The San Diego Comic Con is Christmas, Hanukah and Nerdvana rolled into one, right in the middle of the year. Where else can you see A list celebrities and directors pitch their films to you that will be arriving over the next year and half?

Where else can you get a preview of everything that will happen next in the world of comics? Where is the one place that you, a loyal member of the Geek culture, can reign supreme?

Sure there are plenty of conventions through out the year but nothing else comes close to San Diego. The following is a convention survival guide and a little thing you might call Comic Con Karma.


Make your plan

The schedules have long been posted for each day’s events. The best thing to remember is that these “planned” events can change at a moments notice.

Last year two huge snags screwed up the first days events programming. The first happened in hall H. While waiting for the events to get rolling a huge tapestry fell in hall H. This pushed the days events back over an hour. So if you were trying to see Keanu Reeves and The Day the Earth Stood Still (2009) then jet off to see something else, you had to make a decision on what is more important.

The other big problem for many of the convention goers and panelists was that a huge tractor trailer truck turned over and caught fire on the highway. Imagine that you are on your way to Nerdvana and a flaming meat truck is all that is keeping you from paradise. So be prepared. Not everything is going to work out the way you or the SDCC planners expect it.


The Hall H

It seats approximately, 6,500 people. It is fully equipped with all the latest technology. Seas of people go in and out of hall H at Comic Con, but will you be one of them? There are even some with sleeping bags and pillows who will spend all day there.

Hall H also promises some sweet swag if you are lucky enough to get it. T-shirts are all the rage. Even though you become a walking billboard, it is an indication to the rest of the world that you were there and you saw it first.

Comic Con is ripe with all the best swag. T-shirts, posters and bags to hold all your swag booty insure that you will get to take something home.

There is a lot of stuff to get. Just make sure you actually want it. If you have a buddy at home who couldn’t make the trip and is a big fan of said item than grab it for him. Taking it because it’s free is not only extremely wasteful but stupid.

The best part of the swag is that it lends into Comic Con Karma. Grabbing something for a friend or co-worker who cannot be there only ensures that you get something in return.

Cosplay: Is at it’s height during Comic Con. Never will you find a better or more diverse group of people who love to dress up. Ask to take a picture but be quick about it when you are on the floor. There are a lot of people moving around on the floor and when you are twenty or thirty people deep trying to get by the Gentle Giant Jabba the Hutt it is completely frustrating.

Comics: The biggest thing to remember is that it is all about the comics. Many will argue that is no longer true since Hollywood saw the potential of what the SDCC could be.

The floor is huge at Comic Con. Aisles upon aisles with multiple dealers and stands all trying to get our attention. Booby booth girls, in all capacities, will also being doing the same. Learn your surroundings. Rely on text messaging to find your friends because you’ll hear nothing on your phone. More at: mania


Prepare your survival kit

  • A camera with extra batteries and memory cards
  • Hand sanitizer
  • iPod, iPhone, Blackberry whatever you need to kill time waiting in line
  • Several comic book bags and boards to ensure your exclusive comics get home in grade A condition
  • Sun block, sunglasses or baseball hat, the hall H line usually runs out side ands there is little shade
  • Snacks, power bars, water (hold onto the bottle to refill it) because the food inside is way too expensive
  • Deodorant/ antiperspirantswhich are not only for you but the guy standing next to you as well
  • Gum, Binaca (breath spray) and mints