Countdown to Comic Con 2017: Counting the Day

July is finally here! And it’s the month many of us have been waiting for since last July. Not because of the Fourth of July, though I am very fond of that. Not because it’s the height of baseball season, though it does concern Petco Park. Not because we’ve reached the dog days of summer, though my thoughts are drifting to a place with an ocean view.

For me, July means it’s San Diego Comic Con month! A tradition I’ve been lucky enough to partake in for about 15 years now. And, yes, I’ve seen it go from mellow to totally insane during that time, and though many of my friends gave up attending, I’m still all in for the crazy ride!

Those of us who attend SDCC have to think about it all year. Are you going to get a ticket? And how? I’m lucky because I’m a professional. I’m guaranteed a ticket (sorry), but does not mean I’ll get one for a guest. Non-professionals have to plan a year in advance if they are going to go. Then, if you’re lucky enough to get a ticket… will you get a room?

I’ve had too many friends not be able to attend SDCC because even though they got tickets, they couldn’t find a hotel room. You may luck out and get a room in walking distance, but then end up paying for it with your life savings. Or, you end up in a room on the other side of San Diego and have a 90 minute commute to get there. Like I did last year.

But I’m here to praise SDCC, not bury it. All the BS of planning is done. So now I get to look forward to what I want to do. As usual, the program schedule does not come out until a little closer to the convention. But there were a few tidbits released about what will be happening down there this year.

I gave up on trying to get into Hall H a long time ago. I’d wait since the wee hours of the morning and not get in to see the Game of Thrones or Walking Dead panels. I’d rather go to smaller panels than deal with that craziness. But that may change this year with a Stranger Things panel scheduled for Hall H. Of course, every other geek at SDCC will want to get into that as well. So we’ll see.

A highly anticipated panel is the Battlestar Galactica reunion. And a lot of newer shows may fill rooms to the brim, such as Riverdale, The Tick, The Defenders, Star Trek Discovery and Dirk Gently, to name a few. Will Sunday’s Doctor Who panel announce who the new Doctor will be?

And then there’s some exclusive merchandise to look forward to! Heavy Metal action figures look awesome! The Star Trek USS Enterprise NCC-1701 “Final Flight” Starship recreates the ships last moments form Star Trek III. Or maybe you want the Spider-Man Venom Brickheadz from Lego. So many exclusives from your favorites like Entertainment Earth, Funko and others, with more to be announced I’m sure. But you need to figure out what you want now, because you’re going to have to come up with game plan to get them before they’re gone.

So it’s time to get ready to… well… wait in line! But at San Diego Comic Con, even that’s fun!!!