Comic Con 2013 Re-Cap

So after four exhausting/amazing days at the con (plus a few days of recovery) I'm back and ready to re-cap the coolest things I found at the San Diego Convention Center.

Thursday

On Wednesday night I camped out with my two sisters for Hall H so that we could get fantastic seats for the Divergent and Ender's Game panels. We actually ended up in the front row which was so amazing! Seeing the actors up close and personal (especially Harrison Ford) was like a dream come true.

This is us on Thursday morning, waiting to go into the hall. I had started Divergent the night prior and blazed through about 200 pages of it before the panel began. Needless to say, it's a fantastic book (written by Veronica Roth if anyone wants to pick up a copy. Insurgent, the sequel, is also now available). The footage they showed us in the Divergent panel appeared to be intended for future use as a trailer for the film. It showed some of the early scenes of Dauntless initiation including Tris' jump off of the building, the climb up the Ferris wheel, and some of the training scenes. 

You'll have to excuse the poor quality photos (I only had my iPad) but this is the view from our seats. Very up-close and personal. 

Summit brought along the actors that will play Tris, Four, Caleb, and some of the Dauntless initiates as well as the author herself, Veronica Roth. Everyone seemed very nice and excited to be a part of this new movie. While they didn't want to give away many details, the cast did say how much they felt like the characters they played were a part of them. 

The Enders' Game panel was very exciting not only because it is one of the best sci-fi novels ever written, but also because Harrison Ford (one of the greatest actors of all time) was on the panel. The footage shown for this panel also seemed to be a trailer in the works. The graphics were incredible and the fight scenes we were shown looked epic and intense. I can't tell you how excited I am to finally read this book and then go watch the movie. Oh an for good measure, here's a photo of Mr. Harrison Ford.

Thursday night was full of surprises as well. My sister Chloe and I attended a party in downtown called SherlockDCC at the Brick and Mortar where we got some great fandom-themed teas, buttons, and sketches. The night got even more interesting when Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss crashed the party. They were really cool about it too, they milled around the party for a bit and chatted with the Sherlock fans for a while. Myself, I have a personal policy where I try not to bother celebrities that much so I didn't ask them for a picture or anything like that, but it was really cool just to see them there.

Friday

On Friday, I spent all day in Hall H again. This time in the second row. We had camped out again to see the Game of Thrones panel! The day's programs also included the Walking Dead panel and The World's End among others, but I was most excited for Game of Thrones. The panel was, to say the least, a little crowded. Sitting on the panel were stars John Bradley, Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Fairley, Kit Harington, Rose Leslie and Richard Madden, executive producers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, and writer/co-executive producer George R.R. Martin.. It was exciting to see the cast and hear what Mr. Martin thought about the transition from book to television for his series. The moderator, however, didn't do a great job with directing the questions for each member and did not allow them to provide in depth answers. All in all it was a satisfying panel even so.

I was also able to pick up several Advanced Reader Copies on the floor after the panel Friday evening.

Saturday

Saturday was a glorious day for me. Personally, I'm not that into meeting the famous people other than for the purpose of bragging rights. My favorite part of Comic Con is walking the floor, getting lots of free books and playing games that have not yet been released. On Saturday, I tried out Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD (which was completely amazing and I cannot wait for my copy to come in the mail) as well as a bunch of new Nintendo games in the Nintendo Gaming Lounge at the Marriot. My little sister, Elle, and I played Pikmin 3, Super Luigi, Mario Land 3D, and the new Donkey Kong Country. The Gaming Lounge this year convinced me of a few things. First off, having a 3DS is totally worth it, and second, I need to get a Wii U. Those things are amazing. They have so many added features that you can't even imagine unless you have tried the system yourself. The gaming pad, which I thought was going to be a lame addition that was unnecessary, turned out to be really cool. It has a little camera on it, which adds to the fun of the party games that the Wii system is famous for, and it also senses tipping motions just like the individual remotes so it can be used as a remote too. 

Sunday

Sunday is known as kid's day at Comic Con but I call it sale day. Towards the end of the day, most of the stuff on the floor will go on sale and booths will start giving away their display items because it's just not worth shipping them back. Sunday is the day when I get all the books I've had my eye on for the whole con. This year though, I spent most of the day in the Marriot where I learned how to play Magic the Gathering, and acquired a free deck for that, as well as Dungeons and Dragons which was without a doubt the nerdiest game I have ever played in my life (but it was still fun). 

This year's con was really fantastic. I didn't pick up any junky free stuff (a miracle) and made it home with twenty-six new books to read. I also got to see a bunch of stars from shows and movies that I love and met some of the minds behind one of my favorite television shows, Sherlock. Can't wait for next year's con!

Entertainment Weekly Panel - Hall H

Electra is confirmed as the main villain in the amazing Spider-Man 2, directed by Marc Webb. He talks of extensive planning for stunts and the choreography behind each scene. 

The World's End casts Martin Freeman where he does stunt and fight sequences. Director Edgar Wright say she put Martin through the most challenging aunt scenes to make it a point of pride. His favorite part is a fight between 14 year olds and the 40 year old actors including Martin where the 14 years olds "kick their asses." 

