You waited all this time to see who's dead, who hooked up and what they wore while it all happened. Then, in one long weekend, it's over. How the hell did that happen so quickly? All that anticipation and it's done and gone like yesterday's jam. (Wait. That's not right. Jam lasts forever. Init?)
Cheers, kittens! It's Moi, Miss Hannah Hart and like S3 of TURN, S4 of Bates Motel or a 2013 bottle of Coppola Director's Cut Cabernet, Comic-Con will have taunted and tempted you seemingly for-ev-er and then, Poof! ... all that delayed gratification is nothing but a sad ring of residue.
Why the harbinger of so much doom and gloom, Hannah? the fair reader wonders.
Fair point, fair reader. What the captain means to say is, SDCC is coming down the pipe fast, kids: less than two weeks. If I've learned anything in my 116 years of existence (Earthly and otherwise) it's time gets away from you, fast; so don't put off the little things. San Diego Comic-Con is the same thing. It seems like forever to wait, but it'll be here, and gone, before you can say, Bazinga!
When the Lolitas start looking old, it's over. Trust me, they start looking old pretty fast. Then, it's another year (save WonderCon, but that's still next Spring) before you get any Comic-Con mulligans. So, now, two weeks out, is your time to make it perfect.
Add those extra accoutrements to your costume; you'll wish you did when you see the work others put into their cosplay. Work in some extra days at the gym so you look superduper tight in that Harley Quinn or Thor costume. Polish up your portfolio if you're bringing artwork for a Portfolio Review Session with on-site, industry pros. Line up your panel schedule so you don't whine to your significant other every time you watch an episode of Bob's Burgers in the Autumn, I could've seen them in person! Don't let "Coulda Shoulda Woulda" be your motto.
The best way to keep track of all those panels, not to mention the allotted time you'll need to dash like The Flash from ballroom to ballroom? MySched of course! Even better? Sync MySched with the Official Comic-Con Mobile App (for Android and iOS). Worried about a connection? No worries! Just download the app and you'll get automatic updates regularly, sans Internet: special guest bios/photos, Exhibit Hall/hotels/ConvCtr maps, panel schedules and links to SDCC social media, for when you do have a connection.
Note: Of course, there is always Wi-Fi inside the Con; yet now there will be plenty of free Wi-Fi outside the Con, around San Diego: 100 HotSpots July 8 - 24, provided by a partnership between CCI and Cox Communications. Just look for the “Cox Wi-Fi Free” network on your device.
Re: those panels, check the official CCI Programming Schedule for the full buffet. From Silicon Valley to The Strain, from Torchwood to Wynonna Earp, from The Vampire Diaries to iZombie, from Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along to Rotten Tomatoes' tar-and-feathering, pitch-capping Your Opinion Sucks! panel (Friday, July 22, 2016, 6:45p, Rm 6DE) you're going to need to queue up your ducks. FOX alone will be using the venue to proffer thirteen new, and returning, series.
20th Century Fox will introduce Son of Zorn, 24: Legacy and The Exorcist as well as a preview of a musical-revival of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Fan-faves returning to FOX include Scream Queens, Family Guy, The Simpsons, American Dad, Bob’s Burgers, and Salem. Hide your toads.
All this yummy, geeky goodness means celeb sightings in and around the ConvCtr; and even if you won't admit it, you know deep in your Dark Souls your pupils would dilate if you caught a glimpse of Emilia Clarke, RDJ, Emily Deschanel, Peter Dinklage, Emma Roberts, Kristen Schaal, Matt Groening, Kit Harrington, Mekhi Phifer, Kevin Smith, Jamie Lee Curtis, Stan Lee, Conan O'Brien or Will Arnett.
Speaking of Will Arnett (Arrested Development, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, BoJack Horseman), Orange County's fave, obnoxious older-bro, Gob Bluth, will host Syfy Presents Live From Comic-Con: a three-night, live telecast, airing Thursday, July 21 - Saturday, July 24, 2016, 8p.m. EST/5p.m. PST. The nightly spectacle will tape live on the Marriott Marquis & Marina rooftop. A standing-only, undoubtedly frenetic crowd will juxtapose beautifully against the serene, San Diego Harbor views as Arnett interviews actors, pros and fans atop the Marriott, sprinkling each evening with behind-the-scenes nomnoms and any SDCC "breaking news": presumably with interstitial squibs for his newest flick: The Lego Batman Movie (2017).
Note: Syfy Presents Live From Comic-Con is a free, but ticketed event. You must have a badge and, I must report, as with all things Comic-Con, these free tix were gone within minutes of the availability announcement. It is possible, however, to join the huddled masses on ... The Waitlist. Bonne chance, chatons! If you did get tix, event organizers tell us there is no seating, SRO. They are honest in admitting SyFy Presents will be “slightly” oversold; yet, if you have tix, “as long as you arrive 30 minutes prior to the arrival time on [the] ticket you should be admitted”.
Kittens, get your gear in gear! The Con is nigh! If you need more detailed specifics on all goings-on, from panel updates/changes to pop-up screenings, from an up-to-the-minute Con-cast to Con-exclusive merch, from hotel info to off-site activities, bookmark San Diego Unofficial Blog. Only the folks running Comic-Con know better what's happening at SDCC!
Abyssinia on the Con Floor, Kids!
Check back here, and/or follow me @JennyPopCom @GoodToBeAGeek and Instagram for all the geeky goodness at San Diego Comic-Con starting Preview Night at the S.D. Convention Ctr. July 20, 2016!
P.S. Even if your badges were mailed to you this year, don't forget to head upstairs at the ConvCtr, to the Salis Pavillion, to pick up your official, 2016 Comic-Con International Souvenir Book! Our Miss Hannah (aka Jennifer Susannah Devore), hopefully, has her sixth SDCC article in this one: 75th anniversary of Archie Comics, a Betty & Veronica retrospective! To read her past articles on Catwoman, The Simpsons, Hellboy, Peanuts and Tarzan, visit her SDCC Articles page at JennyPop.net!