Countdown to Comic-Con

It's that time of year again - San Diego Comic-Con International is almost upon us, and I couldn't be more excited. This four day event has become an annual tradition for me and my family. Our first Comic-Con was in 2004 when we first moved to San Diego, and we've never looked back. This week, I'll be highlighting a few of my favorite books and comics that I've discovered over the years at Comic-Con. Be prepared for some great giveaways as well!
So, what exactly is Comic-Con? That's a hard question to answer, because it's made up of so many different things. In a nutshell, it's the largest comics and popular arts convention in the world. Thousands of exhibitors gather in the exhibition hall, where you can shop to your heart's desire and buy everything, including comic books, action figures, games, movies, celebrity photos and beautiful works of art. It's so big, there's no way you can see it all in one day. In addition to the exhibition hall, there are panels. These are interesting lectures given by special guests, artists, authors, major comic book publishers, TV networks, Hollywood movie studios, and more. You can also attend independant film festivals and get your porfolio reviewed. In 2007, 125,000 people attended this event! In order to compete with that many people, our days start early. We usually end up leaving the house by 6:00 am, snag a parking spot underneath the convention center, then eat breakfast downtown. Then we'll take a nap (if we can)and eagerly wait until the doors open at 10:00 am. It sounds crazy, but for us it's all part of the experience. To help you get a better feel of what's it all about, here are some of our pictures from last year:

An example of the huge lines that wrap around the building of people waiting to get in.


My son's first Comic-Con was last year when he was four months old. He's patiently waiting in line!


Every year there are celebrities at Comic-Con. Last year we got to see The Rock, Steve Carell and Kate Beckinsale as they discussed their upcoming movies.

Life-size movie and comic book characters are scattered throughout the giant exhibition hall.

There's so much to see and do at Comic-Con - I look forward to sharing some of my favorite things with you this week!