Well, it is finally time. Every year, geeks of all shapes, sizes, species converge onto the mammoth San Diego Convention Center to immerse themselves in bad food, little sleep, and lightsaber battles for four days. Yep. Next week is the San Diego Comic-Con! What started as a little gathering of enthusiasts almost forty years ago has grown into a massive event that I daresay would only rival something like a Super Bowl or, more realistically, the World Series (especially with how the Padres are playing this year). It's that big and a hell of a moneymaker for San Diego. The locals might not always get the fuss over funnybooks but they understand the economic influx.
Let's backtrack a bit: Hello and welcome back to The Treehouse. Sorry about the lack of updates. I actually tried posting a couple of times but between the ex-parrot status of my old pc and my unfamiliarity of Blogger, I gave up. Methinks I might have even slapped my monitor and pc tower Three Stooges-style, but my memory is a bit foggy. So, The Current Wife and I have Unicrom (which, incidentally, is the greatest Transformer ever voiced by Orson Welles) on the desk flippin' the bird to the pc. Seemed fitting. Now, we have finally caught up to 1999 and bought a laptop. We love it. I mean, it rules sitting here typing this in my living room while David Bowie sings Be My Wife on my tele. And who knows? This might lead to more posts. I ain't promising anything, though. That is just too much pressure.
Back to business: When I had all the problems posting, I decided I would give it one more go the week before the fabled Comic-con. Put everything I have learned into one lump and see what happens. This being my ninth year, I have learned a bunch, from where to park to what not to eat at the con itself. The number one thing I have learned: DON'T TAKE ANYTHING SERIOUSLY. I mean, there are freakin' Klingons walking around. In character. Speaking Klingon. Speaking Klingon CORRECTLY. After that, anything can happen.
OK one of the main things I learned long ago was planning. That was ultimately what this is going to be about: helping you plan certain things out in advance. The con is large and there is literally something con-related going on at all hours, whether it is all-night gaming or anime and movies until dawn or even club-hopping in the nearby Gaslamp District. Knowing where to go when helps.
It is very helpful to examine or even download the program guide from Comic-con's website. It is also helpful to remember that this is not set in stone, though. There are always panels and signings being moved around or outright cancelled. There are numerous boards located around the lobby and upstairs at the panel rooms that show the up-to-date schedule for the day and any changes that may have occurred.
Since we are the preparation aspect of the trip, The Current Wife and I have a couple of tips on what to take with you. Remember, one of, if not THE, central points of going to Comic-con is to buy stuff. Stuff that is either not readily available in your home town or hasn't been made in twenty years or didn't even exist until the con. So, it is safe to pack light. When I stared going to the con, I would take a bunch of stuff to get signed, like my Bone hardcovers. Now, I don't take a damn thing. If I want to get an autograph, it is just easier to get something there. You could always find something cheap. Most of the time, the signers have stuff for sale anyway. But, if you do want to get specific stuff you own signed, don't take your whole collection. Most signers have a limit anyway, so you aren't getting Rob Liefeld's name on all twenty-five copies of Team Youngblood #1. (For that matter, if you are a serious collector, DON'T GET THEM SIGNED AT ALL. It lowers the grade of the book by having pen on the cover.)
One of my favorite things to do is bring a small sketchbook and get sketches by artists I like. I have several Bone (and others) sketches by Jeff Smith, a Tick sketch by my second-favorite Tick artist, Eli Stone (Tick is in silver paint marker saying Cuchara!), and one of the angriest Milk and Cheese drawings I have ever seen, due to Evan Dorkin having to pee.
Ahh Evan. How I miss you at the con. See, he doesn't do San Diego anymore because he hates to fly and the actual event is hell on his nerves. I got the great fortune of having a couple of cool conversations with him, just because I didn't freak him out. My best friend, The Wolfman, made his day once by giving him an antacid. He used to be one of my highlights.
That's one of the wierder aspects of the convention. After going a few years in a row, people start to remember you from previous years. I am on a "nodding hello" type of thing with Glenn Danzig. One time, in the lobby of a hotel, he stopped talking to his friends just to say hi. That was when I knew I was a regular. Last year, The Current Wife and I kept running into pro wrestler Rob Van Dam and his wife. Nice guy. But it's not just invited guests. Also last year, while I was giving blood at the annual blood drive, some lady next to me remembered me from three years before! It was her forteenth San Diego Comic-con.
Back to what to take. A camera is a must. You never know what craziness you are going to see. Besides, once you see the size of the event, you will want to document it. And for the love of all that is holy: BRING DEODORANT AND USE IT! I cannot stress this enough. The conditions inside are pleasant enough, but, come Saturday, the big day, temperatures inside do go up due to the amount of people around. That's about it. I mean, necessary medicines and such, but, really, if you do forget anything, there is always Important Place #1...
RALPH'S GROCERY STORE! I swear, this place has saved me more times than I can count. Located two blocks from the convention, it is a godsend. If you are doing things on the cheap, they have a fairly cheap, well-stocked deli. Plus, anything you need or forgot. It's freakin' huge. It is also a good stop for drinks and snacks. The food at the con is solely for emergencies. None but the brave travel that road. And it's pricey.
So now we are on to food. Inevitably, I end up taking the wife to a good, fancy dinner in Gaslamp at least once. Comic-con usually happens around her birthday. There are plenty of choices, from Spanish to Thai to sushi to burgers. Our favorite is this little Irish pub across the street from the convention center, named Dargan's. Good food that isn't really that expensive. Plus, Bass Ale on tap!
For more affordable fare, there is pizza-by-the-slice places all over the place, your typical fast food... or the secret place. One the landmarks you should remember is Horton Plaza. It's an outdoor mall that is centrally-located in Gaslamp. We use it to mark how far away places are. On the very bottom level is a killer hot dog stand. Great food, dirt-cheap. We highly recommend it.
The convention has shuttles that run the whole time, well into the night. USE THEM. They run to most of major hotels and even the smaller hotels are not more that a short walk from the shuttle stop. Depending on where you are staying, do try and walk around town some. It is a beautiful town. Brickwork everywhere. Asian culture on every block. San Diego is a historic port city and they take pride in their heritage. A couple of warnings, though. First, there is usually construction going on all the time downtown. At least, the last few years there has been. Now that Petco Park is done, I have no idea what could be going on. Secondly, it is a larger city so there is some homeless around, especially late at night. Stay on major roads and there will be no problems. The local police force is fully prepared for this convention and, believe me, there is a ton of cops around. If you worry about things like that, just use the shuttles. They rule. The busiest times for them are right before the doors open and right after the doors close for the main floor for the day. Plan accordingly.
Now for the important part: money. Like I wrote earlier, this is going to be my ninth time going. One year, I slept on the floor of my friends' hotel room. I had about $100 for everything, food, cigarettes, stuff at the con... and I still had fun. Sure. I like to spend a ton of money at this thing, but I don't need to. There is plenty of free stuff to do. Once you get your membership pass, anything pertaining to the con is FREE. All events, all panels, all signings... FREE. There is even a room in the hotel next door specifically for con attendees that has soda, chips, and candy... for FREE. Plus, almost all the booths have free stuff. I usually come home with a two foot high pile of free stuff. So, really, the money is the easiest part to plan. Just take what you feel comfortable spending.
OK That's it for this go-round. There is a part two to this here post scheduled for Monday, in which The Current Wife and I breakdown the panels and events that sound interesting to us. Yes, my wife will actually be in the column for the first time. Now you'll get to see the real brains behind this operation. I'm just the muscle.
Then, daily updates from the San Diego Comic-con! With pictures! Won't that be grand?
See ya next time!
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