Although some of the geekiness can be a little too much to bear at these things, I absolutely love conventions like Comic-Con.
Yes, you definitely come across people who know all the episodes of Lost in Space and Star Trek all too well, yes you come across people that are a bit frightening in their devotion to all things geek and need to spend more time in the sun and at the gym, but I absolutely love many of the same things, and have no problem letting my inner geek come out at them.
With Comic-Con, and the recent Hero Complex screenings, geek nirvana has absolutely hit Southern California, and it’s amazing to see girls getting their geek on as well, which you didn’t see many years ago.
And this year for movie fans, Comic Con has been film buff heaven with Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson making a joint appearance, Ridley Scott showing up via satellite, and Francis Ford Coppola returning to the show for the first time since 1992, just to name a few.
Collider just did a story of suggestions for convention people headed over to Comic-Con, and several I’ve tried to follow myself as well. There’s an estimated 100,000 fans or more that come out to the Con, so you may not see everything you want to, but as Collider advises, “Do it for the experince and not the panels… You can handle lines when you’ve got cool people around and the presentations are better when you can chat about them with folks afterwards. If you’re going solo to Comic-Con just so you can see some Amazing Spider-Man footage, you’re missing the point.”
Also Collider recommends bringing your own food, because most of what’s served is very expensive, unnutrious junk. (Which I happen to like from time to time.) Also comfortable shoes are a must because of all the walking you’ll be doing, and another important warning, “Do you really need to buy that?”
These conventions are like Vegas for film geeks, and I’ve blown a ton of money at them myself impulse buying. It’s really hard not to spend that money, but as Collider advises, “keep your impulses in check and avoid buyer’s remorse later. If you are deal-hunting, your best bet is Sunday.”
Back when the Fangoria conventions were still cool, it reminded me a lot of when I wore nothing but my favorite concert t-shirts, and it gave you instant rapport with someone wearing a shirt from the same band.
Sitting down and rapping with fans, we all like the same stuff and speak the same language, and where a lot of us geeks don’t belong in a lot of places, here there’s no hierarchies or more geek than thou (for the most part).
We’re all part of the same gang of enthusiastic fans that love this stuff and love to support it, and are never afraid of getting our geek on in public.
