Are SDCC lines really worth it? A few thoughts.

21 JULY 2025

If there's one question that pops up again and again in SDCC communities, it's this: "how bad do you think the line will be?"

You could earn a doctorate studying all the nuances and factors that shape each line - but past being prologue, we can predict a few things with some certainty. 

~ Hall H will definitely incur "walk-in" status at times, but that isn't necessarily smooth sailing. If you want to be somewhere in the front of the room, you'll need to line up or arrive a few panels early.

~ Ballroom 20 will be doable (for the most part) but again, base your arrival time on the quality of seat you wish to claim. 

~ Yes, George Lucas and Guillermo del Toro in Hall H on Sunday will have a line. Almost everyone I've spoken to about this is sacrificing their Saturday night plans to make this happen, but some are content with any wristband.

~ Most ticketed offsites do have standby lines but there's no guarantee you'll get in or that they'll be worth it. Most of us have baked in the sun for 2+ hours just to get into an offsite that turned out to be quick, mediocre, and pointless. That said - lines sometimes dwindle early or late, and sometimes crews will let people in for an extra hour.

~ Don't count on someone official managing lines and making responsible calls on where the cut-off should be so you can move on. 

Just when is it time to move on?

I am a big believer in enjoying the Con you're at - which is hard to do when you spend hours every day in a line. So try to be realistic about when a line is worth it. While that somewhat depends on your fandom level, you'll also need to ask yourself if:

• You'll be disappointed if the offsite experience is over with in 3 minutes and doesn't offer significant swag.
• You would prefer to do 3 C-list offsites than wait hours for 1 A-list offsite.
• You would be okay seeing the panel on YouTube or in the Playback room.
• You'll feel let down if your favorite actor only speaks once, while the director dominates the panel.
• You'll be disappointed if you get stuck so far back in the room you have to watch the panel on a screen anyhow.
• You haven't gotten a chance to thoroughly explore the Exhibit Hall.
• You're hungry, thirsty, hungover, irritated, or exhausted and you really need a break. 
• There's an option B that you really want to see.

If you answer yes to most of those - I wouldn't spend significant time in that line.

The ultimate line tip is to check socials for real-time updates - not just for what you want to do, but what you've already written off. You might be pleasantly surprised; something that had an unbearable line last year might be up against another popular panel this year, which draws off some of the crowd.

Make smart choices - and good luck.

Should Hall H be a line, a lottery, or both?

 15 JULY 2024

The general consensus so far is that San Diego Comic-Con 2024 is looking as ripe and juicy as a pre-pandemic Con - or pretty close, at least. I feel like that was confirmed by today's sizzling announcement of a "Deadpool & Wolverine Celebration of Life" Hall H lottery event. The fact that it's stretching for several hours hints heavily that it includes the movie. So if you weren't enticed enough by the Thursday night riches of Her Universe, Kung Fu, or Methgator, here is an even splashier option. In fact, I feel safe in saying it will be the #1 pick for many people.

But it's a lottery! So we all signed up here at this link: event.twdc.com/ultimatedpw and now we wait.

And it brought up a recurring debate: should all of Hall H be a lottery or a line?

Advantages to a lottery

It eliminates cheating and takes away the advantage from people with massive, well-organized friend groups. It's also kinder to people who aren't disabled enough for the ADA line but have the kind of physical ailments that make it impossible to stay in a long line. Ditto for volunteers who can't break away from their assignments to wait in line or panelists or parents or vendors - you get the idea. A lot of people who would love to get into Hall H but can't hack the lines would finally have a chance without having to give up other Con events.

What's not great: it would break up groups and families, where only some could get in and others wouldn't. (Can you imagine being the 1 person who gets in and having to pick your +1 without pissing off your friends? You'd have to hold another lottery.)  And some attendees would have to pay for badges and hotels without knowing if they could even get into their raison d'etre.

Advantages to a line

It puts control back in attendees' hands - especially the most determined, passionate fans willing to sacrifice all else. If they buy badges specifically to see a certain panel that's almost certain to be there, they can somewhat guarantee access as long as they're ready to spend hours in line. And as I've said before, many people actually enjoy being in line - that's part of the event for them.

What's not great: all the problems we have now - having to make Sophie's Choice between different parts of the Con, the physical difficulty in staying in line so long, time constraints and professional responsibilities, and the bitter fights over cheating.

Advantages to combined

In this scenario, half the room is a lottery, half is a line. Best of both worlds, right? My first impulse is to vote for this but I recognize it would create even greater competition and divisiveness amongst the line warriors. 

I know you all have opinions on this. I don't think there's a perfect solution. I do think we need to try other options - I don't understand why we can't have Hall H on Sunday, for instance (we used to) so please explain in the comments if you know. Holding the most popular panels twice or simply having Marvel/whoever hold court for four hours and have different groups come in and out would be dreary for the panelists but would accommodate a much larger number of people. Again, it wouldn't accommodate everyone (and the room would have to be cleared) but I can't think of anything that would.

So where do you fall? Line, lottery, or both? Or do you have a genius idea no one has tried? If so, you should definitely bring it to the Talkback panel.

Are you ready for the Hall H Survival of the Fittest?

 8 JULY 2024

If any aspect of San Diego Comic-Con has attained mythical status, it's the Hall H line. Farflung fan boys and girls have heard of it; other Con managers have tried to sell me on their not-San-Diego Con by saying, "And we have <celebrity> and <attraction> - so you don't need to camp in the Hall H line!"

Here's what they don't get: camping in the Hall H line is part of the fun.

It's also forbidden, according to the careful wording of CCI's latest blog post. "Camping is not allowed," they say firmly and go on to ban tents, canopies, cots, inflatable, space heaters, large umbrellas, open flames, etc. What you are permitted: one chair of "relatively normal size" and a banket or sleeping bag.  Isn't camping built into the definition of a sleeping bag? I guess the other option is "slumber party" so maybe we'll go with that: the Hall H line is the biggest slumber party on the West Coast.

How the Hall H line mutated into an ungodly monstrosity

In a word: us. We did this. 

When I was a wee Comic-Con kitten, I casually strolled into Hall H in the middle of a Neil Gaiman panel. (Ahem). A few years down the road and I was groaning about the terribly unreasonable 2-hour wait for a LOST panel. Shortly after that, I looked out of my room at the Hilton Bayfront and saw a shanty town with tents and blankets and tiny grills: the Twilight fans.

Sometime after that, I said, "I'm done with Hall H."

