With a week and a half left of February, nerds everywhere are eagerly awaiting any news about San Diego Comic Con 2017. Unfortunately, not much has changed since we checked in during January. We’re still waiting on Returning Registration, Open Registration, Press Registration, the Hotel Lottery, and the Parking Lottery.
At least Comic Con International seems to be stirring from their slumber. There was a temporary take-down of the Member ID system on February 11, though it is back now and you are still able to create a new Member ID (seriously, drop everything and do it now if you still don’t have one!), and CCI delivered this valentine to us on February 14, but we are still waiting on some substantial announcements.
Double check that you’ve completed these three things for San Diego Comic Con today before you check out three MORE things to keep in mind as (hopefully) the convention season begins to ramp up.
Check Returning Registration Eligibility for Yourself & Friends
If you attended San Diego Comic Con last year, log into your Member ID and check that you are eligible for Returning Registration. There should be a green check mark letting you know that you are eligible or a red X letting you know that you are ineligible.
The speculation around the blogosphere is that Returning Registration MAY occur Saturday February 25, with notice going out between February 20 – 22. That means that now is the time to check with your friends and see if any of them are eligible as well. Whether they are or they aren’t, you can still head over to the Friends of CCI forum and make some new friends and possibly join some buying groups to better your badge chances!
As long as you and your friends are eligible, you should be able to purchase up to three badges each. In order to purchase badges for other people, you must know their Member ID and their last name (check the spelling!) so be sure to exchange that information beforehand.
Then have a discussion about money. It may be an awkward and uncomfortable topic, but it’s better to get that out of the way before the day of Returning Registration. Last year a four-day badge with Preview Night was $245. If one person is able to secure three badges, there is the potential to spend $735+ at once. Make sure you that you have a plan and are only buying badges for people you know and trust to pay you back if you aren’t planning to foot the entire bill.
Start Making Cosplay Plans
Okay, this may be a little premature given no one has secured tickets yet, but depending on how elaborate you want your cosplay to be, now is the time to start giving it some thought!
The Editor in Chief of When Nerds Attack dropped by the blog last year to give some cosplay information and special considerations for San Diego Comic Con specifically. Her advice included planning ahead, thinking about the SDCC crowds, maintaining self-care, and possibly celebrity encounters!
For anyone who isn’t planning to do any really labor intensive cosplaying (personally, I can’t do anything crazy because of the cross-country flight to get to SDCC every year), it’s totally alright to do more laid-back versions of your favorite characters. The Nerdy Girlie has so many great, inspirational Everyday Cosplay posts that are perfect starting points and Keysmash Blog posts great Bite Size Cosplay inspiration and tips.
Remember that there is no right way to cosplay! Some of my favorite cosplays from the past have been unexpected and creative mash-ups of genres, characters, shows, universes, and more. Now is the time to start letting your creative juices flow while you’ve still got plenty of time to change things up and account for any unexpected surprises (like the year Sharknado premiered just before SDCC and there were so many fantastic, hilarious, last-minute cosplays).
Check Out Other Conventions
This may shock you, but San Diego Comic Con isn’t the only convention in existence! For anyone who doesn’t get tickets, can’t afford to make the trip, or simply doesn’t want to attend San Diego Comic Con, there are plenty of other great, well-known conventions out there that may be worth looking into.
Personally, we at Nerdophiles also love Wondercon and there are plenty of reasons to look into that convention if you don’t want to make the commitment to San Diego Comic Con (or can’t because we’re pushing the envelope on badge sales and travel plans). This year, Wondercon is from March 31 – April 2 in Anaheim, California.
Emerald City Comic Con is celebrating 15 years this year and is being held March 2 – 5 in Seattle, Washington. Salt Lake Comic Con in Salt Lake City, Utah is March 17 – 18. Star Wars Celebration will be in Orlando, Florida from April 13 – 16. Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo is being held April 21 – 23. MegaCon is also in Orlando, Florida from May 25 – 28. D23 Expo, for all of the Disney fans out there, is the weekend before San Diego Comic Con, from July 14 – 16, also in Anaheim this year. DragonCon in Atlanta is September 1 – 4. New York Comic Con, the rival to SDCC, is October 5 – 8. Stan Lee’s L. A. Comic Con is October 27 – 29.
All of those large, well-known conventions don’t even take into account smaller, local cons and niche conventions! Wizard World has conventions across the country that cater to all sorts of fans. Creation Entertainment brings Supernatural, Once Upon a Time, Star Trek, The Vampire Diaries stars and more shows throughout the year, while Walker Stalker Con brings The Walking Dead and other horror stars to multiple cities every year.
Sometimes San Diego Comic Con may not be possible in any given year (we’ll all know definitively after Open Registration ends), but that doesn’t mean you can’t go to other conventions! We’ve always had just as much fun at small conventions as we have the larger ones and there is bound to be one near you, given their rise in popularity.
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