Stacked (65): Comic-Con Edition

Hello again! Happy Sunday, all. Hope everyone is having an awesome weekend. This week's Stacked post is going to be focused on the books that I got at Comic-Con. Some are ARCs and others are things that I purchased. I have some e-galleys and books from an event I attended this weekend but I am going to save those for next week. On to the books!

Beautiful Bastard series by Christina Lauren - I have heard good things about this series and Christina Lauren (a writing duo) were doing a couple of signings at SDCC. Decided this was a great opportunity to try the series out and get my books signed. Simon & Schuster also had these awesome Beautiful Bastard pins available all weekend, which I got a few of. :)

Untold by Sarah Rees Brennan - Got this from the Random House booth. I still haven't read the first book in this series but it was highly recommended by the RH rep. Have to say though that I am a bit bummed that the cover design for this series changed. I think Unspoken is an awesome cover while this one looks a bit more generic.

The Eye of Minds by James Dashner - New James Dashner series that was being talked about at SDCC. This story is about gamers and looks like a crazy futuristic thriller.

Tandem by Anna Jarzab - This one has a really gorgeous cover. It's about parallel worlds, which is a theme that I always find interesting. 

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black - I really wanted to get this one and was excited when I did. I like Holly Black a lot and really want to see where this new series takes her. 

Curtsies & Conspiracies by Gail Carriger - You needed a secret password to get this one. I was a bit disappointed with the first book in this series, Etiquette & Espionage, but am interested to see where this goes. Gail always writes colorful characters and this series is full of them. 

The Troop by Nick Cutter - I talked about this one earlier in the week. It's a horror novel set on a mysterious island with troop of Boy Scouts. I think I might wait til it gets cooler and read this in the fall, just so I can scare myself more.

Rise Again by Ben Tripp - I mean it's a zombie thriller. What more do  I need to say? 

The Creature Department by Robert Paul Weston - This one just look really cute and I love the cover. I don't know much about it except it has cool monsters in it.

Frozen by Melissa de la Cruz and Michael Johnston - This is the first book written by this husband and wife duo. Melissa, of course, is already a popular author but this is the first book she's written with her husband. I wasn't the biggest fan of Blue Bloods but I am willing to give this book a try.

Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins - Received this ARC at the signing line after the panel Rachel was on. Rachel's pretty awesome and I am excited to read this paranormal story set in a Southern town.

Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson - Another book I talked about earlier this week in a Comic-Con spotlight post. There are no super heroes, only super villains. This looks awesome.

Magic Rises by Ilona Andrews - Thank you, Mysterious Galaxy for putting out some early copies of this. My friend and I were ecstatic when we found them. And OMG it's so good! Fans of this series will not be disappointed. One of my faves.

Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson - I always hear great things about this book and I figured I should just get it already. Was able to get it signed by Brandon, too.

White Trash Zombie Apocalypse by Diana Rowland - Diana was signing at the Mysterious Galaxy booth so I bot the third book in her series signed. I love the covers to this series and Diana is always super nice.

Bronze Gods by A.A. Aguirre - Ann was signing copies of her new steampunk book over the weekend. I don't read much steampunk but I like Ann and think this series looks fun.

Ghost Projekt by Joseph Harris - This came highly recommended at the Oni Press booth. This is set in Cold War Russia and has some paranormal aspects to it. Also, the cover glows in the dark.

Severed by Scott Snyder - This looks dark and super creepy. Perfect for me. :)

Saga by Brian K Vaughan - I am a big fan of Vaughan and have been meaning to read this series for a long time. Finally decided just to pick up the first trade and can't wait to start it.

RASL by Jeff Smith - I haven't had a chance to read Smith's newest series yet and they were selling a really nice looking special edition at SDCC so I decided to grab it.

Phew! Gold star if you made it this far. I tried not to go too crazy this year at Comic-Con though I still picked up a lot of books. I have a bunch of books I need to read first but I am really looking forward to reading some of these soon. Thanks for hanging out and happy Sunday!

*Special thanks to Random House, Simon & Schuster, Penguin, Little Brown, Orbit and anyone else I am forgetting. And thanks to Mysterious Galaxy for providing so many awesome books during the panel signings.

