I have never attended an actual full-fledged comic book convention before, but since I am currently residing in Southern California, it would be almost blasphemous if I didn’t make the three-hour trek to be a part of the world’s largest collection of fanboys & girls.

I wasn’t expressly invited, I don’t have a table, and I’m not there hawking wares. The SDCC has been sold out almost since last year’s festival ended. My wife was online a bunch of months ago and read somewhere that they were looking for volunteers to work the convention. She signed us up stating that if we worked three hours minimum, we would receive free admission for that day.

Hmmm…. you don’t have to ask me twice (well, sometimes you do, but in this instance…)

I readily agreed. Besides, what could be so difficult about working three measly, little, miniscule hours? Then I started reading a few of the blogs about how to prepare for the Con. ZOINKS! This event sounds like it’s gonna be total chaos!

I’m the kinda guy who avoids large crowds, intense heat, exorbitant prices, and waiting. SDCC sounds like the complete opposite of the way I prefer things. As a newbie, I have no idea what to expect other than what I’ve read online or heard from a few associates.

I know a few people who attend the Con faithfully every year so there must be an extraordinary upside, right? To hear them tell it, there is. So, now I’m caught between being filled with Christmas-like excitement and wisdom-tooth-extraction dread. I’m not going necessarily to promote ADDANAC CITY (although I will have on my AC t-shirt and I’ll be loaded down with business cards cuz ya never know). I just want to be in an environment inundated with folks who are as passionate about the world of comics and cartooning that I am.

Granted, it’s been awhile since I’ve bought an actual comic book. I don’t even know how much they cost nowadays. I stopped buying comics right around the time Spawn hit 50+ issues. The debacle that resulted when DC and Marvel chose opposing distributors and shut down many a Mom N’ Pop comic shop did it for me. My town was so small that my local shop (and our only carrier of comics) decided to go the video rental route.

My main desire this weekend is to maybe meet some of my fellow webcomic authors and artists. We all correspond nearly everyday, but we’ve had no personal interaction. It will be interesting to see how some of these talented people behave live and in person. That’s my main lure.

I’ve heard that there are freebies galore to be had, but experience has shown me that I never really do anything with freebie stuff anyway other than to lose it, step on it, or simply throw it away sooner or later. I doubt if I’ll be fortunate enough to get any “big name” autographs, but I will have my pen and paper handy just in case. I’m a good Boy Scout like that.

I’ll be taking pictures and you can best believe I’ll be blogging about my cherry-popping experience upon my return. This may actually turn out to be the most fun I’ve had in ages. I’ll just have to see.