When choosing my favorite month, there are many factors to consider. My birthday is in September, so that’s fun. December means Christmas and winter break. But July is more than just fireworks ““ July is Comic-Con International.
Starting this Wednesday night and going through Sunday, animators, comic book collectors, movie studios, celebrities and over 120,000 fans will congregate in downtown San Diego for the 37th annual nerd fest. At $55 for a four-day pass, the cost may seem steep but considering the exclusive sneak peeks of the biggest upcoming flicks, the big-time movie stars and the loads of fellow fans there to freak out with, for “fanboys” (and girls) near and far, Comic-Con is an extravaganza not to miss.
And while on the surface the convention may seem like just a four-day gathering for Trekkies and Star Wars fanatics, the event is so much more than that.
Because of the event’s increasing mainstream popularity, Hollywood studios nowadays view the convention as a make-it-or-break-it with the fans. This year, the upcoming comedy “Superbad” and Tim Burton musical “Sweeney Todd” will be hosting panel discussions, in hopes of generating some positive buzz.
This year will be my fifth time attending Comic-Con. In the past I’ve camped outside the San Diego Convention Center just so I could be among the first inside on a Saturday, which is historically the busiest day. (It is already sold out this year.) I’ve been trampled near the autograph booths in the exhibition halls, waiting to meet the stars of “Sin City” and “Lost,” and I’ve waited in line for seemingly decades just to get a glimpse of the newest trailers for “Underworld” and “Serenity.”
While I have managed to meet my fair share of celebrities every year, including Greg Grunberg of “Heroes” and Jude Law, who was promoting “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow,” it’s the whole crazed experience and the chance for a once-in-a-lifetime memory, rather than just the famous faces, that have kept me coming back and braving the crazy crowds year after year.
My best Comic-Con moment was three years back, early on a Saturday morning. It was months before the rest of the world became obsessed with the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815, and my friend Maya and I were in Ballroom 20, watching the first glimpse of a little show called “Lost.”
Moments after the end of the panel, while raving over the pilot to Maya in the ladies’ room, a tall, slender brunette emerged and jokingly said, “Oh yeah, that show IS good,” and the next thing I knew, I was screaming at the top of my lungs and begging “Lost’s” female lead for an autograph.
Cost of a three-day youth pass: $25. Being Evangeline Lilly’s first screaming fan: priceless.
The anticipation and action of Comic-Con back in my high school days when I lived and breathed “Smallville” still bring many fond memories, and this year I am hoping to discover new obsession-worthy TV shows. Highly-anticipated new network series such as “Pushing Daisies,” “Chuck” and “Reaper” will be following in “Lost’s” footsteps and showing their entire pilots in advance, and many actors and actresses are coming down to San Diego with their star power ready to promote their upcoming projects. Some big names to keep an eye out for include Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson, Clive Owen, Robert Downey Jr., Kate Beckinsale, Liv Tyler, Ed Norton, Nicolas Cage, Kevin Smith, Dane Cook, the cast of “Heroes” and many more.
This year will mark my fifth time around in six years, but I’m just as excited as if I were still a Comic-Con virgin, maybe even more so because I know the kind of surprises and excitement I can expect. See you in San Diego!
If you were also ever obsessed with “Smallville,” e-mail Mrs. Tom Welling at kstanhope@media.ucla.edu.