Gravity, directed by Alfonso Cuaron (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azcaban, Children of Men) places Sandra Bullock inside a 9 by 9 cube with walls lined in LEDs and creates the sense of zero gravity by making a moving space scene around her instead of moving her.

Gearing up for SDCC 2013

Alright, so it's only a few days away now. It's time to gear up for Comic Con! Just a quick list to remind you all what you need to bring:

• Your badges
• Costume
• Water
• Snacks
• Sunscreen (for those outdoor lines)
• Backpack or Bags (You'll probably pick up some bags on the floor too)
• Camera!!! (really cool people come to Comic Con)
• Phone
• Chargers (there are outlets EVERYWHERE)
• Comfortable shoes (even if they don't match your outfit, you will love these shoes later)
• Cash (most booths will not take credit card)
• ID
• Something to do while waiting in lines (Recommend a Nintendo DS)
• Sharpies (in case you meet someone cool)
• Books for authors to sign
• Poster Tube

While you don't want to over-pack for Comic Con, these are some of the items that I consider essential to have an epic time! Have fun everyone! Pictures to be posted afterwards!

Comic Con 2013 Tips

So I have been to Comic Con every year since I moved to California. That makes this year my...ninth year going. By this point I have picked up several tricks of the trade to share.

Camping

If you want to see any panels in Hall H or Ballroom 20, you are probably going to need to camp out. What does this entail? Well, it does mean that you will be sleeping on the ground in downtown San Diego (no problem for the more adventurous among us). If you are going to pull this off, you're going to need to know a couple of things. Let's start with what you need to bring.

• Personal hygiene supplies
• Sleeping Bag
• Soap/Face wash
• Everything you want at the Con the next day/days
• Extra Clothes
• Food and Water 
• Sun Screen
• A buddy (if you can't bring one, make friends)

Of course this isn't everything, but it is the essential supplies that everyone should bring. It's really important to have a buddy to watch your spot during bathroom breaks or food breaks. Next, have fun in the line. Everyone there cares about what you're waiting to see so strike up a conversation and you might just make a couple of new friends (always a good thing). Essentially, the only thing left to do is wait in line. It's not bad at all to be honest and I will probably spend all four night this year on the ground in downtown San Diego.

Schedule

Personally, I'm not the planning type. However, to make your Comic Con experience the best it can be, I really recommend reading their schedule and planning what panels and/or events you want to attend. It doesn't take long to sift through (especially if you know what you're looking for). If you really don't want to make a plan and prefer to wing it, I don't blame you at all and if I didn't have my sister to tell me what the good panels were and plan my Comic Con for me, I would wing it every single year. Here's a link to this year's schedule. SDCC has actually added a little program on their site called "My Sched" that allows you to create a schedule on their site and then print it out. This is incredibly useful. I have also heard that their is a free app available.

The Floor

My personal favorite part of Comic Con is the Exhibit Hall, more commonly known as: The Floor. This is the main room in the Convention Center where there are thousands of booths set up and everyone wants to give/sell you awesome stuff/useless junk. I definitely recommend having a large bag and a poster tube with you if you plan on capitalizing on the "free stuff" element of the Comic Con experience. On one end of the convention center, there are huge, elaborate booths that are home to the pop culture section of Comic Con. Most people spend their time on the floor over there but don't be fooled! The other end of the floor often has the best give-aways. For instance, the book booths towards the middle of the floor are always giving away ARCs and getting them is easy. Simply go up to the booth and either say "what are you guys giving away right now?" or if you're not comfortable with that you can tell them "hey, I'm a blogger and I was wondering which books you recommend I review on my blog next? Do you have any ARCs that I could review?". This way, you don't have to feel like a jerk who only wants free stuff (although asking for free stuff at Comic Con never hurts) but you still get tons of free books! The far end of the floor is home to all of the comic booths! Most of the booths in that area act as shops and rarely give out free stuff but are still cool to visit.

Free stuff

Alright, don't lie. You're excited for the free stuff. That's my favorite part of Comic Con, not gonna lie. However, it is possible to go about the "free stuff" wrong. The key is: don't go crazy. There are so many years where I've come back with bags and bags of free stuff and I throw away 99% of it. If it's not something you want and it's not something that will sell for decent money, don't take it.

Outside the Con

Comic Con is held in downtown San Diego, right across from the Gas Lamp quarter which is one of the coolest spots in San Diego. If you get tired of exploring Comic Con (you won't) or you just want a break from the massive crowds, go explore. There are always loads of events and parties all around Comic Con that are either free or pretty cheap to get in to. Comic Con turns San Diego into a huge party for five days, so don't just stay inside, make sure you go check out what San Diego has. If you don't want to go far, at least check out the Marriot right next to Comic Con. They are constantly holding events over there. And believe me, their video game room is unbelievably cool. Go try out video games that haven't been released yet, it is totally worth it (for the bragging rights if nothing else).

I'm not saying this is all there is to Comic Con, but it's such a huge event that it would be impossible for me to cover everything (or I would end up writing a novel that no one would read). Anyways, those are the basics. See you at the Con!