So you're not going to SDCC after all

21 FEBRUARY 2015

First of all: I'm sorry. I really mean that - especially for those of you who go every year and it's an integral part of your soul and then wham, it's taken away from you.

So a few suggestions.

Be good to yourself today. I don't know anyone who's all, "Eh, if I get a badge, good - if not, I'm okay." People are in this to win it. Our mouths go dry and our hearts pound and every time the screen flickers, our blood pressure soars sky high. Even if you get a good badge, the whole experience wrecks your nerves - and if you don't, it can plunge you into serious anger and despair. I know other people think I'm being melodramatic, but they don't realize how stressful this can be to many attendees. So try to be good to yourself this weekend; sleep in, indulge yourself with an extravagant meal, buy something with the money you won't be spending on SDCC.

Don't buy from scalpers. I've talked about this numerous times and no doubt I will again as spring comes on, but please don't traffic with these people. They're mostly out to scam you with fake badges and cannot be trusted. Sometimes in the days before the Con, retailers and professionals will sell off their badges - these are usually legit but it's hard to know until you arrive to pick it up. Every year I get emails that describe blowing hundreds of dollars on a fake badge. 

Go to other Cons. I know, I know - you want SDCC. There is no substitute. Except that - did you know NYCC is now bigger than SDCC? That Salt Lake is hot on its heels in attendance numbers? There's still WonderCon, Special Edition in NY, Dragon*Con, Phoenix Comicon, Denver and a bunch of others. The main differences boil down to a smaller Hollywood/celebrity presence. BUT you often end up going to more panels and events because you're not waiting in huge lines, and when you do meet the celebrities there, you tend to get more interaction with them.

Contact CCI with your tale of technical woe, if you have one. I've heard of a few glitches, not many. Certainly nothing like previous years. But if you genuinely got compromised in some way, and have the screenshots to prove it, go ahead and contact them.

Try to win a contest. Odds are slim when it comes to winning Comic-Con Powerball, but why not.

Consider that you've just saved time, money and stress. Maybe you've never been to SDCC, so allow me to tell you that it's not always what it's cracked up to be. It's tiring. It's expensive. It's a lot of standing in line - especially for those big splashy panels that are probably high on your wish list. Sometimes you wear yourself out to buy that one exclusive and get into that one panel and then you get home and you realize they weren't all that special - and one is on Ebay and the other on YouTube.

I know some of you are hovering in that gray area - you got a single day badge, maybe two, and now you don't know if you want to go at all. I'll present an argument as to why you should later today or tomorrow. Everyone else - again, I'm sorry. And I can't say I have an optimistic outlook for the future; people are exploiting every loophole they can and it's all getting pretty dire. So if you got denied today, know you are in excellent company - and that there really are viable alternatives for you out there. You just have to give them a chance.