SDCC 2017 Highlights and Reflections

San Diego Comic Con 2017 Highlights and Reflections

The 2018 San Diego Comic Convention is fast approaching. In order to get you hyped for the exciting events coming up, we'll be starting a blog series as we countdown to San Diego Comic Con 2018!

What a better way to start than by reviewing my experiences from last year's convention!

Days before last year's Comic Con, all I could think about were the dense crowds and the long queues I would have to deal with. The thought of having to squeeze through all those people just to have to wait in a line for 2 hours for some measly poster, made me feel unhappy. I was not excited at all and I was not looking forward to attending. And sadly, I had no money, did not have an itinerary planned out and my usual crew was one man down.


But, as it turns out, you can have plenty of fun without spending loads of money and planning isn’t that difficult with the right goals in mind. Being on a tight budget, I had to get creative in the activities I could take part in. This meant I had to rely on things that were already included with my ticket such as panels and the main exhibit hall. As a back up, I could hang outside the convention center as many free events were being held in the surrounding area.

I searched like crazy through the yearly catalog of events and decided I would try something different this time around. 2017 would be the year that I attended workshops and instructional panels. I found a 4 day film school panel and an American Gods panel featuring the comic’s penciler. The American Gods panel made me appreciate all that goes into creating a comic book. The artist, Scott Hampton, talked about his process and even passed around sketches of the upcoming unreleased issue.

The film school panel was held in the early mornings every day. Going to this panel was informative and inspirational. The film panel consisted of indie filmmakers and actors. Most of these folks wore many hats in their jobs which included producer, director and even caterers sometimes. They shared their techniques and struggles of creating content with limited resources. Their passion for their craft inspired me to work harder at mine. It was a great start to my mornings despite not having a well thought out plan.

Every year, my crew of friends and I have a rough plan for comic con. It's not a very strict agenda but usually, each of us has a panel we want to attend, a collectible we want to buy or some other event we heard about. By combining all of our activities, we can usually fill up our weekend calendar and have a good time. In 2017, I had very little to offer the group and thought that I would be stuck walking the main hall aimlessly.

Fortunately, my wife scored tickets to Conan and I registered for a Blizzard Hearthstone party. Yes, I agree, these are not guaranteed events at the con, but we were lucky to have these opportunities so we made sure to enjoy them. Not only was it fun to attend a taping of Conan, but he also featured a great interview of Game of Thrones cast members, which was a big surprise!

The other event was a Hearthstone party sponsored by Blizzard (the video game company) at a pub and grill. This gathering coincided with the release of a new expansion for Hearthstone and so quite a few big streamers and Blizzard employees showed up. There were various tournaments held as well. We had a VIP experience which included food and free drinks which are always a high priority at any event! In both instances, I had good company and had more fun by sharing the experience with others.

The most comic-related highlight of the weekend occurred when I came across the Heavy Metal Magazine booth. I'm glad I stumbled upon this booth as they gave me a good deal on magazines and one of the writers autographed the front cover! I've always loved the Heavy Metal Movie but never thought to buy a Heavy Metal Magazine. I highly recommend it if you like amazing art and far out stories.

To recap, even with minimal money, Comic Con can be a fun experience. Due to the popularity of Comic Con, there are many free events open to the general public as well as for badge holders. There's always something different that you can find to do and sometimes it's free if you don't mind waiting in line. Since there are so many options, your enjoyment of the con is entirely up to you.

This time around, my experiences were far more memorable because I changed my yearly routine and I attended lesser known activities at the con. Had I stuck to my usual routine like in previous years, I may not have had such a good time and would not have appreciated my time spent at the con. This change REVITALIZED my love for attending the comic convention and it will keep me coming back year after year.

Most of all, I realized the best part of comic con weekend is enjoying geeky times with your buds, whether it be playing Pokemon go, walking the main hall or just having lunch together. It is especially enjoyable since we all have more adult responsibilities and can't always spend time together. Time spent with my friends and family at the con will always be the funnest part of comic con.

One last thought: Buy comics at the comic convention. Your support will encourage writers, artists and their comic companies to continue to create these awesome stories and beautiful art.

Have fun this year!!!