Looks like it's about time for my annual joke about how if you need a parking space for Comic-Con International, leave now. Yes, it's hard to believe but we're less than two months from that annual gathering and, you know, for all the bitching and moaning I hear about crowds and costs and Too Much Movie Stuff, I always have a good time when I make the trek down to San Diego for one of these, as I've done every year since the first one in 19-friggin'-70. As I probably say here too often, it takes a bit of planning but just about everyone I know, including the chronic complainers, thinks it's worth it. But it's really worth it if you do a bit of prep so that you control your convention, instead of your convention controlling you. Don't go in unarmed if you know what's good for you.
Yes, I will be hosting panels and events. At the moment, the list is fifteen including all your old favorites. It'll be a while before I can announce days and room numbers.
If you have no ticket to the convention: Uh, I think you're outta luck. A few more tickets may become available but the con's been sold out for months, which you should take as a lesson to sign up earlier next time. In any case, please do not write me with your sad "I promised my sick children" tales and ask if I can get you in. You'd be amazed how many of those I get a year. I get the feeling there are some people who are adopting sick children just because they think that will get me to work some magic and get them passes. Sorry, folks. No can do.
If you have a ticket but no hotel room: I believe there are still quite a few available via the convention hotel link. They may not be across the street from the convention center and they may not be as cheap as you'd like. But it certainly is possible to procure lodging in the same time zone.
Getting back to the need to plan: Check out the convention website. It's full of useful information. Half the questions I get can be answered if the questioner would take the nine seconds it takes to look it up on that site. Make out an itinerary for your travel — when you'll go, how you'll get there, etc. Every time I travel very far these days, I do a bit of Googling and jot down the addresses and hours of restaurants I may need, a nearby drugstore and other possible necessities. When the convention programming schedule comes out — and we're at least a month from that — take the time to read it and jot down what you want to see.
And we'll have other tips, most of which will be to check out Tom Spurgeon's annual survival guide…which he should have up any day now. Gee, I'm starting to get excited just writing this.