SDCC 2018: Freebie Haul

WARNING: This post is pic-heavy! You may have trouble viewing on mobile devices and devices not connected to wi-fi.

Okay, so my last post contained all the items I physically bought at San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) 2018, minus the Toddland Kuchi Kopi. However, SDCC is known for all their freebies and it seemed this year like companies were giving out way more than they did before. Just tons of free stuff and if I hadn't had to get on a plane with a weight restriction for luggage, I would have grabbed a lot more. Books and posters start to add up in weight though.

[Official SDCC Krypton Bag]

Going into SDCC I knew that the free bags for attendees were from mainly from DC shows, movies, and comics, with a couple of sponsored shows thrown in there. As a fan of the DC shows from CW, I really wanted Bebo! I would have been happy with any of the bags from any of the shows though- Black Lightning, The Flash, Super Girl. I didn't get any! Instead, I literally received the worst possible bag choice there was: "Krypton". I was so disappointed.

[Official SDCC Aquaman Bag]

My con partner, Agent Afronaut, drew the Aquaman movie bag. Slightly better than mine, but still not the best. In the past we have gotten good bags, but I guess this just wasn't our year.

[Official SDCC Pins: Superman & Aquaman]

The bags came with free pins this year and did not necessarily coordinate with the bag you were handed. For example, just because I had gotten the Krypton bag, it didn't guarantee me to get a Superman pin. Although, as odds would have it, we ended up getting coordinating pins to our bags. Still not thrilled with them. I really wanted the classic Harley Quinn, Wonder Woman, or the Flash. Again, I didn't get any of those!

[Art by Sergio Calvet]

These were free postcards from the Brotherson & Calvert table. They write and illustrate the Magic of Myths series. I purchased one of the books from them about fairies and I hope to be able to read it soon! They had a huge stack of these for people to take for free and encouraged people to take them! I wanted multiples, but also didn't want to be greedy, so I only have one of each. I still haven't decided if I'm going to gift these away or keep them.

[Official Dark Horse art poster designed and signed by Camilla D'errico]

I already talked about meeting Camilla D'errico and then getting to her booth late, so I couldn't get anything signed. However, I learned that she was at SDCC, because I passed the Dark Horse booth and they were having a free signing from her! Prior to going to the con, I didn't even know she was going to be there! While I am sad that I didn't get to talk to her more and get my purchases signed, I was happy I did get to meet her, talk to her, and get this free poster signed!

The following pictures are from the Marvel booth:

Marvel might not have had a lot of guests, panels, and previews this year, but they had a ton of freebies and they were just left on a table for people to grab at will. I snagged some posters and comic books that featured new and upcoming series, as well as snippets of comic book issues.

[Nickelodeon SDCC Giveaways]

Nickelodeon seems to get bigger and bigger every year at SDCC. This year they handed out a free pack of Mysticons trading cards from Topps and an issue of "Rise of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" from IDW. To be honest I have not watched either of these series on Nick.

[Mysticons Trading Cards]

Here's a look at the cards I received from the pack I got. I honestly have no idea who these characters are though.

[SDCC Total Knock Out Towels]

While standing in line for the Laika Live Experience these ladies were going around handing out these free mini towels for the CBS show: "Total Knock Out".

[Reusable bags from California Coast Credit Union.]

While walking through the Gas Lamp, we came across the California Credit Union, who had a table where you could spin a wheel and get free products from them. We won free reusable bags and we always need these, because of the fee charged in the state of California for a store to give you bag with your purchase. - I don't know anything about the credit union itself though. They are only located in southern California and I live in the complete opposite part of the state.

[SDCC Exclusive Bob's Burgers fanny packs from FOX.]

It was just by a crazy chance that I got into the FOX freebie line and at that time they were handing out free Bob's Burgers fanny packs. They're super cute, but I don't use fanny packs, so they'll probably be given away.

[Laika Studio Masks]

I saved the best freebies for last! I know I already blogged about the amazing stuff at the Laika Live event and I reiterated that on the Afronauts' podcast, but they seriously were amazing and so kind to the fans! - To start, while we were in a long line, they handed out these cute character masks and we received an extra free one upon entering the exhibit. 

