SDCC Highlights: Day 3 (Part 1)

Ah....Day 3 of Comic con.  Saturday is the day where you camp out all night before and hope to get into Hall H and never leave until at least 6pm.  Hall H line on Saturday is no joke folks.  Saturday is the biggest day of Comic Con - panels, attendance, cosplayers, you name it.  It used to be that if you didn't show up between 4-6am you will not get into the first panel of the day but still have hopes to make into the last panels.  This year you had to camp out starting at midnight to "guarantee" yourself a spot.  Next year it might be 8pm the on Friday night, who knows!

Map Image is a screen shot from Google Maps.

The map above shows the line up for Hall H.  You start near the Chute area of Hall H and snake through those tunnels.  A lot of people bring sleeping bags and air mattresses to keep warm through the night so the lines are shoulder to shoulder but it seems to be an understood rule among con goers that you can spread out to sleep and spend the night.   The line continues across the street and snakes around the lawn area.  My friends got to the line about midnight (blue star on the map) and got a pretty good position.  I was fortunate enough to sleep in the hotel for an extra 3 hours.  By the time I arrived at 3am the line had worked itself down the marina and towards the embarcadero are where the symphony hall was set up.  I'm not sure what the line looks like after that, but just know that if you're anywhere near that area you won't be getting into Hall H on Saturday.

You'll be lucky to get into the last panel of the day if you're standing out by by the marina area lawn.   Another thing to understand about Hall H is that they don't clear the rooms in between panels so once you're in you're in - along with the other 6,500 or so people.  If you're still outside then you just have to wish and hope that someone who had squatted in line was there for an early panel and will leave after (which is what happened after the Lionsgate Hunger Games panel).  Around 5 or 6am the security guards start walking through the line saying good morning to everyone and give them a wake up call to pack their stuff up because the lines are about to be compressed.  Once the line goes through the first compression and you're inside the awnings zig zags towards the beginning you have a very very good chance of getting in for the whole day.

So why do people go crazy and line up??  Some say it's due to the hype and teenage fanatics from movies such as Twilight and now Hunger Games, and others say it's because Hall H reveals greater and more amazing things year after year.  I'm thinking the early line ups are due to the rising popularity of comic books in movies.  People who wouldn't otherwise be interested in comic books are now coming out to see and swoon over the movie stars, such as Hugh Jackman.  I must admit that I am also one of those fans that have recently gained a love for comic books through movies, and the help of my boyfriend, but even if there weren't movie stars around I'd still be going to panels.  :)  Alright, so enough talk and more photos of panels (yes, lots and lots of photos)!