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Comic-Con 2013 Spotlight: The Comics

Hello, everyone. Welcome to another spotlight post for Comic-Con 2013. This post is focusing on the comics. It is Comic-Con after all.  I've been reading comics since I was a kid. I've always thought that they were a really wonderful medium that didn't get enough respect. But these days it seems like comic books and comic properties are everywhere. And judging but some of the films and shows coming out next year, I think this trend is going to continue. Sometimes it's easy to forget that these popular franchises are based on comic books. I don't read as many comics as I used to but I still love going to Comic-Con and seeing what's new and what looks good. Below are some of comics that I am most excited about.

Battling Boy by Paul Pope - I attended the YA Graphic Novels panel that included Paul Pope where he talked about his new graphic novel. I haven't actually read any Paul Pope before though I am familiar with his body of work. This sounds like an unconventional superhero story with monsters. Gotta love monsters. Paul was a great panelist though and I am really interested in reading this one.

Severed by Scott Snyder, Scott Tuft, illustrated by Attila Futaki - I read the first volume of Snyder's American Vampire and enjoyed it. I actually didn't know that this was by Snyder and just picked it up based on the awesomely creepy cover. I see now that the reviews on this are pretty mixed so I m curious to see what I think of it.

Revival, Vol. 1 by by Tim Seeley, Mike Norton (Illustrator), Mark Englert (Illustrator) - This one came highly recommend at the Image Comics booth. Unfortunately it was sold out. I did run into author Tim Seeley at the booth though and we had a laugh about the unavailability of his book. This seems to have zombies and a murder mystery. Definitely right up my alley.

Sandman Overture by Neil Gaiman and J.H. Williams III (Illustrator) - I attended the panel with Neil Gaiman and the original creators of Sandman at SDCC. I actually haven't read a lot of Sandman. It was around when I started reading comics as a kid but it just didn't interest me at the time. Gaiman was a big name back then (obviously he's even bigger now) and I've always meant to catch up on the series. This new series looks like a prequel of sorts to the original Sandman. They showed us some of the artwork for Overture and it looks amazing. Maybe this will prompt me to finally catch up on the original Sandman before this comes out.

RASL by Jeff Smith - Ahh Jeff Smith. Jeff Smith always reminds me of my youth. Bone was one of my favorite series growing up. I still don't have the Bone collections (I used to buy monthly issues) but hope to add them to my library soon. Some of the new editions have been colored but I prefer them in B&W since that's how I originally read them. Anyway, I stopped by Jeff's booth over the weekend and picked up a the special SD ashcan edition of RASL. I haven't read this yet but it's described as a gritty, sci-fi noir thriller.  Awesome.

Those are some of my top comics picks from Comic-Con this year. Did I miss anything good? Let me know what your must-read comics are in the comments below! :)

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Comic-Con 2013 Spotlight: Television

Hi and welcome to my Comic-Con spotlight on television. If you missed it, I highlighted some of my most anticipated book reads from Comic-Con earlier in the week. Today I am focusing on television. 

My friends know that I am not the most avid television viewer. It'll take too long to explain but I am just really terrible at watching television in a timely manner and it's actually worse when there are a lot of episodes available on DVD or online. The idea of a hundred episodes of something is so daunting and I end up watching one episode every few months. Terrible, I know. But I do like television and am hoping to get caught up this summer on some shows. Even though I was only able to do a few TV panels this year, there were definitely some shows that caught my attention. Some are new series and some are returning. Let's see my picks.

Psych (USA) is coming back for its final season later this fall. I have been a fan of this show from the beginning. I think it's just so funny and it's the kind of show that I can watch at any time and still enjoy. My friend and I stood in line Wed night for the midnight screening of the musical episode. It was a long line but totally worth it. The cast came and said hi at each theater and they gave us popcorn, soda and candy. If you have never seen this show, do yourself a favor and give it a try. I think almost all of the seasons are on Netflix streaming and Hulu right now.

Orphan Black (BBC) is a new show from BBC America. I think it's only had one season so far. I have several friends who have been urging me to watch this sci-fi thriller about clones. I actually have the first disc in my Netflix queue right now. Orphan Black was all over Comic-Con with a big presence at the BBC booth and its own panel. I wasn't able to make the panel but I heard it was great and I am looking forward to catching up on this show. 

Intelligence (CBS) is a new show from CBS. Another spy-type show, it's about a man (Lost hottie Josh Holloway) who is the ultimate spy. A man whose mind basically has a computer in it. He can access the internet, databases, satellites, etc. all inside his head and at a second's notice. Once Upon A Time alum Meghan Ory is the badass Secret Service agent assigned to protect the US's most valuable asset. I actually did make this panel. Josh Holloway is adorable (though you knew that). There are a lot of spy shows out there right now and I don't t know if this one look particularly unique. Marg Helgenberger plays Holloway's boss and she plays things a little too seriously at times. But it wasn't bad and I could see myself tuning in when it airs this fall.

