Comic-Con 2011

[Jennifer Walters]

Dude. I wish I could afford 2011, it'd be suh-weet.

 

[spideyboy_1111]

well... free place to stay if you get a plane ticket and like the $35 ticket (depending on what day or days you go... one or 2 days is enough for me anyway)

 

[spideyboy_1111]

that reminds me. i gotta buy a ticket for next year early....

 

[MadVillainy]

Im wondering do you have to register when you actually get to the con? Like do you have to show ID to prove you are whoever it says on your ticket or anything like that?

 

[Kingfish]

Yes. You need to have a picture ID that matches the name you preregistered under in order to pick up your badge.

 

[Anita18]

Online registration for 2011 starts on November 1, and HOLY CRAP did they jack up the price. My first SDCC was only in 2007 and it was $45 back then, and this year it's $105 for 4 days minus Preview Night...because those sold out at this past Con.

Yeah at this rate I don't think I'll ever be going to another one...I'll sit back and do the online stuff if there's another Batman viral activity going down.

 

[Midnyte_Sun]

How much are hotels/motels near the Comic Con convention center?

 

[Kevin]

Im wondering do you have to register when you actually get to the con? Like do you have to show ID to prove you are whoever it says on your ticket or anything like that?

There was no ID anything for me because I ordered my ticket early and it came in the mail. The people at the con didn't care about seeing anything but a ticket. But maybe that's just New York.

 

[Anita18]

Im wondering do you have to register when you actually get to the con? Like do you have to show ID to prove you are whoever it says on your ticket or anything like that?

You bring an email with the barcode and I think they check ID then. There are no paper tickets for SDCC, just the barcode.

They don't check ID once you've got your badge. There's just too many people. We've switched badge between friends who don't have the proper registration for a particular day but they wanted to buy/see something.

How much are hotels/motels near the Comic Con convention center?

Expensive, especially walking distance. You need to share with others. I'm pretty sure it'd be like, $300/night now. My first year, I got a AAA discount at the Quality Inn and I think it was less than $100/night, it was a real steal. Then again it was a few miles from the convention center and we needed to take a bus/drive.

 

[spideyboy_1111]

There was no ID anything for me because I ordered my ticket early and it came in the mail. The people at the con didn't care about seeing anything but a ticket. But maybe that's just New York.

that's not comic-con...

San Diego comic con requires ID... ive been there 2 years, (missed this year), and its always very strict about there ID policies.

 

[Matt Mortem]

You know, I really want to go to comic-con, but its just too goddamn expensive. It's ridiculous

 

[spideyboy_1111]

i only go for a day or 2... i don't think i could spend a whole weekend there... luckily i live in LA and can drive down rather than fly, and if you check into hotels outside the city they tend to have decent prices

 

[Matt Mortem]

I live in AZ so the drive isn't too bad, but I'd have to stay in a hotel for a few days and its just more than I can afford. I just keep my fingers crossed G4 has good coverage of the event

 

[Heffer Wolf]

I'm going this year for sure. I live 45 minutes from san diego, so its just a quick Coaster/Trolly ride and I'm there. Or I could suck it up and drive, but parking in the gaslamp is already a nightmare, I couldn't even imagine what it would be like with comic con AND a potential Padre game going on.

 

[Kingfish]

It's not too hard. I live about an hour and a half away but it's easy enough to get a cheaper motel outside of downtown. Then you just park at the mall and take the trolley.

 

[Solidus]

Online registration for 2011 starts on November 1, and HOLY CRAP did they jack up the price. My first SDCC was only in 2007 and it was $45 back then, and this year it's $105 for 4 days minus Preview Night...because those sold out at this past Con.

Yeah at this rate I don't think I'll ever be going to another one...I'll sit back and do the online stuff if there's another Batman viral activity going down.

You gotta go back Anita lol. We need some one there for B3 stuff this upcoming summer.

 

[Kingfish]

I couldn't even imagine what it would be like with comic con AND a potential Padre game going on.

They actually schedule around that.

 

[Anita18]

You gotta go back Anita lol. We need some one there for B3 stuff this upcoming summer.

I didn't even know about the TDK stuff going down in 2007 and it went on fine. If anything, you guys would need me more online keeping track of things.

 

[Solidus]

I didn't even know about the TDK stuff going down in 2007 and it went on fine. If anything, you guys would need me more online keeping track of things.

Bring your laptop and you can update it live! lol.

If I was in the area I would go. But alas I am not. I mean wouldn't be cool if you got to shake the hands of Michael Caine or Nolan or something? lol

 

[Anita18]

Bring your laptop and you can update it live! lol.

If I was in the area I would go. But alas I am not. I mean wouldn't be cool if you got to shake the hands of Michael Caine or Nolan or something? lol

I'm sure a couple hundred people will be there, iPhones at the ready.

