Author Topic: I don't know what to say about the 2019 comic-con.  (Read 12680 times)

Offline rabbitwarren

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Re: I don't know what to say about the 2019 comic-con.
« Reply #15 on: July 22, 2019, 09:37:33 AM »
In regards to the offsites or why companies half ass it, it could be a few things

1.  They need to get the heck out of there by a certain time and tearing it down can take just as long as building it.

2. Funds- These offsites cost money. I can’t imagine Laika is doing so hot after Missing Linked tanked and Warner probably wants to keep an eye on spending given the change in management.

3. ROI - Imagine you are Sony or Universal and decide to return after a brief hiatus. But nobody cares about your panel (especially when one features the best animated movie of the year) because everyone is whining there is no Marvel or GoT. Yeah, I wouldn’t come back either.
« Last Edit: July 22, 2019, 09:49:07 AM by rabbitwarren »

Offline MarvelGurl

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Re: I don't know what to say about the 2019 comic-con.
« Reply #16 on: July 22, 2019, 09:50:24 AM »
I'm so glad someone started this thread and quite a few of you felt the same way that i did this entire weekend. This was the first year in my 8 years of attendance that I was ready to leave by noon on Sunday. It was pretty worrying that I got to do half the offsites without spending more than 40 minutes in line. None of the celebrity geeks were here this year (Zack Levi, Felicia Day, Seth Green, Chris Hardwick, Yvette Nicole Brown), the moderators for the handful of panels that I attended did not know how to moderate, the Terminator panel was a snoozefest until Arnold came out, and the exhibit floor was actually walkable for the majority of the weekend though. Like a few of you had said, this just didn't feel like a milestone year. They didn't even print a "goodbye see you next year" in the Sunday daily schedule. I feel like when WB pulled out no one really wanted to invest in SDCC for some reason, or maybe that's just when the domino effect started. Not to take away how special it may have been to be there, but after reading about all the drama in the Hall H line, and then reading about the panel itself it just didn't seem like the Marvel panel was anything THAT special. We knew about the majority of the announced films, Disney plus shows and casting. Except for Blade, nothing was really a "surprise". I think they're saving the bigger announcements for D23 and was maybe begged by CCI to show up after WB pulled out.

Idk. My hotel was great, the weather was the best we've had in YEARS, and ultimately it's just about being amongst all of you passionate folks. Sometimes you just have to make your own fun. Randomly ending up at a Reddit dance party in the basement of the Tipsy Crow was definitely a highlight. I got over being shut out of the Fandom party quick!

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Re: I don't know what to say about the 2019 comic-con.
« Reply #17 on: Today at 01:23:02 AM »

Offline Karin

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Re: I don't know what to say about the 2019 comic-con.
« Reply #17 on: July 22, 2019, 10:36:23 AM »
On the plus side, it was the first year I was able to do everything I wanted without feeling like I needed to run all day. So yey?

Offline epicaz

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Re: I don't know what to say about the 2019 comic-con.
« Reply #18 on: July 22, 2019, 10:40:28 AM »
I agree that it was a little bit of an off year, but its felt somewhat like this for the last few years as well. I think many of us expected some special element to return with the 50th, but instead it continued a trend of companies and panels pulling back, increased crowds and attention on the no-badge required offsites, less floor interest with the pull of exclusive portal items.. I dont know. Every year is getting harder to pull wins for if you're not a fan of Hall H, rules are tighter and people are becoming more 'street smart' when it comes to outwitting you and the system for hard pull exclusives.

Tbh I had a great year despite having a light schedule. It was by far my most chill comic con. I had most of my wants done and out of the way with PN and spent the rest idly browsing the floor and sleeping in. It was a little boring, I didnt have many panels I wanted to attend this year and those I did were first thing in the morning. Aside from the Nintendo Lounge, we didn't want to dip too much time info offsites seeing as they were all several hours long for limited experiences, that's no sweat either. We spent more time in line than needed but at the same time, we got to get off our feet and ended up being well rested all con. So, weird year.. not nearly as eventful as others. I dont do Hall H so it was just.. odd. But that's okay too, I still love it and made sure I was having fun. If we're talking peaks, I dont have one that's definitive.. but no year has been the same as 2012-2015, especially in terms of swag (what happened to free shirts :( )

Offline FBS

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Re: I don't know what to say about the 2019 comic-con.
« Reply #19 on: July 22, 2019, 10:41:56 AM »
Question for everyone who went into the convention centre: If you didn't already know that it was sdcc's 50th anniversary, would you have known it was by the amount of promotion inside?

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Offline Karin

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Re: I don't know what to say about the 2019 comic-con.
« Reply #20 on: July 22, 2019, 11:04:31 AM »
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Question for everyone who went into the convention centre: If you didn't already know that it was sdcc's 50th anniversary, would you have known it was by the amount of promotion inside?

