning to rage, then confusion, then bitterness and defeat. We knew Saturday was going to be the hot ticket. We knew CCI probably wouldn't take enough steps to manage it. And that people would form their own lines before the official line was formed, which led to mayhem when the different lines were told to combine.
But the actual experience was still deeply upsetting for even cynical attendees. I heard of volunteers fighting with each other and Security giving up and then various officials coming out to discuss it but in the end, it was the same as it ever was. People blamed CCI, blamed the different groups that get organized in Discord and Reddit and elsewhere, and blamed the entire system. I still don't know the answer. I do know this was probably my last Hall H visit for a while.
Note: the above applies to Saturday's line. Other days were much more reasonable, even easy in some cases.
Trailers and Buzz
Here are the winners that emerged with the strongest buzz:
The Lord of Rings: Rings of Power - Even non-Middle Earth fans seemed to come away hyped about this. Oh, and did you know that female dwarves will have facial hair? This seemed like the one soundbite to rule them all.
Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves delighted everyone I know who saw it.
Marvel - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever walked away with the trophy here, but there's also a lot of excitement about Marvel animation, including the Groot series, Marvel Zombies, Spider-Man: Freshman Year, and X-Men '97. Yes to all of that.
On the animation front, Little Demon seems like it will live up to the promise of Aubrey Plaza and Danny DeVito.
Sandman was my motive for enduring Hall H. I didn't come away with strong feelings. I think the show will hold my interest, but I don't expect it to reflect the cerebral, sometimes melancholy, nature of the comic. The trailer music probably threw me off as it was very generic "fantasy action hero fights bad guy" - well, that and Dream looking like a young Robert Smith from the Cure.
The Star Trek panel surprised Hall H by announcing a crossover between Strange New Worlds and Lower Decks, with the animated characters appearing in live action. I don't think Hall H gave them as robust a reaction as they expected, but I believe Star Trek fans are pleased by this news.
I found the trailer iffy, and I'm not feeling Claudia, but Interview with the Vampire seems to have intrigued many people.
She-Hulk has got many people jazzed, and I think we can all agree that's due to the uber-talented Tatiana Maslany.
Finally, John Wick 4 and Shazam both seemed to incite a strong audience response. I think the pandemic - and general grimness of world affairs - has people craving both light-hearted, even goofy, entertainment right now and franchises with beloved stars.
And now it's time to put this Con to bed. Like our last Returning Registration badge sale - held 3 years ago! - Ret Reg will be held in the fall, probably September or October. That's not far away at all.
I hope you had a good time; I hope you attended every screening, party and panel you wanted; I hope you returned home with that same mix of satiation and restlessness that leaves you anticipating the next Con, the next time, when even more Comic-Con adventures open up for you. See you next year - but hopefully sooner.
At long last, Comic-Con is here! With just minutes to go before Preview Night, here are a few observations:
The COVID-19 verification stations are pretty easy to locate and complete. The one in front of the convention center - which I did around 9:00 am with a 2 minute wait - is the exception now, with a massive line. I know some people want to check off all 3 steps - wristband, then bag and lanyard, then Exhibit Hall line - but they could probably head out to a different nearby station, get their wristband, and get in line quicker.
On that note, we saw people walk all the way past that line to G to get their bag - only to be told they had to go back, get in the wristband line, and get their wristband first.
Many of the offsites were still being put together, it seemed. Including this Sandman promo - made literally out of sand.
There were some old favorites too - such as what seems like the 18th year of Walking Dead offsites. (I know it isn't really.) In fact, seeing wraps for Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire and Beavis and Butthead gave today a slightly nostalgic 90's feel.
Some of the cosplay has been top-notch, despite it being pre-Con. What happened to cosplayers during pandemic lock-down? Did they dress up alone before their bedroom mirrors? Post a lot of selfies? That must have been frustrating.
