You’ve seen several blogs over the past few weeks talking about vacation season.

Well, even as you read this, I am in sunny San Diego enjoying the gorgeous weather, and taking in the sensory overload that is Comic-Con International.

Now, for those of you who think that this is a geek-fest populated entirely with comic-book lovers, you are only partly correct.  Yes, there are thousands of comic book and graphic novel aficionados in attendance, however, the scope of Comic-Con expands each year, along with its attendance.

Comic-Con International (CCI) encompasses film, television, novels, visual art, video games, and more: basically, it covers fiction (and some non-fiction) in every medium.  Truly, there is something for everyone, including children’s programming which boasts its own film festival! Guests will consist of major film and television stars (I’ll let you know if Angelina Jolie showed up as rumored!), writers, directors, and producers, with panels conducted by some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry: Fox, Warner Bros., Disney/Pixar, just to name a few.

Memberships for the four day (plus bonus preview night for some attendees) convention have been sold out for months, thus filling the San Diego convention center to capacity with an expected attendance of 126,000!  CCI has become so large that the convention center itself is no longer capable of housing all of the events, and has branched out to take advantage of meeting rooms in the two flanking hotels.

What an overwhelming feeling to be surrounded by so many people who share at least some common interest!  And, despite being all the way across the country, I have met people at the convention who live less than an hour from my home!

This is my fourth year in attendance, and the shine has yet to wear off.  It’s humbling to get firsthand perspectives on shows, books, and movies that I love from the people directly involved in their creation.  It’s a little like having all of the bonus content on a DVD taking place right in front of you.  The sneak peeks of upcoming seasons and releases are one of my favorite things, too!  Plus, you can’t beat the swag (freebies!): I have an extra case with me just to haul it all home—thank goodness there are some airlines still not charging for that second checked bag!

I hope that everyone is having as amazing a weekend as I am, and maybe a I will have a few exciting stories to tell when I get back!

~Sarah

Tags: Recreation, Sarah, Vacation

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 25th, 2010 at 8:27 AM and is filed under Staff Notes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.