Once Upon A Time In Wonderland (ABC) is a spin-off of the popular show Once Upon A Time except it's about Alice In Wonderland. I love all things fairy tales and Alice especially and I really wanted to go this panel. However, I knew it would have taken getting in line in the middle of the night and hours of waiting to get into this one. It looks great though and I am really looking forward to it.

Bob's Burgers (Fox) is an animated show about a family that owns a burger restaurant. I've only seen a few episodes of Bob's. I am a huge fan of the show Archer and the main voice actor on Archer is the voice of Bob in Bob's Burgers. I decided to sit in on the Bob's panel since it was right before the Archer panel. I had a great time at this panel and the clips they showed were hilarious. Jeffery Tambor even showed up to ask a question. It's going to be fun catching up on this series.

Those are my Comic-Con television picks. Are there any other great shows that I need to watch? Let me know in the comments below. :)

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Comic-Con 2013 Spotlight: The Books

Hi, everyone. I am going to take a cue from my friend and co-blogger Alethea and am going to highlight some of the fun things I found at Comic-Con this weekend. I'll probably split it up into different media (books, movies, etc) and hope to also have a few panel recaps for you as well later in the week.

I had a really great time at Comic-Con this year. I was exhausted most evenings but, surprisingly, not as exhausted as I usually am during the con. I still walked a lot and basically subsisted on trail mix and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches all weekend but I don't feel too bad. I barely went into Hall H this year and only hit Ballroom 20 once. Other that that I tried to go to the smaller book and comics panels. Let's get to the books

The Troop by Nick Cutter - Described as a cross between Lord of the Flies and The Ruins, this book is about a troupe of Boy Scouts who find themselves on an island and they are not alone. It's about the monsters out there and the monsters within. Creepy! The editor of this book said it was one of the scariest books he had read in a long time. I haven't read a good horror book in a while and this one sounds fantastic. Thanks to Simon & Schuster for giving me an ARC of this one.

Rise Again by Ben Tripp - I am not sure but it looks like this book may have been self-published previously and it now going to see a big publisher release. This is about a zombie outbreak where a war veteran turned sheriff has to fight the odds (and zombies) to find her sister, who has run away. Sounds fun and scary. Thanks to Simon & Schuster for an early copy of this one.

Prince of Shadows by Rachel Caine - This one looks really cool. It's a re-telling of Romeo and Juliet from the point of view of Romeo's cousin Benvolio. Hot teens, Shakespeare and intrigue. Sounds good to me. This one will be coming out next year from Penguin.

Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson - This book was a hot topic at SDCC this weekend. Random House was really pushing it and Sanderson was on several panels and had a few signings going on over the weekend. I saw Brandon on a panel on Sunday and it made me really excited to read this one. It's about a world in which super powers exist except only bad people get them. There are no super heroes, only super villains. Doesn't it sound good?

Cress (Lunar Chronicles #3) by Marissa Meyer - If you follow me on Instagram you will know that this was the one book that I really wanted this weekend. Macmillan was only giving away copies to the first 20 in line for Marissa's signing on Fri. I really didn't think I had a chance at this since 20 is nothing at SDCC. There are literally thousands of people there. But due to some help from a friend and nimble feet on my part, I managed to be #8 in line. I have a few books to read before I can read this one but I am sooooooo excited to start it.

Gris Grimly's Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and Gris Grimly -  I am sad that I didn't make it to Grimly's booth to pick this one up. I am a fan of Frankenstein and Grimly's illustration work. I think the combo of these two is going to be pretty amazing. This comes out in Aug from Balzer + Bray.

If Dogs Run Free  by Bob Dylan and illustrated by Scott C. - This book is based on the lyrics to song by Bob Dylan with Scott C. illustrating. I am a big fan of Scott C.'s and was able to take a look at this at his booth. It looks super cute and I think it's going to be a really great read. Thanks to Simon & Schuster for showcasing this one. It is definitely going on my wishlist.

So there you have some of the books I am most looking forward to later this year. I did snag some other books over the weekend as well but I'll save those for my Stacked haul post. Check back later this week for spotlights on comics, television and more!