On the other hand, maybe some have used this time to plan extremely sophisticated cosplay and we'll all be blown away this week. This guy told me his name. Rory? Russ? (ed. - IMDb.me/RoryRoss) He looked great. No doubt we'll see more cosplay from The Mandalorian, Moon Knight, WandaVision, and other staples of our pandemic life.
As I'm sure you know, we only got 2 bag choices this year. Well, "choice" is not the right term. My friend really wanted the one with Black Adam on the back and of course, they didn't have any where we were. Same as it ever was. And, not to whine about this again, but I really miss the physical copy of the Souvenir Book.
Still, there was no wait to walk in, go up to the Sails Pavilion and grab our stuff. On the whole, today has been really manageable. Even the Exhibit Hall line was not that long when I was buzzing around up there around 3:30 pm.
What do you think so far? What have you seen? I'll report back after Preview Night.
How many first-timers are going to San Diego Comic-Con this week? I suppose the Open Reg badge sale that took place in 2019 scooped up the same number of first-timers as is typical, but somehow it's difficult to imagine that someone finally gets a badge to SDCC and then has to wait 2 1/2 years to go. But those people must exist, right? - and this is for them. Or you, rather.
First of all, if you're new, you may have been told that "this year isn't going to be a full SDCC" or something similar. Don't listen to that. It's going to be a great year and you will have a great time. That said, here are a few things to know.
Hotels
If you arrive early enough that the your sky-high hotel is still fairly empty, ask for a room on a lower floor - you won't want long elevator waits or rides, and being able to take the stairs can be a blessing. Never mind the view. Also don't be afraid to inquire about upgrading your room. I've known people who went from a single bed to two beds, for instance, just by checking in on Tuesday and asking.
Power and Connectivity
Don't count on being able to charge at the convention center. (Your best chance of finding a free outlet in upstairs in the room 27 area - but not guaranteed because a lot of people sprawl around up there to hide from the chaos.) Bring power packs or extra batteries. If you're absolutely out of luck, head over to the Marriott next door and look for an outlet in the corridor with the Starbucks and couches.
Bag check and Shipping
There are different ways of managing all the loot you'll accumulate. In the convention center, take advantage of Bag Check so you can roam free and unencumbered. Just pick up your items by closing. You can also ship things home at any of the local hotel FedEx/UPS offices - so don't worry about buying too much for the plane trip home.
Walking and Riding
You'll have your choice of Lyft, Uber, cabs, pedicabs, buses and trolleys. You can also take the ferry to Coronado to get in some beach time. My advice is take transport whenever you can instead of trying to walk - because you want to save your foot power for getting around the convention center and Gaslamp. Also realize that the ferry isn't 24/7.
Celebrities There's a firm law of Comic-Con that you will only run into the celebrities other people care about while they will run into your favorites. It's just how it is (with some exceptions.) The most likely places to see them: the lobby and halls of the Hard Rock, in hotel elevators, and in the Gaslamp very late at night. It should go without saying to be polite, non-creepy, and respect their wishes if they shun you.
Parties and Events If you registered for a party online, have a "confirmation email," yet find yourself in a long line that hasn't moved in an hour - move on. It's a deplorable practice but some event organizers let literally everyone sign up while only letting VIPs in. Don't waste your night.
And on that note - if you really want to attend a certain event, show up on time. This isn't like a bar where you want to sashay in at a glamorously late hour. There's always the risk you may get edged out.
Cosplayers
You will see many cosplayers, some quite comely. Obviously you know better than to grope, harass, or whisper something creepy as they're smiling for the photo (right?) but what you might not be as conscious of is making physical contact. Cosplayers pose with a lot of people and it can get kind of gross for them to have sweaty stranger after stranger pressing up against them. Try to honor their personal space.
Restaurants The Gaslamp isn't the be all and end all of Comic-Con dining. Skip the lines and head for the Headquarters on the other side of the Hyatt, with restaurants that can usually seat people relatively quickly, or go to Little Italy or even Coronado Island.
Exhibit Hall
Bring cash. Lots of it.
