On a beautiful, nearly Southern California-like day, we went to the Star Wars Special Exhibit at the Tech Museum in San Jose! It. Was. Awesome.
There were dozens of exhibits: many of them interactive, all of them beautiful. I sat and learned about Hoth and the filming thereof, there were great video clips from the creators like Irvin Kershner (who I’ve actually met before!) describing how the crew filmed the Hoth scenes in Norway.
A snowstorm had come through before they were meant to film, so they pointed the camera out the back door of the hotel, and made Mark Hamill go stumbling through the snow alone. The rest of the crew sat safe and snug inside. 🙂
There was even a model landspeeder to drive! You betcha we hopped on that for a couple of rounds. There’s something to be said for going to museums during off hours.
Things I learned: I’m taller than a jawa, shorter than Darth Vader. They filmed the ships using huge models, I couldn’t fit the entire model into the frame there! that took 2-4 people to lift and move. We also experimented with MagLev and programmed those little robots to walk around.
And of course, to take us out….
The view from the cockpit of the Millenium Falcon
I hate to admit it but the Millenium Falcon Experience (an extra $5) was actually kind of disappointing and not just because it cost more money.
Tickets were $48 for two, with a AAA discount ($3 off per admission).
Edit: Sorry, forgot to mention this goes away after March 23rd.
The Exhibitor list for this year’s Comic-Con has been posted. Time to start plotting who to visit, which booths to patronize.
Does this ever get old? Normally the answer would be *insane cackle* “Of course not.” And in a lot of ways, nope. It really doesn’t. Mecca, afterall.
But even I have to admit, after the Badging Debacle of 2011 (wherein my intrepid beloved never-to-be-sufficiently-thanked husband sat up ALL NIGHT among hordes of other similarly intrepid fans to buy our tickets for 2012’s SDCC solely because he knew that the prospect of not going to SDCC the next year would cause me *hic hic hic* “But .. but .. ok .. but but” *hic hic* speech-impaired grief), and after the Sit at the Computer Ready for Anything and losing out on Preview Night 4-day passes Debacle of 2012, a little of my pure, shining, glorious joy in going to Mecca has been tarnished.
I hate crowds, I’m not a huge fan of people in general and you know how I feel about paying ridiculous prices. And yet I’ll plow headfirst into every one of those conditions for Comic-Con, because there’d always been something utterly uplifting about going to SD just for fun. The one time in my year when work wasn’t allowed, when it was completely about fun and nothing else. When it was ok to spend money on myself if I wanted to, and not spend 3 days looking for a bargain first, and then talking myself out of it.
Life isn’t nearly so bleak these days 🙂 but there’s something about keeping the traditions originally built into the Annual Pilgrimage that’s homey and comforting. I started out watching every penny, parking out back of beyond, staying with friends because they’re awesome, and buying gifts for people six months early because you can find unique gifts there. Most of it sort of stuck.
It’s the one time in the year we spend quality time with certain friends; it’s awesome if we can find good presents, or at least ideas, well ahead of Christmas; walking the Con floor from end to end is like navigating an obstacle course collecting bonus gifts on the way. It’s really too bad we can’t hit a box for bonus coins or lives but this is good enough.
In recent years, the Con has grown exponentially, promotional events and booths spilling over the edges of the Convention Center itself into neighboring hotels, into the Gaslamp District and clear through to PetCo Park. It’s a sight to see, I tell you.
The main casualty of this growth is their ability to properly sell tickets. It’s become a situation where attendees can’t buy tickets in a sane manner on site for the next year, the vendor managing sales cannot serve up tickets online only without servers collapsing under the weight of anxious buyers and no one knows how many of what kind of tickets will be sold at any given time. It’s a bit of a mess.
There’s no longer a guarantee that this year won’t be the last year that we can get tickets and that’s terribly dispiriting. It seems easier to get a ticket if you went the previous year because you get two shots at the ticket purchasing gauntlet so once you drop out of attending, you almost can’t plan to go back. (Pessimist.)
On the other hand, if this is the last year, we’re going to make the most of it. (And look, I typed that whole statement without having to hold my breath or tearing up. I’m finally making my peace with it. Probably.)
Which means: we’re staying at a hotel in the Gaslamp District at conference rates (only hotel we could get at the time), sharing out the cost by rooming with friends, and planning to make the most of what little time we have left. I have a lot more flexibility with regard to work than I ever have before, so there’s that.
:: Have you got any travel/fun-only traditions? Any that you’re going to have to (or have had to) let go of?
This was the quietest year since I first started attending. Not in terms of the actual Con but in terms of personal experience. I needed to be quiet and low-intensity, so I was. And that was weird. But it was the right note, I think.
