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)!
Reading about Day 2 probably won't be as exciting for readers unless you're in love with panels and movie stars! I sat in Hall H all day Friday (and Saturday) for panels. I really wanted to see the Veronica Mars panel since I was a kick starter backer and once I was in Hall H I decided to stay for the rest of the panels since it was such a great line up. So here's a photo heavy post of all of the panels and movie stars I got to see that day.
Line waiting at 5am. The line wraps around near Hilton, along the marina, and out towards the outdoor concert hall. Some people have been waiting since midnight!
The World's End
Panel for The World's End. I never watched any of the previous Cornetto trilogy films (never even heard of Cornetto before this panel) but I'm more likely to check it out now. These guys were great.
Veronica Mars
As I stated earlier in the blogpost, I'm a kick starter backer for the Veronica Mars Movie so I was really excited to see this panel. They showed the exclusive footage for the new Veronica Mars Movie which isn't so exclusive anymore and can be found here.
Veronica Mars Panel!!! <3
Who doesn't love some Kristen Bell charm early in the morning?
My 2nd favorite on Veronica Mars - Tina Majorino rocking a mohawk. :)
My favorite guys.
Which team are you? Team Piz, Team Dick, or Team Logan? :)
Kick Ass 2
I keep forgetting he has a British accent, so it was fun hearing him talk in person.
Every time I see him I want to call him McLovin'
Super sweet that they did a live video chat with Chloe since she couldn't be there in person.
Riddick
Best part about this panel was learning that Vin Disel loves to play D&D. <3 Can't say that I want to go see Riddick after watching the panel, but it was nice to see Vin Disel in person.
Such a charming guy.
The Walking Dead
I don't watch The Walking Dead, but that doesn't mean I'm not a fan. I've read some of the comic books and have seen a couple of episodes here and there and I know I'll be a huge fan, I just haven't gotten around to it yet. I still enjoyed the panel regardless.
Best part of the panel was when the walking dead "cast" came up to ask the Walking Dead Cast a question. :)
This was also the part where Steven Yeun asked them if the zombies were triplets because they all look the same. He then immediately regretted his question saying he was being "Asian". And regretted that as well since he basically said that all the girls look alike because they're Asian. It was a weird moment in Hall H but he was a good sport about it. :)
Game of Thrones
Love, love, love Game of Thrones. I have to admit I am a little late in the game and am not up to date on the HBO show. When I first found out about the show and how good everyone was telling me it was, and that it was a book, I knew I had to read the book first. Little did I know the books are a pretty heavy read. I've read book 1 and seen season 1 of Game of Thrones and am still reading book 2. I've tried really hard to keep my eyes and ears closed to all the gossips and news about who dies in the books/show because apparently everyone eventually dies (or so I have been told). But I knew I couldn't miss out on the Game of Thrones panel so I just let myself be open to any spoilers they may give away. And boy did they give it away...they kicked off the panel with this nice **SPOILER** video.
Peter Dinklage came in first and gave a great bow to the crowds of Hall H.
Followed by his "more cheering" fist pounding once he was seated. Which he got!
Kit Harington aka Jon Snow
Richard Madden aka King of the North
Emilia Clarke aka Mother of Dragons
Cast members and writer George R.R. Martin
We also got really cool swag for sitting in the panel. Book 3 - A Storm of Swords, t-shirt, bag, notebook and other little trinkets. Thanks HBO/Game of Thrones. :)
Robocop
I don't remember too much about Robocop so it was nice seeing this panel and how they planned on doing a remake. I'm actually looking forward to it, but definitely have to rewatch the original to compare notes.
Abbie Cornish & Michael Keaton
Samuel L. Jackson & Joel Kinnaman (Robocop :))
It was pretty cool hearing Samuel L. Jackson telling it to us as it is about their appearance at comic con. They're there to promote the film so we can go tell our friends how cool it is and all go watch it. I'm going to watch it, but it's probably because I'm a huge movie watcher anyways. But it's nice hearing it come out of the mouth of Samuel L. Jackson.
The Amazing Spider Man 2
I was thoroughly impressed with the Amazing Spiderman 2 panel. They pulled back the curtains to reveal more screen! The additional screens were mostly used for panoramic views or additional non related footage to fluff things up and add to the epicness of Hall H. It did a great job of making it a memorable panel for me.
Spider Man himself came to panel. :)
They showed a short clip of Emma Stone apologizing for not being able to make it to Comic-con and then it was interrupted by shockwaves from Electro! Which is Jamie Foxx's grand entrance.
He's surprised to see Spider Man and Spider Man was telling Jamie Foxx how he's a fan. (I love how Spider Man had his own name tag.)
A long but fun video from the panel with Spider Man.
After showing the trailer clip, Andrew Garfield comes out apologizing for being late. I didn't notice this until he comes out and talked, but he has an accent and Spider Man didn't so he played the part really well. :)
His name tag still says Spider Man. ;)
After the panels I walked around the convention to pick up my GOT swag and to try and meet up with my brother and future sister in law. They cosplayed as Ryu and Sakura so I had to make sure I got a photo of them. :)
Another great costume at comic con. :)
End of Day 2! Stay tuned for more photos for Day 3 of SDCC.
I have way too many photos I want to post and things I want to talk/blog about but I decided it would take too much time and I would probably bore everyone. So instead, here are my highlights.
Badge pick up. 2nd line of the day. The first line was outside in the car waiting to get in for parking. >.<
I don't own a wig holder so I used 4 gatorade bottles. :)