Be cynical. The floor is not (in most cases) where you're going to find an amazing deal, unless it's Sunday, when vendors want to unload as much product as possible. You can often
find the same stuff for a lower price online. Check your phone and see if that
book is really "out of print" or if that toy is selling by the dozen on Ebay. What the floor can be good for is locating a long-lost back issue or rare artifact from your childhood, or discovering brand-new work.
Barter strategically. This is something you get a feel for over time. It's fine to
ask about volume discounts (and if you pretend to hesitate between buying 2 or more items,
often the vendor will propose one). You'll see
lots of markdowns on Sunday, but go ahead and ask about getting a deal if you don't see
anything advertised. Just be polite about it.
Also be gracious when someone steps on your feet, knocks your head with their cosplay, or swings their enormous bag into your ribs. It's just what happens in such a crowded space. You'll probably accidentally do the same to someone else.
If you find the item of your dreams but can't buy it at that moment, photograph the booth with number visible so you can remember where it was.
Don't clog up the aisles with long photograph sessions or multi-person conferences - take it out to the lobby or the back terraces. On that note, it's almost always faster to go out to the lobby and walk down to the part of the floor you're trying to reach, rather than move through a torpid floor crowd.
Before you grab what looks like a free postcard or sticker off a table, ask if they're for sale. Some vendors make their income off those.
This year we have lounges on the floor - how crowded will they get? I don't know if they'll be like the husband chairs at the mall, where middle-aged men look disgruntled while their wives shop, or if they'll be hives of activity. Either way, it's probably best not to monopolize them for too long.
Meeting People As I alluded to in my post about going to SDCC alone, you're going to make friends. They may be 2-hour friends that you talk to in line or turn into friendships that span years. Panels, MTG tournaments, cosplay photo shoots, offsites and parties tend to encourage friendly conversation. Now - hooking up is a different story. There's a common perception that
SDCC is a big nerd sexfest but I haven't found that to be true. Obviously
people do get together, but not as much as your partner back home worries. In general, whether you're looking to make friends, expand your SDCC circle, or meet your soulmate, my advice is the same - talk to people.
Media coverage
No mattter how well you've planned and prepped, you'll still want to check online
coverage for events and collectibles and surprise
guests you'd otherwise miss. If you're stalking a certain actor, TV show, or fandom, glue yourself to the right Twitter accounts. You may get lucky and
hear about a surprise party or meet and greet.
Panels
If you get up to the microphone at a panel, be succinct. Fans can get lost in the moment and
keep talking and talking.
Don't hold your iPad or camera above your head for a
prolonged period, blocking the view of the person behind you.
Don't try to save an entire row of seats for your friends.
Usually people are understanding about 1 or 2 seats with your bag/jacket on
them.
Most rooms will give out bathroom passes. If you don't want
to negotiate that in the dark, locate the bathroom pass person before the
lights go out. Note where people come in and go out because it's often on
opposite sides of the room.
Security guards and volunteers
You'll see a lot of people in uniforms walking around. Let's clarify:
volunteers are usually trained for one specific task (though they often know
more than that based on their attendee experience) and convention center staffers
can tell you how to get where usually, but don't know programming specifics.
Your best source of information is other attendees. We have encyclopedic knowledge of
Comic-Con - not every aspect, but our own areas - and we share it generously.
If you have a question, you can always ask someone wearing a badge.
Security guards have a variety of attitudes and need to be handled
strategically. Some are quite nice. Some are probably nice 99% of the
time, but are currently frustrated by their Con interactions and are about to snap. Others are on
a major power trip. All you need to know is this: you will not win a
confrontation with an SDCC security guard. If one is rude or controlling with
you in a way you think is unfair, don't engage - just walk away and find
another way to get what you want.
