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Description
July 22nd, 2009. Downtown San Diego holds its collective breath as hundreds of thousands of people descend on the city, from all over the world. A curious tension fills the air as hotel rooms are booked, comfortable shoes are purchased, costumes are given a last once-over, and swag bags are primed. Finally, the horde is ready: Comic-Con '09 is about to begin.

At five o'clock p.m., I join tens of thousands of people like me who have purchased a four-day pass for our exclusive, day-early, three-hour sneak peek of the 'Con. However, unlike me, everyone else seems to have arrived earlier (picture 1).

Upon entrance, I immediately hit the ground floor. Thousands of booths are set up, displaying everything from comics and toys to video games and movie premiers. I shove my way through the crowds, stopping to grab anything that appears to be free, the glorious detritus known simply as "swag." I want to get this part out of the way early: much of the later days will be reserved for waiting in line for events.

The first day finished, I return home for much-needed rest. The next day I am up at nine, and back on the ground floor at ten. Over the next four days, I see the Green Lantern: First Flight world premier, a Mythbusters panel, and a panel with Terry Brooks, whom I also meet and receive an autograph from (picture 31). At one point I find Mark Hamill, a.k.a. Luke Skywalker, but crowds prevent me from getting close enough for an autograph (picture 10). I see countless cosplaying connoisseurs, and snap photos of a few of them (pictures 2-3, 4, 6, 8, 9, and 11). Is that Darth Vader Holding a baby? Why yes, yes it is.

At one point, I found the booth of fellow deviant *tracyjb , and purchased her absolutely fantastic graphic novel Lackadaisy, which she was kind enough to sign (picture 21). I went on to get a poster, also signed (picture 22), and a Club Pin for my hat (picture 20). If this sounds like an advertisement for Tracy, you're absolutely right. Go check her work out, because she's awesome.

On the last day, Sunday, I had the sincere pleasure and surprise of meeting the wonderfully talented Sebastian A. Jones, writer for Stranger Comics and more specifically The Untamed: A Sinner's Prayer. I had been given a free edition of the comic on an earlier day and greatly admired his work, so to meet him and get his autograph was beyond awesome (picture 28). I also got a signed, limited-edition lithograph, one of only fifty produced (picture 29), as well as a free Mana energy drink. I'm predicting right now that this guy is up-and-coming in a big way, so keep an eye on him.

When the 'Con was finally over, it was time to go home and actually look at what I had put in my swag bag. The first items of interest were a Fullmetal Alchemist pass holder and a Soul Eater mousepad, which I got from a Square Enix giveaway (pictures 12 and 13). I bought the Kingdom Hearts Piano Collection (picture 14), and received some Final Fantasy: Dissidia swag for signing up with Square Enix Members (pictures 15 and 16). The music CD came in an extremely cool, biodegradable bag (picture 17).

From the pokémon booth, I got a pokéball beach ball and two Riolu cards (pictures 18 and 19). The workers there mentioned absolutely nothing about Heartgold and Soulsilver, and shushed me when I asked about the games.

I picked up a free copy of Black and White at one point, and had it signed by the authors (picture 24). I have yet to read it, so I have no idea if it's good.

A company called Sideshow Collectibles had a booth that dominated the very center of the ground floor, and for good reason: they produce high-quality scale models from the most popular and influential movies and media. I snapped a pic of their Serenity model (picture 7), and got a mystery gift card which turned out to have $75 on it. With it, I bought a 1:4 scale replica of a Battle Troll's Helm (picture 30), as well as two cases of Indiana Jones playing cards (picture 24).

The last few pics are of the Dark Horse bag (picture 25), the Mythbusters bag which I found on a whim and adopted as my primary swag bag (picture 26: the thing is huge), and a Dark Void comic signed by the artistic director and writer of Dark Void (picture 27).

Overall, Comic-Con was a fantastic experience that I would recommend to anyone who has even heard the word "comic." If approached with a lot of stamina and an open mind, I guarantee that there's something there for everyone. This isn't an event to be missed.

And to everyone from dA who attended, it was great to meet you all, and I hope to see you next year!

