The main reason for that is the way they now run registration. Let me explain. When we first started going, Comic-Con was not a sold out event and at the event you could buy tickets for the next year and it was first come first served and eventually the lines for that became too crowded. They stopped doing that in 2013 (actually it was at the 2012 event and you couldn't buy a ticket for 2013 until after the event) and went to an online only purchase which was done in 2 phases, pre-registration (for those who attended the previous year) and open registration (for everyone else) and it was first come first served. So if you were on your computer and on the website at the start of the sale you got in a virtual line and it was first come first served. However, it was still tricky to get on and you might not have gotten all the days you wanted, but you had a second chance at the open registration. Then the following year for the 2014 event they changed the online system to a random selection. They still have 2 phases, pre-registration and open registration, but the online system changed. They gave you a 2 hour time frame to get into the online waiting room, then after that 2hr period they randomly ordered everyone who was in the waiting room at the time and then you could start buying tickets. So it didn't matter if you were in the waiting room when it first opened or if your were the last one to enter just before it closed, you could be chosen to be first to buy tickets.
I was lucky enough to get tickets and all the days I wanted for 2014 but it did not work out that way for a friend of mine Michael Hamersky who had been attending every year since 1991 and who had a booth at Comic-Com in the 70's. He was only able to get 2 days, Thursday and Sunday. This year I was not the lucky one and we did not get tickets at all. I personally like the first come first served basis better, but there are some that like the random selection better, to each his own and you can't please everyone.
So why did I title this Comic-Con No More? Because with the random selection and the rising cost of the event, it is possible that we may not get a chance to go again, but you never no. (And I have to confess the title was a little influenced by Amazing Spider-Man #50 who happens to be my favorite character)
For those of you who care to continue reading I would like to share a little of my Comic-Con history and how I fell in love with this Awesome Event.
2002 My first Comic-Con. A friend and I decided to go on a Saturday and we walked up to the San Diego Convention Center sometime around Noon and bought tickets in the entryway and walked into the exhibit hall. It was amazing, tons of booths, huge comic art banners and tapestries, larger than life displays, an art gallery, autograph area, panels to go see, and much more. I fell in love with it and wanted to go for the entire event the following year and both of us got tickets for the entire show for the next year's event which also included preview night.2003 I fell in love with Comic-Con all over again as my friend and I walked around the convention center taking in all the sights, booths, and events. We got autographs, comics, exclusive items, freebies, got to meet some celebrities, and see some cool shows. We wen't to something called Trailer Park. This is where they show you movie trailers that have not been released yet for upcoming movies.
This is the year that we would meet Michael Hamersky in the morning line waiting to get in. Seeing Michael in line each year became kind of a tradition and we became friends. Michael writes a blog called Comic Book Collectors Blog. You can visit it here: www.comicbookcollectorsblog.com Also that year my wife decided to come on Saturday. I bought her a ticket in the entryway on Friday so she could come with us the next day. She loved it so much she wanted to come the next year for the entire event and so began our tradition.
A CRAZY thing happened this year. Bowen Designs had and Exclusive for sale, a Super Chrome Colossus Mini Statue and only 500 of them were made. So many people came to the Bowen Designs booth that the isles surrounding the booth were packed with people shoulder to shoulder. The Comic-Con staff shut the booth down until the crowd dispersed, but it didn't. Then they decided to hand out tickets, 500 of them to be exact and if you got one you got to buy the Statue. That just made matters worse because the guy handing out the tickets walked out into the crowd and said "I'm going to start a line, where ever I point the line starts in front of me and goes in the direction I point!!!" When he pointed it happened to be in my direction and people swarmed together and it was like two wave of people crashing together to try to make the line. The Freddy vs Jason booth was across the isle from the Bowen Designs booth, and there were so many people squeezed between them, there were people pressed against the Freddy vs Jason booth and all of sudden you heard a loud CRACK!!! The wall was now slanted in toward it's booth and almost fell. The mass of people actually broke a booth!!!! Guess what though, I actually got a ticket and bought the statue!!!! Not only did I get the statue, I got it signed by Randy Bowen. Yeah Baby!!!
