For the first time in many years I am not going to be attending San Diego's Comic-Con. 
Don't get me wrong, I love working at the Suicide Girls' booth out there. My decision to skip this year was only made difficult after finding out that they were indeed going to be attending. Had they not managed to score a table, I would have snubbed Comic-Con without even the slightest tinge of regret. Knowing that I am going to miss out on seeing some of my friends and fans is the only thing that weighs heavily on my heart.
In the beginning, I went to Comic-Con without working the SG booth. I was much too shy to spend so much time with the other girls, let alone have to talk to fans and curious Con-goers. Besides, the Con in those days was at its peak (as far as fun-ness level goes) and I hardly had time to do everything I wanted to. (I also was helping out a friend at his table and would get dressed up in costume. Costumes are great for shy folks because you feel like you can hide in plain sight.)
After awhile, I felt brave enough to work at the SG booth and with the help of Vivid, Chloe, and a few other cheerful and extremely social girls, found a way to break out of my shell and feel like I was part of the group.
From that point on, I helped out at the SG booth as much as I could each year. I paid my own way and bought my own pass so that I would be able to enjoy the Con as much as possible (guilt free!) and stop in to help at the booth whenever I had free time. But I soon found myself wanting to spend less time at the Con itself, choosing to stay at the booth instead.
I admit, seeing all of my SG friends and working the booth has been a lot more fun than the actual convention the last few years. Which brings me to the subject at hand...
When did Comic-Con stop being fun?
Last year, Suicide Girls was unable to score a booth at the Con and so I was able to focus completely on the convention...just like back in the old days. For the first time in years, I was really able to compare Comic-Con of today to the way it was before Comic-Con 2007 (which is the first year things got really out of hand).
I had, without a doubt, the least amount of fun I have ever had! (No offense to my friends...I love you guys and that part was great, I am speaking only about the actual Con itself.)
The lines were frustrating. I used to show up at a panel 10 minutes before it started and could find a seat. I now had to line up for 3 hours (actually, it was a bit longer than that...I think it was closer to 3 and a half) for a panel and I didn't even get in!! I wasted over 3 hours of my time only to find out that I had nothing to show for it. (And no, it wasn't even a Hall H panel!)
The panels themselves were pretty disappointing. Is it just me or does it seem like Comic-Con presents fans with the same lackluster panel guests and topics year after year these days? I swear, I can show you the panel line-up from last year and the year before and they are nearly identical. I expect some similarity (the big companies are always going to do the obligatory "this is what is coming out for next year" panel) but I would hope that such a large convention could get a bit more diversity and creativity in their line-up.
Getting a decent hotel has become akin with winning the lottery. Going through Comic-Con's booking system is a waste of time and will land you a hotel nearly 10 miles away. We tried it last year and it was a disaster. It was hardly "first come, first served"....we logged on early and got crap....friends of ours logged in late and got incredible rooms. In the end, we dropped the rooms Comic-Con had tried to give us and just called a hotel across the street from the convention ourselves. We ended up getting an awesome room without the help of the Con.
The crowds. Comic-Con was always a bit on the crowded side, but it was nothing like this! They have been over-selling days in hopes that some people won't show or that people will come at different parts throughout the day. But those of you who went to Comic-Con 2007 might remember that there were points of the day when the Con was turning people away at the door....even those who had passes! That's right. People who bought passes or even worked at the vendor tables could not get back into the building.
Since then, they have been trying to really focus on crowd control. This just means that it is difficult to find places to gather and talk with friends, that security is constantly screaming at you should you so much as pause to look at something in a crowded area, they will redirect you waaaaay out of your way to get to a room entrance that is 10 feet in front of you, and there are now lines to get in lines!! (Yup, lines to get in lines...I am not even kidding.)
Passes are also difficult to buy now. You know, back in the old days (or at least before 2007), you could actually buy a pass at the Con the same day you wanted in. Yeah, Saturday would sometimes sell out fast but most other days...if you got there early, you could get a pass to go inside. Nowadays, the passes sell out months and months before the Con and now that Comic-Con is selling passes at the convention, you may not have much of a chance at getting in to next year's Con unless you are already there. Skip a year and you may never get back in! It is the start of a very cruel cycle.
