First time convention-goer: expectations vs. reality

Comic-Con ... that looks like one crazy, congested and way too overdone of an event, was what I thought before stepping foot into the annual event for the first time.

My expectations were really that I would be completely overwhelmed by the whole cosplay-filled scene, but I came out after three days with eyes wide and a new perspective on the once-foreign world I had now experienced.

Cosplay

I’ve never thought cosplay was that odd of a practice. I just thought it was complicated and unnecessarily intricate, but now I see it’s much more than that. I see now that cosplay is pretty much pure passion put into the form of a costume that took weeks, sometimes months, to mastermind. People go all out. I think anything that someone is incredibly passionate about can be inspiring, and cosplay is definitely one of those hobbies that is not something you half-ass.

Crowds

Crowds were a big worry of mine. I thought, am I even going to be able to move? How am I going to find out where to go if there are so many people everywhere? I came to find that it was surprisingly easy to get around and if you simply ask someone, you’ll find an answer. The crowds were controlled by security who had created lanes for people walking through crowded junctures, so inside the Con, there was really no issue. Lines were long, as expected for panels and celebrity signings, but many of the signings had lines that took no longer than 20 minuets.

Knowledge

Lastly, I felt that it wouldn’t be for me. I love comic-based movies, but I’m no buff. I thought that it would be a little too much sensory overload, but the great thing is that I left feeling more in-the-know on just about everything I came across - and more interested in it, too.

Overall, I had a great time at Comic-Con. I talked to people who shared their vast knowledge with me and got to take in so many different aspects of comics, cartoons, artwork, movies and television and how they all act as a muse for one another.

Would I go back? I don’t know for sure, but I sure wouldn’t be opposed to, or scared of, the idea at all.

Source: DiscoverSD