One of the best places to visit if you are a stoned gamer is Comic Con! Many cities across the nation offer their version of this incredible convention, but no city does it like San Diego. Packed with celebrities from every awesome show on television such as “Game of Thrones,” “The Walking Dead,” and “Sons of Anarchy,” San Diego Comic Con is a place where stoner dreams can come true. The world’s most renowned comic book artists and cartoonists surround you with their art and autographs. The biggest toy companies in the world offer exclusive toys sold only at the event, and video game companies show off upcoming releases.
At this year’s event, which took place during July 23 – Sunday July 27, more than 130,000 fans hit the city. People from all ages packed San Diego’s Gas Lamp district to it’s brim. After having a difficult booking experience with hotels, including one accidental booking at a hostel, it was easy to decide that staying close to the convention center is best. Our favorite restaurant became Wet Willies, since we stopped there daily for alcoholic slushies and amazing stoner food.
One of the greatest things about SDCC was the size! This has to be one of the largest comic conventions in the world. With a con this large, it’s guaranteed to be packed with incredible cosplay. Cosplay is when people dress up as their favorite characters from comics, anime, video games, tv shows and more. The creativity behind some of the costumes is brilliant. While some are easy to recognize, others are not, but most people don’t mind being asked who they are portraying. Some of the best cosplay this year featured Spartans from Halo, assassins from Assassins Creed, Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon, and not to mention all the sizzling hot women in their alluring outfits.
While walking floor, I stumbled upon Jesse Lagers from Heroes of Cosplay and his girlfriend Chinchin. He was wearing one of his award-winning costumes from the show. Jesse was gracious enough to let me take a photo with him and check out his handmade costume. We also ran into Keaghlan Ashley from SyFy’s show “FaceOff.” We drilled her about special effects makeup tips, like applying elf ears, and she chatted about being compared to Katy Perry. Moments like this happen all too often at Comic Con leaving many fans like me thrilled. Spotted in the crowd, we met Vic Mignogna, anime voice actor and Captain Kirk from the fan series, “Star Trek Continues.” As he was taking photos with fans, Vic shared with us that playing Captain Kirk was a life long dream.
Besides the celebrities who are openly walking the floor, others enjoyed hiding under costumes of their own and blending in with the crowd. Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe, wore a full Spider Man costume to wander the show, as did Andrew Lincoln from “The Walking Dead,” who dressed as a giant Stay Puft Marshamallow Man. We found our own version at the Hollywood Sci-Fi Museum booth.
With all the sights and sounds, the Con had to offer, we made sure to blaze up before each day. This came in handy when dealing with the crowds and those moments of over excitement about meeting your favorite celebrity. While most lines to meet actors wrapped around booths, fans waited hours for their autographs. We must admit, at one point I lost my game and my stoner cool over my favorite celebrity, Manu Bennett, also know as Crixus from Spartacus or Slade Wilson from Arrow. Even Comic Con made my dreams come true. While Comic Con tickets may be tough to get, the planning and the effort involved is totally worth every stoner moment. If San Diego isn’t within your reach, check out a comic convention near you. If dressing up isn’t your thing, one convention will change your mind. Be sure to blaze up first!
