Holy cow!! Summer is already upon us and San Diego Comic Con 2018 is less than a month away! I can’t believe that in just a few short weeks I’ll be back in San Diego, enjoying the best convention in the world with a hundred thousand other uber fans like myself. It’s my favorite time of the year and I wish it could go on forever, though I’d be extremely tired all the time if that was the case! Let’s dive right into some of the biggest SDCC news out there currently!
Badges
Image Credit: Hector Corral
Badges for the 2018 convention have begun to ship! Keep an eye on your email because over the next few weeks your SDCC 2018 badges are slowly being processed and shipped in small batches! You’ll receive an email once yours has shipped with a tracking number so you can eagerly stalk your mailbox! There have been reports of people getting their badge without first getting an email, or getting their email the same day of delivery. If you are an international attendee your badge will not be coming via the post, you’ll just need to bring your Barcode Email with you to San Diego and you can do on-site pickup. A few things to keep in mind: the badges are sent out in small batches, just because your best comic con friend got their badge already doesn’t mean yours is lost – be patient, your time will come. Be careful when posting images of your badge – be sure that you block out or entirely cover your name before posting that picture! Bad things can (and have) happened in the past for those excited fans who forgot to block out their name. Be excited and post your images, just make sure that your name is entirely covered up before you hit that post button! If your badge does not arrive, don’t fret! Thanks to the RFID technology, if your badge is lost in transit or even stolen from your mailbox – CCI has got you covered. If the time has come to head to San Diego and you’re still missing the golden ticket that will get you into the show – you can contact CCI and let them know you still don’t have it. They’ll issue you a new one that you can pickup on-site after arriving in San Diego. Yes it is annoying, but at least they will get you taken care of!
Movie & TV Panels
One thing fans have noticed is the lack of presence from some of their favorite studios. This doesn’t mean that SDCC will be any less amazing or special. Think about all the other studios that will now step up and offer more new things for you to check out. As of right now there are a few fan favorites that are skipping this summer: Starz (Outlander & American Gods), HBO (Game of Thrones & Westworld), and Marvel Studios. On the other hand, this is opening up some HUGE Hall H space and offsite space for other networks to make an impression. The official schedule won’t be released until 2 weeks before the show, but that doesn’t mean we haven’t already heard of a lot of fantastic things to look forward to. I am most excited for Hulu’s Castle Rock to bring both a panel and an offsite event – I promise that there will be more than enough great events to fill your day with.
Movies: Predator, Halloween, Glass, and Aquaman (featuring a trailer debut.)
TV Shows: Blue Book, Castle Rock, Deadly Class, Mr. Mercedes,The Gifted, Krypton, Marvel’s Iron Fist, The Walking Dead, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, The Goldbergs, Wynonna Earp, My Hero Academia, Big Hero Six: The Series and Doctor Who (This will be the first ever panel appearance for the new cast of Doctor Who and will introduce the new Doctor plus her companions ahead of the season premiere this fall!)
Autographs and Exclusives
New to San Diego Comic Con this summer is an online lottery system through their Member ID Portal. CCI tested this system out earlier in the year during WonderCon and it is now confirmed that we can expect it to be used for SDCC as well. The overall details aren’t completely known yet, but you can expect at least a few of the autograph sessions and possibly some of the exclusives to be utilizing this online system ahead of the show. Only time will tell what all will be included in this online lottery system – but it is theorized that autograph sessions that were previously done as a ticket draw system up in Sails are all likely to be included (WB, some DC, and Fox). Others have suggested that it would also include exclusives that participated in Sails ticket draws such as Hasbro and Funko. While we won’t know anything for sure until much closer to the show, this will be brand new territory for SDCC and we’ll all be facing it together. As far as confirmed autographs go, the only thing we are certain of right now is the cast of Twin Peaks has announced that they’ll be taking over the autograph area. It is unclear right now if that will be a ticket draw, online lottery win, or first come first served – so fans of the show should keep an eye out on their social media accounts for more details in the future! On the Exclusive front of things, there are plenty of exhibitors that have begun to announce all the special SDCC merchandise you will be able to purchase! One of the amazing things about San Diego Comic Con is all the amazing and exclusive stuff you’re able to buy. Lego, Mattel, Hasbro, Funko, FYE – the list goes on and on and on of all the fantastic things you’ll find available for purchase at the event. If you want to see what has already been announced I suggest heading over to the Exclusives Page at the Unofficial San Diego Comic Con Blog.
Offsite Events
Image Credit: Team CoCo Instagram
Offsite events have been a fan favorite in the past few years, and this summer I expect to see some returning favorites and some new faces. Offsites are perfect events for those who either didn’t get a badge at all, or didn’t get all 4/5 days. Even if you can’t get into the convention center on a certain day, I promise you’ll find plenty to do and see in the Gaslamp Quarter of downtown San Diego. Here’s a look at just a few of the offsite events we know will be occurring!
- Conan O’Brian will be bringing his show Conan Live at Comic-Con back to the Spreckles theater and is the hottest and hardest offsite event to get into. Though ticket information for that hasn’t been announced yet, expect it to come within the next few weeks.
- Fye will be hosting a pop-up store with exclusives of their own plus special guest appearances happening there!
- Mr. Mercedes will be offering an AR/VR experience ! This experience will have several different features including both a VR escape room and an AR scavenger hunt! You’ll also be able to get a customized lenticular photo op. They’ll display official props from the series and offer limited edition giveaways! Fast Pass Sign up at Mr. Mercedes Experience Fast Pass is currently sold out – but you can keep checking for extra signups.
- Sony Pictures “Ghostbusters” Augmented Reality game taking over San Diego!
- Impractical Jokers Block Party at Petco Park
New to SDCC in 2018
Other than the online lottery system through the Member ID Portal – there are a few other changes happening to SDCC this year as well. It was recently reported that Harbor Drive will be closed to vehicle traffic during certain hours of Comic Con and there will be a new “Members Only” perimeter around the front of the convention center during the show. Harbor Drive will be closed to ALL vehicle traffic (including bikes, scooters, and skateboards) during the following times this summer:
Wednesday July 18th from 3pm to 9pm / Thursday July 19th from 7am to 9pm / Friday July 20th from 7am to 9pm / Saturday July 21st from 7am to 9pm / Sunday July 22nd from 7am to 7pm.
Emergency vehicles, official Comic Con shuttle buses, and those with valid parking passes to the convention center will be the only exceptions to this road closure. If you have parking at the Convention Center lot you will need to show your valid parking pass for that day and enter on from the First Avenue side.
In addition to the road closure, Comic Con has announced that there will be a larger “Attendee Only” zone (instead of just the security checkpoints at the doors when you enter). For 2018, only badged members of San Diego Comic Con will be able to access the front drive, stairs, and surrounding sidewalks of the convention center. If you arrive at the convention center and need to pick your badge up on-site you’ll still be allowed through, just make sure that you have your registration email with you (badge pick up will be in the Sails Pavilion with access through Lobby C).
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- Image Credit: Unofficial SDCC Blog
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- Image Credit: Unofficial SDCC Blog
Stay tuned next week for more San Diego Comic Con goodies! Including my helpful tips and tricks guide of what you should and shouldn’t do before heading to San Diego!
Heading to San Diego Comic-Con this summer? Let us know in a comment! We’d love to meet you there!
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