Description
July 22nd, 2009. Downtown San Diego holds its collective breath as hundreds of thousands of people descend on the city, from all over the world. A curious tension fills the air as hotel rooms are booked, comfortable shoes are purchased, costumes are given a last once-over, and swag bags are primed. Finally, the horde is ready: Comic-Con '09 is about to begin.

At five o'clock p.m., I join tens of thousands of people like me who have purchased a four-day pass for our exclusive, day-early, three-hour sneak peek of the 'Con. However, unlike me, everyone else seems to have arrived earlier (picture 1).

Upon entrance, I immediately hit the ground floor. Thousands of booths are set up, displaying everything from comics and toys to video games and movie premiers. I shove my way through the crowds, stopping to grab anything that appears to be free, the glorious detritus known simply as "swag." I want to get this part out of the way early: much of the later days will be reserved for waiting in line for events.

The first day finished, I return home for much-needed rest. The next day I am up at nine, and back on the ground floor at ten. Over the next four days, I see the Green Lantern: First Flight world premier, a Mythbusters panel, and a panel with Terry Brooks, whom I also meet and receive an autograph from (picture 31). At one point I find Mark Hamill, a.k.a. Luke Skywalker, but crowds prevent me from getting close enough for an autograph (picture 10). I see countless cosplaying connoisseurs, and snap photos of a few of them (pictures 2-3, 4, 6, 8, 9, and 11). Is that Darth Vader Holding a baby? Why yes, yes it is.

At one point, I found the booth of fellow deviant *tracyjb , and purchased her absolutely fantastic graphic novel Lackadaisy, which she was kind enough to sign (picture 21). I went on to get a poster, also signed (picture 22), and a Club Pin for my hat (picture 20). If this sounds like an advertisement for Tracy, you're absolutely right. Go check her work out, because she's awesome.

On the last day, Sunday, I had the sincere pleasure and surprise of meeting the wonderfully talented Sebastian A. Jones, writer for Stranger Comics and more specifically The Untamed: A Sinner's Prayer. I had been given a free edition of the comic on an earlier day and greatly admired his work, so to meet him and get his autograph was beyond awesome (picture 28). I also got a signed, limited-edition lithograph, one of only fifty produced (picture 29), as well as a free Mana energy drink. I'm predicting right now that this guy is up-and-coming in a big way, so keep an eye on him.

When the 'Con was finally over, it was time to go home and actually look at what I had put in my swag bag. The first items of interest were a Fullmetal Alchemist pass holder and a Soul Eater mousepad, which I got from a Square Enix giveaway (pictures 12 and 13). I bought the Kingdom Hearts Piano Collection (picture 14), and received some Final Fantasy: Dissidia swag for signing up with Square Enix Members (pictures 15 and 16). The music CD came in an extremely cool, biodegradable bag (picture 17).

From the pokémon booth, I got a pokéball beach ball and two Riolu cards (pictures 18 and 19). The workers there mentioned absolutely nothing about Heartgold and Soulsilver, and shushed me when I asked about the games.

I picked up a free copy of Black and White at one point, and had it signed by the authors (picture 24). I have yet to read it, so I have no idea if it's good.

A company called Sideshow Collectibles had a booth that dominated the very center of the ground floor, and for good reason: they produce high-quality scale models from the most popular and influential movies and media. I snapped a pic of their Serenity model (picture 7), and got a mystery gift card which turned out to have $75 on it. With it, I bought a 1:4 scale replica of a Battle Troll's Helm (picture 30), as well as two cases of Indiana Jones playing cards (picture 24).

The last few pics are of the Dark Horse bag (picture 25), the Mythbusters bag which I found on a whim and adopted as my primary swag bag (picture 26: the thing is huge), and a Dark Void comic signed by the artistic director and writer of Dark Void (picture 27).

Overall, Comic-Con was a fantastic experience that I would recommend to anyone who has even heard the word "comic." If approached with a lot of stamina and an open mind, I guarantee that there's something there for everyone. This isn't an event to be missed.

And to everyone from dA who attended, it was great to meet you all, and I hope to see you next year!