So that means I’ll be hanging out at the Long Beach Comic Expo this Saturday, May 12th all day. Be sure to swing by and say hi and we can talk all things Comic-Con! If I’m not at the table (shared with the ever-lovin’ brown-eyed Luis Calderon, creator of Space Johny, in Artist Alley), I’ll be running around taking pictures and talking with random people. But I’ll swing by the table regularly and will be hanging out there whenever possible. If you already have a book, bring it by and I’ll sign it (if that’s your thing). If you don’t have a book, what a perfect day to grab one! Save on shipping, especially if you’re in the SoCal area.

The Long Beach Comic Expo takes place from 10am until 6pm and is only $15 to get in (kids 10 and under are FREE with adult admission – up to 2 kids per adult). They have tons of creators, dealers’ tables, and an all-day programming series that features everything from learning how to break into the comic industry to meeting the some of the cast from TNT‘s Falling Skies.

To purchase, follow this link on the official San Diego Comic-Con website, and click the booking link on that page (on a separate site). Once you see the map, click on any of the highlighted parking lots to find the lot availability, the price, and the purchase link.

Things to remember:

1. Overnight parking is not allowed and you must be out of the lot by the posted times each night.
2. Any advanced parking purchases made through this system are non-refundable.
3. Anyone caught purchasing multiple spaces and reselling them at a higher value will lose the spaces without a refund.

Get them while you can, because they will sell out!

Which hotels are overpriced? Which have the best deals?

Let’s look at it this way: Every hotel in San Diego, from Orange County to Tijuana, knows why you’re in town that week. They know rooms are hard to get. So you have to know that they are going to milk you for everything you’ve got. Grab a room at the same hotel the week before or after San Diego Comic-Con and it will be one half if not one third the price you’re paying. There’s a Comfort Inn downtown that isn’t involved in the official Comic-Con block of hotels and it has charged $400 a night in previous years. That’s a hotel that doesn’t normally charge over $100 a night any other time of the year. But they still sell out because we need the rooms and they know it.

Of course, the further you go away from the convention center, the cheaper it will be. The closer and fancier the hotel chain, the more expensive. Pretty much all of the hotels downtown are working with Comic-Con keep their rates BELOW the maximum allowable rate for the sake of the attendees, which is why the official hotel registration day is so important for most who don’t want to pay top dollar. The official block of participating hotels have agreed to charge no more than $300 per night for the rooms (though most never get within $100 of that top amount). But there are some folks so desperate for a room that they’ll pay top dollar months in advance just so they won’t have the hassle. Of course, when you’re “illegally” splitting the room between 8 people (4 in beds and 4 on the floor), that might not have such a big impact on the individual wallet.

If you’re staying outside the city, if at all possible, stick with a recognizable chain, even if it’s cheap, like Motel 6. As a franchised chain, they often have to keep up a certain level of standards to retain the name, which despite it’s often cheesy, low-rent reputation, are actually pretty great for the price. I’ve stayed in 2 over the past year (one in San Diego and one in Las Vegas) and was happy with both stays. But that’s just one example. There are plenty of other chains that offer quality for a low price well outside the confines of San Diego. That’s not to say that they won’t be jacking up their prices just a little bit, but it won’t be anything compared to downtown. If you can get a room in Old Town San Diego, you’ll be able to grab the trolley easily, which will drop you off right outside the convention center and pick you up when the day is through (but it doesn’t go all night).

When picking a hotel outside the city, it’s important to think about your transportation options, how many are traveling, the size of your vehicle, and the amount of precious swag you’ll be acquiring throughout the day. In the less reputable areas, you will often have to leave your belongings in your hotel room, stacked in a corner or a closet for 18 out of the 24 hours in each day that you’re at the show, vulnerable to anyone hoping to make a quick buck. Although I’m sure most thieves wouldn’t know what to do with an oversized Galactus action figure if they got their hands on one.