There are just too many people who carry Hall H in their hearts. They are willing to sleep outside for multiple nights, deceive and scam, sacrifice all other aspects of the Con. It takes a skilled and collaborative group to successfully obtain good seats and still enjoy the rest of Comic-Con. 

I've only endured it once in recent years. But I do understand its magnetic powers and it's not just the panels themselves that attract people; some people really enjoy the line itself. Organizing line shifts with color-coded spreadsheets; enjoying the shivery San Diego nights as you congratulate yourself on being the Con version of punk as fuck; getting deep into 3 a.m. conversations with the people in front of you and exchanging numbers though you'll never talk to them again: it can be a deeply memorable, soul-stirring experience.

But it can also be sheer hell. Fake wristbands, line cutters, discovering that you are now 1100 people back even though you were in the first 300 a few hours ago; the Hall H line can turn you into one of those people screaming online that the Con is dead and you are never going back!

Should you and if so, how so?

Look, thousands of you are convinced you will beat the Hall H line with your superior cunning and massive network. And a lot of you are probably right. But if you're not a Hall H ninja, you should know...

Sometimes Hall H is quite accessible. Certain days will be crazy. Once Friday was the best day IMO but generally speaking, Thursday-Saturday will have a line. Even so, sometimes you can show up later in the day and walk in. So don't write off the entire room. If you don't want to put in the time for a wristband, you'll need to monitor the situation online and see what people are reporting.

You actually can camp, in the sense of sleeping outside overnight. The bathrooms in Lobby G will be open overnight for when nature calls. Bundle up as the nights get cool and bring a sleeping bag or blanket and camping pad.

 

Wristbands are handed out the night before at 7:30 pm for Thursday and Friday and at 8:00 pm for Saturday. You must be there in the Next Day Line in person; your friend can't pick up an extra for you. CCI assures you can go home and get "a good night's rest" but if you are maniacal about getting a top-notch seat in the first panel, you'll probably stay. And if you don't care about the first panel? Go ahead and snooze in the back sections, then work your way to the front for ensuing panels. Just be warned that everyone will be doing this. Your best bet is to work in groups and designate an overnighter to hold your spot.

Once you're in Hall H, you'll have access to drinks, snacks, and restrooms without leaving - so you can comfortably make it an all-day event.

I highly advise reading their full instructions here.

Once panels are announced this week, we'll have a reasonable idea of the "best" days and most competitive lines. This is easy for me to say but that doesn't make it untrue: maintain a healthy detachment over Hall H. It's caused sorrow in the past: one attendee stabbed another with a pen over a saved seat, a fan was hit by a car and killed running across the street because she saw the line moving. Bitter fights over line management practices and groups accused of cheating are rife.

I've not yet seen an easy and perfect solution that will satisfy everyone. People are doing their best to impose some kind of order and fairness on a situation that's been rife with line-cutting, rage, and many wasted hours for many attendees. Once the panels come out, figure out now how much blood you want to spill on this and then make peace with your decision. Because even if Hall H is a deeply meaningful experience, Comic-Con offers other memorable experiences too.

 

Planning Your SDCC Line Strategy

13 JULY 2022

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. 

See you in line.

When should you get in line?

16 JULY 2019

If there's one question SDCC newcomers ask, it's about lines - specifically, when they need to get in them and what the "tricks" are for outfoxing their fellow line-waiters.

To answer both of those:
There is no definitive time (and people don't like to post times because then everyone shows up before them, and it becomes a hellish cycle)
There are no tricks for getting to the front of a line other than getting there early.

Make no mistake, lines are the biggest grievance at San Diego Comic-Con. Some people cope by simply eliminating the big rooms (Hall H, Indigo Ballroom and Ballroom 20) from their lives or turning away if they see a line for something else. You can live this way and have a stupendous Comic-Con. But if your heart is set on something line-worthy - and for most of us, it will be at some point - here are some ideas to mull over.

When is a line worth it?

I'm a big believer in enjoying the Con you're at - and it's hard to do that if you spend all of it in a line. Some people work in groups with complicated systems involving assigned shifts, but the vast majority of attendees just have their friends to rely on. So here are a few considerations before you get in line:

• Would you be okay seeing the panel on YouTube or in the Playback room?
• Will you be disappointed if your favorite cast member only speaks once, while the director and some other cast member dominate the panel?
• Will you be annoyed if you get stuck so far back in the room you have to watch the panel on a screen anyhow? Or if the offsite experience is over with in 3 minutes and doesn't offer significant swag?
• Is there anything else at the same time you want to see?

Always compare what you're getting with what you're giving up. 

When should you get in line?

The perennial question. The basic answer is: early enough to get a good seat but not so early that you miss out on the Con. There's no Magic 8 ball here. You can check Twitter for real time updates on line length or swing by to monitor it. Smaller panels really aren't that competitive, unless you want to stake your claim to get the very best seat. Often people will sit through the panel(s) ahead to ensure that, but this is a subject of some contention.

Will the lines be about the same as last year?

Not necessarily. The number of attractive offsites can disperse a crowd across many lines or concentrate it in a few unbearable ones. The big room lines depend on what the day's line-up is. Something that's penetrable one year can be a madhouse the next. And if the hottest panel of the day is early, then often the room will clear out to let another swarm of attendees in.

When's the best time to do offsites?

Depends. In general, offsites are best done early on in the Con because the lines grow throughout the weekend. Or you can try popping in at the very end of each day or Sunday. Typically, a few activations will get the best buzz and have ungodly lines by Saturday. Do be aware that registering for something doesn't mean skipping the line in most cases. Often those online registrations are just about getting your data. There's a reason they're hosting the offsite.

Should I give up on Hall H entirely?

No! Some panels will be walk-in or have manageable lines. You can also find people to partner with in line. Obviously titans like Marvel, GOT, Riverdale, Supernatural and Westworld are going to be highly competitive. But you've got a good shot if you dedicate yourself to the cause.

Also consider the context of other lines. Let's say Hall H is having a highly popular day Saturday and a not so in-demand day Thursday. Saturday will draw more people out of your Indigo Ballroom line - but on Thursday, your line could be more crowded and competitive.

How many line spots can I hold?

Hall H has the 5:1 rule, but in general, most people are fine if a friend or two join you in line. What they're not fine with - and it's been a major problem - is when 10 friends jump in at the last second. You can start out being #133 in line and wind up being #640, despite putting in the hours that other people ahead of you didn't. When a room capacity cuts off just a few people in front of you, it's galling. So be considerate about how many people join you.

