Costumes, Celebs, and Comics- An Insider’s Look at San Diego Comic-Con 2013 PART ONE

I was lucky enough to attend my second consecutive summer of Comic-Con International in San Diego last week. The once-tiny convention has evolved from a cult of pure comic fanaticism to a huge pop culture gathering of over 100,000 crazed fans. The city of San Diego, California transforms over the course of the weekend; the downtown “Gaslamp Quarter” becomes crawling with party-goers at night, promoters stand on every street corner handing out fliers and discounts, and nearly every business within two miles of SDCC has window displays pertaining to pop-culture (Marvel, DC, Fox, Disney, AMC, etc.) to bring in fans.

Held in the 1.1 million square foot San Diego Convention Center, SDCC attracts artists, authors, photographers, industry experts, actors, directors, video game designers, and more. If you’re lucky, the chances are that you’ll be able to meet some of the insiders of the industries in which you’re interested. Some fans choose to attend small, niche-focused classes, while others wait patiently in lines overnight for a seat in the large halls where their favorite actors will promote their upcoming blockbuster films/shows. (I’ll admit, I waited in line for Hall H- the one that seats 6000+ spectators- from 6:00 in the morning until past 3:00 pm… and I didn’t even get a seat for the Walking Dead or Game of Thrones panels!)

Costumes and Cosplays Galore

Perhaps the most interesting part of the convention, though, is the plethora of costumes. You’d be hard-pressed to walk five feet without passing a Harley Quinn, The Doctor, Princess Peach, Superman, or Finn the Human! Cosplayers sometimes spend thousands of dollars and months of time preparing their detailed duds for SDCC weekend, potentially even garnering sponsorships by costume companies and media outlets if they become well-known enough. I managed to snag quite a few photos of amazing costumes, as well as dress up myself during 3 of the 4 convention days. Constantly in awe of the amazing costumes at the con, it seemed to me that one could be entertained for the entire duration of SDCC by just admiring and conversing with cosplayers! Below are my favorite snaps from the convention floor.

Don’t Be Afraid to Cosplay!

For any of you planning on attending next year, I’d highly recommend dressing as a favorite character from comics, movies, games, or shows. It makes the entire experience so much more enjoyable, because you bond with various people through taking pictures and sharing costume secrets!

However, if you decide not to dress up, make sure to follow the most important rule of con-going: bring a camera!

 

In the next installment of my SDCC coverage, I’ll talk about the experience of meeting favorite celebs at the convention. Meanwhile, do you have any amazing costume ideas, or pictures of your own? Leave them in the comments below!