Who are we kidding here? For a geek in Los Angeles – or anywhere in California – it really comes down to one weekend … SDCC (or San Diego Comic Con to the lay people). This is the biggest convention of this niche in these United States, nay… THE WORLD!!! And it happened this weekend!
Running from Thursday (Wednesday for the Preview night – if you’re lucky) through Sunday. A grand total of 5 possible days and nights of complete and utter Epicness.
From what is lovingly referred to as “The Floor” where the artists and vendors hold sway; where SWAG is the golden word, celebrities become gods, and the touching of Stan Lee’s shirt sleeve can make you a legend. You get to see the Heavy-Hitters and Independents in the comic book and gaming world, along with such eye candie as full size statues of Mystique, Boba Fett, and Iron Man. Every year there’s a new experience to take in.
Then upstairs to the rooms great and small for Panels of all geekie nature. Choose a panel on Cosplay Makeup from the masters themselves, or Comic Book Podcasts record live for their fans. But then of course there are the master panels for TV/Film Fandoms. Waiting in line for hours in hopes to get to the front in time to get a seat. We are the true and loyal ones.
SDCC is a sensory overload playground.
Cosplayers in every possible aray of color, media type, imagination and variation, they bring to life the characters they love with the ability they have to make it happen; it is to be commended. Outside are even more people in even more geek-ware and costumes. En mass they ebb and flow along the convention center sidewalks and streets. Winding their way up into downtown San Diego where there is much more to be found. Pop-ups and stationary events now happen around the convention center. Shows promoting themselves have pop-us with obstical courses and SWAG booths. While Nedist opened the ballpark up becoming almost a tiny video version of SDCC. Awesomesauce!
Schedule for celebrity interviews go up for and you rearrange your life for what could be to see 3 out of the 5 members of the Firefly crew be together in front of your very own eyes. Oh the glory! (The original fandom, arguably – well after Buffy of course)
Then my nerdlings there are the parties. Oh my the parties! From public and private to studio only (you’re either on the list or you’re not… ooor you find a way in, I’m not saying – but totally worth it). And if it’s your business this is where the real business is done. Business cards are passed out like Tic-Tacs, and deals are sealed with a Vulcan hand shake.
And in the end we take ourselves back to our respective homes and nurse our “Con Flue”. Because with that big of a horde in one place for 5 days… not all of us are going to make it back unscathed. We might lose some of our lot to a bed-ridden illness for a week. But it is a risk we gladly take. Because if I can claim a Miss Marvel #17 I will die smiling with my Tank Girl boots on.
The only trouble with this?
I didn’t get to go this year!!!
Welcome to MeghanLand 