Happy Independence Day! While you're feeling the flush of patriotism, consider helping out a fellow American and signing up for the Robert A. Heinlein Blood Drive at San Diego Comic-Con. Each pint donated can save 3 lives - and when you consider that American Red Cross declared a national blood shortage last year, you can see what a massive difference SDCC attendees can make.
3 things to know up front:
1) If you donate onsite, it doesn't take long and will not derail your precious Comic-Con time.
2) But you have the option to donate before or after the Con at the San Diego Blood Bank Donation Centers or mobile drives.
2) It's easy to do and you get a cool swag bag and great t-shirt.
How to participate
Schedule an appointment here at whatever time works best for you. You can also go to the Blood Drive booth in the Sails Pavilion. They do take walk-ins but scheduling is more efficient for them and you.
Head over to the Coronado Ballroom at the Hyatt at the scheduled time.
The whole experience takes less than an hour and you'll receive various freebies and get entered into a range of drawings for daily prizes. I won a book one year; a friend won party tickets.
Preparing to donate
If you've never donated before, you might envision a Victorian fainting couch as you swoon from blood loss. That actually won't happen - they'll give you refreshments and you won't be tired or feel weak in any way. But if you're anemic, I do recommend taking iron supplements as I've been bounced out of blood drives before over my insufficient levels.
Who wants to watch pre-presidents debate when we can talk about Comic-Con? Let's review recent developments.
Exclusives
Yes, we're back to the lottery system; this time, though, we each have "credits" we can allocate to our favorite exclusives to increase our odds of being selected. You need to do so by 9 July. Winners will be selected within a few days. I know last year's exclusives system stirred up considerable rancor; I hope this year goes better for you, but don't get your hopes up too high.
Conan
Everyone is hyped over the release of the Funko figures and the date announcement, but I hope you're being practical as well by spiffing up your 1iota account. Remember - the rabid rush for Conan tickets is not strictly first come, first serve, but also about whose account proves they'd be a colorful addition to the audience.
Also remember the timing. I know programming won't be officially announced until next week, but you probably have a good idea by now of what day is your Hall H day, which one is your offsite day, etc. If Conan feels vital to you, request all 4 shows when tickets go live and try to trade later if you have to. But remember that you have to show up early the morning of the taping and then return in the afternoon to be released in the early evening. You won't be able to juggle this with another demanding line wait.
Comic Creator and Gaming Creator Connections
If you're not familiar with CCC, it's where comic book artists and writers interview each other for a few minutes and decide if they want to swipe right or left. I've heard mixed things from people who attended but I'm sure it's worked out for others. There's a session Thursday night and Friday night and you have to have a badge for that day to get in. Artists can go both nights; writers have to pick just one because we are legion. One new development this year: 10 "emerging artists" from DeviantArt will be there, seeking your gifts.
Gaming Creator Connection on Saturday is a little different; you'll have 15-20 minutes to speak to different mentors in different aspects of the industry. You can also attend Game Pitch Review on the same day.
Merchandise
Some people can't wait for each year's official merchandise to be released and others don't care; this anniversary year, though, seems to have sparked a thirst for all things stamped SDCC. I'm usually not interested and even I'm eyeing the Batman shirt.
Don't forget that these items really are exclusive to the Con, and so your friends staying home may be extra interested in having you pick up a few up for them.
Blood Drive Appointments
Don't forget to schedule your donation to the community. The SDCC blood drive has saved more than 67,000 lives over the years. It's easy to go (they take walk-ins), it's quick, and you walk away with great swag, like an Endgame t-shirt. You're also entered into raffles, with good odds of winning. (I've won prizes twice and I never win anything.)
What's a Studio?
Sony announced today we're not getting a look at Zombieland 2 (or anything else) at the Con. This sparked the usual hand-wringing over "major studios" skipping the Con, including Warner/DC, and how only Disney and Paramount will be there. I find these announcements triply irritating because:
There's more to SDCC than Hall H and movie trailers - some of us
are beyond excited to see the colossal Warner/DC booth, the Batwoman
and Pennyworth pilots, the Veronica Mars premiere and the Saturday night
DC Universe special event.
If these writers would join us
in 2019, they'd realize SDCC attendees are just as likely to fangasm
over Amazon, Netflix, HBO, AMC (well, maybe not as much anymore) and
other offerings. The idea that only old-school studios matter is a
dinosaur.