[SDCC Laika Live EXCLUSIVE poster]

The first part of the Laika Live Experience was trivia, in which the group you were with all sat around and answered trivia questions about the movies they made. It was really fun and these 2 little girls totally whooped everyone in our group's butt! However, everyone was a winner no matter what! Everyone received these free posters that featured the art of their upcoming movie, "Missing Link". Several of us won beach balls that featured Coraline on it as well.

[Laika Studios Coraline Tee]

Agent Afronaut snagged this Coraline tee for me. It's like an XL, I think, but it's great for a lounge shirt! I honestly just wanted everything Coraline, lol. Or Kubo, but they didn't have any Kubo shirts there.

[Laika Studios Coraline Tee]

I personally won this tee! Another reason why the crew was great there: They went out of their way to make sure I could get a Coraline shirt in my size! I really wanted a shirt I could wear out and about and I'm so glad I have one now!

[Laika Sudios Coraline Hat]

We also scored this Coralina baseball cap, which is super cute and I actually do plan to wear it! I'm not a huge hat person, but they really help when you're having a bad hair day.

This concludes my coverage of SDCC 2018! I swear this is my last big post about it. Stay tuned for the Funko Pops! post as soon as I get my last remaining one and I'll be doing some detailed posts on my other blogs later. Thanks so much for reading this or any of my SDCC posts if you did! Tickets for 2019 for this year's badge holders should go on sale in October and I'll hopefully be able to snag some! I'll keep you updated and look forward to next year's SDCC!

SDCC 2018: Purchase Haul

WARNING: This post is pic-heavy! You may have trouble viewing on mobile devices and devices not connected to wi-fi.

You know I didn't go to San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) and come back empty handed! To start, I will say that prior to going to SDCC this year, I was already not too thrilled with the exclusives list. Since I am an avid collector I scout out what vendors, companies, artists, and creators will have at the con before I go. Only makes sense, right? -I mean, the con gets bigger and more chaotic every year. (Read previous posts if you don't know what I'm talking about.) It's no longer a guarantee that you'll be able to get what you want, even if you have a Thursday pass. (Thursday use to be the day with the least amount of attendance.) It's hard to determine everything that will go fast too. Sometimes, you get lucky and what you wanted is not in such a high demand, and other times you think you're going to get something and it turns out you won't even get the chance to stand in line. - Going forward with that knowledge, I only focus on exclusives. Since I fly to and from San Diego, I am also limited to the amount of space I have to bring back merchandise. So, no need to for me to buy things I can order/purchase in the future.

So, my list was very small going to SDCC. I always leave room and possibilities for Small Press artists, Artist Alley tables, and just general indie sellers. The following pics are of my con haul, but it's the smallest haul ever considering the size of the con. These are only the items I actually purchased. I'll post the freebies separately.

[SDCC EXCLUSIVE Bob Ross pins from ToyNK by Pinicorn]

I'll kick things off with the very first purchase I made! (Again, refer to SDCC Post 1 for reference.) Personally, I really didn't want anything from ToyNK, but my bestie in New York wanted one of these for her brother and I picked one up for my artist Bob Ross-loving pen pal in Virginia. They're cute.

[WonderCon 2018 EXCLUSIVE Kuchi Kopi pins from Toddland]

If you read SDCC Blog Post 1 (yeah, you should probably just read it already!) then you know the stress and craziness that was Toddland this year, but my con partner was able to get to the booth before I was. I think he said he was the 5th person in line, so he was right at the booth before everyone else. He didn't get the exclusive Kuchi Kopi figure, but he picked up these 2 pins of Kuchi Kopi for me. The pins are actually from WonderCon this year, but Toddland does not sell leftover exclusives outside of cons, so if you want one then you better follow their con schedule!

[Hello Kitty Cafe Food Truck merchandise.]

These are not con exclusives, but they are exclusive to the Hello Kitty cafe! The last time I encountered this magical truck was also my first time at the Hello Kitty convention in Los Angeles back in 2014. Since then, I have been to other events where the truck was present, but never made it over to it. The one thing I really wanted to snag was the bow mug, but by the time I had gotten to the truck there was a "sold out" sign on it. My assumption is that the mug was actually sold out prior to SDCC, because the "sold out" sign looked like it was printed on there and not written or a sticker, but I could be wrong. I also did not see anyone else get the mug there, so I feel like it just wasn't an option. I did snag the original mug and plushie! They didn't have this adorable plushie when I was at the truck the first time! - My purchase came with a free reusable bag and 2 free pins. I will be posting up-close shots and information on my Hello Kitty blog later.