Can I sleep in line?
People do. SDCC is not a crime fest, and though there are urban legends about wristbands being stolen off sleeping attendees, I think you're pretty safe. Just chat up the people around you - it's not like getting stuck talking to your seatmate on a plane, you can easily withdraw - and they'll look out for you. And yes, some people go out, get wasted, then stagger into line and sleep it off.


What are common line mistakes?

There are usually multiple lines at any given moment - which makes it very possible to join the wrong line. Verbally confirm which line you're in or you might spend 90 minutes in a line for something you don't care about.

Volunteers and staffers are lovely people, but they're not omniscient. Use common sense. If they're tell you "Oh, they're still letting people in" 10 minutes after a panel has started, move on. Take control of your destiny at SDCC; there's a lot of confusion flowing around and sometimes you need to recognize rubbish when you hear it.

Time your food and restroom breaks carefully. It was years ago, but a Twilight fan was killed by a car when running to rejoin a Hall H line that had finally started to move. You can always ask for a pass when you're in the room (most rooms.)

Always remember that this Comic-Con could be your last. Badge and hotel sales are too unpredictable to count on being here next summer. So live this Comic-Con as intensely as you can - and don't spend all of it in a line.

Do you have any information about the Hall H fake wristbands?

26 JULY 2017

As you all know, it's believed that a group of people made or obtained fake Hall H wristbands and used them to gain access to panels - leaving legitimately wristbanded attendees shut out after waiting for 20 hours or more. CCI would understandably like to get to the bottom of this. If you saw, heard or know anything, please email me at sdccguide@gmail.com or contact CCI directly.

People who traditionally skip Hall H may consider this a trivial matter, but it's not. Many attendees invest considerable time and money traveling to SDCC specifically for Hall H. They were robbed.

We have a great community - hopefully we can come together and share what we know. Please ask your friends if they observed anything as well. Thanks.

SDCC 2017: Did you have a good time?

24 JULY 2017

By now most of us are home from San Diego Comic-Con: doing our laundry, organizing our piles of comics and t-shirts and exclusives, and maybe contemplating what we should have done differently. 2017 was not the smoothest year by any yardstick - and while every summer brings a crop of attendees who swear off SDCC forever, this year seemed to move even more people across that line.

So how did this year go?

Hall H

Let's just get right to it. The Hall H line is always a tour through hell, but this year it reached new levels.

The initial scandal was a dispersed line that was replaced by a later line. Unfair! We thought that would be the Hall H line scandal of 2017; little did we know that someone apparently made fake wristbands to let other people cut in ahead of the people who were legitimately wristbanded.

Right now different stories are still coming out so I'm going to report pure hearsay and gossip:

• My friend's friend saw someone let in a massive crowd of people ahead of him.
• Someone else reported seeing an actual bag of the fake wristbands - though I'm a bit dubious of this story.
• People believe it was an inside job, aided by a volunteer or staffer.

What we do factually know: that  roughly 400 people with wristbands were locked out of Hall H. They were given 4-day badges for 2018 in compensation, but this still caused an uproar. In the talkback session, attendees suggested RFID wristbands (see all those happy faces below); I kind of doubt this will happen but it's obvious something has to be done.

I think CCI has stepped up its game in many ways over the last 5 years - the smoother badge sales, the Toucan blog - but the issue with lines is an area they need to tackle more adeptly. The wristbands aren't enough. I know no one wants a  Hall H lottery but I do think that would be the fairest and most peaceful way of allocating access. In general, there is no easy answer that will make attendees happy. Often attendees have a rather childish attitude here; they know we have 30,000 people who feel entitled to entering a room that holds 6,000 but they expect CCI to develop a system that can painlessly cater to their individual needs. Hall H can't accommodate everyone, it's that simple, and as long as it's a battle of wits and tenacity, we'll see more crime and deception in the mix. Just my opinion; I always welcome hearing ideas for fair and efficient Hall H access.

Offsites

This year set a record in the number of people I know who never set foot in the Con. They were all about offsites and events. I kind of love these people because I'm the exact opposite and it keeps them out of my panels and lines - but I do question how long this population can increase. Attendees who come solely for that purpose must realize that offsite lines are becoming the new Hall H lines, with people lining up earlier and earlier. Eventually we'll have attendees battling the badge and hotel sales to spend a grand total of maybe 2 hours all weekend in actual offsite participation.

While the Game of Thrones experience delivered with its little videos, more people seemed impressed by Blade Runner (below). The Westworld experience also wowed, but ultimately left a sour taste in many attendee mouths, give how it was open to fewer than 500 people the entire Con. After sending out elaborate invitation emails, it felt like a tease. I thought the Netflix offsite was better than Blade Runner, though I'm not sure who agrees with me. I didn't do anything with the Tick and haven't heard much about it either - it might have been great, but it was overshadowed by Blade Runner and Netflix buzz.

The Tech Pavilion was my favorite offsite, but ignored by most attendees. While the robotics weren't all that impressive, some of the other technology was worth checking out. Not only did it offer better VR than Blade Runner (and let attendees chill out on beanbags while watching 360 dome films of trippy Vedic mythology and Neil deGrasse Tyson cosmology lessons), it was easily navigable, involved no lines and actually offered something you can't get at home. The kind of offsite would have been the dream of SDCC attendees 15 years ago; alas, most of today's attendees would rather spend 6 hours in the sun hoping to see Barb from Stranger Things.

Changes

As always, I chatted with other old-timers about the changes at the Con. Most seemed resigned and adaptive, but two told me they decided this was their last Con. (A thought I entertained at length on Preview Night.) Several pros I know couldn't afford to come; the Archie booth was gone; the big Bud Plant booth, one of my top 3 favorites, shrank to the tiniest size possible. I bought armfuls of books from Fantagraphics and Prism and a few other comics/books and that was about it.

I thought both Preview Night and Sunday were more crowded than last year, while Saturday was more manageable. The entry processes weren't great, with some confusion on what kind of lines people should stand in and how they should be let in. I feel this should have been more smoothly organized.

This isn't exactly a change, but the demographic this year felt less geeky than ever. Another veteran attendee and I agreed to stop referring to attendees as nerds, because the vast majority are celebrity hounds and mainstream fans. I don't mean that to sound elitist (as I'm sure it does) but maybe 1 out of 12 people I meet at SDCC can talk comics, science, anime or gaming. That sense of nerd community has become faint. I realize we live in an era where people think watching "Rick and Morty" makes them a nerd but I'm not willing to evolve on that language point yet.  