Perhaps the saddest (and in my mind, most important) issue that I have with Comic-Con is the lack of comic book related panels, tables, and guests. Every year, movies and TV takes more and more precedence over the Con. I can understand if these shows and films were directly tied in with the comic book genre....but many are not! (The Sarah Silverman show, Twilight, True Blood, Superbad, and Halloween, to name just a few.) Though I am hoping this is going to change. Many big movie companies pulled out this year for various reasons.
I also need to talk about the cost. Each year, I usually have to budget between $2000 and $3000 for my trip to Comic-Con.
$100 for the pass
$400 for the flight
$500 for hotel (I split the cost with 3 other people but since most hotels charge around $300-600 per night for Comic-Con, expect to pay a lot even if you have roommates...last year it was $480 each.)
$300-400 for food (I'm usually there for 5 days and food is quite expensive both at the Con and in the Gas-lamp district. $300 is actually quite modest...I probably spend a lot more.)
$500+ for merch, autographs, pictures, and collectibles
Also, keep in mind that you may need even more money if you want to attend parties, club events, cab/taxi fares, movies, etc...
So yeah, it is a very expensive vacation. In fact, not going to Comic-Con this year is allowing me to take a trip to Vancouver and to London for the same price. So TWO international trips cost the same as ONE trip to Comic-Con.
Last year, I felt like I spent $3000 to spend 5 days standing around in lines, getting turned away from panels, and having to push my way through a crowd of people to buy a friggin t-shirt. I have gotten to the point where I had to ask myself do I really like Comic-Con anymore or am I just going out of habit?
Will it ever be as much fun as it used to be? I don't think so. It has now become a novelty of sorts...like some weird freak show that people want to get into just to say they got in.
In conclusion, I think from now on...if I go to Comic-Con...it will be only to work at the SG booth. Doing that is, by far, the most enjoyable aspect of the convention for me.
This year, however, on the same day I would have left for Comic-Con, I am taking a trip out to Vancouver to visit Cherry. She is less crowded, filled with nerd-packed action, and will never turn me away at the door.
PS. If you are going to Comic-Con this year, be sure to visit the Suicide Girls' booth!! Take it from me...it is, by far, the best part of the Con!
Don't get me wrong, I love working at the Suicide Girls' booth out there. My decision to skip this year was only made difficult after finding out that they were indeed going to be attending. Had they not managed to score a table, I would have snubbed Comic-Con without even the slightest tinge of regret. Knowing that I am going to miss out on seeing some of my friends and fans is the only thing that weighs heavily on my heart.
In the beginning, I went to Comic-Con without working the SG booth. I was much too shy to spend so much time with the other girls, let alone have to talk to fans and curious Con-goers. Besides, the Con in those days was at its peak (as far as fun-ness level goes) and I hardly had time to do everything I wanted to. (I also was helping out a friend at his table and would get dressed up in costume. Costumes are great for shy folks because you feel like you can hide in plain sight.)
After awhile, I felt brave enough to work at the SG booth and with the help of Vivid, Chloe, and a few other cheerful and extremely social girls, found a way to break out of my shell and feel like I was part of the group.
From that point on, I helped out at the SG booth as much as I could each year. I paid my own way and bought my own pass so that I would be able to enjoy the Con as much as possible (guilt free!) and stop in to help at the booth whenever I had free time. But I soon found myself wanting to spend less time at the Con itself, choosing to stay at the booth instead.
I admit, seeing all of my SG friends and working the booth has been a lot more fun than the actual convention the last few years. Which brings me to the subject at hand...
When did Comic-Con stop being fun?
Last year, Suicide Girls was unable to score a booth at the Con and so I was able to focus completely on the convention...just like back in the old days. For the first time in years, I was really able to compare Comic-Con of today to the way it was before Comic-Con 2007 (which is the first year things got really out of hand).
I had, without a doubt, the least amount of fun I have ever had! (No offense to my friends...I love you guys and that part was great, I am speaking only about the actual Con itself.)
The lines were frustrating. I used to show up at a panel 10 minutes before it started and could find a seat. I now had to line up for 3 hours (actually, it was a bit longer than that...I think it was closer to 3 and a half) for a panel and I didn't even get in!! I wasted over 3 hours of my time only to find out that I had nothing to show for it. (And no, it wasn't even a Hall H panel!)