If I was going to recommend against any certain type of “hotel”, I would say stay away from the hostels. They’re already usually packed with people down on their luck and on their last buck, so the availability is usually limited and the living conditions unenviable. Let them have it. You have a home. Don’t take theirs from them, even if it is for only a few days. Sure, for some, that kind of experience is fine. I just don’t want to share showers with filthy, disgusting strangers again, even if they are nerds like me. And most of those places were rarely clean before we got there. My hotel room has to have it’s own bathroom. But I’m just picky that way. Plus, I think I got infected with an alien virus there back in 2004, my first year at Comic-Con, when I got a room in May for only $90 a night and had no idea what “European Style Hotel” meant (it meant gross hostel). But if you can handle something like that and it falls within your price range, go for it. That just leaves more good (more expensive) hotels for the rest of us. Just note that no hostels are listed in the block of official Comic-Con hotels, even if some are 2 or 3 blocks from the convention center. There’s a reason for that.

Oh, and by the way, avoid Tijuana. Free advice that might save your life. Sorry, Mexico, you’re no longer our friendly donkey-showing amigo to the south.

Where do the celebrities stay?

Logic dictates that the ones with the money (or being taken care of by the studios) will stay in hotels closest to the con and with direct lines of access that don’t go through throngs of overly-adoring fans. But last year I saw most of the cast of Community in the lobby at the Westin Gaslamp where I was staying, which is a number of blocks away at Horton Plaza, the outdoor mall (they likely stayed there because they’re on NBC, which is right next door to the hotel). Almost every day of my second year at Comic-Con, I’d run into Seth Green standing outside the Marriott Gaslamp. And back in 2006, I walked out into the lobby of the Hilton Gaslamp one morning to find Joss Whedon standing at the bottom of the steps with open arms. I looked up to see Adam Baldwin descending those stairs with a big smile for his buddy. They embraced and caught up on old times. That’s one of my favorite memories, even though it has nothing to do with me. No, I didn’t interject myself into the cuddle session in an attempt to get an autograph or picture, even though it would have been really easy to do so. It was enough that I got to witness that moment as I’m a big Firefly fan.

If you’re planning on going to any of the hotels just to hunt celebs, I’m going to beg you to change your mind. Many of the celebs we love are there for a little bit of a break too, especially those who are genuine geeks, soaking up the experience like each one of us ticket-buying nerds. If you find them in a non-convention space, especially if they’re with their friends or families, leave them alone. At most, give them a nod, a smile, and a “HI!” in passing. But don’t bug them for autographs or long conversations about episode 12 of season 3 when their character did this thing or the other. If they’re in a social situation, like a mixer at a club, that’s another situation entirely, but there’s a reason why most attendees don’t get invited to those exclusive events. Okay, I’ll admit that after a few gin and tonics at the Xbox party and then the Robert Rodriguez party last year, I did walk up to Isaiah Mustafa (the Old Spice Guy) outside the Hard Rock and told him how awesome he was (he was standing waiting for someone, so I wasn’t interrupting anything), but I didn’t linger. I said hello, got a handshake, a smiling baritone “thank you”, and I went on my merry way. Besides, I had one more party to go to. I like to think that a lot of the celebrities don’t mind casually chatting with fans or a friendly comment or handshake, but they’ve been freaked out so many times in the past that they tend to shut themselves away from those types of situations, especially in a place where it’s possible that every single one of their disturbingly obsessive fans could be at that one place.

So my advice is: be cool. Don’t pick a hotel just for the celebrity sighting potential. The entire Gaslamp Quarter is the place to gawk and gasp every time you turn a corner. If a celebrity is on their way to their room for a little shuteye or they’re having some quiet time with their family, try not to spaz. If you think you can’t communicate with them without spazzing, keep to yourself and most of all, NO CAMERAS!

And, by the way, it is NEVER cool to chat up a celebrity while they’re taking a whiz next to you at the urinals (or the next stall, ladies). It just isn’t. Leave them be. And that NO CAMERAS advice goes double here.

Which hotels have the best nightlife?

That’s a hard one because it all depends on what you consider “night life”. Does your Comic-Con nightlife consist of dressing up in costumes or watching movies in a dark room with friends? Does it involve binge drinking at a dive bar or downing fancy cocktails at a hoity-toity high end invitation-only club? Do you dance? Do you just want to relax with friends over coffee, going over the day’s experiences? Honestly, most of those experiences are not necessarily found at any particular hotel. Sometimes ALL of them are available at any number of hotels. There are so many clubs, restaurants, coffee nooks, and late night eateries that it’s hard to imagine a moment in the day when there isn’t someone dressed as Jack Sparrow eating pizza on the sidewalk or downing a Guinness on a bar patio. There is so much to do and see and experience that it’s impossible to sum up in one post. And it’s impossible to say where any of THE BEST STUFF will be until it’s announced only weeks before the event. Keep an eye on this site for specific party and gathering information as it becomes available. Let’s just say that if you’re at a hotel, near a hotel, or within earshot of a hotel and there isn’t something going on… you’re in Orange county.

