Comic-Con is more than offsites.

 20 JULY 2024

"There are decades where nothing happens and there are weeks where decades happen." Lenin said that and yes, it does apply to our volatile political landscape right now - but strangely, it also applies to San Diego Comic-Con! What a week we've had, with various lotteries leaving some people elated and others increasingly despondent and even bitter. 

But where jaded old veterans like me can roll with it, I've noticed first-timers are getting a very wrong and very dismal impression of SDCC: that offsites and exclusives are the main attractions of Comic-Con and they have now been shut out of what's most glorious and intriguing about SDCC. 

This seems to be the result of a high (it seems?) influx of first-timers and a higher number of lotteries. It upsets me to see these first-timers brooding and losing interest right when they should be getting excited about their first SDCC - so let's break this down.

San Diego Comic-Con is more than offsites and exclusives.

Believe it or not, Comic-Con used to be about comics! It's how it got started! Comics and science fiction fans came together in a nuclear fusion of Detective Comics, Star Trek, Stan Lee and other fevers, and Comic-Con was born. People milled around meeting Ray Bradbury and hunting for back issues and nerding out. No one expected corporations to set up big glamourous marketing promotions called offsites and parties were largely just friends getting together.

In recent years, yes, offsites and parties have become a star attraction for many people, but there is still so much to do. Like panels and the Exhibit Hall and film festivals and networking and gaming tournaments - you know, all the original bricks of the Comic-Con house.

But I don't think first-timers know this because I see bitter laments that say things like, "Apparently I've been shut out of everything so I don't even know why I'm going." And I can see why they say that - because all the recent talk has been of which offsite or party everyone has gotten tickets to. If you've never been to SDCC, you probably think this is all there is since it's all anyone is talking about.

But there's so much more magnificence you haven't heard about. Once you're there, you're going to forget all about the Penguin offsite because you'll be dazzled by other things.

In fact, the Con proper has little to do with offsites - so stop blaming CCI.

Again, I don't blame first-timers for this but so many people are calling the Con "badly run" and "mismanaged" and "elitist" and other terms because they couldn't get tickets to an event that has zero connection to SDCC. That's right: most of these fancy little events with pretty posters are wholly owned and run by some company with a fat marketing budget. They come to SDCC to promote to you, but CCI has zero power over them. (In most cases. Sometimes the lines blur.) 

So please stop blaming CCI because a media company's offsite didn't give you a ticket. These activations were never intended to accommodate a hundred thousand people passing through them. Same with boat trips and screenings and parties in Petco Park. They are fringe offerings, not part of SDCC programming. No one guaranteed access to any of this when you bought a badge.

Sorry to sound heartless about this, but I've seen too many people blame CCI for something that has nothing to do with them. I've even seen people say they feel deceived, that SDCC is unfair by selling so many badges when only a few people can get into the top attractions. CCI sold you a badge for official Con programming. Not an ancient Roman chariot race organized by a subsidiary of NBCUniversal Media Group.

Obviously the Deadpool Wolverine Celebration of Life and the exclusives lottery are a little different, but you still have to be realistic.

It's Hall H, seating is limited, interest was massive. Most of us weren't going to get in. Now - was a lottery the right way to go? I think so. But it's already bred predicted issues such as trios that must now split into two, parents who don't have babysitters, how to unofficially line up when you're not supposed to be lining up, and so forth. I'm really interested to see how this plays out. And it's been entertaining to see the many things offered to be a +1 - and on the flip side, the requests people have made to get their +1. 

Same with exclusives. This is the one area where I scored and I'm genuinely sorry for everyone who didn't. I can see why people feel deprived here - buying a badge and being told they can't even buy from specific booths on the floor. But again, there is no way to make everyone happy.

If offsites and parties are all you care about, maybe SDCC isn't for you - but I bet you will find other things to fall in love with.

If more things continue to move to a lottery methodology, people who only care about offsites and parties may ask themselves if they still want to go to SDCC. It's probably a pertinent question in those minutes before the badge sale: if you get into absolutely zero events, do you still want to attend? Is there a more experiential Con that would be more worth your while?

But right now, for this year, give the rest of the Con a shot. I've seen for years the split between the nerds and the fans, who somewhat cross over but not always. If comics, gaming, anime, science, cosplay, books, collectibles, science fiction, and fantasy don't interest you, give them a shot this summer. Expand your interests. Maybe some of that is for you and maybe it isn't.

Everyone remembers their happy SDCC memories - not the things they didn't do.

I feel safe in saying this is largely true. Of course we all remember a stinging injustice or sadistic booth worker, but by and large, SDCC is so immersive that upon entering, we are swallowed up in a sensory overload that drowns out all other thoughts. If this is your first Con, you will find plenty to occupy yourself, on and off the convention center grounds. That will probably include some currently unannounced offsites but also other events and Con programming. Just enjoy the mystery of that and not the current mania over tickets and trades and Deadpool.

Yes, some people are organized and highly skilled when it comes to this stuff. At the very least, you have to be proactive.

Nothing tugs at my heartstrings like seeing a first-timer say plaintively, "I can't find any of this stuff listed on the site. How do you all know about these events?"

Again, I get it - they scored a Comic-Con badge, they assumed that everything is listed and linked somewhere on the CCI site. They have no idea of how many companies and studios they need to follow, the different blogs they need to read and the communities they need to join. Instead, you see them stumbling across social media like bison across a wintry tundra, starving and desperately hunting for food. And when they realize that most of this stuff is dominated by super-attendees who tend to band together to conquer, they get very pissed off.

If this is you - yes, preparing for Comic-Con is almost a second job. It's one I've mostly abandoned because my priorities have changed, but it's still required if your eyes are on the prize. News breaks lightning fast and then it's over. Or you log into a portal on time but it's overloaded and then just over. 

It can be frustrating, especially when some people seem to have an advantage. I don't see this changing, so find your own group to join or make your peace with the intensely competitive nature of this Con. 

Finally - feel free to share your first-timer impressions with me.

I cover first-timers every year and I would love to hear what you thought about Comic-Con. Yes, even if you've been to other Cons. Just email me at SDCCguide@gmail.com.

Hopefully this wasn't too harsh; I just hate seeing bitterness spread like a cloud over what should be a week of excitement and anticipation. I understand being disappointed - I was too when I couldn't get certain tickets and didn't get picked for Deadpool. But don't let it ruin your Con because once you're there, everything will look very different.