Comic-Con Special Edition is pretty much what we thought it would be

 26 NOVEMBER 2021

Today the first SDCC of any kind in a long time kicked off. This little shadow Con has been subject to much dubious speculation and disdain - and now we know just what it has to offer. 

Which is.... a weird assortment of panels, with a few good ones sprinkled in amongst some truly amateur ones; a lot of clothing, sticker, and Funko vendors; artists who are mostly talented if obscure; and some very limited cosplay. The absence of studios, big publishers, beloved artists, TV pilots, rare toys, and overrated parties is far louder and more lingering than the presence of anything here.

Harsh, I know. And I would say it's worth coming if you set your expectations accordingly and line up the kind of friends you always have fun with no matter what. You also have to view this for what it is: a fundraiser. Whether you want to plump up the city's coffers or feed some vendors who've probably struggled these last 2 years, this will ideally be a weekend of purposeful generosity. But if you come here expecting the best, well, you'll be disappointed. 

Granted, this is only Friday. It's clear that Saturday's offerings will feel a little richer. And there's the museum, which I'm visiting tomorrow and will review in detail. But on the whole, if you stayed home, you didn't miss any kind of magic.

The lack of crowds is enjoyable. Last night we had drinks at the Pendry, then Friendsgiving at Meze - no lines. (Granted, we couldn't get into Huntress but everything else looked accessible.) Tonight we waited all of 10 minutes for an outside table in the Gaslamp. I think Funko was the only serious line I've seen so far. One of my panels was nearly full, but still walk-in, and another half full. There's no stress or exclusion at this Con.

If there's one group of people I worry about, it's the first-timers. I haven't actually met any, which I normally do in the course of Comic-Con stranger chat, but I'm sure they're here. I hope they don't think this is typical, and I hope they use their ability to be grandfathered into the next badge sale to experience the full splendor and bombast of a proper San Diego Comic-Con. 

Because for those of us who are veterans, it's impossible not to be haunted by the ghosts of everything and everyone who isn't here. Walking across an empty hangar-like Hall H to get our badges felt eerie.  Looking at blank booth space where a favorite comic seller typically holds court or a favorite artist always does signings was a bit gutting. Even walking back to the hotel at night and not passing a single attendee carrying pillows and blankets for their Hall H campout was jarring. There's been a persistent feeling of waiting for the real Comic-Con to start - but this is as much Comic-Con as we'll get until next July.

If you're local and you're wondering if you should come down - I'd say yes. It may not be your most exciting weekend, but you'll be supporting an ecosystem that supports us every summer. Walking around the Gaslamp and seeing how many favorite restaurants have gone out of business is a good reminder of how precarious economic survival is these days. Hopefully the turnout this weekend is enough to strengthen SDCC's prospects for a beautiful 2022.

It's time for Comic Con: Apocalypse Edition

 25 NOVEMBER 2021

It's here! Comic-Con Special Edition - the first SDCC of any kind we've had in 2.3 years - launches in less than a day. It's true that some people view this Con as a boondoggle, lacking the celebrities and parties that make SDCC so riveting, but others are looking forward to a more laidback weekend. Some of us like the idea of a chill Comic-Con - something that's previously been an oxymoron.

So far the scene is looking rather ghosttownesque - but that's true of most places on Thanksgiving morning.

I did see this fun La Brea activation. I feel like I'm the only person who watches this show, but maybe it's more popular than I thought. Hopefully this will include the giant prehistoric sloth who stars in it.

My favorite sign so far. I love the idea of COVID being an event that ends on a specific day, like a gruesome street festival.

Now. If you're stressing over bringing and possibly losing your vaccine card, allegedly you can show photos of it and you're good. Allegedly. After you show it, you receive an attractive wrist brand that marks you as one of the Approved. So don't worry that you'll have to flash your card around constantly.

Onto the real question: will this Comic-Con be fun? I think that the fun quotient will be in your hands. Manage your expectations; focus on bonding with your friends and exploring new fandoms or interests. SDCC is so crowded that a lot of us operate within narrow parameters. To access our favored panels or events, we spend a lot of time in line. That shouldn't be as much of a factor this weekend, so ideally we'll all have more time to broaden our nerdly horizons.

