Mood:
caffeinatedTopic: Comic Cons
TODAY'S FEATURE - Blog #3469 - Part 10 of a series on the 2011 Comic-Con International San Diego: It's a day and a half after the 2011 Comic-Con International: San Diego, aka San Diego Comic Con, has ended. So I've had a little bit of time to let the different emotions I felt during this 42nd Annual Comic-Con subside, so as to approach this on a more objective view than the subjective one I would have done yesterday... First, for comparsion purposes, here are the links to 'My Take' on the 2010 Comic-Con so you can see what I thought of the previous Con... Part 1 & Part 2. So what's 'My Take' on 2011?! I'll go in the same order as last year: Memberships for 2011: Last year I mentioned how 'Long' the line was for the 2011 memberships, while at Preview Night for 2010. This was NOTHING compared to the line for the 2012 memberships, which I'll talk about in a moment. I had also mentioned that the cost for 4 days + Preview Night had gone from $65 in 2009 to $100 in 2010 to $105 for 2011... Which is NOTHING compared to what was in store for 2012! My 'comic book grade' for this: GOOD (G) 2.0 out of a possible 10.0 comic book grading scale! Memberships for 2012: Totally unreal! I had heard of the vast jump to $175 for the SAME 4 days & Preview Night, before attending the 2011 Con. And just before the 2011 Con started... It was posted on the Con's web site that there would be NO 2012 memberships sold on Preview Night. Instead an attendee for 2011 with only the 4day + preview or 4days only could stand in line for membership sales being conducted at the HYATT Hotel. Yes, the HYATT Hotel for those of you that have attended the Comic-Con before... You know how far that it is! Well, on Thursday morning, my wife, Tina, braved the line after realizing that I had early morning panels that I really wanted to go to, wheras she didn't. (Thanks again, Tina!). Quite honestly, even as early that I dropped her off, it would have been impossible for her to buy 4 days & preview night for both of us, IF we didn't have a line buddy already in line who had come even earlier! (Thanks again, Travis!) The Comic-Con folks had decided NOT to place all of the memberships on sale for that morning, and my wife barely was able to make 'the cut' to buy what we anted for 2012! This after 21 STRAIGHT YEARS of attending Comic-Con for me & dating back to 1972 for my first official SDCC, and my wife's 11th STRAIGHT YEAR of attending! This was the worst idea ever for obtaining memberships for the following year, BAR NONE! And trust me, the crowd that was the Sunday late afternoon panel titled 'Comic-Con Talk Back' was where everyone voiced their displeasure with this concept and implementation. Able bodied attendees had trouble standing in the line that reached from the Hyatt to the Marriott and then all the way back to end of the Convention Center. Think about that one for a moment! The 'Talk Back' program had a lot of disabled attendees in wheelchairs voicing their anger at this, as they had to sit out in wheelchairs for hours and not get memberships for 2012. President John Rogers had a lot of angry 2011 attendees to face at the 'Talk Back' program this year! My comic book grading scale for this: POOR (PR) 0.5 out of a possible 10.0 scale! Whew! I am glad I waited till a day and a half to write this blog! I can still hear the voices of those frustrated with the 2012 membership mess in my ears! Parking for the 2011 Comic-Con: I'd rather not end on a negative with this blog post... So I'm going to add this topic in. When the pre-paid parking for the 2011 was 'announced', it had already been opened at least once, where others were able to 'sneak in' and buy pre-paid parking, and then tell their buddies. I don't believe this was the Comic-Con's fault, but rather the parking company and their web site source. Still, the idea of pre-paid parking is a good idea, and this was the easiest line to get into at the whole Comic-Con during all 5 days of the Comic-Con, including Preview Night. The only day we missed getting pre-paid under the San Diego Convention Center was 'Preview Night', as they did not offer any for sale, and we had to park at the Hilton Hotel's parking structure. Which of course affected our buying & picking up swag that evening. Too far to walk back and forth to the car. Other than that, this was one of the better experiences at the Comic-Con itself. The parking company needs to co-ordinate the selling experience better for 2012 though! Grade: VERY FINE PLUS (VF+) 8.5 out of a 10.0 scale! That's it for this blog today, I give two hours max for developing a blog post, and I've reached it at this point.... More tomorrow! In the meantime, please check out my Facebook Fan Page, 'Michael D Hamersky On Comics' for more photos / wall posts / etc. during the day! ~Michael D Hamersky NOTE: Part 1 of this ongoing series about the 2011 Comic-Con, (Blog #3450), gave a 'general overview' of why the San Diego Comic Con / Comic Con International: San Diego is very important to me. Along with multiple links to previous years blog posts, photo albums dating back to 1973, etc, etc. Part 2, (Blog #3458), pointed out shopping tips on what we are buying to bring to the Comic-Con. I haven't missed a year since the Comic-Con first moved to the San