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San Diego Bound

Hi, everyone. I am off to San Diego today for Comic Con. I can't believe that it came up so quickly. I have my schedule all printed out and a list of things I am hoping to get. If you would like, you can follow me on Twitter or Instagram for updates. I am not a very good at tweeting so Instagram might be a better bet. I also bought an external battery charger for my phone this year so hopefully it won't die in the middle of the afternoon and I'll actually be able to use my phone during the con. I've scheduled a few posts for the week but it may be a bit quiet on the blog while I am away. Hope you all have a great week and I'll see you when I get back!

:)

 

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Comic Con Recap: Friday

Hello again and welcome to my Day 2 Comic Con recap. Friday was the big day of the Firefly 10th anniversary panel. We knew it was a long shot but my friends and I were going to get in line to see if we might get in. We're not the types to spend the night so we just got there somewhat early. Unfortunately, as suspected, the line was crazy insane so we gave up.

Instead, I went to the panel Art of the Thrill Kill which featured authors Barry Lyga (I Hunt Killers), Michelle Gagnon (Don't Turn Around), Johan Harstad (172 Hours on the Moon), Dan Wells (I Am Not a Serial Killer), James Rollins (SIGMA Force novels), Mark Z. Danielewski (The Fifty Year Sword, House of Leaves), and Chase Novak (Breed). I was pretty excited about this since I, like a lot of people, have a fascination with serial killers. There's just something so creepy and compelling about them. 

It as a really interesting panel and the authors talked about why serial killers are so interesting to people. I think Dan Wells was right when he said that serial killers are America's monsters, our version of the boogeyman. Barry Lyga said that serial killers are very, very real and that America leads the world in the number of serial killers (not sure if this is true but that's scary). All in all a really cool panel. I went to the signing afterwards and got a copy of 172 Hours on the Moon signed by Johan Harstad (which I have been dying to read) and an ARC of Michelle Gagnon's Don't Turn Around. 

mark z. danielewski, jordan harstard, michelle gagnon

barry lyga & dan wells

Next Up was the Remixed Fairy Tales and Superhero Lore panel. There was a bit of a line for this one (fairy tales are popular) but we ran into Cindy Pon (The Silver Phoenix) and Marie Lu (Legend) in line and had a nice chat with them while waiting. The panel included Sarah Maas (Throne of Glass), Marissa Meyer (Cinder), Rae Carson (The Girl of Fire and Thorns), Paul Tobin (Prepare to Die), Tom King (A Once Crowded Sky), Michael Scott (The Enchantress), Tracy Hickman (Wayne of Gotham), and Cecil Castellucci (The Year of the Beasts).

I am a big sucker for fairy tales so this type of panel always interests me. It was really cool to hear from all of these authors how fairy tales and folk tales have influenced them. Most of them agreed that one of the benefits of basing your story on a well known fairy tale is that the reader is already familiar with the story and character. But the downside of that is that you need to be really original in finding a way make that story unique and your own.

After wandering around a bit it was time for the Epic Fantasy War Panel. Panel included Brandon Sanderson (Alloy of Law), Raymond E. Feist (A Crown Imperiled), Robin Hobb (City of Dragons), N.K. Jemisin (The Inheritance Trilogy), Christopher Paolini (The Inheritance cycle), Rachel Hartman (Seraphina), Patrick Rothfuss (KingKiller Chronicles), Heather Brewer (The Legacy of Tril), and Lynn Flewelling (Casket of Souls). This panel ended up being more about fantasy than fantasy war I think but was still really cool. The authors talked about their methods of research, which included books, consulting the experts and visiting locales. Heather Brewer said that when she wrote The Legacy of Trill, she bought two wooden swords and beat the crap out of her husband. She wanted to know what it felt like to hold and swing a sword since she was writing about her character who did the same. She needed that visceral experience. And N.K. Jemisin said that she visited Hawaii (lucky!) and visited various volcanoes for research.

couldn't get a good pic of epic fantasy but here you go

My last panel of the day was What's Up with Penguin. I always have fun at the Penguin panel learning about their upcoming releases. There are always drawings for book giveaways, too, but I never win. They showed us the gorgeous new cover to Patricia Briggs's next Mercy Thompson novel, Frost Burned. I am so sad I didn't snag a picture in time but it is so beautiful and I can't wait to get it. A couple of books I am looking forward to after the panel:

A Soldier's Duty by Jean Johnson - military paranormal romance!
Fated by Benedict Jacka - This is the first book in the series which came out this year. It's been compared to Harry Dresden.