[Official Laika Studio postcards.]

Okay, I did buy a few things that weren't exclusives. After attending the Laika Live experience, I went through their pop-up shop. They didn't have exclusives, but I did pick up 2 of their official postcard books which feature artworks from their movies.

[Art postcard from the movie: Kubo And The 2 Strings]

[Art postcard from the movie: Coraline.]

[Art postcard from the movie: Missing Link.]

As you can see, the postcards are very artistic. They're not so much of the characters, but more of the actual scenery. They did include one special postcard in the book from their unreleased film: "Missing Link".

Tokidoki is a tradition for me at SDCC. I've bought something from them at every SDCC I've attended. This year, I was a little disappointed in their exclusives. They just weren't exciting and the majority of their merchandise was actually premiers and not exclusives. Like I said before, I don't bother much with merchandise I can get later on. I had hoped for an exclusive large statue like in previous years, but this year they only premiered a large Sakura and didn't have an exclusive. (I'm still waiting on the release of her.) I was excited to see their Overwatch and Marvel collabs released as well, but again, they were not exclusives and I'll pick them up later.

[SDCC EXCLUSIVE Sanrio x Tokidoki hoodie.]

One thing that I absolutely wanted was the exclusive hoodie with Sakura and Hello Kitty! I got the 2nd to last size small! Talk about relieved! They don't make size XS, so anything larger than Small and I'm swimming. -And this is what I mean by "no guarantees anymore"! I bought this on Thursday! Imagine if I had waited until Friday! I probably wouldn't have been able to get my size. - I'll be posting detail pics and information on my Hello Kitty blog later.

[SDCC EXCLUSIVE blind boxes and first premiere keychains.]

I also really wanted to make sure I got some of the exclusive Unicorno blind boxes! That's another tradition of mine at SDCC with Tokidoki. I also bought the keychain for my New York bestie, but I didn't know at the time they were not exclusives. Apparently, they will be released later for the general public. Oh, well.

[SDCC EXCLUSIVE metallic Unicornos Series 3: Scooter & Drago]

I only grabbed 2 blind boxes. I really only wanted 2: Cleo & Lolopessa. I got neither, lol. I did get a chase though, so I guess I can't complain. The red one is one 2 chases in the series.

The Kawaii Keychain, while not an exclusive, is super kawaii/cute! I always am impressed with the amount of detail Tokidoki puts into their products! Her mane is just amazing! I never planned on getting her, but once I saw it at the con I decided to grab one for myself and I'm so glad I did! She's way cuter in person!

[Tokidoki Sushi Unicorno pin.]

Okay, this is the last piece of merch I bought that wasn't an exclusive, but I also didn't realize it wasn't an exclusive. This was yet another premier and it's actually available now for purchase on their website. I think it's adorable though, so no regrets!

 [SDCC EXCLUSIVE light-up Kuchi Kopi by UCC Distributing]

So, when I had a hard time getting Kuchi Kopi at Toddland, Agent Afronaut was able to scoop me up an exclusive light-up Kuchi Kopi figure from UCC Distributing! And to think, I almost didn't get anything from them this year and that would have been the first year I skipped UCC. Agent Afronaut really saved the day in multiple ways!

Light-Up Kuchi Kopi is pretty bright all on his own! I have yet to actually install the batteries, but he looks cute just the way he is! He's very lightweight and stands up by himself.

One aspect that I really like about the light-up Kuchi Kopi, is that there is a way to change the batteries. The figure came with a set of batteries that you have to install, but when the originals die you can replace them. Something that really bothers me about most light-up toys and figures is that there is no way to replace the power source once it wears out, so I was really happy UCC gave us a way to keep enjoying our Kuchi Kopi for years to come!

[Art by Camilla D'errico]

If you read my previous post, then you know about my magical moment where I met Camilla D'errico! She personally invited me to her booth where she would be able to sign merchandise. Unfortunately, by the time I made it to her booth she was gone for the day, but I did buy the Sailor Moon Bee print I've been wanting from her since I saw it on her Instagram! I also picked up a couple of other prints for pen pals! She'll be at NYCC, so hopefully I can get her signature when I go there in October!

