Give yourself a round of applause. You have climbed the mountain, conquered the beast, and you are on your way to San Diego Comic Con 2014. You pre-registered months in advance, you endured the torture of refreshing the tickets page, you bested the gauntlet of hotel bookings and then you sorted out your travel too. You may not have much in the way of money or good sense left but, honestly, that's probably a good thing. Now all you need to do is...actually go to the convention. Simple, right? After you've done all of that? Sorry, bub, we've got some news for you. Tackling San Diego Comic Con isn't just like wandering around your garden variety convention. That's certainly the way that SDCC started but it's since ballooned considerably into a hulking, sprawling behemoth that takes place over four days, with 130,000 fans in attendance over the course of the weekend and countless exhibitors, creators and celebrities making up the majority of the show floor and the countless panels and screenings that take place. It's gone from some nerds looking through back issues in a hotel to the place where film studios, TV companies, game developers and comics publishers alike make all of their big announcements for the coming year. Yeah, you could use some advice about how to navigate all this. San Diego Comic Con chews people up and spits them out, leaving them a burnt out husk with blistered feet, poor personal hygiene and a bank balance that doesn't bear being checked. Stick with us though, rookie, and we'll guide you through the fifteen essential tips for Comic Con newbies.
15. Get There Early
Comic Con is a marathon, not a sprint, but it doesn't hurt to get a headstart. The con floor by lunchtime will be a claustrophobic, sweaty and uncomfortable sea of people, an ocean of geeks that its difficult to fight against. Not only will this impede your progress across the convention centre but it can also be pretty overwhelming - when you're not used to it, don't know your way around and are possibly a con virgin, it's a good idea to arrive early and get your bearings. Doors open at 10 AM but you can mill about in the entrance area from 9, and it's also a good chance to get the lay of the land and maybe do some of the regular con things - like browsing the Artist's Alley or perusing the stalls - before the panels start and your schedule is suddenly full of events you want to go to (which means events you have to queue for), leaving you less time to just wander around, soak up the atmosphere, and spent far too much money on a full run of ROM Spaceknight.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