Expectations
Specifically - manage them. The Con will disappoint you in some ways. You will
almost definitely fail to get something you really wanted. However, Comic-Con
also has the capacity to surprise and captivate you. You're on an
adventure - expect the unexpected, summon your inner Zen master, and make
the most of what happens. There are some panels I really want to attend this year that I won't be able to make. I also got picked for a Funko exclusives session right during the Sandman panel. That's SDCC in a nutshell. Master the art of letting go, and be
flexible enough to enjoy wherever you find yourself.
Good luck. You're going to have an incredible adventure.
It's so easy to get sick at Comic-Con. "Con Crud" is not an urban legend but something that plenty of people fall prey to, returning from the Con with a cough and general malaise. We are, after all, constantly touching things at SDCC: graphic novels, plushies, cosplayers' shoulders, escalator handrails, restroom doors, each other. Comic-Con was a superspreader event when COVID was just a twinkle in a plague god's eye.
But it's not just flu-type illnesses you need to watch out for. If you're not used to walking, you can easily strain or sprain something or aggravate your plantar fascia. A slowly deflating air mattress leaves you with a stiff back, four hours in the Next Day Line sunburns your scalp. Crowds and general Con frustration can exacerbate any mental challenges you're struggling with. If your fitness level deteriorated during lockdown, you might tire a lot faster than you did at your last SDCC.
And - let's just be honest here - instead of leaving SDCC with an illness this year, many of us will arrive with it. I appreciate CCI doing what they can with requiring a vaccination card or negative COVID test result, but I think it would be far safer if we all had to provide a negative test result there on the spot. Untenable, I know. But many vaccinated people are getting sick with BA.5 right now. I was in a mini-superspreader event last week involving people from the Bay Area and New York and a lot of alcohol and what do you know, people are waking up with sore throats and testing positive. Many of them are triple vaxxed.
I'm fully expecting this week to infect many people. How much control we each individually wield over that is debatable, but we're all making the choice to be in a space with thousands of people in it in a part of the country experiencing high infection rates. If I lose my COVID virginity to SDCC, I won't like it but I won't be angry. It's a choice I made. That said, there are some things we can do to protect our general health like...
Boost your immunity.
There are all kinds of immunity boost magic pills and shots out there. Even if you think they're snake oil, it doesn't hurt to bump up on some echinacea and vitamins.
Get adequate sleep too and drink lots of water.
Wear masks, obviously.
I'm sure plenty of you out there think masks don't work. Experience has taught me they help, even cloth masks when filters are added. Even if you normally don't mask at home, you might want to consider masking full-time in San Diego - not just inside the convention center but everywhere else. I doubt many people will, though.
Bring chairs, drugs, supports.
Sunscreen to protect you in line, moleskin and bandages for blisters, ibuprofen when panels are a little loud for your delicate skull, muscle ointment - if you don't bring it with you, at least learn where the Gaslamp CVS is. And don't be ashamed to bring a portable chair with you if your feet/back just aren't built for long lines.
Don't overindulge.
I realize indulgence is the entire point of SDCC for many of you. Just remember that you can get hammered back home and that people who are too high to remember the name of their hotel are a burden on their friends. Also consider eating wisely. If you live off fried bar food and a box of donuts in your room, your energy levels will hit rock bottom. Stay hydrated and follow the classic hiking rule: "If you're halfway through your water, you're halfway through your hike."
Take advantage of SDCC resources.
CCI offers a lot of on-site
support, including medical professionals, free first aid, private areas for nursing
mothers, ADA resources, wheelchairs, ASL interpreters, rest areas, and assistance for the disabled. All of this is there for attendees to use, so don't stoically ignore your pain. I've taken people to first aid - they're happy to help.
Arrange preemptive help for behavioral needs.
Plenty of nerds have mental health needs that can get
exacerbated by SDCC crowds, noise, and disappointments. Telepsych visits can help; so can asking a close friend to be there for a video chat; if you're in recovery, find out where the meetings are and line up some sober activities.
Finally, take breaks when you need to. Comic-Con is a lot. I think this year is going to be incredible and rewarding in many ways after 3 years of SDCClessness, but it's also going to be risky. Let's look after ourselves and each other.
