I can't believe I'm writing posts now about registration for next year's Comic-Con International in San Diego but here we go…
Open Registration for the con begins around 9:00 AM on Saturday, December 9. Last year, all the badges sold out by 10:13 AM. This year, maybe they can do it in an hour. To get a shot at some, you'll need to go online and "enter" something called the Expo Logic waiting room and you can learn all about the process over on this page. I suggest you do that well before 12/9/17. Comic-Con International takes place from July 19, 2018 to July 22 with a Preview Night on July 18. Better start packing since it's only 233 days off.
In the meantime, you can attend an almost-as-good con run by the same people only 116 days from today. 94.3 miles to the North (if you take the 5 freeway) is WonderCon Anaheim, which takes place March 23-25 and badges for that are now on sale. It's not as big and crowded as Comic-Con but for some, that's a plus. The way I look at it, if you go for one day, you're not going to see all of either convention.
Getting back to Comic-Con: They have this thing called the Icon Award. A lot of awards are given out at the con in San Diego but that's the highest honor and it's presented to a member of the comics and entertainment community for outstanding contributions. Last year, I was pleased to aid in the surprise presentation of it to my friend and colleague, Sergio Aragonés and this past July, in the presentation of their first posthumous one to Jack Kirby. Well, as you can read here, they just presented another one to the wonderful Marie Severin, whose colors brightened EC Comics in the fifties and whose brilliant cartooning brightened Marvel's in the sixties, seventies and eighties. A fine, fine choice.
I will be at both conventions next year and also the unaffiliated San Diego Comic Fest in April. I may even make it to a few others depending on who invites me.