My First Time – by Chris Sully
At the beginning of 2012 a good friend of mine approached me about attending the San Diego Comic-Con. Neither of us had ever been and, until then, I honestly thought it was something reserved for industry and fame. With a lot of research and careful planning these two Texans were off to their first SDCC.
I’ve been a nerd as long as I can remember. I wasn’t into comic books really, but pop culture, TV, film and gaming have long been passions of mine and I am a collector (some might say hoarder) at heart. So, arriving at SDCC 2012 was like going home for the first time. Stepping onto the show floor was overwhelming, emotional, exciting and maddening all at the same time. How could we ever see it all, make it to all the panels, get autographs, come away with some sweet collectibles and, oh yeah, sleep.
High Points
It would be impossible to list all of the high points we experienced last year, so I’ll limit myself.
1) The Firefly 10th anniversary panel – Let me just say – I was meant to be there. To see Mal, Jayne, River and the gang on stage with my favorite director in the world (the one-and-only Joss Whedon)… no words can describe.
2) Expendables 2 – Schwarzenegger and Stallone on stage… TOGETHER. Come one. I am a child of the 80s and these guys were THE HEROES for every kid my age. I don’t think I blinked or took a breath for 45 minutes.
3) The people – I never thought a crowd could be so amazing. Every person I came in contact with shared our passion and amazement for what SDCC had to offer. I dreaded standing in line at 4am for a noon panel, only to come away with some amazing new friends!
Hard Times
The most difficult thing about SDCC was trying to squeeze in everything we wanted to do. Tons of panels, Nerd HQ, autograph sessions, a Marvel scavenger hunt …. There wasn’t time for everything and sleep simply became a nuisance.
Many, many times during our trip we said “Next year we have to ___________.” To help all you first-timers out there, here were the top things we vowed to do the next time:
- Research – no amount of preparation before the Con can be enough, but reading blogs, reviewing the schedules and following the right folks on Twitter is a MUST!
- Power – you WILL use up your phone battery so always charge when you can and makes sure you have some backups, like a Mophie or a FUL backpack.
- Camera – there are too many photo ops at SDCC so get a nice camera and learn how to use it. I was a total noob at photography but I’m learning more every day, in preparation for SDCC 2013.
Overall, my first SDCC was one of the most amazing times of my life and thanks to my good friend, hero and Comic-Con partner, Steve we will be returning to SDCC this year and every year for the foreseeable future.
About Chris Sully
I would be happy to help anyone with questions about SDCC, just follow and ask.
Twitter – @CSSully
Instagram – @instantcolor
My Flickr gallery of SDCC 2012 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/socialsully/collections/72157630763378658/
Crazy 4 Comic Con 
How did you get tickets so easily as a newcomer. I am a newbie and had no luck but I am still doing the outside events and would like to meet at least one new SDCC fellow conventioner. I have tried with no luck. Would love to meet up with some Fringies. Theresa
Hey @metfan012000fringefries – I’m sure there was a lot of luck involved, but there were two of us set up on multiple computers long before tickets went on sale & we were quick on the trigger the second they said GO.
We both got in, but were separated by thousands of places in the “line” and only one of us ended up getting the option to buy tickets. We also didn’t get all 4 days or preview night.
Good luck next year, but if you make it to the outside events this year, we’d love to meet a fellow Fringie!! Honestly, meeting new people and making new friends was one of our favorite parts of SDCC.
Give me a follow on Twitter and let’s make it happen!
I followed you and that would be great, even for just a few minutes of a meet. I will keep in touch as the Con gets nearer.
Hey @CSsully, It’s almost as if you have to gear up to do a mini DDoS on the day of ticket sales. Also getting ready for it being a whole day event helps, @metfan012000fringefries.
I’m coming from Australia and I’m a fringie! First time this year as well. Devastated when I missed out on a badge but I’m seeing it as a positive – more time to spend at NerdHQ. I’m also coming on my own so I would love to meet up with people! Follow me on twitter @jazzical
Okay so you can hang with me and Chris. I want to go to Nerd HQ as well. I thought I was brave going it alone but you are even braver! I will follow you on Twitter and as the Con gets closer we can arrange for a meet upc
It warms my heart to see SDCC nerds connect- the Internet wins!
Yes – The Internet Wins!!!!
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