I know, I know: there are a million "how to prepare for San Diego Comic-Con!" articles flying around right now. As if you're not swamped enough, right? So here are a few things to do Monday and Tuesday to make this week a lot less stressful:
1. Tell coworkers, friends, and family you can't be disturbed during Comic-Con. No exceptions. Be firm. Bring it up proactively on Monday - and blame it on connectivity challenges. It's just impossible to get wifi in the convention center and your hotel, tell them, and you'll be out all the time in loud environments where you can't hear your phone alert, and in many SDCC places, they make you shut your phone completely off! Maybe some of that is true and maybe some of it isn't, but you'll do yourself a massive favor by cutting that kind of intrusion off at the root. No text messages, no conference calls, no Zoom meetings. If you have the kind of job or family where you absolutely can't go off leash, set a daily check-in time.
2. Organize your documents. Group your badge with the lists of any exclusives or back issues you're picking up for friends, print any tickets that need to be printed, etc. Put everything on your phone that you can, but have a backup in case your phone dies.
3. Get your money in order. Transfer whatever funds around you need to, and confirm who's paying what for hotel rooms, meals, tickets and other stuff before you get there. Load up on as much cash as you can so you can avoid ATM lines and those credit card freezes that happen when your staggering number of purchases suggests the card has been stolen.
4. Make a list of 3-5 priorities - not 20. It's fine to have a backup wish list, but if you focus on too many things, you'll be lucky to achieve any of them. Pick your top 3-5 must-haves (signings, panels, events) and organize your days and choices around those things.
5. Let go of any half-baked cosplay plans. Every year someone I know waits until the last second to come up with a cosplay idea. Then it's a race to hunt through stores for the right clothes, tools, and theatre makeup, and all SDCC anticipation is smothered by anxiety as the cosplay looks mediocre and unfinished. If this is you - just let it go. It's not happening this year. And bad cosplay will eat up your Con time in terms of repairs, adjustments, and dissatisfaction.
6. Confirm your hotel arrangements. Many of us have roommates, have transferred rooms to friends, have nights to add or subtract, or need to pay/collect on a deposit. Now is the time to make sure everything is correct and in order. One year, I transferred a room to someone who somehow never changed the name on it, then asked the hotel for an upgrade and told them to cancel the "duplicate" room under my name - my actual room I was keeping at the same hotel. I only learned I was homeless (and was able to fix it) because I'm methodical about confirming hotel rooms. Also, if someone is being squirrely with you about paying their share, collect right now or tell them they're not in the room. I've seen people get stiffed before.
I know people say comparison is the thief of joy, but I think stress is - so take care of the little things now so you're not stressing later.
Below is a modification of something I wrote right before our last SDCC. It occurred to me it's more relevant this year, because I keep encountering people who are going to Comic-Con alone. A lot of them planned on attending with friends who've lost interest or gained other responsibilities over the last 3 years. One person said he didn't want to go by himself and might cancel. Others are going, but facing an SDCC where they have less spending money (paying the entire hotel bill themselves) and no one to go out with at night.
None of this is a tragedy. Going to SDCC by yourself can be awesome. No compromises, no roommates keeping you awake all night, and full freedom to change plans and priorities at the last second. And best of all, you are far more likely to meet new people and have new adventures.
After the last time I posted on this topic, some people emailed me and said they went solo to Comic-Con year after year. A lot of them disagreed with me and said it wasn't great at all. Some said no one talked to them at SDCC, that they expected to meet their tribe there but felt surrounded by cliques who ignored them. There was considerable sadness, self-blame and cynicism. So I wanted to talk about it again.
There are really two themes here. One is going to SDCC literally on your own and the other is being isolated when you're there. Let's break it down.
First of all, a lot of attendees go to SDCC by themselves.
You wouldn't know this from the 8 jillion happy group photos all over Instagram, but lots of attendees fly solo. People take the train down from LA or fly in from all over the country, other countries. There are a few reasons for this:
Some of us really embody the shy introverted nerd stereotype and don't have many friends to begin with.
