CliqueClackComic-Con, one more time: What I’m most looking forward to at this year’s SDCC
This will be my fourth go-around at the San Diego Comic-Con, and it’s possibly my last … maybe. For a while. So I might as well make the best of it, right? Here are my most anticipated “things” this year.
Yes, it’s that time of year again where our @CliqueClack Twitter feed and Facebook page become littered with Comic-Con updates, followers leave us in a huff of frustration and jealousy, and five days of nerd-bauchery and free food and booze (FOOZE!) flies by in a blur of what-the-fuck-just-happened. Every year I look forward to it and dead it at the same time, as it means an experience like nothing else for someone engaged in television, movies, games and comics … and a burning chasm of a hole in one’s wallet.
As I traditionally do, I’ll put the blinders on as the dollar signs fly past and list the things I’m most looking forward to at this year’s SDCC, in reverse order:
Hop-Con: The W00tstout Launch Festival — You’re going to find a trend in this list: there are a LOT of things going on outside of Comic-Con, and they don’t even require an SDCC badge to get in. This event is quite outside of Comic-Con — at the Stone Brewing Bistro & Gardens in San Diego. Guy-I-like-to-namedrop Wil Wheaton is releasing his Farking Wheaton W00tstout on Wednesday night, and I want to be there for it. Starting the week out right: we take a bottle of the stuff home, after a Paul & Storm concert and more.
The Veronica Mars fan event — We backed the Veronica Mars movie immediately when the Kickstarted campaign was announced. Once a new reward came up that got the backer guaranteed and “VIP” entry into the Veronica Mars fan event at SDCC, I was all-in. But it wasn’t easy — the reward sold out the first time in ten minutes, then in five minutes the second time. As a big fan of the series, this should definitely be one of the highlights of any SDCC I’ve attended.
The annual NBC party — We work hard to stay in the good graces of the fine folks putting on this party every year, and I can’t begin to express how grateful we are to be able to attend. In case you’re not aware, it’s extremely difficult to get into most invite-only parties at SDCC. In a very small setting, for two hours we’re able to mingle with the stars of NBC shows like Grimm, Community, and Revolution, to name a few. I’ve had the Community monkey — Annie’s Boobs — on my head, for crying out loud! We’ve even made a few friends we continue to keep in touch with and look forward to seeing again every year, and they’re on the TV shows we watch. It’s incredibly surreal and cool for at least this humble, sometimes-writer of TV, one who doesn’t live anywhere near LA.
Joss Whedon at NerdHQ — I missed out on attending any NerdHQ events the past couple of years, and after Ivey’s report from his attending one last year, I decided to get in on tickets with him to attend one of the hottest events of them all. Joss will sit in a room of only a couple-hundred of us, talking shop and whatever else happens to be on his mind. Actually, I have no freakin’ clue what the man’s doing to talk about, but … it’s Joss, man! Well worth the small fee that goes right to charity.
Serenity viewing with Nathan Fillion, Alan Tudyk and “more” — Another NerdHQ event! Those of us who bought tickets to the event get to sit in Petco Park to watch the movie Serenity, with Fillion and others providing (what I assume will be) Mystery Science Theater 3000-like commentary throughout. I’m seriously not sure how this didn’t sell out faster, but I’m just glad we’re getting to see it.
The random goings on, meet-ups and sightings — of the day and night with friends — It’s a sappy way to end the list, but it’s the truth. I don’t get to see many writers from this site often. When any of them are close by or I’m anywhere near their neck of the woods, I make a point to try to meet up with them. But it’s too little and too far between. This is the one event that, for the past few years, I’ve reliably been able to catch up with not only those from CliqueClack who’re attending, but colleagues from different entertainment sites I’ve met throughout the years. Most of us don’t have fancy-schmancy TCA credentials to get to reliably see each other every year at the same event, so this has to do — and it does oh-so nicely.
Let’s not forget of the random sightings throughout the day/night. At 2AM you might see Nathan Fillion running down the street, being chased by his own bodyguards (I believe this is a true story — ask Ivey, the witness). Or go out to breakfast and sit a few tables away from the legendary Stan Lee (happens to us every year).
Yes, there are panels and press rooms and all of that, and those are pretty damn awesome too. Personally I’ll be in press rooms for Warehouse 13, Being Human, Helix (Ron D. Moore’s upcoming new show), Almost Human, among others. For panels I’m hoping (you can usually only “hope” for these) the X-Files reunion/anniversary, Sherlock, Breaking Bad and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
If you’re heading to SDCC, make sure to comment here or send me an email at keith@cliqueclack.com and we’ll try to get a little meet-up. If you’re new to the scene, we’ll help guide you. If you’re planning on coming again next year, who knows — maybe enough of you will convince me that this nonsense about this being “my last year at Comic-Con” is fool’s talk.
