The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Visit San Diego Comic-Con for a great place to nerd out, but patience and planning are key
If the book “The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth” one day comes to fruition, San Diego Comic-Con might be the place where it all started. ¶ Getting inside isn’t easy. Comic-Con attracts more than 130,000 each year, and it seemingly gets bigger each year. I was fortunate to attend the 2019 edition, from July 17 to July 21, and in a nutshell it’s geek fandom runneth over. ¶ Comic-Con tickets are like the treasured artifacts Indians Jones pursues — rare and difficult to obtain. Once you’re inside the San Diego Convention Center, it’s overwhelming without a plan. ¶ Patience is a must.
It’s a four-day event — five if the preview night is included — but considering the itinerary each day, Comic-Con could easily be an allweek event. Logistics is probably the reason why it hasn’t happened, but a fan trying to cram in every exhibit or panel will find that to be impossible.
Steve Johnson, a graduate of Lake Catholic High School from Euclid who attends Hiram College, won a lottery for the right to purchase a four-day pass, and on July 19 inside Comic-Con was as giddy as a school boy.
“Man, it is crazy out here,” said Johnson on July 20 inside Comic-Con. “A whole bunch of people coming out. It’s my first time. I can’t wait to come next year if I can.”
Thom Zahler, a comic book artist/ writer from Northeast Ohio, has been attending Comic-Con as an exhibitor for 25 straight years, and the growth of the event from his perspective has been staggering.
“The convention center is twice as big since I started coming out,” said Zahler on July 20. “It’s a lot more media, it’s a lot more Hollywood. Back when I started coming, you’d maybe see a premiere or two, but now this is where people come to debut stuff. It’s a place to do business, which is one of the reasons why I come out here.”
Registration for Comic-Con tickets is months in advance. Those whom I talked to in and around San Diego said it’s the most difficult ticket — or badge, as its called — every year.
A few things to consider for those wishing to make the trek to San Diego Comic-Con one day:
• Do not plan to stay in downtown San Diego. The area literally comes to screeching halt for vehicles near the Convention Center. The train system is the best option. My family and I stayed at relatives in the northern city of Encinitas (about a 30-minute drive from downtown), and the train was our mode of transportation each day. It’s a scenic trip along the oceanside, affordable and about a 10to 15-minute walk to all the ComicCon action.
• This should go without saying, but downtown hotels are booked months in advance and are not cheap. Staying north of downtown at more affordable spots and taking the train in is a better option for those on budgets.
• That being said, expect to bust that budget. If Comic-Con is on your bucket list, it’s worth it. All the money in the world won’t buy a person what they are looking for in terms of merchandise exclusive to the event without planning. I learned that the hard way. Marvel promoted the sale of ComicCon exclusive T-shirts, but it wasn’t as simple as walking up to a booth and picking out your favorite. Companies such as Mattel, Hasbro, Funko Pop!, Entertainment Earth and others required registering beforehand just to get in line to purchase merchandise. If interested in something at Comic-Con, research it first.
• Panels, panels and more panels. There were hundreds — big and small — during the fourday event, but the biggest were reserved for Hall H (capacity about 7,000) and Ballroom 20 (capacity about 5,000). Hall H was the spot for the mostanticipated panels such as Marvel Studios, “Game of Thrones” and others. Some lined up for the Marvel Studios panel for days. In general, a few hours before would suffice for most panels. Just don’t wait too long. I made the mistake of arriving 15 minutes prior for a few, and depending where the panel is located inside the massive convention center, making way through a crowd of people can be a challenge. I showed up more than hour before the start of the “Cobra Kai” panel — hands down my favorite — and was just fine.
• Lines are long everywhere inside Comic-Con.
• The cosplay is simply fantastic.
• Expect everything and anything. Nothing should surprise at Comic-Con. Celebrities might walk past in the main exhibit hall. Celebrities might show up unexpectedly. That was the case on July 19, when a jolt was felt throughout the joint as Tom Cruise shocked those in Hall H with a unannounced spot to show off the first trailer of the upcoming film “Top Gun: Maverick.” The buzz throughout the Convention Center was immediate. Seemingly everybody was watching the trailer on their smart phones when the video dropped on social media. It was pop culture at its finest.
• If 72 and sunny every day is your thing (and why wouldn’t it be?), San Diego itself as a vacation destination is never a bad thing. Even without a badge inside Comic-Con, the scene surrounding the convention center — especially on a Saturday, the busiest day of Comic-Con — is worth a day trip. There’s cosplay literally at every corner, and free events for kids and adults. San Diego’s Gas Lamp District is alone worth the trip downtown.
Expect everything and anything. Nothing should surprise at Comic-Con. Celebrities might walk past in the main exhibit hall. Celebrities might show up unexpectedly.