Some of us have a lot of friends but they don't share our nerdy passions.
Some of us start out with Con friends but then they have kids or mortgages or just lose interest and one day we're the 40-year-old whose friends think Comic-Con is childish.
Sometimes we're all set to embark on an SDCC adventure with a boyfriend or girlfriend and then we break up 17 days before.
Some of us like going alone, usually because we like to indulge ourselves and control our schedules completely.
Some of us are technically solo but have Con friends we always meet up with.
Some of us technically attend with someone, usually to share a hotel room with, but do everything on our own.
Regardless of what category you fall into, here are a few tips that might help.
Even if you're a lone wolf, Con life is much easier with teammates.
I'm not just talking about buying groups. I'm talking about line shifts, having someone pick up an exclusive while you're watching Preview Night pilots, bringing you food or holding your seat. Most attendees are pretty nice people who will honor your place in line while you hit the restroom but overall, it helps to join forces with someone. On that note...
If you don't want to bring someone, consider being part of a Comic-Con group.
If you hang out online in various nerdy/Con spaces, you eventually drift into these digital tribes where everyone supports each other in badge sales, hotel sales and even panel/offsite access. Consider making this effort even if you're very shy in real life. You don't have to become boon companions once you're at the Con but a little support is nice. It might seem odd to you to become line partners with someone online but these arrangements tend to work out reasonably well once you get there. Give it a shot.
But don't bring someone just for the sake of companionship.
You may disagree with this. But if your current paramour says "I want to go!" even though they're not into Con stuff at all - don't listen to them. They're actually envisioning a trip where you do SDCC for a few hours every day and then take off with them to go surfing or visit their college friend in Carlsbad. I've dated so many people who think this is reasonable. Outsiders do not get how all consuming Comic-Con is and they get impatient when you dive in and don't come up for air.
Now - I have seen a few people "flip" their SO during the Con. But the SO has to be willing to explore the possibilities.
Talk to people once you're there.
Oh, you hate small talk? So do I. But SDCC works this mysterious transformation where everyone somehow easily converses with everyone else. There's always something to talk about - your hotel room screwup, a drunk celebrity in your elevator, the inevitable gossip about badge or wristband fraud, the piercing injustice of a Hasbro exclusives line. Just participating in these conversations (and they will spring up around you) can help you make interesting connections. Remember - these people share your interests. This isn't like being forced to talk to your coworkers at the office Christmas party. And there are no burdensome social obligations since you'll never see them again. Look for fandom meetups and happy hours.
You'll probably feel awkward walking in but remember most everyone else there is a stranger too. This includes people who "know" each other online. Meeting your favorite forum or Twitter friends in real life can feel even weirder than meeting a regular stranger. No one is what you expect! So just roll with it and see what happens. You will usually click with at least one person there, if not several. And don't worry about the "odd one" - it's Comic-Con.
If you're looking for company, be blunt.
I can't count the number of semi-strangers who've outright said, "Can I hang out with you guys?" after some conversation. People like adding strangers to their wolf packs, so just ask. SDCC attendees are pretty casual that way.
If you're convinced you have zero social skills or appealing traits, force yourself to make conversation.
Several attendees have confessed to me that they are wretched souls scorned by all, and they're doomed to wander Comic-Con alone. They were sure I couldn't possibly understand how hard it was for them. No doubt they're right on that score, but I do know that socially handicapped people need to practice to get better. And you never have to see any attendees again, even if they flee in horror from you. Which they won't. Use SDCC as batting practice.
Appreciate the upside of being alone.
The first half of my SDCC existence was spent with my ex who, may she rest in peace, put up roadblocks constantly to my Comic-Con joy. She wanted to stay in when I wanted to go to a party. She complained about my panel choices but refused to leave my side. She drank too much and got so sick we had to go home early. Etc. You'll hear far more grim stories from some people in tightly-knit groups: fights, control issues, sacrificed event tickets and missed opportunities. Lasting bitterness. So enjoy your freedom and autonomy, go out on the prowl, and do exactly what you want. You are the envy of many.
