The GCE Writer’s SDCC ’13 Itinerary
July 14, 2013SDCC, here we come!
I can’t contain my excitement any longer. My friends are all tired of hearing about my plans for next week, but I need to tell more people because frankly I can’t shut up about it. On Wednesday in the early hours of the morning, I will be boarding a flight to San Diego where I will be attending San Diego Comic Con! I don’t think I have ever been more excited about anything in my life! This is my first time going to a convention of this scale, so I have been doing my homework and reading tips and guides so I can have the ultimate experience geeking out at SDCC!
A lot of people have been asking what I’ll be spending my hard earned savings on and which panels I’ll be attending. From what I’ve read, I know that I can’t give you guys a guaranteed list of what I’ll be seeing, but I can tell you what I’d like to see and if all goes well and I’m patient I will hopefully see them all!
Thursday July 18th
To be honest, there isn’t a lot happening on Thursday. As much as I’d love to go to the Dexter panel in Hall H in the evening, there is no way I would get in there without camping in line at 4 in the morning and spending the entire day in the room. I’ll probably get some shopping done, maybe check out some of the smaller workshops during the day. I really want to try to get into Indigo Ballroom before 5 so I can see “Anything Goes” with John and Carole Barrowman. I attended John Barrowman’s panel at Fan Expo last year, and he is one of the most entertaining people I have ever had the privilege to see. I even managed to talk to him and ask a question during the panel. He reminded me not to pee myself and then told a funny anecdote about farting in what he called the “TURDIS”. I would love to see him again, and I’ll probably pick up the new Torchwood book that he and his sister Carole wrote.
Friday July 19th
This is my Hall H test run. I want to get into Hall H this day, but if I don’t I wouldn’t be absolutely heartbroken. So I’ll get in line at 4 am and see if I get in. If I don’t, I’ll know to get in line earlier on Sunday, because if I don’t get into Hall H Sunday I will be absolutely heartbroken. So what is in Hall H on Friday morning? Well, one of my top 3 favourite directors is! And he brought some other very funny people with him! Friday at 10 am is “The Worlds End: Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost”! I love the first two films in the “Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy”, and I can’t wait for The Worlds End! I’m hoping they show some footage from their new film, and I’m sure the panel will be full of laughs! Right after their panel is the Veronica Mars Movie panel! I will admit that I totally watched Veronica Mars when it was on TV. I’m a grown man, but I love rich people drama (See my collection of “The O.C. seasons on DVD), and Veronica Mars was not only rich people’s drama, but a murder mystery as well! So if I get into Hall H I will definitely stay for The Veronica Mars panel, if only to see Kristin Bell in person and make googly eyes at her from a safe, non-creepy distance. The last panel in Hall H on Thursday that I want to see is the Universal Pictures panel with Kick-Ass 2 and Riddick! Kick-Ass 2 has an incredible cast of really funny people and I am really looking forward to the movie, and Riddick has Vin ‘friggin Diesel and Katee Sackhoff. I’ll be honest, I haven’t seen a Riddick movie in my life but I’m a Battlestar Galactica fan and Vin Diesel film enthusiast. I should really watch the Riddick series if I want to call myself an enthusiast.
Friday was the day I had to make a difficult choice. “ABC’s S.H.I.E.L.D.” panel is happening this day, at around the same time I would be leaving Hall H. From what I’ve been told it’s one or the other. Three awesome panels in Hall H, or what could possibly be an even more amazing panel later in the day. I am a diehard Whedonite, and I’m not gonna lie a lot of the appeal of the S.H.I.E.L.D. panel was the presence of the god of all nerds, Joss Whedon himself. I’m extremely curious about his new show, but I feel like I would rather attend the three Hall H panels. However, Joss has a Darkhorse panel later in the evening so hopefully I can get into that. I am a fan of the expanded comic universes of his various works, so I would love to hear from the man himself what is next for Buffy, Angel and the Serenity crew.
