Another year, another San Diego Comic-Con.
I say that like I’ve been going all my life, or at least since 1970, when the first incarnation of the event took place at the U.S. Grant Hotel. Back then, the one-day convention drew 145 attendees. This year, the number of attendees was closer to 145,000.
I’ve only been twice, in 2009 and this year, but I think one of the most enjoyable aspects of Comic-Con is that you have nearly 150,000 people in one place bumping into one another, waiting in line, crowding into limited spaces, and no one has an attitude. Everyone’s happy to be there. It’s like one big family.
But to be truthful, if you’ve never been to Comic-Con, it’s kind of hard to explain what to expect. It’s like the Matrix. No one can tell you about it. You have to see it for yourself.
However, for the uninitiated, here’s a sampling of what you would have found during the four-day event at the San Diego Convention Center:
- A harem of slave Princess Leias
- A battalion of Klingon warriors
- Multiple Spidermans and Batmans
- Lines of fans waiting for an autograph from George R. R. Martin
- Panels on LOST, True Blood, and Family Guy
- A William Shatner Star Trek documentary hosted by Kevin Smith
- Full-contact medieval armor battles
- A mechanical shark ride
- And Conan O’Brien marching through the Gaslamp Quarter
Personally, I had the chance to meet a lot of great people, spend time with friends, do a couple of signings, and sit on a panel with six other authors discussing the challenges of having a relationship with someone who’s not human. Most of the standing-room-only crowd was there to see the next panel for the Cartoon Network’s Adventure Time, but it was still a fun and lively panel.
A special thanks goes out to Penguin, Mysterious Galaxy Books, and Geekscape for their support and general awesomeness. See you next year!
It’s that time of year again when tens of thousands of worshipers converge upon the mecca of downtown San Diego for the annual pilgrimage to Comic-Con.