I balanced my floor time with panel time, none of the television/media panels though because I avoid those and spent most of my money directly on creators and artists.
Jeph Jacques’s Tumbler post noted precisely one of the things I have been noticing (er, not the light crowds on the floor though) in the recent years. I am not a fan of the ever-increasing emphasis on Hollywood, television, and big media companies that dominate to such a massive degree that it destabilizes the Con ecosystem.
When you have so very many people spending more than 12-24 hours at a stretch waiting in lines for something they may not even get into and sacrificing Con time to do it, there’s something wrong with the system. I actively choose not to attend those panels even if I do think hearing the latest on Bones, the Big Bang Theory, the Hobbit, Dr. Who or any of those other shows would be neat. For me, it’s not worth the loss of time, energy and opportunity cost. For some, it’s part of the fun, or it’s worth it. I’m too rickety for that but I’m also not at Con for that particular experience.
I am a bit disappointed that my own energies were at such an ebb that I didn’t get the chance to meet up with many personal friends or acquaintances. The list of people I wanted to see and hang out with is far too long to list. But I’m not going to dwell on it: next year, Con, or trip – I’ll make that happen.
Favorite new people to meet.
@justjenn was at her booth – I missed her the few times I buzzed her booth last year. This year I lucked out the first pass. I got to tell her that I love her recipes. We got to sample her delicious cookies.
The cookies had to be photographed before we could eat them. Because how neat! & Sarcasmo gift tags. I know somebodies who will enjoy them. 😉
Nate Powell of Top Shelf Comix and independent comic creator. Super nice dude and seriously hardworking. I had to buy all his books that he had at the show to support him. Devoured two of them on the flight back – and they were good.
Some Neat Things.
I thought of fellow blogger-friend Moom when I saw this.
Artist and Illustrator Nidhi Chanani had adorable prints and greeting cards. She also has an Etsy shop. (Pardon the shine, that was due to my insistence on immediately photo-ing, not her art.)
The financial breakdown.
Hotel: The Sheraton Mission Valley was quoted at $185/night. Happily, PiC and I were joined by budget-minded SDCC-lovin’ roommates at the last minute and we were all happy to split the bill.
Our room was fine but the bathroom was downright disgusting. It was obviously not cleaned since the last guests: there were hairs in the sink and the tub and bits and pieces of what looked like gunk and chunks of dried blood? I was not looking too closely. The toilet wouldn’t stop running, overflowing and flooding the bathroom, despite our best efforts to fix it ourselves. This is normally a very simple fix. We had to call for maintenance to deal with it more than once before it stopped.
Our roomie @theroseinbloomkicked butt getting on Twitter about the state of the room. I was surprised how quickly the hotel actually got right in touch to deal. She even got them to offer a comped night and comped breakfasts for the rest of our stay. (Grossly, the cleaning never happened.)
Final cost: $625 for party of four, lodgings / $15 tips at breakfast / $5 housekeeping tip = (our cost) $332.50
Savings: $205, comped room / $13 x 3 x 4, value of buffet breakfasts over remainder of stay = $156 = (our cost) $180.50
Car Rental: Using Carrentals.com on ebates.com, I compared rates and Enterprise was, not surprisingly, one of the more painfully expensive companies. But, after a really crap experience I’ve yet to blog with another company, I’d decided some few months ago that it wasn’t worth saving twenty dollars just to go through that sort of hassle again.
Renting with Enterprise has always been a fast in the door and out in a car process. Only this time, we were out so quickly, it took me until we hit the freeway to realize the car reeked of smoke. It was nauseating. But we simply didn’t have time to turn back and trade the car back.
With a sore throat, the next night, I called in a complaint – I didn’t want to take the risk of not establishing the timeline of the smoke occurring before our pickup of the car and be saddled with any associated charges. We aren’t smokers and we don’t smoke in rentals! Also, it made me feel ill and my throat hurt.
At the return, I mentioned the issue again. I gently made it clear that it was not due to our abuse of the car. I was offered an upgrade for our next rental but that’s not generally useful for us, so I thanked her but asked for a discount instead. She removed a day’s charge from the bill on the spot.
Final cost: $44
Savings: $31
Purchases: This year was pretty me-oriented. We’d had unusual travel plans this year, so we had to travel much more lightly than usual and I had to buy less than years past. About half the books and merchandise I bought were for myself, and the other half were gifts. Typically I only buy gifts but I didn’t mind having something for myself!
Final Cost: ~ $200
Savings: $46, either “bulk” discounts from any single creator or the occasional discount shop.
Go figure it took fairly shoddy service to keep our costs low, but whatever works. We’re willing to speak up over less than decent products or competent services.