And there's the museum opening.

We'll see. If you're here, enjoy the rare event of a Comic-Con that's more spacious, more leisurely. And if you're not - July 2022 really isn't that far away.

The Special Edition badge sale is here!

 25 SEPTEMBER 2021

11:53 am

So did everyone get a badge? It seems like it. Even if it hasn't sold out yet, I know local people who normally feel shut out of SDCC will be interested in picking up any badges available. I just texted one of them and he's in. 

Congratulations to everyone who got a badge today. I know lots of people are a bit disdainful about this Con. That's their right - but this is definitely going to be a magnificent weekend for those of us who love the idea of a more relaxed, less crowded Con where we can enjoy time with friends. 

11:32 am

Okay, I'm going to say not too competitive. I'll be interested to see if everyone gets a badge, most, or just a portion.

11:12 am

I can't tell if the sale is more competitive than I anticipated or just going slow. Or both. Right now, out of a buying group of about 30ish sessions, only 1 has been picked with two under 5 minutes away.

The good news: some people are reporting their wait times dropping really fast. So maybe there's our answer.

11:04 am

What's your estimated wait time??? Don't get discouraged if it's long. Just see it through.

10:36 am

You probably know this but - you have to use a credit card to buy badges. No Paypal, Venmo, GPay, bitcoin, etc. Just a reminder!

10:24 am

After eons of Comic-Con inertia, a real, bonafide SDCC badge sale is here! So far several signs point favorably in our direction - a too-easy hotel booking process, a lack of interest in almost everyone I know. And a few signs point the other way too - limited attendance, a messy pro badge sale.

But overall, today shouldn't be as nerve-wracking as a normal badge sale. The stakes are lower, for one thing. I'm excited for Special Edition, but should I not be able to go, I won't be devastated like I would with a normal SDCC. And hey, no spinning blue circle.

Good luck. I'll live blog the sale as much as I can.

Book your lux downtown hotel room if you haven't already

 23 SEPTEMBER 2021

Increasing our sense of a distorted, off-kilter but still appealing SDCC, hotels went live today - and we all strolled in and casually picked up rooms at the Marriott Marquis, Hard Rock, Hilton, Hyatt and any other downtown hotel that struck our fancy. And it wasn't just a 2006 hotel room booking experience - those were 2006 prices as well.

So yes, it's safe to say that signs are hinting this won't be the most popular SDCC ever. Which is fine by those of us who are going.

If you haven't booked your room yet, I'd jump in there. Why not enjoy this rare opportunity to pick your dream hotel?

Badge sale links, vax cards, and other considerations

 22 SEPTEMBER 2021

Happy Fall Equinox! CCI delivered its own harvest today in the form of badge sale links! These are going to play a huge role in everyone's fate, so let's talk about that right off. We've been waiting to see which of 2 possibilities was true:

1. Everyone gets a generic link, which they and every colleague, family member and friend paste into a zillion browsers.
2. Everyone gets a unique link, workable for one entry into the badge sale waiting room.

Now that we have our links (check your email and your Member ID account), what's the verdict? At a glance, the links are labelled the same. But in my group, the links point to different targets. And it makes sense they'd be unique, because CCI has promised that if we get ejected from the badge sale, we can just click our links and go right back to our spot in the waiting room. It also makes sense because CCI does not want to crash their badge sale with an astronomical number of entries. That said, we'll see on Saturday how it all plays out.

Onto other business.

Once again, review the different screens. The badge sale process has changed slightly. In my conversations over the last week, I am amazed at how many people did not realize this, or notice we were losing registration codes. Look, if there's one thing I've learned over the years - never take CCI for granted. They will always throw a monkey wrench into your assumptions when you least expect it.

Also - please log into your Member ID account pronto and make sure everything's working and accurate. I got locked out of mine, had to request a new password which didn't work, had to contact support, etc. The trouble started because of a weird nonsensical message that came up as soon as I typed in my Member ID name. Who knows what gremlins were at work there - but I'd make sure your information looks good, even though you have the link in your email. 

There were also some troubles with the professional badge sale, which is another reason to play it safe.

Let's talk vaccines and testing.

