I’m sure many of you know by now that Comic Con is over. Some of you were able to attend, others sat home wishing they could attend. Still others did attend, but wished they could just say, “lets not and say we did,” or “I’m never doing that crap again.” I fall into that latter category.

Truth be told, Comic Con is a blurry, confusing experience for me. I’m always conflicted about Comic Con. We went last year. It was a nightmare, but one with fond memories. (Confused? Yeah, me too…) See, Comic Con has a way of just kicking your butt, wearing you down, and grinding you up. It’s exhausting, expensive, and inconvenient in ways I cannot describe. And yet, at Comic Con you will see things that can be found nowhere else. It’s a festival of fascinating and intriguing things. The experience is memorable and utterly unique.

So when Comic Con rolled around this year, I was ambivelent. I made excuses. I said I couldn’t go; there was a quilting bee and the International Marble Collector’s Convention that same weekend. None of it worked. Pig twisted my arm and, of course, we ended up going. All I know is this, we came, we saw, we conquered, and all I came back with was this article and an awesome Mimobot. (I got RayD8. He’s rad.)

It’s not the people that make me not want to attend, all smelly and dressed up like a Wookie with sarcoptic mange. I can deal with them. Its more the atmosphere; there is an overall lack of social etiquette. There’s a lot of pushing and shoving that comes with large crowds. There’s also the “backpack assaults” (more on this later) and obnoxiously large, overstuffed Smallville bags that people rake across your shins (see below).

Please be advised: Having an enormous promo bag is cool, but, not when there are 20,000 of them in one room!!!!

I had a couple of friends there that I was to meet up with, so I looked forward to that. Ted and Jen are the bomb, and they know a few things about conventions. They go to them all the time, across all 50 states. So they helped us a bit, especially with the top-secret, practically free parking spots. Aside from meeting up with some of our buddies, there were supposed to be a few game developers at this year’s Comic Con. They were going to show off their new games, so I looked forward to that. It was actually the reason why we were there in the first place. So, I guess I should start there.

GAMES

There were games being played at Comic Con that we’ve known about for a bit, Tabula Rasa and Warhammer: Age of Reckoning. There were also a couple that we hadn’t heard much about and were excited to see them. For those games, Comic Con would offer us our first look.

Tabula Rasa – This is a little game that we have been diligently keeping our eyes on since E3 2006. If you’re an MMO gamer, you’ve heard of lots about it already. A ton has changed since we last saw this baby. The graphics are a lot smoother and so is the gameplay. According to April “CuppaJo” Burba, who is one very excited developer, character creation has been drastically expanded and improved upon. The focus of development has been on “stable, fast and fun” gameplay. If any aspect of the game was not falling into line with that internal motto, then they sent it back to the shop for reworking.

Every detail has been revamped with the “stable, fast, and fun” aspects in mind. In looking at the new gameplay, we were impressed. TR’s got a new level of depth to it; it’s a vibrant, exciting look and feel. We came away feeling that the game is much improved over the last time we saw it; the graphics are simply amazing. Who wouldn’t want to play a game that has this much attention to detail?

FusionFall – Cartoon Networks own MMORPG geared towards children, but fun for adults too. Parents will be wanting to watch out for this one. FusionFall is set in a re-imagined Cartoon Network Universe. Players get to play a kid that teams up with others to try to save the universe from an alien invasion. This one is great because it will attract a younger crowd. It will also give parents the tools to help keep tabs on how long kids are logged on, and to keep them safe (from predators and other pervs) while online. We appreciated both the safety aspects of the game as well as the excellent gameplay itself.

Gods & Heroes – Heroic adventuring through an ancient world where mythology comes alive? Why sure! Sign me up right now! Truly this is different than any MMORPG that you’ve played. The main features include a very dynamic combat system (which is much different than the button pushing of current MMOs). It’s also got a minions system; you can acquire NPCs to group with you as you level up. These minions are all different; they are acquired like loot drops. The better the minion, the more difficult it will be to acquire.

These NPC “buddies” will not only help when you can’t find a group; it’ll help flesh out raids. Its currently in closed pre-beta, but beta is right around the corner. (We’ll be giving away some beta keys when they do). Once it goes live, it looks to be something that will attract a large number of people — the unique features are THAT good.

Warhammer – Mythic’s version of World of Warcraft, except a lot less cartooney. Mythic has spent their time on the details, making things look almost real. This game is one to watch for. I think it will appeal to a great number of different people. The problem may come from the fact that the game seems to be very similar to WoW.

Sadly, now that WoW has reached its 9 millionth active account, I find myself wondering if people will play another fantasy-based MMORPG, even if it does look like the bomb. It’s heading towards beta now if any of you are interested. If you would like to sign up, please press this link.