Okay, I'm done. Last time I said that attendees have the power to make their Con as social as they want it to be - and I understand now why some people got miffed and felt I was dismissing their challenges. So I'll admit that's not entirely true, but I still believe attendees have more agency than they think here. Good luck and remember the words of French revolutionary General Danton: Boldness, more boldness, and always boldness.
If there's one consistent pre-SDCC vibe in the air, it's fervor. People are jumping on every ticket and event they can and creating radical strategies to ensure Hall H entry. It's obvious that (Special Edition not withstanding) the 3 years since our last SDCC have created a state of deprivation. Attendees are even more zealous than they used to be and that's saying something.
Most of this comes down to lines, with everyone trying to estimate how bad they'll be this year, the best time to line up for which room, and how to outfox their fellow attendees. If you're an SDCC veteran, you know that line times went off the rails in the last decade and that while the wristbands help, it can still be gruesome. And with so much online chatter about Hall H this year, people are proposing some really crazy times to line up. Some of which won't actually do them any good.
Remember that a Con without Hall H (or Ballroom 20 or Indigo Ballroom) can still be an incredible Con. You can attend more panels and events because you're not spending hours in line. But if you are determined to get inside one of the big rooms, here are a few considerations.
On camping - If you last went to SDCC during the Twilight years, when people set up literal campsites on the grass for days at a time, it's not like that now. If you try to line up too early, before the flag officially goes down to form a line, you've just wasted a lot of time. It used to be that it would happen after the NDL line got wristbanded at night, but I think in 2019 the official line started in the morning the day before.
On the quality of the panel experience - Imagine a scenario where you get into Hall H but are sitting at the back at the room and have to watch it on the screen. And your favorite actor or director is on stage, but they barely speak, while an actor you dislike does most of the talking. Is it still worth it?
On Playback Room - I don't do this but it's an option if you missed your favorite panel. If a recording of the panel is emotionally satisfying for you, do this.
On sacrifices - Before you spend 20 hours in a line, make a list of everything you will give up for those hours and the hours you're in Hall H. If your goal is to see a certain trailer, which is going to be on YouTube in 1 day anyhow, it might not be worth it.
On holding spaces for other people - The official rule is 1 person can hold a spot for 5 people. Anyone who's watched a line suddenly acquire hundreds of people 30 minutes before wristbands are passed out knows that many people ignore that. Which is poor form in my opinion, but it happens. My advice is to make friends with the people in front of and behind you and let them know you'll be joined by 4 friends later so no one gets testy about it.
On bullies, fake wristbands, mobbing, and other past devils - It's all still fresh in our memory, right? While I still think most attendees share a sense of honor and community, I (and others) have noticed a rising aggression and mercilessness at the most recent Cons. If that happens again, do what you can to let a staffer know but don't expect them to do much about it. I've long believed that CCI needs to enforce line order with trained and paid security (not volunteers) but I doubt that's happening anytime soon.
On Covid - We last lined up for Marvel and GOT in a different world. Will CCI take measures to ensure we're all spaced appropriately as we wait? Again - I doubt it.
On competition - Remember that good panels in other rooms will draw off some of the heat. Someone might decide thar the Indigo Ballroom Friday panels are too good to pass up, which means they can't do the Saturday Hall H line on Friday.
On confirmation - It's easy to get the wrong information from a volunteer or staffer. When is the NDL officially forming; where is the line going to wrap around; how will wristbanding work; you can get answers that have nothing to do with reality. Always confirm what someone tells you.
I say this every year and I'll say it again: always remember
that this Comic-Con could be your last. Who would have thought back in 2019 that a global pandemic would cancel SDCC20202 and SDCC2021? You can never really guarantee you're getting a badge next year - so think carefully about how you spend your Comic-Con time.
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