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No. :(

Offline rk23

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Re: I don't know what to say about the 2019 comic-con.
« Reply #21 on: July 22, 2019, 11:06:58 AM »
I had a great time. I'm not usually into offsites or exclusives, and I didn't care about seeing many big panels this year -- I didn't set foot in Hall H -- but it was actually nice not to be so frenzied. Maybe I just calibrated my expectations successfully. I had time to soak in the atmosphere, and I spent more time in the exhibit hall than usual, where I found some cool/interesting random things. I didn't have to spend hours and hours in line. The weather was actually comfortable, which was glorious. The one big panel I cared about was The Good Place, but I got in line moderately early (while the Indigo line was still in the shade, thank heaven) and got in just fine. Met friends, enjoyed some random panels, came home with some toys and a sweater and some pins and a crayon sketch of myself.

The only thing that left me slightly cranky was that the ticket I got for swag in the Expanse panel turned out to be a boring little poster, and I had to hike clear to the edge of Seaport Village to get it. If the swag is a piece of paper, why on earth don't they hand it out in the panel? The fulfillment room was deserted when I arrived, and every booth just had a stack of posters. C'mon, I was at least expecting the obligatory too-small T-shirt.

For me, peak con was 2015; Doctor Who was always my big thing, and I slept overnight in the Hall H line, met Peter Capaldi when he visited the line, and then saw him at the panel and at Nerd HQ (the only time I successfully got a ticket) and at the Balboa Theatre, so I was over the moon about that. This year, there wasn't even a Doctor Who panel, which was strange and disappointing, but having an open schedule and wandering impulsively around was actually a lot of fun. 2017 and 2018 were both disappointing years for me, and I'd been thinking of taking next year off -- I nearly took this year off.  But I don't know, I left on Sunday feeling renewed affection for the con and a desire to come back.

It didn't feel like a 50th anniversary blowout, I'll admit that. But I think I'm in a place where a slightly lower-key con is just fine.

Offline Berts

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Re: I don't know what to say about the 2019 comic-con.
« Reply #22 on: July 22, 2019, 12:03:45 PM »
It's funny, I would normally have totally agreed with you and further fanned the "Comic-Con is dying" flame but I actually had my best year ever. My highlights were:

-Stayed at the Solamar and absolutely loved it. Free coffee in the mornings, free drinks at happy hour and two lobby doggos. Plus a lot of industry stayed there and I met one REALLY cool guy who provided the highlight of my con (more on that below.)

-I met Linda Hamilton Wednesday night smoking outside her hotel and spoke to her for over 10 minutes. She was amazingly cool and kind. She asked us if SDCC was a big convention or not and told us that she hoped people showed up to her panel. I told her that SDCC is basically the biggest convention in America and that people were camping out to fill a 6,000 person room just to see her panel. She seemed genuinely surprised and excited for that.

-We were some of the first people in line to get into Wendy's bacon party on the iMDB boat. The three guys next to us in line gave us all of their drink tickets because they partied too hard the previous night. So we stayed on the boat until it ended and had an absolute blast.

-I got a 9:30 Funko slot on Friday and got all the POPS! I wanted (except the Sith Trooper. That was gone in the first 5 minutes).

-Went to Funko Fundays (first time) and had one of the best times of my life.

-Snuck into Nerd Nite and had a great time.

-Did the Pennyworth experience (I rarely do offsites) and it was great.

-Got all the Peanuts merch we were after (on the floor and at Super7)

-Was in the right place at the right time and saw the Russos, Anthony Mackie and Cara Delvinge walk RIGHT by me.

-And then the cherry on top of the whole weekend. I mentioned above that I met a cool guy at our hotel. I met him on the elevator on Friday evening. I was headed to the lobby to get some drinks for my wife and I as we were getting ready for Fundays and I was wearing a lei. The guy asked if I was going to Fundays and said that I was going to have a blast. He said he's worked the event before and it's insanity. Saw him the next morning and talked to him about how incredible it was. Anyway, on Saturday night, my wife and I were getting ready for bed and there was a knock at the door. My wife looks through the peephole and says "uh, it's some guy. You answer it please." It was the guy I spoke to from the elevator. He said that he works for Conan and then he handed me a box with all four Conan pops in it! Basically said "hope you had fun at the convention. Here you go." and left. My jaw was on the floor. How cool is that!?

But my personal experiences aside, the event is absolutely suffering (in regards to mind-melting fervor) and it has been for the past couple of years (I wrote a post about it last year You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login).