In terms of what didn't change: Several people made a now-recurring complaint that the same panels are offered year after year. I think CCI is trying to stay current by bringing us panels on AI and diversity and LGBTQ rights, and people like Roxane Gay, but I also think there's a reason we see so many "How to Break Into Comics" and "Women in Comics" panels - people go to them.

Otherwise, while there were a few switcheroos here and there, it mostly felt like business as usual. I don't view the Hall H debacle as a change but the next logical development in an ongoing dysfunction.

Attendees and Staff
Most of the staff were just fine - but I did encounter some aggressive security and volunteers. Some seemed legit ready to snap. One actually barked in my face when he blocked my path to a women's room and yelled at me to use the restroom behind me, which was a men's room. Long day, I guess. A first-timer couple I know were shaken by a bad experience with a staffer, who they felt overreacted to them asking why they couldn't enter a certain area. In general, people just seemed exasperated and defensive this year.

However, what bothered me more was the change in some - not most, but enough - attendees. Is it me or is there a new ruthlessness in our ranks? It's not just the Hall H fake wristband issue. And yes, I know we've always had those cutthroat attendees who would sell their grandmother to get into a Marvel panel. But there seemed to be more people willing to use more underhanded tactics to get what they wanted. It was very disheartening. I posted a few months ago about an increase in people who contact me to demand extra tickets, badges and hotel rooms without so much as a "Hello" - I don't know what laboratory this strain of attendee is being bred in but they need to be discontinued.

I also ran into more people who seemed unable to handle the crowds, lines and general inconvenience of Comic-Con. Were they first-timers? I don't know. On Sunday, one guy was literally pushing my back in the Exhibit Hall and almost toppled me onto a stroller with a baby in it. I turned and told him I couldn't go anywhere and to stop shoving me. He griped about how slow-moving the crowd was. You think? Welcome to Comic-Con.  Another guy snapped at a little girl so harshly her father stepped in. Usually everyone is polite and understanding about the claustrophobic swarm that is the Exhibit Hall, so I'm hoping I just saw the few exceptions.


I thought the cosplay was average. My favorites were a Sid and Nancy couple, a refreshing change from the 437 Wonder Women strolling around. Most of what I saw was fairly traditional. Of course there's always world-class cosplay at SDCC, but I feel like Dragon Con and Emerald City are becoming the destinations for the really innovative cosplayers.

Announcements and Trailers

Two people said to me they thought this year was "weak" in terms of bombshell announcements. Was it shocking to find out that Wonder Woman 2 was happening? That American Horror Story's new season would be called "Cult?" Not really. I don't think DC announcing a "Shazam" movie rocked anyone's world either.

The most controversial announcement was "Confederate," the new series helmed by the GOT team that will focus on what would have happened if the South won the Civil War. Ben Affleck hinting that he may be leaving his Bruce Wayne days behind wasn't exactly lamented. And we found out Doctor Who actually can be called Doctor Who and not just The Doctor, which settled a long-standing debate.

Matt Groening's "Disenchantment" coming to Netflix was well received. What we saw of CW's Freedom Fighters, featuring a gay superhero in a Nazi-victorious world, got mixed reviews. I think most people are wary of potential Supernatural spin-off Wayward Sisters. And I know people are extremely wary of the new Netflix Death Note, and not just because of whitewashing. (Though I maintain that Willem Dafoe as Ryuk is perfect.)
 
I thought some of the comic book announcements were good, especially the resurrection of old favorites like Sandman, Arkham Asylum and The Invisibles. Harley and Ivy Meet Betty and Veronica will be a surefire hit. Especially intriguing: Andrew Aydin (of John Lewis's "March") may be writing more graphic novels about the civil rights movement, and one could just possibly concern Maxine Waters.

DC admitting its sales troubles was interesting. They announced a new strategy of evergreen stories that sit apart from the monthly titles; we'll see if they help. The Gerard Way Young Animal crossover with mainstream DC could be invigorating - and I'm fairly optimistic about DC's new The Terrifics (cough, not at all like The Fantastic Four, I'm sure) who will be part of their Dark Matter imprint.

I'm still collecting reports from first-timers, which I'll publish in a few days. I might also do a post on their questions, as I heard from many people who were stunned at the lines and chaos (despite being warned.) And news will continue to flow out all week: who got the best buzz, who failed, deals that were made and problems that arose.

If you came away from San Diego Comic-Con with a feeling of something unfinished, my advice is what it's always been:

• Be more proactive about shaping your Con destiny, instead of waiting for it to be delivered. I don't just mean getting in line early enough or doing the right research. Think about what you really want out of Con (more parties, more career advice, more art and media discoveries, etc) and dedicate yourself to making it happen. Often that means sacrificing other parts of the Con. 

• Identify what bothered you and find a new Con where it's not as much of an issue. If you want more of a focus on comics, go to Emerald City with me next March. SDCC may be the most hyped Con but it's not the only game in town by any means. Also consider other types of conventions. I know former attendees who now spend their time at cons for anime, books, death, science and specific fandoms and they're much happier.

• Think about stepping away from Con life in general. SDCC is right smack in the middle of summer. It can be hard to plan other vacations or summer travel with so much time and resources flowing to Comic-Con. Maybe it's time to put it to the side and go see the world.

But I know most of you are committed to next year. You're already hunting down hotel rooms, deciding which of your friends to initiate, and planning your Returning Registration strategy. The next badge sale might be months away but SDCC life is never really over - because most of us don't want it to be.

Comic-Con news so far

22 JULY 2017

After a prolonged period of no Wifi, I'm back online. So what have we learned?


COMICS

Biggest news: Grant Morrison and Chris Burnham are doing Arkham Asylum 2, featuring an adult Damien Wayne.

We're also getting The Tempest, another League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, from Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill. This is a year away.

And there's this: Frank Miller is going to take on Superman and give him the Dark Knight treatment. What is in the water this SDCC?

Joelle Jones will tell us what happens when Batman proposes to Catwoman.

SEGA will publish New Sonic comics through IDW - not Archie. Also getting IDW series: Transformer Unicron and female Ghostbusters.

Marvel is bringing you a new Thanos series.

Archie and DC announced a crossover that everyone will want: Betty, Veronica, Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy. Weird combination, but compelling. Out this fall.

I'm less certain about this crossover: Doom Patrol and JLA. Could be good, I guess.

Very big news: we may be getting new Invisibles, Sandman.

