What first-timers thought about Comic-Con: Part I

16 JULY 2015




Comic-Con ended 3 days ago, but I'm betting most of us are just beginning to acclimate to normal life again. Going back to work, catching up on your sleep, sorting through your piles of merchandise and connecting on social with the attendees you met; it's a process. And many of us still have boxes from UPS and Fed Ex to unpack in the coming days and professional leads to follow up on. Comic-Con is like a bell that takes a while to stop ringing.

But a few first-timers have already compiled their thoughts on what they thought about SDCC, so let's hear what they have to say.

Emma. Emma had a fairly lucky Con in that she experienced very few lines and got into top panels at Indigo and Ballroom 20 without waiting. The longest line: 30 minutes for Stephen Amell at NerdHQ. Which of course is nothing. "I feel that I was incredibly lucky this year to get all the exclusives I wanted, plus others, and get to see everything I wanted to without much of an issue, and in good seats." That's the ideal first time SDCC experience.

Verdict: "Totally going next year."

Lane. Lane is more of a returner than a true first-timer, which made his take interesting. His last SDCC: 2005. His reaction was thus split into two parts. "When I first got there, I thought Holy shit and just wanted to go home. It was too much. The Exhibit Hall is not at all what I remember. I was more or less depressed the first day but the second day I snapped out of it and tried to take it for what it is now. It was great people watching. But I went to fewer panels than I used to, so even though the Con is bigger now it felt like it shrunk for me."

Verdict: May go back. "If it happens, it happens. I think I will be looking at more focused events."

Rob. As a gamer, he focused entirely on the tournaments and a few gaming offsites. His take on SDCC for gamers: "There are people of all levels which can make it hard in either direction to get a good play in. Some of the demos were good. I wish now I had done more of the other stuff." It's worth noting that he did not do Gam3rCon, which might have changed his perspective.

Verdict: "I wouldn't go back just for gaming." He said he would go back with his girlfriend for more of a well-rounded Con.

Colin. Colin had one of the unluckier stories I heard. A hotel reservation misfire kept him busy all of Thursday looking for alternate rooms. (His original hotel was finally able to accommodate his party with a smaller room and cot.) One roommate lost his wallet and had no photo ID to pick up his badge. Somehow that got worked out but once they were in the Con, they experienced these rites of passage: wrong directions from a security guard/uniformed person, leading them away from their panel, and waiting in the wrong line on a separate occasion, which they didn't realize until they were in the room and the panel started. But after all that, they still had a good time.

Verdict: "I might go back but I'll be okay if I don't get a badge."

Manuel. This attendee was all about exclusives and thus had the most dramatic ride of any first-timer. There were toys that sold out, misinformation on where to get in line, deals made with shadowy resellers, money exchanged behind a food truck, and finally, 3 of his 5 top items in his hands. "It's worth it to work every angle because that's the only way you can get some of these figures." He still has plans to track down his other items on the post-Con online market.

Verdict: "Yeah, I'll be back next year."

Calista. She was at Comic-Con for the vaguest of reasons: her friends got her a badge. So she went along for the ride and as it happened, that ride was pretty spectacular for her. She did Hall H on Saturday and loved it, did some animation panels on Friday in the Indigo Ballroom (less enthusiastic) and discovered an author she liked was at the Con. While she missed the autograph session, it did inspire her to go back next year and focus more on the publishers' booths. One thing she didn't like: the nightlife. "It seems like there's a lot going on but really it's just a lot of people and not much to do." I can see that.

Verdict: "I'll go next summer but I'll probably do it on my own."

Amber. Amber is a 2nd-timer (you can read her report from last year here) but I thought her experience was worth including because it shows how SDCC can feel on return. Thursday they spent 4 hours in line for the Game of Thrones experience. "I'm sorry to say it wasn't worth it. It was basically a bunch of photo ops (insert pics of us getting burned up by a dragon, as white walkers, or on the Iron Throne) and the lines inside were slow-moving too. It was actually pretty dull and we missed the NASA and Industrial Light and Magic panels to attend it." She said they won't bother with it next year. She also gave an unfavorable report to the Black Panel.

What was great: tacos at Puesto in Seaport Village, the Orphan Black panel, the Quick Draw panel, and the Her Universe Fashion Show. "It was well-organized and fun, had great swag, and showcased incredible creativity!" She also had Jared Padelecki from Supernatural come to her dinner table and chat for a few minutes. "He was so friendly and charming - definitely the nicest celebrity I have ever encountered." Amber, you are officially the envy of one of the most berzerk fandoms on the planet. She and her husband also saw Stan Lee, the cast of Gothan and the Superman v Batman trailer at the Con, the Nerd HQ conversation with Joss Whedon, and a guy from KISS, Kevin Smith and M. Night Shyamalan at the Omni.


So that's my first crop of first-timers. Other reports are rolling in; I'll post those in a few days.

Comic-Con 2015 in summary

14 JULY 2015

So what did we think of San Diego Comic-Con 2015? Let's break it down.

Lines. 

The lines were easier than they’ve ever been in recent history. Even Hall H had walk-in panels, and the wristbands allowed people more freedom to leave if they wanted it. Picking up your badge: not as onerous. I’ll say here that I did hear complaints from mostly first-timers about being shut out of panels after failing to anticipate their multiple-hour waits, so bear in mind you’re hearing my fatalistic veteran’s perspective. But overall I think a lot of us would agree that one of the worst aspects of SDCC was not that bad this year.