Which hotels are best for those who want a quiet night?

While I can’t guarantee that any of the downtown hotels won’t have a little bit of a hallway or lobby ruckus going on at all hours, chances are that you’ll be so exhausted that you won’t hear a thing the moment your head hits the pillow, regardless of where you’re staying. But the further away your hotel is from the convention center, the better chances you’ll have at getting a quiet night’s sleep. If your hotel involves some driving in order to reach it, then that’s your best bet because most of the crazies tend to stay downtown (drinking). Those who drive also tend to be so tired by the time they arrive at their room that they haven’t the energy to go any more wild than they already have.

Again, it all depends on who your neighbors are, but since the clubs and bars in the Gaslamp District stay open until at least 2am, expect any hotel in that area to have some street noise and stumbling hallway noise until late. If you’re a country mouse and you’re not used to city noise, the only way you’ll rise above it is by getting a room on a really high floor in a really tall hotel. The fancier, newer, more expensive hotels will have the soundproofing and the common sense to keep the busy areas (the bars) far from the rooms. Check out the Hilton Bayfront for an example of how to keep those two worlds on completely different planets. If you can hear anything from downstairs while in your room, it’s because you’re trying REALLY hard.

Obviously, I haven’t stayed in every hotel in San Diego, so I can’t speak to the good and bad qualities of every one of them. (However, if the San Diego hoteliers would like to set me up on a visiting tour of their hotels over a series of weeks for the purpose of reviewing them, I’d be happy to oblige.) I’ve stayed at the Hilton Bayfront, the Hilton Gaslamp twice, the Marriott Gaslamp, the Westin Gaslamp Quarter twice, the Westgate, the Porto Vista in Little Italy, and even 500 West when it was still being built in 2004 (that was my first year ever stepping foot into San Diego and I discovered that “European Style” meant hostel with shared bathrooms). And the year I was at the Westgate, I was also at the Westin for the first time, because we couldn’t get a room for 4 nights straight (Westin Wed and Sat nights, Westgate on Thurs and Fri nights), which meant we had to check out of the hotel mid-week to move to the other hotel and then move back a few days later. It also meant we had to pay 3 deposits. It was maddening and exhausting.

Here are the hotels I’ve stayed at while at Comic-Con (click map to view):
2004 – 500 West
2005 – Marriott Gaslamp
2006 – Hilton Gaslamp
2007 – Westin Gaslamp/Westgate
2008 – Porto Vista
2009 – Hilton Bayfront
2010 – Hilton Gaslamp
2011 – Westin Gaslamp
2012 – ???

As some of you who have read the book know, I prefer to stay downtown. Yes, it’s more expensive than a motel in the far reaches of San Diego and beyond, but I’ve always found it more convenient to be close to the action downtown. Of course, this year, they are running shuttles constantly from Thursday morning to Sunday afternoon, so for those who are staying at shuttle connected hotels, you have no excuse not to party late (especially if you want to drink and NOT drive – something I highly recommend).

Regardless of my personal preferences, here is my input on what I recommend when it comes to hotels, depending on the type of Comic-Con-goer you are…

Which hotels have special programming?

With Comic-Con changing and expanding each year, it’s almost impossible to know which hotels will take on what role when the doors finally open. But you can be sure that those hotels closest (Marriott Marquis and Marina, Hilton Bayfront, Hilton Gaslamp, the Hard Rock, and the Omni) have the bulk of the programming options.