I know this upsets many people, but you do need to be vaxxed or have a negative COVID-19 test result in the last 3 days. That's vaxxed as in fully vaccinated - 14 days from the last shot. If your last shot is 5 days before the Con, you'll need a negative test as well. You can do the math here; counting back two weeks from November 26, and a month between shots for that, you can see that you need to get vaccinated pretty damn quick.

Vaccination proof needs to be directly from the healthcare provider that vaccinated you and it needs to be on your phone or a physical copy. My own vaccine card looks super sketchy - it's handwritten and the clinic I went to has a bizarre, non-healthcare-sounding name, so I'm going to try to get something digital as proof. Consider doing the same for the sake of expediency. And yes, you'll need to show government-issued ID with a matching name. 

For negative tests, they can be PCR or antigen, but they must be done by a certified lab, clinic or physician. In other words - your home test from Amazon won't cut it.

And yes, you'll be masked, even if it conflicts with your cosplay. If you're anti-mask or anti-vax, this is not the place for you. You need to provide your own masks - but you know vendors are going to be selling the most fun masks ever, so there's that.

Badges won't be shipped out - we'll have to pick them up.

This sounds burdensome, I can't lie. It'll happen in Halls G and H (see, you ARE getting into Hall H for once!) and it'll also involve the vax/test checking and ugh, I'm having flashbacks to the days of waiting in line for hours to get my badge. I'm hoping they open up on Thanksgiving night and let us come in and get situated - otherwise many of us will miss half of Friday.

This won't be "the large gathering reflective of the summer event."

Yeah, we know. There will be reduced attendance for a more "intimate gathering" - and something called Fannish Friday Shopping for Black Friday. All of this sounds like heaven to me. But I've never been into the gargantuan pageantry some attendees look for. If you crave long Hall H campouts and snapping selfies in huge outdoor activations, maybe this isn't for you. Those of us who fondly recall the old, more laidback, days will probably be smitten with this Con.

But we will get the Comic-Con Museum opening!

A "limited opening" will happen on Friday, 26 November, with the grand opening scheduled for next July. I'll go if I can, but "limited" in this case sounds extremely limited.

So there's where we are. I'll admit I'm surprised by how many people are blowing this event off, but hey, more badges for the rest of us. To me, this is about seeing friends, blowing money, enjoying some offbeat panels, and luxuriating in that convention center feeling. And of course, supporting CCI.

Good luck! I'll live blog the sale like always. I'm guessing it will go quite fast unless a storm brews up like with professional registration.

The Special Edition badge sale will be Sept. 25

 16 SEPTEMBER 2021

                                        from comic-con.org/ccse/purchase-instructions

And we're back in the saddle! It's the news we've been waiting for: an SDCC badge sale is right around the corner. Yes, technically this is for Special Edition. But it's a Comic-Con, it's in San Diego, it will feature high demand for limited badges - so it's an SDCC badge sale in my eyes.

During our long hiatus, CCI apparently had time to tinker with its badge sale buying process - and a lot has changed. Even if you're planning to skip Special Edition, you probably will want to read this.

Here are the two most impactful changes:

• You won't need a registration code for this badge sale, just a Member ID. Which means that instead of having one waiting room session per code, people will be able to have a jillion browsers open just for themselves. I don't like this change. I'm hoping you need your Member ID to actually get into the waiting room, but it doesn't sound like it.
• Everyone who goes to Special Edition will be eligible for Returning Registration for 2023. I dislike this change as well. Either it's in addition to we 2022 badge-holders, which increases the number of us in the 2023 mix, or it replaces us (unlikely.) Granted, the Venn Diagram of 2022 badge holders and Special Edition attendees probably looks pretty tight - so hopefully this won't affect us too greatly. But I had a very petty reaction when I first saw it.

Let's talk about demand vs. supply

If you tracked the NYCC badge sale, which was easy like Sunday morning, you might predict that demand for Special Edition won't be intense as for a normal SDCC sale. Sorry, I just don't believe that. Even if it's fewer people in the mix, there will still be more combatants than winners. The Thanksgiving factor will eliminate some farflung fans - but there are plenty of locals who can still feast with their families and roll into Comic-Con on Friday. And plenty of people like me (and a lot of others I've talked to) who are excited to jettison our families and enjoy Friendsgiving with nerd friends on Comic-Con Eve.