Diego Convention Center back in 1991. I first started attending as a comic book dealer back in 1972, at the El Cortez Hotel. But I still have to plan out what to bring each year, as five days on my feet means a lot of trekking around the convention center and surrounding environs! This con is expanding out every year it seems, with programs being held at two different adjacent hotels now, at opposite ends of the convention center! Part 3, (Blog #3459), posted the links to what panels / programs I believe are the most important for those of you that are first timers to this comic convention. Plus they are the most 'representative' of what Comic-Con International is, without 'Hollywood' panels / programs being included, UNLESS they are truly comic book oriented. Part 4, (Blog #3460) posted the links to where I normally would be spending a lot of time at while on the exhibit floor of this comic convention. Where's that?! Well... When I'm not attending panels / programs with or without my wife Tina, I'll be most likely at the 'Artists Alley' or 'Small Press Pavilion' sections of this convention center. Part 5, (Blog #3461) posted a link to what is in store for those of you attending the 2011 Comic-Con and wondering about how to beat the online mess of trying to buy memberships for 2012! I don't want to 'repeat' myself here, so please look at the blog #3461 link for the 'news'! Part 6, (Blog #3462) of this series... Well, Part 5 was about the future, so here I was taking a 'look' at the 'Past'! And not just a look via my thoughts or collections of memorablilia obtained at Comic-Cons in the past... But from the collection of the 'Founder' of the SDCC himself, Shelf Dorf! Part 7, (Blog #3466) of this blog series was a brief history and a link to the online version of this week's San Diego Weekly Reader cover feature article on comics creators living in San Diego, and who will be attending the San Diego Comic Con International. Part 8, (Blog #3467) of this series was to tell you that there wouldn't be any more blogs the rest of last week or the weekend, as I would be celebrating my Birthday the rest of the week at the Comic-Con! Which would be the last year I was going to be able to do so, as the Comic-Con moves up a week in time for next year, the 2012 edition of the SDCCI. Plus that I would still be uploading photos via my camera phone by mobile Facebooking to my Facebook Fan Page, at this mobile uploads photo album. Part 9 (Blog #3468), of this series was to present to you my own personal 'Hi-Light' of the 2011 Comic-Con! Which was the Fandom Reunion 2011 - Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Comics Fandom. The blog also had the link to the special photo album which is still being added to, as of this morning!
My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts, now at 3,469 total posts in number! I do appreciate your continued reading and support of this Blog! BTW, You can 'follow' this blog by clicking the 'Follow' Button at this NetworkedBlogs app link! We currently have over 2,495 'Followers'! Thanks to ALL of YOU that have already clicked that button! And for those of YOU that haven't yet... I would appreciate it if YOU would!!! ~ Michael D Hamersky Note: My online 'Local' Comic Book Shop (LCBS), carries many different genres of comics, magazines, graphic novels, and comic con promotional items. Possibly even copies of the item(s) that was mentioned here today...!If I have it... You can find it 'Under The Big Top Of Comics' at: http://www.ComicBooksCircus.com/ Web Page Note: This blog post is written for the IE Browser standards. Chrome, Safari, Netscape, Firefox and the other browsers serve the page up differently, sorry about that! The screen display resolution is best seen at the setting of 1024 x 768 on your laptop or desktop computer. Note: As of Monday, June 27th, 2011, I'll be using my new laptop, where the default resolution is 'higher', so there may be some temporary glitches until I am used to the new resolution. NOTE: All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.
To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to: Make It So Marketing Inc., PO Box 130653, Carlsbad, CA 92013  Also, if you are a Facebook member, I would have liked you to send me a 'Friend Request'. However, I have reached the maximum limit of 5,000 Facebook Friends and Fan pages already, so I've added a New 'Facebook Fan Page' so that even more of YOU can 'Like' what I am doing, and be interactive with me and others there. Here is the link to that 'Facebook Fan Page': Michael D Hamersky On Comics! Please click the 'Like' button on that page! |
NOTE FROM THE BLOGGER:
Comics Creators: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email or mail us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works!
a-ok
My special thanks to Jackie Estrada, who brought this special event to my attention before Comic-Con started. (Photo: L-R Michael D Hamersky, Jackie Estrada, Michelle Nolan). 
celebratory
My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts, now at 3,467 total posts in number! I do appreciate your continued reading and support of this Blog!
My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts, now at 3,465 total posts in number! I do appreciate your continued reading and support of this Blog!