San Diego Comic-Con

Officially, the Comic-Con International: San Diego. But, everyone knows it as Comic-Con or at least as "Comic-Con, San Diego."

It is THE "comic convention" to go to. It's the longest lasting, the biggest, the best attended, and has the most going on. Attendance is usually up well over 100,000. It has long ago expanded past just being about comic books and has become a full multi-media pop culture event. This is THE place for the major entertainment companies to have a presence at in order to pump their products. So, not only are the major comic book companies sure to have large booths but the major motion picture studios will also have an outsize presence to push whatever their latest genre releases are hitting the market. So, if you're a geek or a nerd or a fan, then this is THE event to be at. And it has been so for decades.

There are other comic conventions. There always have been, in fact. I've been to several, in fact. WonderCon is one of the larger and more popular ones and its run by the same folks as run Comic-Con San Diego. It's held up in the Los Angeles area. Usually in Anaheim but they occasionally held it in downtown LA. WonderCon is much smaller than the San Diego effort and that is actually an appreciated thing as the crowds at Comic-Con can be a bit much. I've been to several WonderCons and have enjoyed myself as I did so. WonderCons however, aren't Comic-Con.

Yeah, Comic-Con is that big of a deal.

When I was living in San Diego and discovered Comic-Con, I would usually just show up, buy my admission and enjoy myself for the day. It was that simple and easy to get in. For several years there I'd only remember that Comic-Con was happening due to some radio station's mentioning it. "Oh, that's this weekend?" was my reaction and I'd be sure to be there early on the Saturday of the even to get there before the crowds. Yeah, that was a long time ago.

That all ended the year I showed up to buy my day pass and I found the line to get in wrapped itself down out of the Sail Deck, outside, and then ran west back along the entire length of the San Diego Convention Center, then snaked its way past the Marriott Marquis hotel to then wrap itself along the Embarcadero before finally winding up at Seaport Village. With no other options, I got in that line and steadily inched forward. For three hours.

Finally, just as the fourth hour of standing in line was about to start and as I had just turned the corner there at the west end of the Center to look down the length of Exposition Way - where I could see the entry point to go upstairs to get my day pass - word was passed down that the event was closed to new admissions. The San Diego Fire Marshall had called it as there were too many people jammed inside that huge expanse of building. Three hours for naught! Ack!

After that it was pre-purchasing my admission. The folks running Comic-Con, also instituted changes such that pre-purchasing was about the only way to ensure you got a ticket. The event sells out that quick. So quick, in fact, that's it's now something of a hereditary thing.

That is, pre-purchasing of tickets for the next year's event are first offered up to current attendees. And as most attendees aren't stupid, they snap those up quick as they can. That leaves precious few tickets then available for the general public to get in on themselves. You have to pre-register to then be able to purchase tickets. They've even established a "lottery" system through which individuals are offered the chance of being able to purchase tickets for the next year. It's the only way they're able to handle the utter deluge of attendees.

A downside of this setup however, is if you miss a year. Without being among the current attendees you don't get first crack at tickets for the next year. You're on the outside among the common-folk! Which is what happened to me. I missed a year and couldn't get a ticket for the next year. And then I was on the road working out of state and so on and so on.

Thus, for several years Comic-Con was just a memory for me. Well in 2019 that changed! I scored! I actually got a ticket to Comic-Con 2020! Yeah, it was only for a Day Pass and that was only on the Sunday but, dammit! I was back among the cool kids! So I was all hot set and ready as 2020 dawned. Well, we all know how that dawning turned out. Especially out here in Gavin Newsom's California. Comic-Con 2020 was canceled due to Covidiocy. So too was Comic-Con 2021.

But then came 2022 and, finally, the Perpetually Terrified could no longer justify the extreme financial loss imposed by keeping Comic-Con canceled. So, on it was. And thus, for the first time in at least a decade - if not longer - I was back in San Diego to attend a Comic-Con. Hopefully, I'll be able to get in to next year's event and keep it rolling from there.

Thus this page dedicated to my Comic-Con International: San Diego experiences.