Happy first full day, newbies. :)
Today seemed a bit brighter, though it still feels like this year's Con's volume has been toned down a bit. (I don't mean that literally. The Exhibit Hall is obnoxiously loud in the middle.)
General updates:
Much as I've despised Tim Burton in recent years, the Frankenweenie clip didn't look too bad.
Good news for Neil Gaiman fans: he's signed a multi-book deal with Harper Collins.
More good news for vampire and Anne Rice fans: a graphic novel version of Interview with a Vampire will debut in the fall. It seems to me there might already be one out there, because I have a graphic novel of The Vampire Lestat, and it seems odd they would do a graphic novel for just that, a sequel, and not the first book. Regardless, this should be popular.
People are griping about non-attendees who are just wandering down to the area to enjoy all the parking lot events. It annoys me too, but honestly, I'd probably do the same thing if I was local.
The hottest books so far seem to be Adrian Tomine's new book (Drawn and Quarterly) and No Straight Lines (Fantagraphics). I haven't yet discovered the hot new rising star book, of which there is one each Con - one year it was Blankets, and so on. Probably one will emerge by Sunday. Feel free to nominate in the comments.
If you love Love & Rockets, and who doesn't, they have new books and new t-shirts - and we all want to take home a new t-shirt from Comic Con, right? This is a good choice.
I can't find anyone who's actually done The Walking Dead Escape thing. If you or someone you know did it, please tell us about it and if it was worth the $$.
ETA: I suspect this didn't sell as well as they thought it would. Walk-up tickets are still available and the price to be a "survivor" (i.e., get chased by zombies) dropped back down to $75. And it's now only $15 to be a spectator.
What is worth seeing (and it's free): the Batmobiles on display between the convention center and Hilton.
Didn't see it, but supposedly the Dexter panel was good, with the first look at Season 7.
In what might turn out to be my favorite panel all week, the Archer panel delivered an exclusive clip of Archer mocking the audience and a season four preview. News includes that the season will feature "an epic underwater battle" and Mallory getting married. January is too far away.
A lot of people are discussing the Twilight fan's death, with fingers pointing in varied directions. Apparently there was a moment of silence at the Twilight panel.
Questions:
As to whether you can "barter" in the Exhibit Hall, the answer is: sort of. It's not a flea market. A lot of vendors will look annoyed if you point to an action figure clearly marked $35 and ask if they'll take $25 - if you ask on Thursday. But on late Saturday and Sunday, prices become more flexible because vendors want to unload as much as possible. Tons of stuff will be marked down, especially heavy books. It doesn't hurt to ask then.
There are exceptions to this, of course. If you're buying multiples from one booth, you might try asking for a volume discount (or just pretend to decide between them, and they'll usually propose one.) Comic book back issues can also be more negotiable, and of course, anything you're trying to sell to a vendor will be haggled over. Just be courteous and reasonable.
As to all the "when do I need to get in line" questions - sorry, I just don't know. Once again, people seem to be upping the ante here, as they do every year. This is what has made the Con such a nightmare. People see that a line has formed four hours in advance, and they think, "Next year, I will be here six hours in advance!" and so every year it gets worse. Trust me, it was not nearly this bad 5 years ago. My best advice is to just monitor the situation visually if you can. We really need a line cam.
As for the stench - people, this is nothing. Wait until Saturday around one p.m. in the Exhibit Hall. You will never want to breathe again. Seriously, if you have a sensitive nose, bring some kind of scent and pat it under your nose or into a little hankerchief. It does help. I suspect women are more sensitive to the Con odor than men because every year when I do this trick, at least several girls in obvious distress rush up to me and beg to borrow whatever I'm using. It's that bad.
As for where the cheapest place to eat is - I'm guessing the Horton food court? Or buying stuff at Ralph's.
Rest up for tomorrow, everyone. Unless you're already in line for Hall H, in which case you won't be resting much at all. ;)
The Walking Desd Escape was fun and but not worth the 95 dollars that my friend and I paid. It was hard with the running and all and the walkers seemed a bit tried. The service(the volunteer desk) was rude but overall my friend and I would recommend it:)
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize there would be actual running. I envisioned this as the zombie version of those fake haunted house attractions, with the walkers lurching menacingly but not actually catching you. This sounds a bit exhausting.
DeleteGlad you enjoyed it, though.
Another cheap place to eat is the Subway on K Street. They're open 24 hours, which is great. One caveat - they sometimes run out of stuff. One evening, it was no napkins. By 6:30am today, they were out of eggs and bacon. But still, cheap edible and - importantly for waiting in lines - portable.
ReplyDeleteThey ran out of eggs and bacon at 6:30 am??
DeleteGood point about it being portable. Also that it's open 24/7 - god knows at the Con you can find yourself out and about and eating at strange hours.