The panels themselves were pretty disappointing. Is it just me or does it seem like Comic-Con presents fans with the same lackluster panel guests and topics year after year these days? I swear, I can show you the panel line-up from last year and the year before and they are nearly identical. I expect some similarity (the big companies are always going to do the obligatory "this is what is coming out for next year" panel) but I would hope that such a large convention could get a bit more diversity and creativity in their line-up.
Getting a decent hotel has become akin with winning the lottery. Going through Comic-Con's booking system is a waste of time and will land you a hotel nearly 10 miles away. We tried it last year and it was a disaster. It was hardly "first come, first served"....we logged on early and got crap....friends of ours logged in late and got incredible rooms. In the end, we dropped the rooms Comic-Con had tried to give us and just called a hotel across the street from the convention ourselves. We ended up getting an awesome room without the help of the Con.
The crowds. Comic-Con was always a bit on the crowded side, but it was nothing like this! They have been over-selling days in hopes that some people won't show or that people will come at different parts throughout the day. But those of you who went to Comic-Con 2007 might remember that there were points of the day when the Con was turning people away at the door....even those who had passes! That's right. People who bought passes or even worked at the vendor tables could not get back into the building.
Since then, they have been trying to really focus on crowd control. This just means that it is difficult to find places to gather and talk with friends, that security is constantly screaming at you should you so much as pause to look at something in a crowded area, they will redirect you waaaaay out of your way to get to a room entrance that is 10 feet in front of you, and there are now lines to get in lines!! (Yup, lines to get in lines...I am not even kidding.)
Passes are also difficult to buy now. You know, back in the old days (or at least before 2007), you could actually buy a pass at the Con the same day you wanted in. Yeah, Saturday would sometimes sell out fast but most other days...if you got there early, you could get a pass to go inside. Nowadays, the passes sell out months and months before the Con and now that Comic-Con is selling passes at the convention, you may not have much of a chance at getting in to next year's Con unless you are already there. Skip a year and you may never get back in! It is the start of a very cruel cycle.
Perhaps the saddest (and in my mind, most important) issue that I have with Comic-Con is the lack of comic book related panels, tables, and guests. Every year, movies and TV takes more and more precedence over the Con. I can understand if these shows and films were directly tied in with the comic book genre....but many are not! (The Sarah Silverman show, Twilight, True Blood, Superbad, and Halloween, to name just a few.) Though I am hoping this is going to change. Many big movie companies pulled out this year for various reasons.
I also need to talk about the cost. Each year, I usually have to budget between $2000 and $3000 for my trip to Comic-Con.
$100 for the pass
$400 for the flight
$500 for hotel (I split the cost with 3 other people but since most hotels charge around $300-600 per night for Comic-Con, expect to pay a lot even if you have roommates...last year it was $480 each.)
$300-400 for food (I'm usually there for 5 days and food is quite expensive both at the Con and in the Gas-lamp district. $300 is actually quite modest...I probably spend a lot more.)
$500+ for merch, autographs, pictures, and collectibles
Also, keep in mind that you may need even more money if you want to attend parties, club events, cab/taxi fares, movies, etc...
So yeah, it is a very expensive vacation. In fact, not going to Comic-Con this year is allowing me to take a trip to Vancouver and to London for the same price. So TWO international trips cost the same as ONE trip to Comic-Con.
Last year, I felt like I spent $3000 to spend 5 days standing around in lines, getting turned away from panels, and having to push my way through a crowd of people to buy a friggin t-shirt. I have gotten to the point where I had to ask myself do I really like Comic-Con anymore or am I just going out of habit?
Will it ever be as much fun as it used to be? I don't think so. It has now become a novelty of sorts...like some weird freak show that people want to get into just to say they got in.
In conclusion, I think from now on...if I go to Comic-Con...it will be only to work at the SG booth. Doing that is, by far, the most enjoyable aspect of the convention for me.
This year, however, on the same day I would have left for Comic-Con, I am taking a trip out to Vancouver to visit Cherry. She is less crowded, filled with nerd-packed action, and will never turn me away at the door.
PS. If you are going to Comic-Con this year, be sure to visit the Suicide Girls' booth!! Take it from me...it is, by far, the best part of the Con!
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The line went out to the Embarcadero in the back of the Convention Center. I only wanted to see the Supernatural panel for Jensen Ackles and I didn't even get in....