TV

Stranger Things was a major offsite and a major panel for attendees - and we found out that while Barb will not be returning, she will be "avenged."

As a Halloween lover and stop-motion fan, I can't wait for the SpongeBob Halloween special "The Legend of Boo-kini Bottom."

Krypton is coming and reactions are mostly meh.

99.9% of us were not allowed to enter the Westworld experience but we did see the season 2 trailer, which features Dolores on horseback, gunning down humans. There was no definitive word on how much we'll see of Samurai World.

The Tick is one of those shows that got a lift from SDCC. Not many people I know thought twice about it before this weekend, but there's reasonable interest now.

The Defenders also is getting positive buzz. Everyone I know had only good things to say about it.

The next season of Archer will be Danger Island, set in the South Pacific in 1939. I'm ready for it.

It looks like Riverdale's second season will continue Jughead's melodramatic voiceover. Who shot Fred Andrews? Etc.

iZombie shared a sizzle reel and season 4 news about new zombie rules and wars. I feel like this show is running out of steam.

I heard The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones panels were lackluster, but we did get an interesting look at elderly Rick and found out the show will never try to cure/solve the zombie issue. For GOT, we got some intriguing hints about Dany partnering up with Melisandre. Maybe.

MOVIES


We're getting Wonder Woman 2. Of course we all knew this, but the official announcement is nice.

Thor: Ragnarok seemed to wow everyone with its trailer.

Were you expecting Michelle Pfeiffer to be in another superhero movie? Me neither, but she'll play Janet Van Dyne in The Ant Man and the Wasp.

DC always delivers news of its next animated feature but this year they announced four: Gotham by Gaslight, Suicide Squad/Hell to Pay and the two-part Death and Return of Superman. I was surprised by the eye-rolling that greeted this news; I'm all for it.

Black Panther got a standing ovation in Hall H.

We saw the first footage of Ready Player One and reactions were .... mixed. People who hadn't read the book seemed more into it than readers.

The reaction to Justice League was more positive, although I think all of us are pretty much dying for Aquaman to come out already.


CON DEVELOPMENTS

There's no shortage of talk here. We'll start with Conan, where something went drastically wrong this year:  on multiple days, people with tickets were sent home or received emails telling them not to show up. The Spreckels Theater was extremely hot - two people next to me on Thursday night got up and left before the show started. Overall, it was a very different experience from the previous 2 years. It's been suggested that demand surged this year, so everyone actually did show up for the tapings - where before they could count on a certain percentage never claiming their tickets. Not sure if it's true but hopefully next year will be smoother.

Offsites have been a main attraction for a few years now, but I've never known quite so many people to focus on them so intently - sometimes to the point of skipping the entire Con. I think Blade Runners takes the honors here because it partnered so many good elements - great VR, a t-shirt, shots of Johnnie Walker, free food, an atmospheric experience - while the line was much more reasonable than Game of Thrones. Netflix was also in high demand and then we had the Westworld experience, which only admitted 120 people a day.  I still maintain that the Tech Pavilion at the Omni is worth a look, but of course most attendees are skipping it. Even though I think some of the VR there was as good as Blade Runner.


Now - onto the Hall H line. My, my. Just when you think you've lived through every type of Hall H line drama possible, 2017 happens. From a line being forced to disperse, while new people took their places, to attendees getting wristbands and not getting in, this year was a mess. Apparently some people report waiting 30-40 hours, only to have so many others cut in front that they wound up with D wristbands or nothing at all. Staff pretty much shrugged off complaints.

But the biggest issue - reportedly - is that some people created fraudulent wristbands to get in. Everyone is reporting this as fact but I haven't seen it verified. At any rate, 2 full chutes of wristbanded attendees got left out in the cold after waiting upwards of a day. The good - and unprecedented - news is that CCI actually gave them 4 day badges for next year!

I have to admit I didn't expect that one. But while it was a nice gesture, it's obvious CCI has to do something about Hall H. The wristbands were a step, but now attendee madness has incorporated them into their desperation. CCI has to take stronger measures. I think assigned sections, handed out via lottery, would be one way to do it, but there are others.

Anyhow. Tomorrow is the final day of the Con. Hopefully the Hall H line will go a little smoother for Supernatural fans. And if you're one of those only-offsite people? Put your badge to use and give the actual Con a try. You may never get to go again.

How to know when a line is worth it

21 JULY 2017

By now, you've heard the stories about Conan and the Game of Thrones experience: people waiting 12+ hours in line and sometimes not getting in. Then there's the Westworld offsite, which only admits 120 people a day - so people are determined to line up earlier and earlier to sign up each morning.

I am a big believer in enjoying the Con you're at - and it's hard to do that if you spend all of it in a line. I know some people work in groups with complicated systems involving assigned shifts, but the vast majority of attendees just have their friends to rely on.

Obviously the Conan situation was new - a few people who actually had tickets were turned away because they overbooked, and the standby line for both A and B shows were sent away. In previous years, some standbys did get in. The Westworld offsite limitations weren't communicated well either. But the Game of Thrones offsite line wasn't a surprise and there are lines in every direction for other events.

You can read my Q&A on lines here but I'm going to repost this: knowing when a line is worth it. Last night I talked to several people who didn't even set foot in the Con because they spent all day in line without seeing their intended destination. Not a great way to kick of Comic-Con.

Deciding when the wait is worth it partly depends on your fandom level. But you also need to ask yourself if:

• You would be okay seeing the panel on YouTube or in the Playback room
• You'll feel let down if your favorite cast member only speaks once, while the director and star dominate the panel
• You'll be disappointed if you get stuck so far back in the room you have to watch the panel on a screen anyhow
• You'll be disappointed if the offsite experience is over with in 3 minutes and doesn't offer significant swag.
• You haven't gotten a chance to thoroughly explore the Exhibit Hall
• There's anything else going on at the same time that you really want to see.

If you answer yes to most of those - I wouldn't spend more than a few hours in line.

I'd also advise checking Twitter for real time updates on lines - not just for what you want to do, but what you've already written off. My first-timers assumed that Hall H and Ballroom 20 would be impossible but both were walk-in at various points of yesterday.

Also, look around at other offsites. It's probably better to do 3 B-level offsites than wait 8 hours for an A-level offsite you never even get into it. Hit up Netflix at Hilton Gaslamp or do the Tech Pavilion at the Omni. (I'll review this later - it's worth visiting.) The Blade Runner experience is getting popular but it's worth a try; same for the Kingsman offsite; there's also the Tick and so on. I realize coming home from Comic-Con with those cool GOT videos of yourself is a major get - but make sure you're okay with sacrificing an entire day for them.

