Madness? This is Comic-Con!

Fresh Fiction's own Kate Cornell attended Comic-Con International this month, and she was kind enough to share her awesome experiences with us. Welcome, Kate!

Comic-Con International: San Diego. Once upon a time, it was a a convention celebrating comic books. It has since become the place to premiere, explore, and celebrate the world of all things sci-fi and fantasy.

This year, I packed up my car and made the nerd pilgrimage down from LA. I had a deal with myself that, if I was able to go in as a professional, I would go in costume. Great choice. If you go, you’ll find so many people celebrating their fandom with amazing costumes, it’s exciting to join them.

While so much of SDCC is hurry up and wait (I’ve never been so excited to stand in line!), there is one important thing you have to remember about Comic-Con: make your own good time.

On Friday, after, naturally, standing in line for 3 hours to get into a party on an aircraft carrier (yes, literally, an aircraft carrier), we were turned away at the door. Disappointed, foot sore, and a little angry, we ventured back toward the convention center in search of another party with free drinks and an open door. We found cheap beer and, for the ride home, a Gotham City police car, working through Uber and paid for by the show Gotham. We may have borrowed our driver’s bull horn and made jokes at the people we passed. You know. Comedy writers.

The next day, after being turned away from the Marvel Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. signing, I decided to see what the Game of Thrones Experience would be like. Instead, I was invited to a private party where George R.R. Martin showed up, giving me a little different Game of Thrones experience. I capped off my Saturday with the Marvel Costume Contest and won as a janitor from S.H.I.E.L.D. Yes, I had a full janitor’s cart I pushed around the convention center.

As far as the exhibitor floor, here are the big winners at Comic-Con:

1. Marvel With Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Agent Carter on TV, Guardians of the Galaxy opening this week, Avengers: Age of Ultron coming next year, and Antman in the future. There was no point during the week that the Marvel booth had fewer than 100 people crowded in or around it.

2. Outlander Starz went all out, putting a castle in the middle of the exhibit hall, complete with Scots. Lots of Scots. They have really thrown their support behind Outlander and everyone was talking about it. I can’t wait to see what Ronald D. Moore’s interpretation of the material looks like. It’s going to be a good time.

3. Morganville Vampires Hey, all you Rachel Caine fans. The Morganville Vampires web series premiered its trailer on Friday and, guys…that is some good-looking footage. Rachel Caine, Blake Calhoun, and Amber Benson all came out and talked about their experience filming. Look for that coming up on the Geek & Sundry YouTube Channel or follow @MV_the_series on Twitter.

Did you see Buzz Aldrin wearing the Infinity Gauntlet? Comic-Con.

Follow Kate on Twitter and on her blog for more deliciously nerdy Comic-Con details!