Comic-Con 2006: Lessons

A few words of advice from my experience this year:

Pre-register online – Duh. I learned this one the hard way. Comic-Con is no longer just a place where collectors swap old titles and illustrators shop their portfolios, it’s a trade show for the entire entertainment industry. As such, it draws a major crowd. Per the Comic-Con official site, they had to stop letting people in on Saturday around 12:30pm. The Sand Diego Convention Center was actually full! Of nerds!

Wear comfortable shoes – I know this should be obvious, but I mention this as an important public service announcement. I made the mistake of wearing an old pair of sneakers, and I suffered for it. Comfortable shoes aren’t just for lesbians anymore.

Bring snacks and beverages – Comic-Con food sucks, and it’s overpriced. A can of soda costs three bucks, just to give you an idea. Add to that the fact that you’ll have to waste time standing in line to get it. You’ll probably get stuck behind some guy talking about the length of the “queue” in a lame Python voice, and then you’ll be jailed for his murder. No fun.

Bags get heavy – Use discretion loading up on the free crap, and take only what you really need. Most of it’s junk you’re just going to throw out later, and it’s just dead weight -- like your soul.

Don’t carry too much cash – Unless you’ve saved up special for the event, you may want to limit yourself to a fixed daily budget. Comic-Con is designed to separate you from your ducats, and it’s really easy to start buying up everything you see. Do you really need that 9.9 CGC grade GROO variant cover? Will your girlfriend still talk to you if you wear that Squidbillies track jacket? Or do you really need that girlfriend?

Photos coming soon…