2004 I fell in love with Comic-Con all over again for a completely different reason. We just had a daughter and we brought her with us.
She was 3 and 1/2 months old at the time and it was amazing to see her face as she looked at all the booths, signs, art, and people, she loved the people. Any time we would sit down for a break if we turned the stroller away from the crowd she started making a fuss and even started crying but as soon as we turned the stroller back so she could see the people going by she would calm down. I knew that this would now become a Conger Family Tradition.
2005 - 2010 Comic-Con really grew over the next several years in both the amount of people attending and in the amount of exhibits, vendors, and panels. The more the news covered the event the more people heard about it and began coming. TV stations began broadcasting from the exhibit hall and there were more chances to meet artists, actors, producers and entire main casts of shows or movies.
During this period of time while walking around after an autograph session was over Ray Park happened to get up right as we were waling by. He walked next to us and talked to us until they (him and his agent/handler) reached the next exit then he shook my hand, said "Enjoy the rest of the show" and left. What a cool thing to happen by chance and being a huge Star Wars fan it made my day (I got to talk to Darth Maul). Also during this time we literally ran into Orlando Jones. He was looking the other way and my friend was looking the other way, I happened to see this just in time and yelled "Look Out" Orlando and My friend stopped just in time to slightly bump shoulders. We laughed and he talked to us for a few minutes then headed on. Another cool chance happening. We also took many pictures of or with other celebrities such as David Prowse (Inside the Darth Vader costume), Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett -Original Trillogy), Leonard Nemoy, Stan Lee, Tyrese Gibson, Lance Henriksen, Lou Ferrigno, Marc Singer, Michael Dorn, Brent Spiner, Lee Arenberg, and many others. Each year as we went, it renewed our love for the event as a family and we had a great time.
Another great thing about Comic-Con that I only mentioned briefly above is the freebies. In the morning and sometimes throughout the day certain booths give out free stuff to people visiting their booths. Sometimes it's a mad dash to get the items they are giving away, sometimes it's a scavenger hunt (going to several booth to get a stamp then coming back for the freebie), or sometimes it's a secret giveaway that you stumble upon or read about in the program.(not everyone reads the program) Usually the freebies are 1 per person sometimes they are more. Since there were 3 of us we generally got 3 of each. We made another tradition with the freebies by giving out all the extras that we got to our friends and their children once we got back home and they all loved it. Another thing we liked to do was trying to see if we could make it in line to get the exclusives that the toy companies were offering each year and we were pretty successful at that. One of our friends gave us the nickname The Comic-Congers.
Here are some pictures of some of the freebies we picked up.
Here are some pictures of some of the exclusives we purchased.
2011 A new addition to our family, our second daughter attended her first Comic-Con this year at 8 months old and like her sister she loved watching the people.
Along with having fun as a family, getting freebies for friends, and getting exclusives I had a new agenda. I had YouTube channel that I just started in October of 2010 and I wanted to do some videos from Comic-Con to post on my channel. I end up making 3 videos. One over all Comic-Con video and 2 interviews. The over all video is called Sights and Sounds of the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con and here is the link to that: https://youtu.be/yuPix3FFiFY
I did an interview with Michael Hamersky about his blog and a book that he co-authored with 13 others called Gotham City 14 Miles. Here's the link to that video: https://youtu.be/uzfStvBoIes
I also did an interview with artist Barbara Marker about her art and her time with Dark Horse Comics. Here's the link to that video: https://youtu.be/mPo1L32Rq4Y
2012 - 2014 We continued our family tradition of going to Comic-Con each year as a family and we looked forward to it with anticipation each year. We saved up our allowances in anticipation for the things we would buy there and we even had a few different friends from where we live attend. They heard so much about it from us and from receiving the items we would bring home from Comic-Con each year peaked their interest and they had to experience it for them selves. One couple has been going each year and were lucky enough to get ticket for this year's event as well.
Through the years we have enjoyed Comic-Con together as a family. We each have our favorite things that we like to do but sharing them together as a family has been the best part.
If we happen to never get to go again, Comic-Con will be something that the Conger family will talk about and remember for a long, long time if not forever.