Finally, as Conan taught us, don't count on this year being the same as every other year. Crowd preferences change, new management teams institute new policies, and attendees get more skilled at accessing certain activities. Something that's penetrable one year can be a madhouse the next.

I'll post an update on the various Con announcements and developments later today. Till then, have a happy Con and make smart choices.

13 tips for masterminding your line strategy

15 JULY 2016

At this point, you probably have a good idea of your Comic-Con priorities. You at least know which panels you want to see, which exclusives you want to get, and which events you'd like to attend. And now you need to calculate the lines involved for all of them, collaborate with partners on who can stand in what line, and then discard the smaller game you'll sacrifice to get the bigger kill.

Take the Star Trek premiere Wednesday night. You will line up for a drawing earlier that day. We don't know exactly how many tickets are available, but we do know that many of us will draw losing tickets. People without Preview Night badges may not be in town early enough to participate - and people with Conan tickets for that day need to get in that line that morning. Factor all of that into your decision on when and if to line up for this drawing.

Same with waiting in line for drawings on autographs and exclusives. Weigh what else you're missing at the Con against this possibility of winning or losing.

Hall H is a different story. The wristbands give you some guarantee you'll get in and while many people make fun of them (including me, in the past), I do think they've reduced the chaos and conflict of the Hall H line. The 3-days campouts, people cooking on tiny grills, fights over cutting in line, that woman getting hit by a car because she was so afraid of losing her spot - it was pretty much anarchy for a few years. It's definitely calmer now. But you'll still need to dedicate effort and time to getting a good wristband.

Here are a few general practices that can help you make wise decisions on lines:



#1. Pack provisions. Batteries for your devices, water, snacks, blankets if you're outside in the San Diego night; you don't want to put 2 hours into a line and then throw it all away because you're starving or cold.

#2. Talk to the people around you. This happens naturally at Comic-Con, even for introverts who loathe small talk. One, it's not small talk; we all have interests in common. Two, SDCC fosters an atmosphere that is friendly yet chill, with everyone feeling pretty comfortable. So get to know your line friends. They'll hold your place while you run for coffee, they'll tell you about events or signings you didn't know about, and they may have valuable information about the fandom you share. Plus it's just a fun way to pass the time.

#3. Always check which line you're in. It's too easy to be told the wrong thing and spend 90 minutes in a line for something you don't care about.

#4. Be very proactive about finding out where lines are. Volunteers and guards don't always know, or will feed you some weak excuse just to get you to go away. For instance, last year a girl at my NASA panel missed the Spirited Away screening because multiple volunteers couldn't tell her where to line up for Horton tickets. Later I ran into the same problem (the Horton line is usually opposite Ballroom 20 doors, right by the Sails Pavilion, FYI.) Another year I was in line for a Neil Gaiman panel that went on forever. The volunteers kept telling us they were letting people in. The panel started, 10 minutes passed, 15 minutes, he assured us we'd get in. Finally we sent a scout to the front of the line who reported that the doors were closed, no one else was getting in. You do have to take control of your destiny at SDCC because there's too much misinformation flowing around.

#5. On that note, go ahead and ask people in uniforms for help - but it's your fellow attendees who usually know the answer. That's not to trivialize volunteers in any way, but volunteers only have the information they're given.

#6. When it comes to the Exhibit Hall, lines can get contentious. And it's not uncommon to get conflicting directions from different types of staff and guards. Every year attendees get furious because they're told the line is closed for a certain booth - then someone lets new people wait, who buy up the exclusives, and it all gets rather ugly. There's no surefire trick here. Just keep asking different people and if someone challenges you, say, "That person told me I could stand here/wait/buy that." Usually this buys you time as they conference and you get closer to your goal.

#7. Remember that the big room panels (Hall H, Ballroom 20) usually have their panels played back that night. If you only want to see 1 panel and don't want to wait 4 hours to get into the room and then sit through another 3 panels, this is a good option. I know everyone wants to be within the physical presence of their favorite casts, but when there's 4,000 people between you in the room, it's not going to feel that physical anyhow. Going to the playback sessions at night (check the programming for times and rooms) can free up your days to do other stuff.

#8. That said, don't assume every big room panel is inaccessible. It's been quite uneven in recent years, with some walk-in Ballroom 20 and Hall H panels, and others requiring an all-night vigil. Overall, the big room lines have gotten much more reasonable; I think people are just over it.

#9. Standing in line with friends definitely helps free you to fetch takeout or stretch your legs. Everyone expects to see that kind of shift work. But don't be the person who waits alone in the 6BCF line and then is joined by 13 other people moments before the panel starts. That's going to piss off the people behind you who put in the time, just like it would annoy you. When this happens over and over, you can wind up with an extra 200-300 people ahead of you who didn't wait like you did.

#10. If you're unsure of how people take care of business in these long waits/room vigils, some panel will give out tickets so you can slip out for a bio break. Hall H has restrooms in the space. You can also use the lobby restrooms overnight. Some restaurants deliver to outside lines. And yes, the rumors about certain celebrities handing out donuts or pizza or coffee to the Hall H line have been true in the past but it's nothing to bank on.

#11. Offsites are best done early on in the Con because the lines grow throughout the weekend. Remember, a whole new crowd floods in on Saturday. If you're really attached to visiting the Fear the Walking Dead yacht, don't put it off. Get it done early on if you can.

#12. Try to calculate how much of the crowd will clear out for your panel. Let's say you want to see Archer on Friday at 5 pm. Indigo is a popular all-day activity for animation fans on Friday, but it's a safe bet that some attendees who got in line while it was dark out for those first panels will pack it in by afternoon and go get a meal and a shower. Not that I'd advise showing up at 4 pm, but I wouldn't say you need to be there at 5 am either.

#13. If you're interested in a panel and can't guesstimate how bad the line will be, try to swing by the general area and monitor the situation. Ask people which panel that line is for. When NASA first came to the Con, people were still getting in line just minutes before the first panel - apparently they assumed it wouldn't be that in demand. (They didn't get in.) It's easy to both underestimate and overestimate how many people will try to get into a panel. Check Twitter for panel line estimates and post your own - attendees appreciate it.