• The Marriott Marquis & Marina, which is attached to the convention center down toward Hall A has ticketed swag pickup, movie screenings, lounges, is pretty much the home base for the Comic-Con crew.
• The Hilton Bayfront down at the Hall H end of the convention center hosts the Eisner Awards and a number of panels throughout the day. It’s also a good spot to belly up to the bar next to one of your favorite comic creators, regardless of whether they won or lost that Eisner Award they were up for.
• The Hilton Gaslamp across the street always has a number of events taking place in its various outdoor areas with lots of freebies given away throughout the day.
• The Omni hosts a number of nighttime exclusive parties and daytime lounges for those with access.
• The Hard Rock Hotel is party central and is the place where you’ll end up seeing the most celebrities walking any one of the 2 or 3 red carpets running at the same time on any given night. But if you’re the average attendee, don’t expect an invite.

While Comic-Con will have all of its official programming listed in their massive book, watch this site for news on events happening throughout the Gaslamp District as they are announced.

To be clear:

1. Information on how to purchase, including date, time, and website are being sent to those with Member IDs right now.
2. You must already have a Member ID as of February 28th.
3. You can only buy if you don’t already have a 4-day pass or Saturday pass.
4. This is not associated with Professional, Volunteer, Exhibitor, Press, or Program Participant registrations. Do not register on the provided date if you fall into one of these categories.

Seriously, if you missed your shot at a ticket last time, this could be your best chance at snagging one (better than the returned ticket offering down the road, which likely won’t be many). However, expect the tickets to get snatched up even faster than the last time. If you’re going to give it a try, let me know how you did and what your experience was like, good or bad (hopefully it won’t be bad, but you have to know that some people won’t get tickets again). Good luck!

Thursday, March 29th, at 9am PACIFIC TIME

Everything you need to know is available on the official site, along with a list of available hotels, their locations, and their prices.

Just like the ticket purchasing, this is not something to dawdle on. These rooms will sell out in a matter of hours, if not sooner. The good thing is that if they are doing the same thing they did last year, the process should be smooth and simple.

1. Before Thursday arrives, make a list of any and all of the hotels you would be willing to stay at. Do NOT choose one hotel. The odds of you getting that exact hotel are slim. The more choices you make (up to 20), the better chance you have of getting a room. Registering does NOT guarantee you a room!
2. Login at 9am Pacific Time and enter the rooms you want through their selection tool.
3. You will receive a confirmation email verifying which hotels you selected within 48 hours.
4. You will then receive a confirmation of which hotel room(s) has been selected for you (based on the order in which you submitted the request in relation to thousands of others).
5. You must log in within 48 hours of receiving this confirmation and make a deposit equal to TWO NIGHTS of your stay (this is new). So if your hotel costs $200/night, you’ll be paying $400 up front (plus taxes and fees).
6. If you find that you don’t want the hotel room selected for you (then why did you put it in your list?), you must login to cancel it so that someone else may snatch it up.
7. Hotel rooms are fully refundable until May 4th, 2012. You will be charged equal to one night’s stay if you cancel between May 5th and June 1st. Any cancellations made June 2nd and later will be non-refundable.
8. Note that even if everything sells out on March 29th, some rooms may become available as we get closer to SDCC. You should keep checking the official site for randomly available rooms as a result of cancellations. I imagine that there might be a few around May 4th.

If you’re still in need of a room like I am, I hope this information helps. Again, more detailed instructions (including a very informative, downloadable PDF) are available on the official site.

Gear up, get ready for battle, and good luck!

To make this event even more special, I’ve decided to give a little bit back to a charity I believe in. For each SDCC Survival Guide sold at WonderCon, I will personally donate 10% of the total proceeds to Safe Warm Loved, a service that provides hand-made cuddle blankets (and a much needed sense of security) to child victims of domestic violence in Los Angeles County. The project is meant to show every child facing a shelter situation that they are in a safe and loving place, perhaps for the first time in their lives. I specially requested that some of the blankets she’s creating be superhero themed in honor of this partnership (click on the pictures for close ups).

I would love to sell out of my remaining copies of the original print this weekend, so I want to challenge everyone to chip in and help a great cause in the process!

Here’s my goal: if I sell 200 books, I will double the donation to 20%! So come on out to Anaheim this weekend, grab a book, and support a great cause!

ABOUT SAFE WARM LOVED…

Since launching in July 2010, Safe Warm Loved has provided some 125 hand-made blankets to children in need. According to WomenShelter, the organization’s domestic violence shelter admits between 5 and 15 children each month as part of its on-site support center; and an additional 150 per year visit its community outreach center – all of whom are scared, and in need of emotional support.