CONVENTION CENTER

Ahhh, the San Diego Convention Center. It’s nearly impossible to get there without paying insane amounts of money for parking or taking a trolley, or sometimes both. Then, there’s the less than helpful Elite Guard (that’s what they convention security guards are called. No, I’m not kidding). I found the majority of these folks to be anywhere from borderline-to-blatantly anti-social. I was on the receiving end of bad directions, conflicting instructions, strange rudeness, and general confusion from these guys repeatedly. I became convinced they fell into two categories: those that really knew nothing, and those that knew something, but were sworn to secrecy. I think they’re all flown in from an unpleasant place, like Russia or New Jersey.

I place ComicCon attendees into four different categories. I have been to some of the geekiest, nerdiest, whackiest conventions in the world. I’m a veteran. I’ve seen it all. Thus my four categories are based upon my own experiences, both at Comic Con and other geek gatherings. While some conventions attract a certain particular type of person, Comic Con isn’t like the others. ComicCon is unique among them all because it attracts many different groups as opposed to just one.

Geeks – Geeks are an interesting breed. They are neither nerdy, nor suffer from anti-social disorders in any way. Most are fashionable and intelligent. Some will play dress-up at conventions, and all have unique personalities. They are the group I identify with the most. They more often than not are very polite and practice kindness. (Again, most, not all) ComicCon is about 63% geek. This helps out a bunch, as I’m apt to lose my temper after being knocked around by the 100th overstuffed backpack. Geeks will apologize on most occasions. They are truly a nice lot.

Please note the friendliness and fashionableness of the two subjects above.

Squids – Squids are by far the worst of my four groups. They are pushy and lack social decorum. They often times know alot about one thing — like how many light-sabre disciplines a Jedi might practice — and nothing about everything else. When taking photos, they are the ones to knock you over to get to the celebrity that is there. They also have backpacks, but they often will use them as weapons. They do not know how to apologize or say, “excuse me” because they are not actually from Earth. They are from a planet name Squidion, where kindness is never practiced.

Squids make up about 30% of ComicCon and must be avoided at all costs. Squids will sometimes pretend to be a geek; they try to “blend-in” by dressing up. It’s important to be careful at Comic Con. An apparently safe, friendly geek may actually be a Squid in disguise. The best way to detect a Squid is to see how a nearby local Celebrity is reacting to the Squid. If the Celebrity has a look of, “get me the frack away from this guy”, then its most likely a Squid.

I hate Squids. I can’t stand being physically pushed out of the way so some dork can get a closer look at Ray Bradbury. I harbor a secret theory that they most likely turn into stalkers and serial killers. If I had my way, I’d send them back to their home world and bury the Stargate.

Collectors – Collectors are cool. Most don’t know how to dress, but that doesn’t matter, because they are generally the nicest of the bunch. They may not be exactly fashionable, but they make up for it in helpfulness and intelligence. Collectors will, however, pummel you over if you get in between them and the 1978 Star Wars Super-Sized Comc Book they’ve got their eye on. However, after they get it, they will offer you a hand up, help brush off the dust and send you on your way.

Collectors make up about 5% of ComicCon. I like collectors. I am half collector myself, on my father’s side. As a result, there is always a soft-spot in my heart for the collector.

Whackos – Whackos are not there for any other reason than to be seen. They see Comic Con as a chance to express themselves. They want to be noticed and will try anything at all to draw attention to themselves. This results in some very strange behavior. What’s worse, many have no idea that they’re actually wierd. Not fun, cool wierd. More like somewhat disturbing, kinda scary wierd.

Often times they are dressed like no character that we’ve ever seen. It’s evident they’ve never read a comic book, and they’ve never played a video game. They will stand close to events, often attempting to attract attention. They’ll also happily strike a pose when asked for a photo op. Whackos are scary looking, though most are (hopefully?) harmless. They make up about 2% of ComicCon and about 95% of the photos on the WanderingGoblins website.

I’m not sure, but I think these two are actually married.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Overall, despite my initial misgivings, I ended up having a good time at Comic Con. I had the chance to check out the latest MMOs; there are some potentially excellent ones in the pipeline. And the con itself was exactly what it was meant to be, a collection of unique individuals who came together for the same cause….fun! I may have been turned-off about some things (the Squids, quite frankly), but for the most part, it was enjoyable.

It was like this for me last year. I was filled with initial misgivings, but afterward, I realized that Comic Con is a strangely unique, enjoyable experience. (And writing is such a healing practice; it makes me appreciate Comic Con for all its strangeness.)

Somehow, I’m certain all this will repeat itself. I’ll experience all the same reluctance next year; but Pig will force me to go. I’ll complain (mostly about the Squids), but I’ll get some scoop on the latest, in-development MMOs, and I’ll end up having a good time overall.

So I will very likely see you all again next year, same time, same goofey function. Cheers!!!

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