A pandemic can’t keep the biggest comic convention in the nation down. The show must go on, and the event organizers made sure San Diego Comic Con did just that. Utilizing YouTube and virtual panels, fans from all over the world were able to partake in the con free of charge and from the comfort of their own homes.
There were a ton of panels, and there is no way one person could see and report on them all. Enter Team SyFy! Our brave heroes banded together and tackled SDCC with fierce determination (and a slew of snacks). Here’s a quick recap of their adventures!
Gigawatt by Juan Samu
Chris: Overwhelmed and Craving More
San Diego Comic Con is the biggest comic convention in the nation. I knew this, but I had never experienced it until this year. Even as a virtual event, SDCC was overwhelming to me. I’ve been to cons before with the biggest being Star Wars Celebration, which pales in comparison to SDCC’s 130,000 plus. The virtual convention did not even have celebrities or artist tables to visit. I struggled to hit all the panels I needed and wanted to. Thankfully, it was a virtual event, and everything was pre-recorded, meaning I could visit everything I wanted.
As a member of Team SyFy, I had my work cut out for me. Science fiction covers a wide array of fandoms and topics. After determining which panels were in our realm, I was able to cut my list down to one panel per hour. This did not include personal interest panels, so I knew I had a long weekend ahead.
I did my best to hit every panel. I quickly realized that I wasn’t going to be able to write on every single one of them. There was just too much to do! Back to the Future comics, The Mandalorian gadgets, The Walking Dead news, and more all comprised my weekend schedule. By the time Sunday came around, I was wiped out. I felt as if I really had been to an actual con.
Overall, I enjoyed the experience. The virtual event felt as close to a convention as it could get, and the panels were a lot of fun to view. I truly hope I’ll be able to attend it in person next year and get the full fan (and writer) experience of San Diego Comic Con.
Kat: Great new things to come
As a long time fan of Science Fiction all too often the shows that have really innovative writing in sci-fi only last one season. I’m not sure if it’s a shift in geek culture or a sign of people craving more innovative content, but SDCC at home had some great trailers for the upcoming seasons for shows such as Motherland: Fort Salem(Freeform), His Dark Materials and Lovecraft Country (HBO). While the new shows are fun and exciting it was equally exciting to find out about upcoming seasons for shows such as Wynonna Earp(Syfy) and What We Do In The Shadows (FX/Hulu).
With all of the content both new and old Sci-fi fans will have plenty of things to keep them entertained through the summer all the way through those cold winter months. If you missed any of the news you can find more about the upcoming seasons of these and many more in our writers corner.
Ivar’s “Are you kidding me?” face
Patricia: Kicking that List
San Diego Comic-Con has always been on my bucket list two-fold.
First, I’m a total lover of geek culture. Marvel. DC. Sci-Fi. Kick-ass heroes and heroines. Delicious villains. Fantastic storytellers.
Second, as a lover of said culture, I’d imagined myself in the thick of SDCC, hearing the latest from incredible panels, absorbing the excitement from avid fans, and maybe running into a star or two (or twelve).
Before virtually attending last week, the closest I’d come was when I attended the Romance Writer’s of America (RWA) Annual Conference in San Diego the week prior to SDCC. In fact, we were in the very hotel that’s connected to the convention center and watched multiple marketing and promo groups enter the lobby as we were waiting for a taxi to the airport.
For a few moments, I wondered if I could hide in the bathroom for the next few days so I could stick around and see the SDCC insanity build, but I figured my family would wonder where I was so got in the cab and came home.
But this year, I got my wish–sort of.
Finally, covering Comic-Con, but virtually. Although, it hadn’t been my (nor anyone’s) first choice, I am thankful for the opportunity to be part of this event. The incredible task of moving a massive event like this all online in a few short months, had to take a ridiculous amount of hours.
Beta’s army – courtesy of AMC
What’s Coming?
One of the best things about Comic-Con is the inside info first revealed to those hardcore and lucky fans in attendance.
This year, I covered History’s incredible series, Vikings, as the cast spoke of their years of working together as well as the first look at the trailer leading into the second half of their final season. They discussed the beautifully written story arcs of the Lothbrok clan and their commitment to make the series as authentic to viking life and culture as possible.
Despite the distance of the virtual panel, the cast and creator were wonderfully interactive and complementary to each other as well as the crew and the people of Dublin, where they filmed the series.
Another fabulous series premiering this fall perfectly blends horror and comedy that will cause you to cringe and laugh at the most dreadful things. From the creative, and potentially twisted, minds of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, along with Nat Saunders and James Sarafinowicz, comes Truth Seekers. This new project covers a group of ametuer ghost hunters who want to be taken serieously, but end up uncovering information about a potential apocalyptic event that will end life as we know it. The show will air this fall.
Looking Ahead
As with any great conference, there were far too many panels to attend and cover, but since this is a weird year, all the panels are on Comic-Con’s YouTube channel.
That means, I’ve got plenty of other panels to watch and learn from so when SDCC is in person again, I’ll be ready!
Comic Con was a virtual blast, and we can’t wait to tackle it again next year! If all goes well, perhaps we can be there in person. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more updates and articles.
Until next time, stay geeky my friends!