The studio presence was almost non-existent, the Petco interactive zone was very lame, the excitement was very low on all fronts and it all just felt... less big. Think about it like this, the Omni's mid-rooftop bar and the Hilton Gaslamp's outdoor event space were nothing this year. That's not a great sign.
« Last Edit: July 22, 2019, 12:05:51 PM by Berts »

Offline MsButtaskotch

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Re: I don't know what to say about the 2019 comic-con.
« Reply #23 on: July 22, 2019, 12:33:20 PM »
I have This is my 4th year. My first year was 2016 and wow what a big change from my first to now. 2016 just POPPED! 2017 was good also. 2018 was nice, chill and still good. In 2018 i could get to big panels without having to rush around.  but this year? This year just felt, "dead" For it to be a 50th Year! I was expecting some kind of big thing/event or something, but all we got were "comic con through the years" panels. Someone else mentioned it, and they made a good point. All the TV shows ending this year didn't help the "dead buzz" either. So many long-standing shows are ending and no one's taking a shot at Comic-Con panels for their new shows, because now, in this age of digital media/entertainment, broadcast shows that go past 1 season are becoming rare. People want their whole season at once and no longer want to make time for TV and be held in suspense every week (well some). Plus, there aren't any new movies dropping with that wow factor. Its been Marvel for so long and DC is still trying (gawd bless them) and even Netflix is kind of hit or miss with their properties. His Dark Materials could've had more momentum, but The Golden Compass came out so long ago, people don't realize that it's the remake tv/movie.  And the panels that should have Hall H space don't. Theyre overflowing Ballroom 20 - like Superwoman should've been inside of Hall H and not Ballroom 20. The scheduling was soo offkey and all over the place. They put Black Lightning in the middle of Arrow, Superwoman and The Flash. It felt like all who were in the panel weren't even fans of the show, they were there just waiting for it to pass to get to the flash. which, is disheartening because Black Lightning is such a good show and there are those who really wanted to see it who didn't get in. And there were so many "women in...," "women on..." "women who do..." panels this year. the bonus thing about SDCC not being so tv/film heavy is that i got to see some of the smaller panels and other panels, and there were some really good panels too,  but I also wished they would have moved some of those semi-big panels to Ballroom 20 (Hello the Scooby Doo panel).

I didn't get to a lot of show panels this year. THere weren't many i wanted to see. I only went to two panels this year, on Saturday. In years past, by Saturday, i would've been on my 8th or 9th panel. There was no big rush for me to get to anything. The FX at Hilton Bayfront, just seems the same every year. The Adult Swim fun park, i can never get into because it's always overrun with non-con goers and while the offsites looked appealing, they're always overrun with people who cant get into SDCC, so they go to the offsites, which is why half of them take longer to get into. I don't begrudge non-ticketholders their fun, but i kinda feel like SDCC badge holders should get some priority or exclusivity for the offsites. Also, none of the offsites were something i wanted to see. I think we all are Walking Dead-ed out! They need to change up their offites. Brooklyn 99/NBC looked interesting but it was smack dab in the middle of an already crowded Gaslamp.

And speaking of the Gaslamp... it's just a crowd of people watching people watching people, with random street performers (If i have to see stupid ass kids performing lame ass tricks one more damn time) and those "You Ar Going to Hell!" screamers. I was hoping for like, some event in the middle of Gaslamp or something else.. just not walking out to Gaslamp and having that crowd.

The Swag, or the lack there of. This is the first year, that i came back to my hotel, day after day with...NOTHING! Usually, i am bogged down with posters, flyers, stickers, pins, etc. I have to come back, dump and then go back but this year, i have only a few. I think in the last 4 years, the amount of posters that get dumped, trashed, etc, companies are no longer wasting their time with those, and knowing that some people only show up for the free swag, just to resell it, companies are opting out. It kinda feels like Hollywood is stepping back and the Con is kinda getting back to a small feel and more about the comics. But i do miss the swag. I love having exclusively made items for things that you can only get thru something like this!

And also, I am so glad they moved the Line h campers out of the dock area behind the Hilton to that other area. I know they don't like admitting that LIne H camping happens but it does. I'm not sure how much better the island was, but it had to be better than camping in the hot sun on hot concrete?

...overall it was kind of dead but it also allowed for me to do filming for my student journalism package, so it balanced out. But next year, Next year better be the bomb!
« Last Edit: July 22, 2019, 01:35:06 PM by MsButtaskotch »

Offline puppy

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Re: I don't know what to say about the 2019 comic-con.
« Reply #24 on: July 22, 2019, 12:38:16 PM »
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And also, I am so glad they moved the Line h campers out of the dock area behind the Hilton to that other area. I know they don't like admitting that LIne H camping happens but it does. I'm not sure how much better the island was, but it had to be better than camping in the hot sun on hot concrete?