I've mostly talked about panel lines here. Mattel, Hasbro and that whole carnival involves a different strategy, and I would advise searching out tactics on the specific company you're targeting. Not to be a gloompuss, but almost every "regular" collector I know has come away from SDCC in the last 4-5 years angry and empty-handed because it's so difficult to triumph over what can feel like a rigged system. I don't want to steer you awry, so please ask for specific tricks and tips from attendees experienced in that particular domain.

In general, my feeling on lines is this: it's always best to enjoy the Comic-Con you're at because it could be your last. Your enjoyment could be catching up with friends in a line camp-out (because really, how often do any of us just sit down and talk for hours these days?) or it could be a day mixed with offsites, the Exhibit Hall, and one panel. Only you know what's most urgent in your Comic-Con heart. And you could easily fail in both badge sales for 2017 - so before you spend all of this Con in one line after another, think about what will make you happiest.

Everyone can see Hall H panels.... kind of

13 APRIL 2016

Today unleashed one of those announcements that was so deeply SDCC; exciting news laced with a disappointing caveat. Here it is if you missed it: that very special Con streaming service we've all anticipated WILL include Hall H panels - but not live.

Are you excited about this? Do you care terribly if the streaming is delayed and not in the moment? If the footage and trailers are missing, is it still worth it? Or will you head for YouTube to see someone's sneaky recording?

From Seth Laderman of Comic-Con HQ: "We're not going to be live streaming anything because we really don't want to take away that experience of people who are the first to see and be there for it, but we can put things up shortly after."

At first glance, I can agree with that. Ride or die attendees who sacrifice meals and comfortable beds to wait for Hall H panels should definitely be rewarded. But... isn't the experience of being there live enough? Hearing the deafening applause and hollers and watching those exciting trailers? Why do you need to exclude people at home to make that feeling more special?

(And let's be honest - for many attendees, the waiting in line IS an enjoyable part of the experience. They can bond with their friends, people love meeting the attendees around them, and it can be a welcome opportunity to just plunk down and relax for a while.)

io9 takes another stance, saying that if the panels are streamed live, "standing in line (and paying money for tickets and hotels) starts to feel like a waste.)" Anyone who's experienced that incredible rush of Hall H energy will probably disagree with that, I would think. But what do I know? I've been skipping Hall H for a few years now so I'll wait to hear what its devotees think.

Comic-Con HQ's free beta goes live on 7 May; maybe that will take away some of the lingering sting of the hotel disaster. Because there's no doubt about it - we are definitely entering San Diego Comic-Con season.

Masterminding your Hall H strategy & campout

30 JUNE 2015

The Twilight Years. There's a life-size wax statue of Edward Cullen in that picture.

 

 

If any aspect of the Con has attained mythical status, it's the Hall H line. Nerds all over the world know about it; I've had conversations in New York, Seattle and Chicago where people have rolled their eyes and said something disparaging about SDCC and added, "and the Hall H line? Forget it."

 

Along with other veterans, I've watched the Hall H line mutate into an unspeakable monstrosity over the years. I remember casually strolling into Hall H to see Neil Gaiman, no line at all; I remember waiting for two hours in line for a LOST panel and groaning about it; I remember the night I looked out of my room at the Hilton Bayfront and saw the Twilight campers with their tents and blankets and tiny grills, like a refugee camp settled down for the night. And I clearly remember the moment I said "Eff it, I'm done with Hall H."

 

But I know many of you are all about its hallowed walls. So let's dig into the latest rules and regulations offered by CCI. First, though, let me make a point - Hall H is sometimes quite accessible. Obviously Friday (day) is going to be crazy. Other days will have rabid fans as well. But depending on the day and time and panel, you can sometimes get in with a minimal wait. So don't just write off the entire room as a choice between an overnight campout or bust. It's better to monitor the situation visually, ask on Twitter and see what people are reporting.

 

Onto the wristbands and regulations.

 

In terms of camping, it's the same as before:

• "Camping is not allowed." But you can sleep outside overnight. Tomato, tomahto.
• No "tents, canopies, inflatables, cots, beds" - anything big, essentially. You can have 1 chair of "relatively normal size." And a sleeping bag or blanket.
• You can't have open flames, so no s'mores.
• The bathrooms in Lobby G will be open overnight, if you were wondering how to take care of your needs.

 

Okay, all that's pretty doable.

 

Now onto the wristbands.

 

Wristbands are handed out the night before Hall H panels in the Next Day Line. See the distribution times below. You'll need your badge or barcode confirmation AND a photo ID to get a wristband. Hall H is serious business! So you'll line up with all of your friends - one wristband per person, you can't ask for an extra for a friend arriving later, and you must all be together to ensure ending up in the same color zone. Then you'll receive your wristbands and...

 

1. Either you can bounce at that point and return in the morning, knowing you'll get some type of seat in the first panel - but it might not be a good one. That said, if you don't care about the first panel, you can snooze in the back sections and then work your way to the front for ensuing panels.

 

2. Keep waiting competitively in line, angling for some front row action.

 

3. Install a placeholder in line and swap out with them before 7:30 am. I really feel this is a valid income stream for San Diego residents looking for extra cash.

 

 

Here's what a wristband gets you.

 

It guarantees you a seat in Hall H for the first panel. Wristbands are only distributed for that first panel. So if you didn't get a wristband, you could still get into later panels - as earlier panel attendees exit, more people will be let into the room. There are visual line markers that help you estimate how many people need to leave Hall H for you to get in, which will reduce the chance of you spending 8 hours on a fool's errand.

 

 

Onto distribution times.

 

For Thursday panels: Weds, 8 July at 10:00 pm - the general Hall H line in Plaza Park.

For Friday panels: Thurs, 9 July at 8:30 pm - the front of the Next Day Line. (NDL.)

For Saturday panels: Friday, 10 July at 9:45 pm - the front of the NDL.

For Sunday panels: Saturday, 11 July at 11:00 pm - the front of the NDL.

 

All of this applies to the disabled seating line as well, which will be behind the NDL.

 

 

Remember that these distribution times might sound great - but those are the times that staff will distribute the wristbands, NOT the time attendees will get in line for them. If you show up 30 minutes before distribution time, you're going to be unhappily surprised at how many people are already there ahead of you.

 

Wristbands have sparked a lot of disagreement in the attendee community, as has anything to do with Hall H. This year probably won't be much different, given that each day will appeal to serious (and multiple) fandoms. Whatever your opinion is on the wristbands, or CCI's line management practices in general, try to remember that this is a situation that has gone wildly out of control in the last few years and no one really has an easy and perfect solution that will satisfy everyone. People are doing their best to impose some kind of order and fairness on a situation that's been rife with line-cutting, accusations and many wasted hours for many attendees. My advice: figure out now how much blood you want to spill on this and then make your peace with your decision. Obviously Hall H is a deeply meaningful experience for fans, but Comic-Con offers other memorable experiences too.