I will leave you with some random pics from the day. Recaps for Sat and Sun coming soon. If you want to see all of my pics, I do have a FB album for the whole thing here. Thanks for stopping by!

gennifer album signing crewel

mira grant signing blackout and feed

it ain't comic con without chewie

the awesome cartoon network wall

domo!

i passed by chad michael murray doing a signing

how awesome is this costume?

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Comic Con Recap - Thursday

Hello, everyone! I am back and boy, am I tired. Comic Con was whirlwind of sights and sounds, as usual. I am going to do my best to recap it though you'll have to forgive me if I resort to pictures sometimes.

So we drove down late Wed night and stopped by Chick Fil A on the way down. It's one of our SDCC traditions and we made it in about 10 minutes before they closed.

Thursday we were up bright and early to get our badges. I jumped into the exhibits hall for a bit before my first panel and, thanks to my friend Katie telling me about it, was able to snag an ARC of Gail Carriger's Etiquette & Espionage from the Little Brown booth.

simon & schuster booth

really cool blessed guitar

Our first panel of the day was actually a television panel. I am huge fan of the USA show Psych and got in line early for their panel. Ballroom 20 can be crazy but theirs was the first panel and it started later in the day so we managed to get in line at just the right time to get great seats. If you haven't seen the show, it's basically about a guy who uses deduction to solve crimes but pretends that he's a psychic. It's just super funny and the cast has great chemistry together and always seem like they genuinely like working together. Definitely give it a try if you haven't.

psych: maggie lawson, james roday, dule hill

Next up was Beauty & the Beast. I wasn't super into this one but the Elementary panel was right after it and I did want to see that. The show was what you would expect, cheesy but kinda cute. The showed the whole pilot which was fine but it isn't something I'll be watching on a regular basis.

beauty & the beast

Then came the Elementary panel. I know Sherlock's been done to death by now but really, how can you not love Sherlock? And I kind of love Jonny Le Miller, too. The pilot was fun and Miller and Liu were really good together. I wouldn't mind seeing more of it.

jonny lee miller and lucy liu

And I think that was it for big panels. In between I was on the floor a lot, hitting the pubs and picking up books. My friend was making fun of me because I had the whole weekend schedule printed out and with me at all times. I got to see Marie Lu again as well as Heather Brewer. I was kind of stalking Heather because I love her and really wanted a copy of Slayer Chronicles 2, which I did get. :) We also ran into Tessa Gratton at the Random House booth and chatted for awhile. She is super nice and cool and I ended up buying Blood Magic and had her sign it.

marie lu

heather brewer

tessa gratton and me

I am pretty sure I went home and passed out after this. Seriously I am getting old and all I want to do is sleep after a full day at the con. Tune in later this week to see what happened on Day 2 of Comic Con!

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Tips & Tricks for Surviving SDCC

Hello! So far this is shaping up to be a truly crazy summer. After the madness of ALA then a week vacation for the 4th, I come back for a couple of days only to turn around and head to San Diego next week for 4 days of fun geekery at San Diego Comic Con. I've been going for awhile now and thought it might be fun to put together a little list of tips and tricks I've learned over the years that have helped me survive. Once you've made it through a Comic Con, no other convention, crowd, or line is going to seem quite as daunting. It's grown a lot in the past 10 years and it seems like it's only getting bigger. With a little mental and physical preparation, you can ensure that you have a good time. These tips are just things that I find helpful and is in no way all encompassing. Here we go! (As I started writing this, it's gotten quite long. Sorry about that. You can skim if you want)

1. Dress comfortably - This means comfortable shoes that you can walk around all day (literally like 12 hours) in. Sometimes I'll wear shoes but bring an extra pair of flip flops with me so that I can swap out at the end of the day. I recommend closed toe shoes just because your toes might get trampled on (which has happened to me) but whatever you are comfortable in will work. For clothes, think layers. The AC in the convention hall can be frigid at times but, at other times, you might be stuck in a long, hot line outside. Layers are key so you can adjust your temperature as necessary.

2. Be hands free - And by this I mean bring a bag that allows your hands to move freely. Be it a messenger bag, backpack or tote bag. I am not a huge fan of wheeled bags only because the exhibit floor can be seriously cramped and trying to maneuver one of those things between thousands of people doesn't seem like a good idea.