These articles tend to imply SDCC's star is
dimming. Again, that's through their industry lens. While there's
definitely a dynamic of many studios realizing the Hall H ROI isn't
there, it's natural for a 50-year-old juggernaut like SDCC to
continually shift and evolve - and many attendees don't consider a
Tarantino trailer critical to their Comic-Con experience.
Panel Buzz
So speaking of panels... what are you excited to see? Here are some obvious choices:
Marvel anything: No contest, especially if we get a look at Black Panther 2.
Supernatural's final panel: Every Saturday night at Comic-Con, I see women head toward the convention center with sleeping bags and pillows, staking their claim to see the Winchester brothers. This fandom is insane (ranking with Twilight, IMO) and I can't imagine how intense this last panel will be.
Riverdale, right after it: I know everyone likes to roll their eyes at Riverdale these days, with good reason, but it's still crazy popular. And Cheryl Blossom cosplay is always a good look.
HBO Game of Thrones and Westworld: Obviously GOT will be nuts, and I'm curious how polite fans will be toward Weiss and Benioff. More excited for Westworld, personally, unless the GOT panel announces a graphic novel told from the direwolves' perspective.
Scary Stories Told in The Dark: If it comes. Is it coming?
The final Arrow panel: Also sure to be emotional. Honestly, Ballroom 20 on Saturday is going to be nonstop greatness, for those of you who are skipping Hall H.
Harley Quinn premiere: While this hasn't gotten as much buzz as other DC animation, the HQ fanbase is devoted - and really this is just guaranteed to be fun.
Veronica Mars reboot: No doubt many young attendees are thinking "the lady from the car commercials?" but HEY, Veronica Mars was quite a thing in its day - and this will be stormed by passionate fans.
The Boys: This seems to be stirring up significant curiosity pre-Con - and I think this will be a major draw.
Carnival Row: Same.
Top Gun: Maverick: People I never thought would be into this have it on their top 5 list.
Batwoman pilot: There's been a lot of scoffing in my Sapphic circles over this - but we're all still going to watch it, right? At least the pilot to see if it's decent.
Pennyworth: Same mix of cynicism and interest, but I think people will be eager to see it.
It Chapter Two: Major get for Wednesday night. Who needs a $750 ticket to The Gathering when you can hit up ScareDiego?
The Order: A "horror drama" from Netflix, this looks like a great reason to be in the Indigo Ballroom on Thursday afternoon.
Every year at Comic-Con, attendees save lives by donating blood at the Robert A. Heinlein Blood Drive - now in its 41st year. Each pint can save up to 3 lives, and last year we donated almost 1300 pints. So it's pretty cool to be part of a heroic effort that is the San Diego Blood Bank's longest-running drive.
And it's so easy to participate. You can sign up online or you can sign up at the blood drive booth in the Sails Pavilion. (First-timers, this is right up the escalators in the convention center.) The blood drive itself is at the Manchester Grand Hyatt, just down the street from the convention center on the other side of the Marriott Marquis. It's a very quick walk. The whole thing usually takes about an hour.
Preparing for Donation
If you've donated before, you know there are a range of travel, medication and other factors which can eliminate you so check here to see if you're eligible. Women, if you tend toward anemia (which has gotten me politely bounced out of a few blood drives) take your iron leading up to the Con. In general, every donor should eat well at the Con - SDCC is already a tiring experience, so if you intend to donate, make sure you're eating good meals and staying hydrated and rested, rather than living off Pop-Tarts and Red Bull and staying out all night.
What You'll Get
Everyone who donates gets a sweet swag bag that usually has books, a t-shirt and coupons and other stuff. This year donors will get a Guardians of the Galaxy shirt. (First-timers: Comic-Con t-shirts are usually a nice quality cotton unlike those cheap free shirts your credit union or local charity event hands out; mine have lasted for years.) Donors also get entered into multiple daily drawings that offer anything from invites to exclusive parties to free books, comics, toys, shirts and other Exhibit Hall merch. Because you're not competing with a ginormous number of people, you have a good chance of winning - I have in the past and I never win anything.
The drive usually takes walk-ins, so if you don't want to commit to a specific time and date, that's fine. But please consider adding this to your SDCC agenda. You can come home knowing your Comic-Con experience included saving someone's life.
It's back - the chance to be a hero at Comic-Con by saving lives through your blood donation. This summer will be the 39th year of the Robert A. Heinlein Blood Drive at San Diego Comic-Con.