 

Hall H wristbands are back

24 JUNE 2015



Buried way toward the end of a Toucan blog post on panel attendance is this little nugget: Hall H wristbands are back. These were introduced last year to cut down on a specific problem: people joining long lines via cutting or "saved" spots.

In other words, you might join a Hall H line at sunset for the next morning's panels. You're about 200 people back. Yet more and more attendees keep joining their friends ahead of you. By midnight you're about 500 people back, even though you've been waiting longer than most of the people in front of you. By daybreak, you're 1200 people back from the front of the line. You get the idea.

So last year they passed out wristbands at a certain hour - either you got one or you didn't. Joining your friends later wouldn't help you if you didn't have a wristband.

Feelings were mixed; some people said they didn't help and others did. I skip Hall H most of the time so I can't weigh in on their efficacy. The reality is that we have no perfect solution to the Hall H line at this time and CCI is trying to institute some order amongst the chaos. As for how the wristbands will operate - we'll find out more about them next week when they are a featured Toucan tip.

2014 trends and controversies

28 JULY 2014

Hopefully you're home and rested by now. If you're like most people, you're sick to death of anything SDCC at this point and aren't reading this - but you might also be catching up on all the gossipy Con news you missed, as it's hard to see everything when you're in the thick of it. In which case, read on.


Let's start with Saturday's ZombieWalk accident. Allegedly several zombies began banging on a car that allegedly honked/yelled at them, the zombies allegedly smashed its windshield, and the car definitely accelerated and hit a 64 year old woman (not part of the walk.) She was hospitalized with a broken arm. There are several versions of this story going around, hence all my "allegedly"s, but it's safe to speculate that this will impact next year's ZombieWalk, just like the Twilight fan who was killed running to the Hall H line a few years back generated stricter line guidelines.


If you chose not to think about it, the harassment controversy that dominated spring coverage wasn't a major factor in the Con - but it was there simmering beneath the surface if you did look for it. In addition to the CYA email sent out a few days before the Con, the harassment policy was posted in the restrooms and outlets ran articles like "Comic-Con's Dark Side: Harassment Amidst the Fantasy." Were cosplayers harassed at the same rate? I don't know. I got groped quite egregiously in the Hyatt bar by a drunk attendee who also said gross things to another woman and made a classic "what do you expect" comment. Neither of us were in costume but we were dressed like many women dress on a summer night, which apparently justified it in his mind. I'm including this story only to tell you that yes, this mentality does exist among attendees and it's not some hysterical fantasy made up for attention. Which is what many people have suggested.


But at least we know why CCI didn't want to create a new harassment policy: their lawyers were too busy creating a cease and desist order for Salt Lake Comic Con. This is a real thing. CCI is saying that Salt Lake Comic Con cannot use the term "comic con" for any event, logo, trademark or website moving forward. (So if one day this blog vanishes into a black hole, now you know why.) Salt Lake is challenging this by calling it intellectual property infringement and pointing out that hundreds of Cons already use the generic term "comic con." Team Salt Lake on this one.


Hall H wristbands seemed to exult some people and piss off others. I don't do Hall H, so I'm relying on other accounts here. Some people claimed to be robbed of their wristbands as they slept, which if true is a new low in Comic-Con world. Anyone who did this, I hope you fail at every future badge sale ever.

I also heard the general informal camaraderie of camping out seemed cooled by rules on where and how you could wait. Unpopular opinion: I don't have a problem with this. I remember well the tents and tiny grills people used to have, and how chaotic and uncontrollable it all got. And at the end of the day, we are on the convention center's property, at an event hosted by CCI, not at Burning Man. We're obligated to follow their rules.

In any case, the Saturday line seemed to blow everyone's mind and kick the mythos of the Hall H line into another dimension, from which it will hopefully boomerang back and settle into some kind of reasonable status. Because beginning your campout the afternoon or even morning of the day before the panel is just silly. It creates panic and then everyone has to get in line. I honestly don't even think it's that much about seeing the panel anymore - it's about the social experience and bragging rights. Enduring the Hall H line is running with the bulls for nerds. And the fact that people like Joss Whedon and Mischa Collins come along and feed the campers with coffee and attention doesn't help.


The outside events drew a large crowd, like we knew they would. However, while GOT was a big hit, I have to give Assassin's Creed top honors here, because that was almost as fun to watch as it was to do. (I'm guessing. There was no way I was going to even try.) Many of the events in and out of the convention center were social-based, which got old fast. It also seemed to be the year of Oculus Rift, which was employed by Fox/X Men, Sleepy Hollow, Pacific Rim and others. Minor gripe here: even though the X-Men experience had its own booth, it only gave out 75-100 passes a day and they seemed to be gone as soon as the Exhibit Hall opened. Offering an activity to only 100 people out of 130,000 is not the best planning.


And on the topic of bad planning, yikes to the Hasbro line. My sympathies if you were embroiled in that mess. You needed a ticket to stand in line, so people lined up in the pre-dawn hours to get tickets, and new attendees or anyone with a single day badge was out of luck. The line itself was poorly managed and while Hasbro said they were trying to eliminate resellers from the equation, I suspect the system gave resellers an advantage over regular attendees. Mattel and Funko looked hellish as well.


Nerd HQ is bigger than ever. Remember when it was just an appendage to Comic-Con? Now it feels like a threatening upstart - a sort of private club where you can sidestep the publicity nonsense and hear actual conversations with your favorite stars like Tatiana Maslany and Norman Reedus. I feel like a lot of people are skipping SDCC panels in favor of that option.

Which brings me to cosplay. I think the humidity shut a lot of cosplayers out of the Exhibit Hall, which at times felt like a Florida swamp. But I did see, in addition to the usual DC ensembles and Disney princesses and evil queens, some interesting trends. Namely Vikings, multiple Daryl Dixons (some with awful wigs), multiple Khaleesis (also with wigs), a few Helenas, and some amazing Saga cosplay.

My favorite cosplay photobomb was Maleficent below, if only for her predatory expression.

Finally, I can't believe how many people panicked over Stan Lee skipping the Con . A whole bunch of "Well, I heard..." sprung up but it was because of laryngitis, nothing more. You will see him again, I promise.

I'll post news and announcements in a bit.