The thing about going to Comic-Con is many people will tell you what to expect. They’ll tell you about the mythological long lines to get into Hall H, and that, unless you arrive 8 hours before, it’s impossible to get into. They’ll tell you about how people role play in costume – a past-time known as cosplay – and how some even take it to the extreme, talking in a Darth Vader voice to accompany their Darth Vader outfit. And they’ll tell you, you ain’t seen crazy yet, ’til you’ve seen someone stab someone else with a pen for cutting in front of them in the autograph line.
I experienced most of that – well, except for the pen-stabbing. Only I did get into Hall H after less than an hour’s worth of waiting (it was amazing) and I saw people role-play in groups, not just on their own. But most of all, I experienced fandom in all its glory. As a first-timer, my head was spinning trying to keep up with the explosion of pop culture that spilled out of the Convention Centre and onto the streets of downtown San Diego. I got to see what makes Comic-Con the magnet of weird, crazy, dedicated, enthusiastic cool-geek-nerds it is.
And these were some of the best parts:
- the awesome figures inside the exhibition hall, like the Gollum statue at The Lord of the Rings stand and the Lego-fied Incredible Hulk
- hearing the Twilight cast talk about their final film, and how the fans, in the words of Nikki Reed, have helped them grow so popular in “an age where it’s hard to hold anyone’s attention for longer than 10 minutes.”
- meeting The Walking Dead newcomer show-changers, Michonne, played by Danai Gurira, and the Governor, played by David Morrissey at the Q-and-A prison style breakfast.
- seeing 7 minutes of Elysium, ahead of the release next year in March. The giant space vehicle protruding from the Hard Rock Hotel as part of promotion for the film was an inspired move.
As I’ve learnt long time ago, I can’t be everywhere at one time (now that would be a superpower I’d like!), so you’ll find some other highlights that happened at Comic-Con 2012 here and here.
