Comic Con 2004

continued. Note that all the pics included are found on the WWW and belong to their owners.


We woke up early (for us) Thursday morning. After consuming a surprisingly filling continental breakfast (courtesy of the bed and breakfast), we quickly reached downtown San Diego.

We have never been downtown during the weekday and forgot that people actually work there. ALL the indoor parking was full. Same with the outdoor parking lots 4-5 blocks around the convention center. We finally squeezed between two SUVs in an outdoor lot five blocks away. We would become very familar with that lot for the next few days...

Weather was bright, hot, and humid. Our clothes became immediately soaked. R. stayed in the shade as much as possible while I developed a tan (of course). Such were the conditions when we encountered our first major obstacle: the railroad system.

There's a railroad track that passes right in front of the convention center. We normally don't pay attention to it since it's rarely running during the weekend. But this wasn't the weekend.

For several minutes we stood in the sun (well, I did) while the freight train did whatever they do, blocking our path. On the other side, enticingly tens of feet, stood the convention center. Finally the train began to move after several false starts. We never saw why it had stopped there and really don't care.

We were in Comic Con!

The crowds were noticably less than last year when we visited during the weekends. Since we had purchased our tickets last year, we skipped the ticket lines and quickly picked up our badges. Please with the few patrons (relatively speaking), we purchased new tickets for next year. That took a little longer since many people had the same idea. (I was also beginning to feel hungry which always makes me a bit more impatient.) But we purchased the new tickets (R. grumbled they had risen in price) and proceeded into the dealers room.

Remember when I said the weather was hot, bright, and humid in downtown San Diego? Well, it was hot and humid inside the convention center. We first thought someone had forgotten to turn on the airconditioners but I spoke with one of the vendors who said it had been freezing when she had arrived to set up that morning.

Feeling hungry, I suggested eats. The line to purchase overpriced food was amazingly small (and not due to the exorbidant prices!) and we devoured our meals. R. and I then split up to check out the dealers hall.

For those who have never visited it, the San Diego Convention Center is massive; someone once saying it was the size of at least two square city blocks. Massive signs from the ceilings notified you what row you were: 100, 200, etc. extending to over 5400. I started at 100 and began to systematically work my way down, glancing over twenty booths per side. Also, I decide this year to take pics of the various costumed visitors and would periodically stop movement as I shot (on 35mm!) what I thought was an interesting piece. (Pics will posted later.) Two hours past before I reached row 1500.

Enough of this I thought, my clothes drenched and my back aching from my backpack. I zigzagged through the increasing crowds to the other side of the convention center and began to systematically look for one of the few booths that sold role-playing games. I found them but realized it was time to meet with spouse.

I then discovered Xena.

More specifically, a booth selling action show paraphernalia. They had swords, armour, poster, etc. And Xena stuff: specifically, the Xena: Warrior Prince 5th season DVD set (which won't be available until later this year!) I quickly made the purchase and met R. minutes later.

We didn't meet long. We purchased drinks (orange juice at $4 each) and compared notes. As I fear, R. had found anime cells and had already set aside a pile costing over $1500. Eek! And sigs: pics and the sigs of the Star Trek: The Original Series crew for around $2000 and the original Lost in Space actors for around $1000. I thought of the money we had brought to the convention and realized how paltry it was.

"We'll have to go to the bank," I said and R. beamed.

I spent the rest of the day going to and fro the various booths. I made more purchases, this time at the role-playing booth. R. picked up some Green Hornet and Shazzan DVDs. We met around 6:30 PM (the con closes at 7 PM) and had dinner in downtown. Rest of the evening was spent reading.

(to be continued)