Comic Con in Review on Renderosity.com

Comic Con in Review

Posted: Wednesday, July 28, 2010 2:20 am

Related: Comic Con, convention

Now that Comic Con has ended the San Diego convention center seems lifeless. The people who were still packing up had a very somber mood about their face. Many were already planning for next year’s event.

Being my first Comic Con, the best way to describe the experience is WOW!! There are so many people and so many things to do it’s a bit overwhelming for this first timer. Just finding the right area to pick up my press badge was hectic. I kept getting directed to the main badge pick-up by the convention center staff. And, trust me, the main badge pick-up area was more crowded than Walt Disney World in peak tourist seasons, and trying to walk the exhibit floor was a hefty task. I thought attending the last day would be a little less crowded. Wrong! The crowd was thick and it was hard to move around, especially when everyone kept stopping to get pictures of the booth babes, attendees wearing cool costumes and all the amazingly large props. I admit, I was guilty of that too. For those of you who have attended Siggraph, you know how crowded it can be. In comparison, the average attendance for Siggraph the past few years has been around 23,000. The estimated attendance of Comic Con this year is currently around 140,000. Get the picture a little better now?

Below are some images from the convention.

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The lines for give away items were often wrapped around a large 100x60 booth several times (like the WB’s). One of the most desired swag items from the people I talked to was a Supernatural bag. They had been trying to get one for years. So, they were waiting through the WB line during each give away time. The crowd seemed to be more focused on the TV and movie side than on the actual comics.

Saturday afternoon two attendees got in a fight in a line for freebies, and a man ended up getting stabbed in the eye with a pencil. A witness I talked to Sunday told me all about it. She has been attending Comic Con for years, and had never seen anything like that. Later Sunday afternoon, I saw a guy walking around with a poster board over his face with an eye hole cut out that said, “Free stab in the eye.” At least some people were able to make light of the situation.

Here's a large moving prop that people could stand inside and get their picture taken when "it" opened up. "It" is from the upcoming Red Faction: Armageeddon video game that was announced at E3.

Comic Con Video.

There were lots of limited edition toys, figurines, and plush (stuffed) characters. From Star Wars to Predators and Twilight to Futurama, there was no end to the variety of specialty items for sale. Of course, there were isles and isles of comic book vendors, appraisers, and collectors.

The list of celebrities who attended is just too long to list every single one, but for those of you who are interested can read all the details on Comic Con here. I talked to a couple people in an autograph line that had spent the night in the parking lot just to get that opportunity. I enjoyed seeing President Obama and Sarah Palin there (even though they were just look-a-likes).

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