[Peanuts SDCC EXCLUSIVES]

The Peanuts booth was one that I did not expect to be so hectic and so hard to get in line for, but it was! I personally only wanted the mini prints and those sold out instantly! Actually, anything that was printed on paper at that booth sold out quickly! I was able to get the 2 pins my bestie wanted and I got the cutest gift bag with the purchase! It looks like Charlie Brown's signature shirt! They also gave us free buttons!

[SDCC EXCLUSIVE pin from Ash Evans.]

One of the best aspects about cons is that it allows you to discover new artists and creators! While on my search for exclusives this year, prior to attending SDCC, I discovered that an artist named, Ash Evans, would be having an exclusive Sea Bunny pin and I knew I had to have it! - I was so caught up in trying to get Kuchi Kopi though that I almost forgot about it! I just happened to pass the table when I got lost in the exhibit hall, lol! It was really great to actually meet the artist too. She was super nice and I snagged one of the last 7 pins she had! She told me that she was notified really late about being accepted for a table and that they didn't have a lot of time to get something made, but I absolutely love what she did have!

["Magic of Myths Faerie" by Brotherson & Calvet]

Okay, so this technically isn't an exclusive. But, as I mentioned earlier, I always look forward to seeing what I can discover in Small Press and because it's not always easy to come into contact with these indie creators, they do tend to feel exclusive. This is a graphic novel by Brotherson & Calvet. 2 guys that have been interviewed before on Afronauts Radio and come from Europe! I saw this book on their table and got it! I'm huge into fairies! So, I'm very interested in reading this book!

That concludes my SDCC 2018 haul! I will be posting my freebies in another post! I also will post my Funko exclusives in a separate post, since I acquired them outside of SDCC and I'm actually still waiting on 1 of them to arrive. Oh, and that Toddland Kuchi Kopi? -Yeah, I got it. I just didn't have time to take pictures of it yet, but I will soon! This post has enough pictures as it is though!

SDCC 2018 - Part 2: Day 2 (Friday)

Day 2, was a bit more relaxed for us. I made a conscious decision to not let any of the absurdity of SDCC bother me. We slept-in - well, as much as one can "sleep-in" during SDCC. We arrived at the con around 10am. It was actually a great feeling to be able to just walk in and not have to stand in a line to get into the convention center or being herded for a half an hour.

We walked in and took time to take pictures with cosplayers and converse with fans, which is what a convention should really be about- fans coming together to appreciate the arts and pop culture. Then we went to get coffee, because I can only go about 1 day without and that 1 day had passed.

[Black Panel]

After that, we went to the Black Panel. I have to admit that it was a difficult panel to sit through. It touched on a lot of the most difficult issues Black people face not only in media, but also in every day life. They played some really sad news stories from the past few years, but I'm glad SDCC brought these issues to light. I feel it's important for us to address them, because they influence our stories and writings.

[The Peanuts Family Album panel.]

Next was the Peanuts Family Album panel. I have to admit that I actually learned quite a bit. I've not followed the Peanuts since I was a young teen. I grew up watching the old 80's cartoon re-runs and the old movies from the 70's and 80's. I didn't really follow the comics past my childhood, but I use to rent the books from the library. - Well, the panel was mostly about the comics, but featured characters from the entire franchise's history; mostly focusing on the rare characters. I honestly didn't know there was so much to the series! I especially appreciated their commentary of the social structures and ethnic moves from the franchise.

We lucked out, because the Afrofuturism panel was in the same room and right after the Peanuts Family Album panel. This panel was amazing! The best panel I attended! It was funny, informational, and inspiring all at once. I can also say it was an honor to be present in what was very likely Nichelle Nichol's last convention appearance! She regaled us with the tale of how Dr.Martin Luther King Jr. talked her out of quitting Star Trek! They also covered a lot of topics about the influence and presence of all ethnicities in comics, including the lack of and struggle for Asian Americans.

[Afrofuturism Panel]

We went back to the exhibit hall after those panels. We finally were able to get into the Peanuts line and it moved faster than we thought it would! A lot was sold out though, but we were able to get the pins our friends wanted. A friend also surprised me with a light-up Kuchi Kopi from UCC! It might not be the original Kuchi Kopi that I wanted, but I did get 1 and the sentimental value cannot be matched!

