Editorial: Reflections on SDCC 2012

Comic Con International or SDCC is one of the most sought after events of the year. Every year without fail, tens of thousands of people decend on San Diego, California and for five days straight amazing things happen within the walls of the San Diego Convention Center. What began as a comic book convention in the early 1970′s has evolved into one of the major annual events within the entertainment industry. And ultimately, Comic Con is not just for the fans of science fiction, fantasy or comic books anymore. It is a celebration for all fans of television, movies, gaming, comic books, and collecting.

SDCC is not something that can be truly explained. It must be experienced.There are no words to accurately explain what it feels like to be rushing through the exhibition floor on preview night trying to obtain rare items. I remember trying to find a couple of things for my friend and at first there was hardly anyone in the room. 10 minutes later, it was filled with people!

This year I was fortunate enough to apply for and receive a press pass for True Blood Fan Source. A press pass doesn’t give you special access (you still have to wait in line). But the fact that I received one for a site based around one show is nothing short of amazing. My experience this year consisted largely of television related panels, 16 to be precise. And I don’t regret one single second.

The draw of Comic Con for some people is to be able to see some of their favorite stars up close. Most of the people I had the fortune of seeing throughout the Con are those you might only ever see in this kind of environment. It is one of the largest events in entertainment and one of the most covered so SDCC is a great opportunity for all of the networks to have shows there. It is also the place where history is made.

Case in point, I was in Ballroom 20 with 5,000 other people giving True Blood creator Alan Ball a standing ovation as he officially ended his run as the show runner of True Blood. I saw the cast of Fringe take a bow as they marked the final season of their show and express their gratitude to the fans for being so instrumental in making that happen. I got to be in Hall H with the cast of Doctor Who with Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill before they left marking the entrance of a new companion. And I found myself laughing as I watched the first seven minutes of Sons of Anarchy season 5 because the 30 second black spot in the middle was a sex scene between Katey Sagal’s character and a new character on the show.

These are the kinds of experiences that you will never have anywhere else. They are rare, one of kind moments that you have to be there for which is probably why I brought back so many videos and photos. I wanted to be able to share those moments with those that couldn’t be there.

SDCC 2012 was an experience that I will not soon forget. It is full of memories that one could only have at Comic Con and I got to see it all!  It is truly the event that you must attend at least once in your lifetime as a fan of pop culture and one you’ll want to keep going back to again and again.

Image Credits: True Blood Fan Source/Shanea O’Connor Media