Adventures at Comic-Con 2012: Part I

Keep Calm and Comic-Con!
BBC America Booth.

For the next few days I'll be writing about my time at San Diego Comic-Con.  Usually my adventures here are condensed to Saturday and Sunday, but this year I decided to change things up a bit and take in all the days at the convention.  Let the adventures begin!

I arrived on Day Zero after a journey of great conversation, random tunes, and traffic on the way down from Los Angeles to San Diego with my friend Nerdlush Hostess Elizabeth Ann.  Naturally, we substituted the classic game of Slug Bug for "Spot the Nerd Car".

Chain Chomp.
Chatterbox Puppets.

Upon arrival, my friend Lori and I previewed the exhibition floor.  Lori (of Chatterbox Puppets) was carrying on her shoulder a Chain Chomp puppet she made (pictured on the left).  If your first reaction is either how cool it is or how adorable it is, you are not alone.  Our entire time roaming the exhibition hall was filled with people wanting to pet, gawk, and comment about it.  Obviously, a lovely introduction to the convention.  

One of the things I learned while skimming through the many, many booths on this first day was that it was the 50th anniversary of one of my favorite books, Madeleine L'Engle's  A Wrinkle in Time.  This 1963 Newbery Medal award-winning book is also getting a graphic novel adaptation by Hope Larson, available in October 2012.

Sonic Screwdriver Universal Remote.  BBC America Booth.

I explored more of the exhibition floor the next day.  A recent convert to Doctor Who, I naturally had to spend time browsing the BBC America Booth, checking out their release of the Sonic Screwdriver Universal Remote (pictured on the right)!  While I was there, I managed to get myself a Doctor Who lunch box - or rather "tin tote" - because obviously, lunch would not be complete without a Tardis reference.  I was also able to get a cool lanyard with the phrase "Keep Calm and Comic-Con" (pictured above).  What's there not to love about that?!

After my time there, I braved the line for the first panel I wanted to see - the Psych panel!  Despite arriving around noon for a panel that would start at 2:15, I was worried I wouldn't get in.  I was in one of those lines that wound around outside and at some point I wasn't sure where the line began and where it was going to end.  But the best thing about waiting in line at conventions is meeting cool people to talk to - which I was gladly able to do.  And yes - I actually made it in to a very hilarious panel that including the actors, writers, and producers bantering with each other and sneak peeks into the next season.  My favorite scoop?  There's going to be a two-hour musical episode.  

Street Fighter + Hello Kitty.
Toynami. 

While I've been here, I keep on returning to the exhibition floor.  There is so much there that you constantly discover things you haven't seen before.  Today, even though I had walked by the Indiana Jones booth a number of times, I realized there were REAL snakes behind the glass!  You also never know who you're going to see.  Today David Hasselhoff was on hand to sign autographs next to the Knight Rider car that is actually in the exhibition hall.  But I suppose in a year when there is Street Fighter Hello Kitty (pictured to the right), I should be prepared for more of the unexpected!

You can keep up with my Comic-Con adventures in real time on ExperienceLA Facebook and Twitter.

-Charity Tran