Editors Note: I couldn't be more please to have my dear writer friend Taylor Keene write this article for us. I've known and have worked with Taylor for years and I am very proud to present her article on our site. Not only that but take a look at her costumes SHE MAKES from hand. Not only is she a talented writer, she is also a talented costume designer. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Elven-Jedi-X/173916236119273?ref=hl 

Everyone has an inner nerd, whether they admit it or not. For some it may simply mean that you enjoy the occasional superhero movie. While for others it means spending countless hours painstakingly making your own costume. Whatever your pop culture interests may be; comic books, movies, TV, video games, there is one place where you can find all of it, San Diego’s Comic-Con International. SDCC is the largest pop culture convention in the world and has grown to staggering heights of popularity in recent years.

 

I have been going to Comic-Con for nine years now. The first few years I was able to go to San Diego and buy a ticket at the door the same day that I went. Now, that is unheard of. Tickets sale out in matter of hours and they must be purchased nearly a full year ahead of time. With such advanced sales, there is no way to know if whatever days you were lucky enough to get will even have the events that you are interested in. Crowds can be overwhelming and lines have become a grueling and unavoidable part of the experience. Still, there is no better place to get access to practically anything your inner nerd desires.

 

I was thrilled to dress up in costume and wander the hall surrounded by all of the nerdy delights my little heart could desire. Practically anything related to pop culture is available in merchandise form and available to you at Comic-Con. Lightsabers and prop weapons, got it. Signed artwork and collectible comics, got it. Novelty t-shirts and clothing from all of your favorite fandoms, got it. Figures, busts, and statues, got it. Even odd things like a Star Wars Wampa sleeping bag or Totoro beanie, got it. If you are like me, then you can stroll by the booths, drooling at all of merchandise and be perfectly happy.

 

Costumes are one of my favorite parts of any convention and some of the best costumers come out to show off their incredible work at SDCC. I love dressing up and I love taking pictures of great costumes. Every year, I run into Boba Fett in a blue leisure suit holding some kind of liquor prop, a simple costume that never fails to please. Some can be complex like the Tenth Doctor alongside a girl in a blue Tardis bustle dress with a front panel that opens up to reveal the inside of Doctor Who’s Tardis, complete with lights and sound effects. One group even did a spectacular Steampunk Star Wars theme. I speak from experience when I say that some of the design and work that goes into the costumes and makeup is absolutely incredible.

 

While smaller Cons offer some intimacy and one on one time with the artists and celebrities, SDCC offers special sneak peeks that are rarely revealed anywhere else and some of the absolute biggest stars. My great regret this year is not getting to the “X-Men: Days of Future Past” panel. The Director was there as well as Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Partrick Stweart, Ian McKellan, Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, and Halle Berry to name only a few!

 

Stars are usually mentioned in the panel description to draw people in, but sometimes you get surprises. An official sneak peak for both “Thor: The Dark World” & “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” mentioned no celebrities, simply exclusive never before seen footage and brand new trailers from both upcoming films. Then, before you know what’s going on, Tom Hiddleston walks out in his full Loki costume and gives a little speech… The man got dressed up, wig and everything for a few minutes of what I can only call fan-service. If you are a fan-girl, like myself, there are few moments as amazing this. Perhaps, during the “Sherlock” panel when Benedict Cumberbatchs phone goes off and it turns out to be Tom Hiddleston. It’s  simple moments like this that bring fans to almost stupid heights of giddiness.

 

Most of the panels are just like that, heavy on the stars and the exclusives. However, in order to see that panel I would have had to arrive right when the convention opened, if not before, wait in line for a few hours, be let in to see a less popular panel that took place in the same room and gradually sneak closer as each panel finishes to get better seats. Essentially, in order to see many of the high profile panels you have to sacrifice most of your day, sometimes all of it. You sit in a room and hope that you have at least some interest in the panels that come before that you will be forced to watch.

 

Would I have sacrificed a whole day to see X-Men? Yes! But, this is not always a possibility or even a desire for some people, especially when you only have one or two days that you were able to purchase because tickets were so difficult to get. But, my inner nerd is strong and wild. Comic-Con has become something you must fight for. You have to fight for tickets, for panels, for autographs and even just to walk across the exhibit hall. I still love it, but I’m a fighter. It is definitely work, very rewarding. You have to really want Comic-Con in order to enjoy it. I, most certainly do.