Now - it definitely is different, the aura surrounding this Con. For instance, I effortlessly booked a fully refundable safety room at the Horton for $249/night. Plenty of other downtown hotels like Hotel Z had availability too as of today. I'm guessing that indicates most nerds didn't realize Special Edition was happening and that perhaps their Con skills atrophied a little. 

The actual badge buying process is different

For the better? The worse? I haven't studied it closely enough to have an opinion. But it's something we all need to review. CCI put together an instruction page with diagrams - and really all that matters is you can still buy for 3 people and they all still need to have Member IDs.

CCI is tired of our buying group drama

This advice is gold: "It is critical that you only work with a well-organized buying group. Buying groups can be helpful, but we've seen an increasing number of people get shut out due to disorganized efforts. If your Member ID has been used by another participant, you’ll receive an error message if there is an attempt to use it again."

*raises hand* A few years back, I was managing like 8 sessions for people, which I tracked through little maps so I knew whose code/session got picked and bought accordingly. One of those sessions got picked but bombed out, cancelling the sale. I was able to contact CCI and tell them exactly whose code/badge was robbed. Did they give them a badge? No. They had to wait for Open Reg. But at least I knew who it was - and I've seen people manage so many waiting rooms that they completely lose track of the process. I've seen people stop speaking to someone who claims to have bought their badge, taking them off the list, only to be mistaken. Etc. You've probably seen the same disasters. So I can't even imagine the kind of frantic emails and calls CCI has to deal with on our behalf.

And the badge sale details are...

Date: September 25

Time: "shortly after" 11 a.m. PST

Where to find the link: in your Member profile, as well as an email arriving within 48 hours of the sale

Price: $150 for three days of sheer splendor - no single day badges, sorry

Since it's been a while, now is the time to visit your Member ID account, make sure your details are correct, and that you're ready for battle. Prod your more sluggish friends to do the same. It's been a while since we've done this, and I've seen many people deteriorate - socially, mentally, physically - over the pandemic. Make sure your comrades are in fighting shape for this, especially since the process is slightly different.

Stay tuned!

Let's give thanks for a nerdy November - Special Edition is on

 1 SEPTEMBER 2021

After our long Con inertia, signs of life are stirring in the earth - especially for we SDCC widows who technically possess a badge we never saw to a Comic-Con that never was. Today CCI gave us 3 options for our SDCC future:

• Request a refund by May 1, 2022.
• Transfer our badge to SDCC 2022 - which will happen automatically if we do nothing.
• Transfer our badge to Special Edition by September 20, 2021.

Probably some of you have aged out of Comic-Con life at this point (it happens) and some attendees may have passed away (not morbid, just true) but I'm guessing the rest of us are locked in for 2022. And - despite current COVID rates and predictions, and the holiday timing - I bet a lot of us are just itching for that Special Edition badge sale. 

SDCC 2022, Special Edition, or Both?

If you're trying to decide between a potentially infectious 3-day Con that's only 2.5 months away, as opposed to waiting for the whole (and probably safer) shebang next summer, a few things to remember:

- The sale is tomorrow for NYCC in October if you can't wait. If you're not in their Fan Verification system, someone else who is can buy you a badge with your email address - and you'll be prompted to create a profile after that.

- Special Edition is requiring vaccine cards or negative test results. It doesn't mean we'll all be clean as a whistle - think of how revolting the Exhibit Hall is when there isn't a pandemic raging across the world - but it helps. 

- While many cynical predictions have been made regarding the paucity of Special Edition guests and panels, I think it'll be fine.  How much starpower do you need? It's the Comic Con experience that I think many of us are so nostalgic for - and it'll be fun to eat a Friendsgiving feast with our nerdy comrades. Besides, plenty of exhibitors are anxious to get out there and sell their wares, and the kind of panelists and guests who make a lifestyle of the Con circuit will be more than ready to show up. 

But don't let me persuade you. Competition for the badge sale will be fierce, plague be damned. If you want to stay home eating leftover turkey and watching football, I applaud your choice.

Just anticipating a frustrating badge sale and hotel sale feels luxurious, doesn't it? Special Edition won't be an exact time machine back to our halcyon SDCC past - but it'll be pretty close.