3. Bring snacks/lunch/water - You might think you're going to have time to go out and grab a snack or lunch during the show but, more often than not, you will find yourself in line or running from panel to panel without a moment to stop. And even if you do get out, the lines for food nearby can be scary long and by then you may pass out. I like to bring easy to carry and eats snacks like fruit, granola bars, energy bars, nuts, candy, chips and I bring a full lunch as well. And don't forget to hydrate! There are water fountains around the hall but it's best to bring your own water supply and just refill as necessary.

4. Schedule - Unless you're a person who doesn't care for the panels and only wants to roam the exhibit floor, chances are you are going to need to do a little bit of planning to ensure that you don't miss out on any panels you want to go to. SDCC is on MySched which is a really easy way to mark what you want to see and then print out a schedule. Also, with the craziness that is the line situation these days, it's good to get in line at least a couple if not several hours before some of the really popular panels. This includes things in Hall H and Ballroom 20. I am not an advocate of camping out overnight but, if you are planning to, check out the rules here.  The line craziness leads me to my next tip...

5. Have a Plan B - Let's face it, with almost a hundred thousand people attending SDCC, there's a good chance that you're not going to get into every panel you want to. Figure out which panels you really have to see and are willing to wait for. For everything else, I usually set myself a time limit. If it's going to take more than 2 hours of waiting with no guarantee of getting in, I'll probably bail. But using my handy schedule, I can see if there's a smaller, secondary panel that I want to go to instead. I'll either do that, go down and hang out on the exhibit floor for awhile or just go outside for some air.

6. Just because it's free, doesn't mean you should take it  - I know it's hard to resist the urge to take whatever free swag happens to come your way but seriously, think about what you are taking and ask yourself if you really want it. Do you really need that Ghost Rider 2 poster or the rubber band bracelet for the new Resident Evil movie? If it's something you really want and think you'll keep after the show, then sure, take it. But don't just take it because it's free and available because you'll just end up with a suitcase full of postcards, fliers, and other random stuff you don't want.

7. Bring cash - A lot of vendors will take credit and debit cards. However you will save yourself a lot of time and maybe even a little money by bringing cash. It also helps me stay in budget because I only bring the cash I am allowed to spend at SDCC and once it's gone, it's gone. (OK I have broken this rule before but you get the idea)

8. Make friends - Don't be afraid to talk to people. You're going to be rubbing elbows (literally) with these people all weekend. Chances are good that you'll have something in common because you are all at SDCC. So talk to your line neighbors or that person with a great costume or the artist/creator sitting at the booth. I love meeting people at the show and it's one of my favorite parts of going.

9. Take a stroll down Artist's Alley - Don't just hit the big film and television booths. There's a whole world of awesome down in Artist's Alley. You might discover a new talent.

10. Be polite/courteous - This seems pretty obvious but it can't hurt. For the most part, I find the people at SDCC to be very polite even though it can get crazy. Let someone pass you, make way for a wheelchair, say excuse me when you bump into someone. Very common sense stuff but I think we can forget about it sometimes when there is a large crowd. But when everyone is courteous and aware of the people around them, everyone has a better time.

12. Use public transportation - There is parking downtown but it's expensive and you'll have to sit through traffic to get to it. The con runs a great shuttle that stops at a ton of major hotels. If yours isn't on a stop, find a hotel close to you that is. Shuttle service has been extended to run 24 hours a day this year so you have no excuse not to use it. The trolley is also a great resource. And don't forget to thank your shuttle driver. Going back and forth with rowdy convention goers probably isn't easy and a thank you goes a long way.

13. HAVE FUN - I've probably scared you with all of these tips but really, the main point is to have fun. Don't stress too much if you don't get into a panel or miss out on something. Lines are annoying but you can always read while waiting or make conversation with the person next to you. Comic Con is one of my favorite things because I just get to hang out with people who love the same things I do. Sure, I might like comics and they might like video games, but we're all there to indulge in something we love. It's where Vulcans mingle with Storm Troopers and Sailor Moon. There are so many wonderful things to see and do and awesome people to meet. So have fun!

I am done now, really. Those are my tried and true tips for surviving and having a good time at SDCC. If you have any tips, I would love to hear them. If you happen to be going and see me, please do say hi. :)

*In case anyone is wondering, the photos are all mine taken last year.

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Thuy will be tweeting sporadically from Comic Con. Follow her @fishgirl182 to see what she's up to at SDCC.