“As you can imagine, the children who come to our shelter are in shock, frightened, and angry,” says WomenShelter of Long Beach executive director, TuLynn Smylie. “The blankets give them something to hang onto (literally) while they are processing the grief and trauma that they have witnessed and experienced. These blankets will show them that someone cares for them, and this will give the children comfort during a very stressful time.”

All blankets are hand-delivered to the shelter and will serve children in the Long Beach/Los Angeles area. 100 percent of all donations are put toward the purchase of fabric. If you already have the book or you can’t make it to WonderCon, but you want to support the great work Safe Warm Loved is doing, you can donate whatever amount you like using the Paypal button below.

For more information on what Safe Warm Loved does, here’s an interview with Safe Warm Loved‘s founder, Jessica Stonefield-Fantin, on KIIS FM Los Angeles (no picture, just audio).

In less than 90 minutes, ALL of the San Diego Comic-Con 2012 tickets were sold online. While I wasn’t purchasing a ticket myself, a friend kept me up to date on her progress via text message as she experienced it. After the provided link timed out on the first few tries, she got in the queue at 6569, seconds after 8am. It automatically refreshed every 2 minutes or so, increasing her position dramatically: 5452, 4000, 1900, 550… and then she had her single day ticket for Saturday by 8:22am.

In all, the process (once you were in the queue) seemed to go smoothly. Unfortunately, the “wrapped” analytics tracking link they provided in the email didn’t work correctly for most people, causing much frustration and forcing people to copy and paste the URL or go directly to the Comic-Con site to get access. It cost more than a few people the chance at 4 day passes or tickets altogether.

Here’s the answers to a number of questions that I’ve received from the Facebook page and Twitter:

I woke up late and found that registration was closed. I hope that’s temporary. Or should I give up hope?

All hope is not lost! But for today it is. Your only shot now is snagging one of the returned/refunded badges that will be sold at a later date, most likely after May 15th, which is the deadline for people to get refunds. Comic-Con could sell some earlier, but it’s likely that they’ll wait until after all of the returns are in and processed. But with the frothing panic involved in acquiring them, it’s doubtful that many will give them up unless they really, really have to.

I haven’t gotten my confirmation email yet! Did I get in? or I got confirmations for other people I purchased for, but not myself. What’s going on?!

Don’t panic. You’re in. Email confirmations will be trickling out over the next 72 hours or so. If you made it through the process, you should have seen a confirmation number on the final page. The email will just be sending that same information to you. Be sure to check your spam folder and any other folders to make sure they weren’t mis-routed.

I couldn’t get a 4 day pass, but I got a bunch of single day passes. Am I gonna have to get in line each morning to pick them up?

No. They’ve streamlined the process. According to the registration page: http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_reg_pickup.php
“If you have purchased multiple single-day badges (such as Thursday and Sunday, for example), all of your badges will be printed for you when you bring your barcode confirmation to attendee registration at the Convention Center or the Town & Country Hotel. You will then need to visit the Attendee Badge Holder Pick-Up Desk in the Sails Pavilion at the Convention Center to get your daily badge holders. Please be aware that you will need to get in a separate line if you wish to pick up all of your badge holders at once.

The only badge holders that will be available at the Town & Country Hotel are those for 4-Day badges and Thursday single-day badges. For other daily badge holders, you will need to visit the Attendee Badge Holder Pick-Up Desk at the Convention Center.”

What are the pros/cons about having single day badges as compared to 4 day badges?

Well, if you happen to lose your 4 day badge early on, you’re out of luck and stuck wandering the streets of San Diego for the rest of the week (which really isn’t SO bad). But if you lose your single day badge, you’re only out of luck for the day you lost. As for getting freebies, multiple single day badges work in your favor if you are required to get it stamped anytime you pick up some exclusive swag at a certain booth. With a 4 day pass, you have one shot. With multiple single day passes, you start with a fresh badge every day, giving you the opportunity to get that bit o’ limited swag 4 or 5 times (but, hey, don’t get greedy!). Other than that, there’s not a lot of difference.

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The next big step is the Hotel Registration Day, which is the one I’m most stressed about. Keep your eyes open here and on the official Comic-Con site for more information as it becomes available…