Hard to believe but it's 54 days until the 2012 Comic-Con International commences. Actually, it's 53 days until Preview Night when the hall is filled with attendees. I don't know why we talk of the con opening on Thursday when it's about as open as it gets on Wednesday evening.
I am in no way an officer or official or representative of the con. I'm just a guest and a guy who does a lot of panels. But I get a lot of questions and I'll try to answer some here…
If the con is sold out, how do I get tickets? It is sold out, true. If you keep your eye on the con website, you may see some more become available. Tickets are non-transferrable so if someone who has some decides they can't use them, they'll usually get a refund from the con itself which will then put them up for sale. You might also talk to exhibitors. Someone who purchases a booth gets a certain number of passes for those it will have staffing their exhibits. They may have more passes than they need.
What if I buy those super-expensive tickets on eBay? You'll probably regret it. Some of them are counterfeit and even the real ones are, like I said, non-transferrable. The con has turned people away who arrived with what they thought were legit tickets.
I have a pass. How do I get a hotel room? Keep looking. As with tickets, more may become available through the convention website. Another thing to do is to spend a bit of time on Google. If I needed a place to stay, I think I'd try that. The convention center is serviced by a very efficient trolley system and the Pacific Surfliner train on the Amtrak line can get you within walking distance (or a cheap taxi ride). I would look at those maps and see what's available along those routes.
Hey, have you heard anything about whether WonderCon is moving back to San Francisco next year and when it is? I've heard it's likely but not certain. For some reason, the Moscone Center in San Francisco won't commit to dates as far in advance as most other convention centers. The convention does want to return to that city by the bay.
Getting back to San Diego, what should I be doing now to prep for that convention? Firm up your travel plans, especially if you're flying. (Note that I've retired my usual joke about how if you need a parking space, leave now. But it's still applicable.)
Do you need any more nominations for the Bill Finger Award? Not for this year, thanks. The committee has made its selections and I'm very pleased with our picks. The names will be announced in the next week or so on the convention site and on this one.
How many panels will you be moderating at this year's Comic-Con? I'm currently at 13 and I expect to add a few more. They will include as usual: Two Cartoon Voice panels, another panel on how to break into that field, Quick Draw!, a panel with Sergio and me, Cover Story, the annual Jack Kirby Tribute and some spotlight interviews of guests. There will probably not be a Golden Age/Silver Age Panel because as I've explained here, there just won't be enough qualified people at the convention to populate such a thing.
If you have more questions about the con — and you probably do — I refer you again to the convention website. It's real good and full of useful info, more of which will appear there in the coming weeks. I highly recommend giving it a good once-over just before you attend. It's especially helpful to study the Programming Guide before you get there and I'll let you know when it's posted…probably 2-3 weeks before the con. Which (gasp!) isn't that far off.