Matt's Rantbox: Comic-Con 2010 Day 1

Or: A Day of Bitter Disappointment

So let me just say that, due to some technical difficulties, I came pretty close to not actually making it to Comic-Con this year. And by “technical difficulties,” I of course mean that I gave Comic-Con registration the wrong e-mail address. HAHA WHOOPS. So, figuring that I was probably not going to be attending this year’s convention, I did not have a good grasp of what panels, events, etc. were going on. When I did finally find out I was going, I only managed to glimpse through a schedule of events, and the one thing that I really wanted to see from this quick glimpse was the Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World panel.

Okay, so long introduction paragraphs aside, I can say that, looking back on it, the panel itself was actually pretty entertaining and there were some good clips shown. However, for those of you who don’t know, pins were randomly given out before the panel, and as it turned out, anyone with a white “1-up” pin got to go see a free screening of the movie immediately following the panel. I was not one of these lucky few.

Now, to understand why this upset me so much, I’ll have to run you through my day at Comic-Con. First off, the hotel I’m staying at, while very fancy and posh, is unfortunately about 20 miles east of the convention center. This wouldn't be a problem, except for the fact that I tend to get incredibly lost and confused pretty much any time I get on a freeway. Which of course meant that I ended up driving about 50 extra minutes before arriving at the convention center. Add that onto the fact that I tend to oversleep, and you have me showing up at the SDCC about an hour and a half later than I wanted to.

So, right off the bat, not off to a good start. Next, I had to find a place to park. Luckily, I had found what seemed to be a pretty cheap lot during preview night that was close to a shuttle location. Woo. Also luckily, this lot happened to be open this morning, whereas just about every other lot I saw was packed. Double woo. Unluckily, the lot was more expensive during the day, and had a 12 hour limit, which meant that because the convention runs so long, I had to make my way all the way back to the lot half way through the day so I could pay another seven dollars to stay parked where I already was. Negative woo.

Anyway, by the time I had gone and refilled my parking thing, I had been wandering around the crowded, smelly showroom floor for about four hours. I was tired, sore, hadn’t had a good meal in about three days, and there was pretty much nothing on the schedule that interested me. Needless to say I was not a happy camper.

Oh, but I remembered Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World. This would be the one saving grace, the one thing in this terrible day that would actually make this whole trip down to San Diego worthwhile. The one thing at this whole god-forsaken convention that would make me glad that I came.

BUT NO. As soon as they started handing out pins, I saw the row in front of me, a row that included heathens and smug perverts, begin to take the now-coveted “1-up” Scott Pilgrim pin. I was tempted, oh so tempted, to ask that they grab one for me, only on the basis that they looked cooler than the one I got. But no, signs had clearly been posted saying that no pin trading was allowed, and therefore I held my tongue.

But then Edgar Wright himself told them all to follow him to the theater for a special screening of Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World, without even so much as a consolation prize for those of us left behind. I was absolutely devastated. I mean sure, Edgar Wright doesn’t owe me anything, but I deserved more than anyone else to see that movie, because of the awful day I had, and because I’m also a narcissistic asshole. But I'm the best narcissistic asshole out there, so why hadn't I been chosen? Why had I been forsaken?

But anyway, sacrilegious tendencies aside, Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World still looks pretty awesome, and I’m mostly just being really bitchy. All in all, I'm probably going to go see it when it comes out anyway. As for Comic-Con, there are a couple more days left, and there’s some pretty awesome stuff I want to check out. Also, I know my way around the freeway now, so I (hopefully) won’t get lost again. Oh yeah, and I finally got a good meal to eat. So yeah, things are looking up already!