I've never camped out for Hall H until this year.  That island was not bad at all.  We had an ant hill underneath us but managed to position ourselves around it so it wasn't a problem.  Our position during the overnight camp was great.  I loved it, every bit of it.  Would do it again!

Offline MsButtaskotch

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Re: I don't know what to say about the 2019 comic-con.
« Reply #25 on: July 22, 2019, 12:43:25 PM »
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I think there is a bigger problem than the con itself. There just isn’t much that is inspiring rabid devotion from the fan base. Marvel rules the roost and they will continue to do so.  There’s still Rick and Morty for a while and the new Star Trek shows look promising. But Game of Thrones is done. Supernatural, Good Place, and Arrow are ending. DC/Warner is internally a mess and it seems their panels reflected that. Terminator, god bless, has worn out it’s welcome. Witcher and His Dark Materials are promising but it’s still niche. Dark Crystal I am looking forward to but that’s a one off deal. Maybe Umbrella Academy could have sparked some buzz, but the comic just ended and they are not far into production for the second season.

That being said, I did manage to do everything I wanted to do this weekend (ok, couldn't do the sky diving but I went in expecting it wouldnt happen) and the Marvel panel was well worth the effort I put to get in.  Team Coco House was a disappointment.  In addition to having to pay for food and drinks, the comedy act I saw was a dud.  I would have preferred last year's set up where I got a great show but no pop rather than a dud but a pop.

They need to stop fighting the inevitable, stop reinventing it and let the property revert back to James Cameron. They could've taken Terminator in so many other directions since T2: Judgement Day...
 *cue Elsa* Let it go!!

Offline MarvelGurl

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Re: I don't know what to say about the 2019 comic-con.
« Reply #26 on: July 22, 2019, 12:57:04 PM »
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They need to stop fighting the inevitable, stop reinventing it and let the property revert back to James Cameron. They could've taken Terminator in so many other directions since T2: Judgement Day...
 *cue Elsa* Let it go!!

James Cameron is a producer on this I believe and was semi active, but if he really wanted it he could have taken it back. Instead, he wants to do 4 more Avatar movies. Whatever.

I agree with you that panels that should have been in Hall H weren't. Like the Spongebob blowout party panel. Animation doesn't get enough respect to be deemed Hall H worthy I guess.

Offline MsButtaskotch

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Re: I don't know what to say about the 2019 comic-con.
« Reply #27 on: July 22, 2019, 01:39:14 PM »
I only mention it because i know there's a copyright flaw with that, the original ownership of it would have automatically reverted back to james Cameron if they hadnt made another movie in a certain amount of years. i know that was the reasoning behind them making some of them by a certain time, so he wouldn't get full rights back... but he's a producer on it? hmm.. interesting. still though... let it die. let the movie live on in the halls of cinema the way it now stands..

Offline MarvelGurl

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Re: I don't know what to say about the 2019 comic-con.
« Reply #28 on: July 22, 2019, 01:50:32 PM »
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I only mention it because i know there's a copyright flaw with that, the original ownership of it would have automatically reverted back to james Cameron if they hadnt made another movie in a certain amount of years. i know that was the reasoning behind them making some of them by a certain time, so he wouldn't get full rights back... but he's a producer on it? hmm.. interesting. still though... let it die. let the movie live on in the halls of cinema the way it now stands..

Gotcha. Yeah that's not the case this time around. It's like Carpenter with Halloween. He never cosigned on any of the Halloween sequels after the second one until last year's.

I agree with you even as a huge fan of the franchise and for someone who actually liked Genesys. No villain in that franchise, even Schwarzenegger himself has come close to Robert Patrick's T-1000 despite the obvious attempts to emulate it.

Ok I think this is getting off topic now lol. Sorry mods. I'm done.


Offline Violet

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Re: I don't know what to say about the 2019 comic-con.
« Reply #29 on: July 22, 2019, 02:00:44 PM »
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-And then the cherry on top of the whole weekend. I mentioned above that I met a cool guy at our hotel. I met him on the elevator on Friday evening. I was headed to the lobby to get some drinks for my wife and I as we were getting ready for Fundays and I was wearing a lei. The guy asked if I was going to Fundays and said that I was going to have a blast. He said he's worked the event before and it's insanity. Saw him the next morning and talked to him about how incredible it was. Anyway, on Saturday night, my wife and I were getting ready for bed and there was a knock at the door. My wife looks through the peephole and says "uh, it's some guy. You answer it please." It was the guy I spoke to from the elevator. He said that he works for Conan and then he handed me a box with all four Conan pops in it! Basically said "hope you had fun at the convention. Here you go." and left. My jaw was on the floor. How cool is that!?

My question is...  how did he know your room number??  ???