Saturday July 20th
Saturday is an exciting day for me specifically. I get to avoid Hall H all day, and still hopefully see some of my favourite people speak. Saturday morning I’m going to try to get into Indigo Ballroom first thing in the morning to see people that may not be household names, but they’re personal heroes of mine for taking their careers in the directions that they have. First up is “Machinima: Redefining the Fan Film”. Not really the panel I am most excited to see, but I’ll watch it in anticipation of what’s to come! After the Machinima panel we have one of my favourite YouTube channels, Geek and Sundry. Felicia Day and Wil Wheaton? I’m definitely there. After their panel the How I Met Your Mother cast and creators will be at SDCC for the first time ever! I’ve been a fan of the show since the beginning, and I’m betting we’ll get some inside information on this “Mother” we’ve been waiting for. Last panel for the day that I will be seeing in the Indigo Ballroom is Chris Hardwick and all of his Nerdist friends! I do have tickets to the live Nerdist podcast later that night, so if I’m hungry I may duck out after HIMYM.
Those who know me know that I am a massive fan of Batman: The Animated Series. I grew up with the show so it was my first real experience with Batman, the caped crusader that I would learn to love on several different platforms well into my adult years. Batman writer Paul Dini has two appearances that day and I’d love to catch both, but I definitely need to be at the “Batman: The Animated Series Turns 21” panel! Many of the heavy hitters from the creative team that brought us the cartoon will be there, including Paul Dini, Bruce Timm and Alan Burnett. I can’t miss this. If I do, the 8 year old version of myself will travel forward in time so I can kick my own ass. And I don’t remember doing that when I was 8, so I guess that means I make it into the panel. That’s how time travel works, right?
As I mentioned earlier, Saturday evening I will be attending the Nerdist Podcast Live. I listen to this podcast all the time, and I admire Chris Hardwick and his career so much. I was excited to attend this from the moment I bought my ticket, but then last weekend something happened that nearly caused me to faint. Hardwick announced his guest for the live at SDCC episode. Matt Smith is going to be the Nerdist guest at the Balboa Theatre with Chris, Jonah and Matt for the live show. I am a fan of a lot of geeky things, particularly science fiction. I’ve watched so many scifi shows in their entirety from Star Trek to Stargate to Eureka but to me the be all and end all of science fiction series, the best show ever made, and the show that has everything that has been there for 50 years whether you knew about it or not, is Doctor Who.
Hi my name is Drew, and I am a Whovian.
Sunday July 21st
Sunday. SUNDAY. This day is a good day. As I said, Friday is my Hall H test run. If I don’t get in on Friday lining up at 4 in the morning, I’ll spend the night outside to get in on Sunday. I’ll do whatever I have to do to get into Hall H for this glorious final day of SDCC. So what about Sunday makes Hall H so great? Well, the two shows which are in my opinion the two best shows currently on television both have panels that day. Starting at 12:30, right in a row are the Doctor Who and Community panels. These are two shows that I can’t wait to watch every week. The shows I go through withdrawals without during the summer. I am very, very excited for Sunday Hall H programming. Before Doctor Who and Community are the Supernatural and Breaking Bad panels, both are shows that I watch that I am regrettably not caught up on. I have no choice but to watch these panels in the morning, so I’ll be plugging my ears once in a while to avoid spoilers. After the Community panel is the cast of Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia, another great show with a great cast that I expect will be entertaining during their panel. So if all goes well on Sunday I will be seeing Matt Smith in person for the SECOND time that weekend! Fingers crossed, friends and fans of Geek Chic Elite!
While I’m at SDCC I will be tweeting from both my own twitter account, @drewcomerford88, and from the @geekchicelite account! Follow along with my SDCC adventures for news, pictures and stories from San Diego! Take a look at the schedule and give me some recommendations! Have you been to San Diego before? Give me some tips! Where should I visit if I have downtime from the Con? Any tips on places to get good food or coffee? What would you see if you were there, or better yet, if you’re going to be there where will you be? Lets hang out and geek out together! Check back with Geek Chic Elite on the days following SDCC to hear what I learned and saw while I was there!
Geronimo!
kick ass