It's very easy to participate. You just schedule an appointment at whatever time works best for you, then head over to the Hyatt at the scheduled time. The whole experience takes less than an hour and you'll receive a bag of freebies, as well as get entered into a range of drawings for daily prizes that can include anything from free books to VIP party tickets.
There are two ways to schedule an appointment:
1. Online
2. The Blood Drive booth in the Sails Pavilion. You'll see it as soon as you pick up your badge.
Not sure if you're eligible to donate? You can check the guidelines here.
Last year the Drive collected 1403 pints of blood - an impressive amount when you consider that each pint can save up to 3 lives. If you're eligible, please consider adding to that number this year.
If you have a free hour today, consider giving blood at the Hyatt. Every year Comic-Con attendees save many lives with our donations - and it's quick and easy to do.
Where: the
Manchester Grand Hyatt. They're taking walk-ins and you can also register
upstairs in the Sails Pavilion.
What: the Robert A. Heinlein Blood Drive, which is San Diego Blood Bank's longest
running event. How: just walk down to the Hyatt from 9:00
- 6:00 today or tomorrow or 10:00 - 3:30 Sunday. They'll take care of everything else. The whole thing takes about an hour. What you get: a True Blood t-shirt, free books, bloody
fang hole neck tattoos and various lottery drawings, and lots of cookies and juice.
It's back for the 38th year - the chance to share your valuable nerd blood with the world at the Robert A. Heinlein Blood Drive.
How easy is it to participate? Incredibly easy. You can schedule an appointment at whatever time works best for you (this year it's at the Hyatt), roll on over and complete the whole thing in under an hour in most cases. Like most blood drives, they'll ask you to fill out a form to make sure you're eligible, take your blood pressure, then hook you up to donate, which doesn't take long at all. After that you get juice and cookies, and then you leave with a True Blood swag bag that includes water bottles, t-shirts, bracelets and other gifts. You also get entered into drawings to win a variety of prizes.
You can register online or onsite:
Online: You can schedule an appointment for Thursday-Sunday here.
Onsite: go to the Blood Drive booth near the freebie table in the Sails Pavilion. First-timers, you will see this as soon as you pick up your badge.
Not sure if you're eligible? You can check the general requirements, but San Diego Blood Bank will have health professionals there at the drive who will privately discuss your history and eligibility with you to make a determination. Interesting fact if you're Latino: San Diego is in special need of Latino donors for these reasons.
Please consider doing this - every year we save a lot of lives with our donations. Last year we donated 1497 pints of blood. Consider that each pint can save up to 3 lives, and you realize just what an impact Comic-Con attendees can make each summer.
20 JULY 2013 Where: the Omni, 4th floor ballroom. They're taking walk-ins and you can also register upstairs in the Sails Pavilion. What: the Robert A. Heinlein Blood Drive is San Diego Blood Bank's longest running event, at 37 years. Last summer our donations saved over 2800 lives. How: just walk on over to the Omni from 9:00 - 6:00 today or 10:00 - 3:30 tomorrow. They'll take care of everything else. What you get: rubber bracelets, a red True Blood t-shirt, free books, bloody fang hole neck tattoos and various lottery drawings, including the chance to attend tonight's private True Blood party. It doesn't take long, I swear, and they're ready for walk-ins. You can do it on your way to the cool Join the Realm experience across the street.
2 JULY 2013 If while you're at Comic-Con, you tire of your celebrity-chasing and feverish consumerism, you can do something heroic instead and wander over to the Omni to give some blood. The Robert A. Heinlein Blood Drive is San Diego Blood Bank's longest running event - this will be its 37th year - and our donations last summer saved over 2800 lives. It's very easy to participate; the Blood Drive is open from 9:00 - 6:00 Thursday-Saturday and 10:00 - 3:30 on Sunday. It's in the Omni Hotel in the fourth floor ballroom right across the street from the convention center. And for your generous donation, you get a goodie bag, True Blood t-shirts from HBO, rubber bracelets and more; you're also entered into daily drawings for prizes from Comic-Con exhibitors. There are two ways to register. You can register right now through CCI and pick your appointment time. (If you want to wait until you have a better idea of the programming, it should be published later this week.) You can also register onsite. You don't do that at the Omni; rather you need to go to the Blood Drive booth near the Freebie Table in the Sails Pavilion. For those of you who are new, this is right there after you pick up your badge, so it's convenient to register then. The whole experience takes about 45 minutes - not a huge chunk of your day, and you can work it into your lunch run to the Gaslamp.
