Con fans wait overnight for ‘Game of Thrones’ cast

In the dead of night, the eerie quiet of the Convention Center was contrasted by the echo of a man vomiting and a phone alarm that seemingly went all night.

Such is life for the hundreds of fans that camped out for more than 24 hours to get into Comic-Con’s legendary Hall H.

This year, it was the triple threat of three major TV shows all occupying the same space - “Fear the Walking Dead,” “The Walking Dead” and “Game of Thrones.” Provided fans don’t go to the bathroom - hopefully, they have a friend watch their seat - they get to see new clips and the casts of all three shows while comfortably sitting in the same spot.

“We’re psychotic,” said Joell Sullivan-McNew around 6 a.m. Friday at the front of the line. “We come from Austin, pay for a hotel room and sleep on the ground in San Diego.”

Sullivan-McNew and her 17-year-old daughter Savannah Sullivan got in line at midnight Wednesday, staying there all night and through Thursday, and would not get the chance to rest indoors until Hall H opened at 10:30 a.m. Friday.

“We just really love to see the actors and how much appreciation they show to their fans. ... You get to see footage no one gets to see and you make really awesome friends,” Sullivan said.

Strategy was the name of the game as fans left and others watched their place in line. Up to four people were allowed to leave as one person held a spot.

Comic-Con distributed wristbands for Hall H on Thursday in its Next Day Line, which guaranteed a spot for the three-show panel. However, it just meant fans could get in, not where they would sit, so many just immediately got in line after that. The hall can hold about 6,000 people.

David Fleming, of Green Bank, W.Va., said he and his 16-year-old daughter got in the Next Day Line at 2:30 p.m. Thursday and finally got their wristbands about 8:30 p.m. They opted to go back to the hotel for the night and came back the next morning.

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He said this was his first time at Comic-Con, planned for the trip for a year and it was his daughter’s first time on an airplane. He said they watched a lot of the panels online from previous Comic-Cons.

Just don’t expect him to get in line for Saturday’s Hall H events - Warner Bros. Pictures at 11:30 a.m., “Star Trek” 50th anniversary at 2 p.m., “Aliens” 30th Anniversary at 3:15 p.m., and Marvel Studios at 5:30 p.m.

“It was a lot of fun last night and a lot of cool people,” he said, wearing a costume from the movie “Tron.” “After waiting in line for six hours to get the Hall H pass for today, I think we’re going to see some other experiences tomorrow, maybe some of the other panels. There’s so much to do here, there’s no way we’re going to be able to see all of it.”

Despite past Comic-Con attendees saying there were cockroaches all over the place while waiting outside for Hall H, no complaints came from people in front of the line. Although, there were the usual difficulties faced with sleeping outside.

Ceasar Munoz, 17, of Mexicali, said there were a few mosquitoes and crickets.

“At first it was hot, then it started to get freezing,” he said. “If you’re planning on spending the night, I recommend pants and a sweatshirt.”

“Game of Thrones,” the massive HBO hit, was the favorite of attendees waiting in line. Cast members expected to appear were Kristian Nairn, Iwan Rheon and Sophie Turner.

Aminta Nadelman, 34, of San Francisco, said seeing the cast members of “Game of Thrones” has special meaning because of the show’s reputation for killing off major characters.

“You get to say goodbye,” she said.

phillip.molnar@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1891 Twitter: @phillipmolnar

Source: DiscoverSD