Comic Con 2012: Thursday

Today was the official start of Comic Con and its main events. While Preview Night kicks things off with shopping and small events, many of the main parties and panels do not begin in full force until Day 1. With the influx of main-day tickets, the lines go up exponentially compared to Preview Night.

So, upon waking up at 4:30am, I should not have been surprised at the line outside the convention center by the time I actually arrived an hour and a half later. For a brief moment I panicked, but apparently the first line of the day has not been split into its different branches for exclusives tickets, some signings, the main exhibit floor, etc. When we were actually let in, the line spread in several different directions, and I thought I was comfortably near the front of the exhibit hall crowd.

Unfortunately, SDCC can be tricky, and with exclusives becoming bigger and bigger, lines eventually become hazy. Many retailers will buy exclusives to mark up and resale later on. They also have the advantage of being already on the floor when sales begin. By the time I reached the Mattel line, it was already out of its queue and split to the convention center walls. Thankfully, the exclusives I was purchasing for myself or others (Batman, Sandman's Death, Dana on Zuul's altar) had either larger limits or simply were not as popular. I managed to snag the three I wanted, but several others in line with me were not so lucky as items sold out as we moved through.

Beyond that, the day became much easier. With the shopping done, I was able to utilize the bag check (an absolute godsend) and roam the halls getting photos, looking at cheaper items or artwork to use the rest of my spending on, or hang out at the Batmobiles in between interviews on stage. Comic Con magic reared its head again, and I managed to see Ellen Page getting interviewed and get a couple close shots of Stephen Amell (CW's Arrow which I am HIGHLY looking forward to), neither of whom I expected to see.

Best of all were the evening panels I attended. Being so close to the cars everyday, I have fallen in love with the Batmobiles and wanted to attend the panel about them in the evenings. I arrived early and got to sit through the Vertigo Comics panel, where Neil Gaiman spoke via video that he was making a new Sandman prequel with JH Williams III as the artist. What was essentially a panel I was squatting through became a huge announcement, and I am already anticipating next year. Plus, the Batmobile panel was extremely enjoyable, and I was happy to see it was a packed house for the documentary viewing.

Overall, I am still not happy with some of the policies of SDCC in regards to crowd control, but it turned out to be a lively day, and I intend to keep at it by going back downtown for some food. Hopefully tomorrow will be much more laid back with a heavy focus on cosplay pictures.