Like every other entertainment media outlet in the world, The A.V. Club has dutifully sent a loyal, trustworthy reporter (me) to San Diego Comic-Con International for the next several days. But where other sites may be covering the new Spider-Man movie or the latest news about season two of The Walking Dead, I'd like to hit the stuff that's off the beaten path, the stuff nobody else is writing about, the stuff like Artists' Alley (which I wrote about here last year) or the many nerd subcultures that commandeer small sections of the San Diego Convention Center to celebrate their particular quirks.
You can check out this year's schedule here, and please leave your suggestions in comments. If anything even makes you slightly curious, I'd like to see it. And don't limit yourselves to the panels, either. I'm willing to wander around on the show floor, hang out with long-faded celebrities to get autographs, or have my portfolio critiqued by DC. (Actually, considering this year, they appear to be accepting portfolio submissions via a giant mail slot at their booth on the show floor, this might not be the best idea.) Think big, here, people, or I might have to start writing silly thinkpieces about the crass commercialism overwhelming geek culture (like everybody else is doing). We all know that's happening. We all know most of the movies shown in Hall H are going to turn out terribly. Help me find the places geek culture is alive and well and thriving, even if you'd never think to look there. I'll be checking this comments section before heading out to the show today (bless you, time differences), and you can look for my first report Friday morning.
At the same time, though, I'm always game for something more mainstream, too. So make any and all suggestions, but know that I am but one man, one man who has a tendency to start Comic-Con with fancy plans and pants to match and tends to end it as a hollowed out shell, terrified at the thought of ever going back. Let's take this journey together, shall we?