Exclusives.

I can’t really speak to this. I did see someone break down in sobs over some kind of exclusives line kerfuffle. I also failed to procure a collectible for one of my best friends, but only because she didn’t ask until Saturday. And as I mentioned earlier, I waited in a Preview Night line only to be told they took cash only. I saw the usual lines and disgruntled faces around Mattel and Hasbro. But most people I know got what they wanted, or just skipped the whole ordeal. The fact is, it’s pretty rare for any SDCC exclusive to stay exclusive – even when they wash up on Ebay at inflated prices, those prices tend to drop quickly – so I think a lot of attendees aren’t as life-or-death about it at this point.

Preview Night. 

This year I was hit with an immediate ennui walking through the aisles. I waited for that accelerating thrill to course through my veins – and it didn’t. Partly this is because I know I can buy almost anything there somewhere else – and partly because I have been to so many Comic-Cons at this point that finding fresh offerings is rare. You could say that’s just me, but my overall feeling is that PN is not as much of a get as it used to be. If you’re an exclusives fanatic, PN is probably a major deal for you. If you like PN because of the ease of picking up your badge, well, the other days are pretty easy for getting your badge as well. If you like it because it’s not as crowded as other days – it’s gotten pretty crowded. That said, I will probably scream with outrage if I fail to get a Preview Night badge next year.

The Exhibit Hall. 

Let’s start with the temperature. Last summer it was humid and rather repellent at times. This year the ventilation seemed much better and even the crowded areas were more comfortable. As for the booths – as I said above, I’m a jaded attendee at this point who’s seen a thousand vendors selling lanyards, spooky dolls, vintage Godzillas, woolly mammoth paintings, Daryl Dixon tank tops, ancient Weird Tales back issues and 50% off graphic novels. So what do I know? You probably loved it.  I did cart home an incredible pile of books, so I’m not complaining. And I did think some of the photo ops were great.

Panels. 

I think CCI continues to provide an ideal mix of panels. I luxuriated in the abundance of science and comic book panels. Plenty of you probably enjoyed the collectors’ panels or TV pilots or trivia games. Hall H was epic this year. The selection was top notch. The actual content provided? Mostly it was killer – from where I stood anyway – but an exception was a lot of the big Hollywood panels. This is an unfortunate trend of the last few years; some of the biggest name panels deliver up the barest bones content. They don’t make any interesting announcements. They don’t put together any behind-the-scenes reels or sneak peeks. The cast seems disengaged and counting the minutes till they can walk off the stage. It all feels obligatory and flat, and frankly is a bit of a pisser for fans who just traveled through 11 circles of hell to see that panel.

I realize the numbers have been run and SDCC marketing doesn’t drive the ROI once thought. Hollywood isn’t quite as generous with us as it used to be. But dialing in perfunctory panels doesn’t solidify fanbases. It alienates them. And when someone does bring the thunder – like Star Wars – that just shifts loyalties even more.

Swag. 

Oh, was there some? I missed it. You hardier types who endured the lines for certain panels probably picked up t-shirts in the Premium room, but most of us left most panels empty-handed.

Offsites. 

Some were good, some were a snoozer. Some wanted attendees to jump through too many marketing hoops, like when I walked up to Adult Swim (there was no line) and they stopped me and said I had to get out my phone and register online first before I could take the 2 steps inside. Some seemed to close quite early or maintain inconvenient hours. Given the massive crowds in the area, it seems odd to invest in erecting an activation and then keep it dark for most of the day or night. A lot of attendees who waited for GOT said it wasn’t worth it; I couldn’t find anyone who did the AHS Hotel one (and why didn’t AHS rent a few rooms in an actual hotel and do something there?) and the Fear the Walking Dead seemed good, but many people didn’t know about it. Assassin’s Creed looked fun.

Parties. 

I skipped pretty much every “official” party so I can’t talk here. Reactions seemed mixed. I think a lot of this comes down to the ability of you and your friends to create fun wherever you are – which is a summation of SDCC in general. If you wait for a party to electrify you, you’ll probably be standing around awkwardly and wondering why all the Comic-Con coverage makes the parties sound like a nerd Sodom and Gomorrah when they’re more like a boarding school mixer for introverts.

Overall I thought Comic-Con went smoothly.  “Smooth” may not be what most of you were looking for and if you don’t have past Cons for comparison, you might disagree. But while many of the usual inefficiencies prevailed, mostly the massive beast that is the Con moved and roared as it was supposed to. 

If you didn’t get out of it what you hoped, my advice is what it’s always been:

1. Be more proactive about creating your SDCC fulfillment instead of waiting for it to be dished up. The Con is too big and too busy for you to be a passive recipient. You have to decide what you want, find out where it is and do what you have to do to conquer it.
2. Consider if SDCC really is for you. Maybe another Con is a better choice. Despite all the “Nerd Prom/Vegas/Mardi Gras” appellations associated with SDCC, many nerds and fans don’t find it that enthralling. Knowing that it’s not for you is a gift, because you can spare yourself the spending and stress the rest of us zealots go through.

One thing that’s changed is the personal significance of each Con. There was a time when if you didn’t particularly care for the panels or fought with your roommate or had some kind of major miss, you could shrug it off and look forward to next year. With the odds going increasingly dire in each badge sale, none of us can know for sure that we’ll be there in 2016 or the year after that. That does lend a heightened emotional value to this or any Comic-Con – an awareness this could be your last immersion in its glory for some time.