All in all, a lovely Con. Friends had pretty great experiences too, from what I can tell, more lively than mine as they were up to it and I’m glad for them.
As I write this, the neighborhoods two miles away are ablaze. I had nothing to do with it.
Do you all read forewords? Back in high school, we were made to read the introductions and forewords like medicine. These days, I read them in comics to sniff out new authors to follow. If you can hook me in the 400 words or 1000 words allotted to introduce a trade paperback, if you’re really that entertaining or well spoken, you’re probably someone I’d be pretty happy reading.
The line-up for the six volumes of Scalped would be a perfect example, except they’re all big enough names and big enough entertainers that I’m already well aware of their writing.
Take, for example, Matt Fraction. The man knows his way around a story. He weaves, like any good yarn deserves, twists and turns, colors and spikes into his writing that has you Not Breathing for extended periods before you realize what he’s just done to you.
He’s not just a good writer, though. He’s fantastic on his feet. As witness, his participation in w00tstock (go, go, Google or YouTube “Matt Fraction w00tstock 2010” and revel in the geekery, I’ll be here when you get back).
And he’s generally a pretty cool guy. My Con BFF texted me on the Sunday I was flying away from my beloved SDCC: In line for the Fraction panel, he just worked the line. We just talked cancer.
Me: … what?
Con BFF: A girl in line had a cast on her ankle and he told her she needed a more heroic story for the injury. We brainstormed: kicking cancer in the face.
If that wasn’t enough, his answer to the question “Why do you write strong female characters?” was “I’m married to a very strong woman. And I have a daughter. I know my wife, and I know that she’s going to raise my daughter so that, one day, my daughter is going to look me in the eye and I’m going to have to explain to her my involvement in this world in which I work. So I’d better do the right thing now.”
If I didn’t know all that, his introduction to Jason Aaron’s 4th Volume of Scalped in which he shared the Legend of the Alabama Corn Snake would have clinched it.
I’d reproduce it here but I don’t want to steal, it’s not nearly so tasty in excerpted form, and really, I want you to read all the way up to Volume 4 of Scalped to revel in the goodness of the foreword, marvel in the comic and support the industry. But mostly, it’s really late, I’m tired, and maybe I’ll do some of it later.
In the meanwhiles, I heartily endorse the reading of introductions. At least for comic books – there’s some excellent footage to be had.
Mice Templar (Vol 1), by Bryan Glass and Michael Avon Oeming Usagi Yojimbo (Vol 1-2), by Stan Sakai** Alan Moore’s Complete WILDC.A.T.S. Sam and Twitch (Vol 1-2), by Brian Michael Bendis Wolverine, by Jason Aaron 100 Bullets (Vols 12-13), by Brian Azzarello and Edward Risso**
Of the Borrowed Variety:
The Umbrella Academy (Vols 1-2), by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba Scalped (Vols 1-6), by Jason Aaron and R.M. Guera The Boys (Vols 1-4), by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson**
Of the Gifting Sort:
Daredevil: Return of the King, by Ed Brubaker and David Aja Batman: Private Casebook, by Paul Dini
**Still waiting to be read ~~~~~~~~~
I cannot proclaim enough how incredibly creative The Umbrella Academy is, or how gutwrenchingly compelling Scalped is. I try, I really do, but I feel like it’s just not good enough. Just to give you an idea: I’m pretty sure that I’m an adult now. I’ve got some incredible impulse control. I can make a package of Oreos last a MONTH. Girl scout cookies, TWO. My birthday gift has been sitting in this house for over a week and I haven’t rent the packaging to particle bits despite knowing what joys await me.
But I tore through all six volumes of Scalped, cover to cover, in less than 72 hours. It’s no feel good comic, but it grabs hold of your intestines and doesn’t let go. And now I have to wait until March 2011 for the next trade to ship. It’s already preordered, I’ll tell you what.
Oh. I’ve got an 8 am meeting and just got the EYE from PiC so further exultation must wait.
Con was pretty fab and so were the geek-celeb sightings. The regular celeb sightings weren’t nearly so interesting; I didn’t even recognize Michael Cera, Brandon Routh or the other Scott Pilgrim stars. That might be more of a commentary on my social awareness than anything to do with them, though. 😉
One of my favorite things about Con is the opportunity to see and support some of my favorite artists and performers like Felicia Day and The Guild. If you’ve never seen The Guild before, you really ought to. Even PiC who is by no means geeky (yeah, how did that happen?) enjoys watching the web series Felicia Day created and wrote. I love the series because it’s so delightfully geeky, the characters are hilariously flawed and frankly, Felicia Day is just adorable.
You should definitely watch the music videos they’ve created in addition to the episodes.