And in my experience you don't really get to "meet" anyone cool, there's just too many attendees and the stars don't stay around to chitchat with the little people. We totally squeed when we managed to get close to Wil Wheaton, but were too chicken to say hi. And Megan Fox walked past me on the floor once, surrounded by huge bodyguards.

 

[Paste Pot Pete]

It was a bloody nightmare.

It's just too damned packed. I first went in 2007, and it was nothing like this. They've expanded it to the point where it's beyond control, and it's gotta be a fire hazard. You can't move through aisles, you can't see anything at the dealers' tables, ugh. They combined it with the Anime Festival and it's just...ugh. If everyone who was wearing gigantic furry outfits with tentacles and tails left the damn thing home, there'd be extra room for about 3,000 more people. I was so exhausted just moving around I could barely shop. I made it out with a whopping...two...books.

I didn't get into any panels, but I met a few people - Gail Simone (super, super nice), Terry Dodson (also very nice), Dustin Nguyen (super cool, and sketched me an awesome Batman).

First thing I did was get on line to meet Bruce Campbell (already ordered my ticket for him online weeks earlier). This turned out to be the easiest, most organized part of the con by far. Only took a few minutes, and he was a really nice guy (and a snappy dresser!)

I also got to meet Bruce Timm, who was signing at the DC Booth. Got my copy of Mad Love signed - very cool, he's one of my heroes, but I gotta admit...not the friendliest guy I've ever met. Very impersonal. Maybe he was just having a long, tough day, who knows. I'd understand.

(Please note my experience only reflects a one-day, Saturday trip. My friend said Friday and Sunday were far less crazy.)

 

[Figs]

I also got to meet Bruce Timm, who was signing at the DC Booth. Got my copy of Mad Love signed - very cool, he's one of my heroes, but I gotta admit...not the friendliest guy I've ever met. Very impersonal. Maybe he was just having a long, tough day, who knows. I'd understand.

I got my 'Joker' book signed by Brian Azzarello a few years ago at WonderCon and he wasn't all that nice either. Seemed like he didn't want to be there.

 

[Anita18]

I got my 'Joker' book signed by Brian Azzarello a few years ago at WonderCon and he wasn't all that nice either. Seemed like he didn't want to be there.

It takes a patient, patient soul to spend hours greeting strangers. Many actors are able to do it because they're paid to act, after all. (And yet people bag on obviously introverted actors like Kristin Stewart.) It always surprises me when people are nice at these things. A few hours of directing interacting with that many people and I'd be ready to cut someone. My bf wouldn't last 15 seconds standing in the venue before suffering a panic attack.

Oh, I met Mike Mignola and he was super-nice. Signed a book that I got from him, and it was a free book too. This was on Sunday though, which is much slower and I was actually the only person at the table. Saturday's always the busiest day, followed closely by Friday. Thursday is when you should meet people before they get exhausted and snippy.

 

[Paste Pot Pete]

Yeah, like I said, I get that sometimes you're tired and have had a bad day or whatever the case may be, but then I see someone as enormously popular and probably constantly harrassed as Johnny Depp and I think, "If that guy can be so awesome and humble despite being under a constant microscope, a comic book artist whose name 99% of the world doesn't know or care about can take the time and care to be nice to the (relatively) tiny amount of people that look up to him." The hand that feeds you, etc.

And before someone says it, no, they don't owe us anything. But it is the right thing to do.

 

[Anita18]

Yeah, like I said, I get that sometimes you're tired and have had a bad day or whatever the case may be, but then I see someone as enormously popular and probably constantly harrassed as Johnny Depp and I think, "If that guy can be so awesome and humble despite being under a constant microscope, a comic book artist whose name 99% of the world doesn't know or care about can take the time and care to be nice to the (relatively) tiny amount of people that look up to him." The hand that feeds you, etc.

And before someone says it, no, they don't owe us anything. But it is the right thing to do.

It actually isn't all that easy to be nice when you have a very introverted personality. Of course when someone compliments you, most people would try their hardest to be nice but for some people it doesn't come easily.

Like, my bf gets very mopey when he's in a crowd. It isn't like he'd actually be mean to you if you tried to engage him in conversation, but his face reads "I really hate the world right now and wish I could be anywhere but here and doing anything but this." He's a perfectly nice person but hobnobbing is totally not his thing. I've learned not to take it personally - I figure, if he really wanted to be doing something else, he doesn't have to do whatever we're doing. I'm perfectly fine going places by myself if it would make him happier. But no, he chooses to travel with me and mope so that's not my problem.

I wouldn't blame anyone if they weren't uber-gregarious and chipper in a meet-and-greet situation. Being super-nice 24/7 like Mr. Depp definitely gets you brownie points, but you don't have to dock points if someone isn't like that.