Then we had to go and gather for the Black Heroes Matter flash mob. I've never been a part of any sort of flash mob. Not a fun dance one or one to make an societal impact. It was really amazing to see so many people unite for one cause and in such a positive manner! I am honored to have been apart of this years gathering!

[2018 Black Heroes Matter Flash Mob]

We finished the con with a few more purchases from the exhibit hall, including: Ash Evans and Camilla D'Errico! Though they weren't specifically in Artist Alley, I did buy art at the con! Then it was time to say goodbye and get ready to fly out the next morning.

Overall, I did have a good time, but obviously there was a lot left to be desired on Comic-Con's end. I will definitely be trying to get tickets next year. I've had a bad year at some cons before and returned the following year to have a great time! So, I will give SDCC the benefit of the doubt, because I have had a good time in the past and wait to see how next year is.

Stay tuned for more con pics and haul pics! I welcome comments and feel free to leave your link below if you also have a blog post on the con! I'd love to see read about your views on the events!

©Flash Mob photo was taken from the Black Heroes Matter Twitter page.

SDCC 2018 - Part 1: Day 1 (Thursday)

It's been a while, but I have recently returned home from attending San Diego Comic Con (SDCC) in San Diego, California. I haven't blogged in a while due to a busy schedule and issues with Photobucket. Photo issues have seemed to be resolved and I am now ready to get back to blogging. I have been contributing to the blog and website as a member of Afronauts, and I also work on the website for the parent company EDFU.

This post will be wordy and will have limited pictures. I will follow up with a haul post and event posts later. With that said, if you don't want to just read about Comic-Con, then skip this post.

I didn't attend Comic-Con last year, because I had an unexpected move and it was just too much all at once. I was actually really sad to have missed it and really looked forward to attending this year to make up for it. Having attended the previous 2 years, I quite enjoyed myself. Unfortunately, my trip this year wasn't near as nice as the previous ones.

I'll start with the fact that my group only had tickets for Thursday and Friday this year. We missed the pre-sale (which is open to those who purchased tickets the previous year) and so we had to wait in the online queue with the general public. By the time one of us was selected, we could only purchase Thursday and we snagged the very last Friday tickets. - In my previous years I had an all weekend pass and so this year it meant I had to be more strategic or I wouldn't be able to buy and attend everything I wanted to. Also, since some of the people in my group had work issues, we only stayed through Friday and left Saturday morning, which definitely meant there was no time for us to do anything after Friday.

I arrived Wednesday evening and (thankfully) already had my badge in tow. It had been mailed to me by Comic-Con. I had strategically planned my Thursday morning, because the thing I wanted most was the Kuchi Kopi from Toddland. I missed the 100 limit pre-order and so that meant I had to try and be one of the first people in the door to get the very limited amount they had per day and I only had 2 days to try and get it.

I didn't cosplay on Thursday. I woke up and dressed just as a fan of Marvel's Loki. I also assumed it would be quite hot outside, which is another reason I didn't want to be in a costume and I was right- it was quite warm that day; I believe it hit 85 degrees.

[Lyft selfie on the way to the con. Loki fan appreciation.]

If you know me then you know I'm not a morning person, but SDCC only comes around once a year! And with only a 2 day pass, I had to make sure I made the most of every day! So, I made sure to wake up at 6am! We were at the con before 8:30am! This was over an hour before the exhibit hall even opened; it started at 9:30am. This is where the shit show began. - Buckle up and get ready to be jerked around on this ride called: SDCC 2018.

Upon arriving, we saw the lines to get into the door. Obviously, they were super long. However, even though we had our badges to get in, we still needed to pick up our lanyards and free bags. We were told no one could go inside, at all. In previous years we had been allowed to go and pick up our badges, lanyards, and guides before the con opened, but it seemed like they were doing things differently this year.

So, we were standing in one of the long lines when we noticed people were being let in farther down the way in the doors marked "H" and "F". So, we decided to walk down there and see if they would let us in to get our lanyards. Well, they let us in, but then they wouldn't let us up the escalators to get over to the part of the convention center with the lanyards. So, we stood by other groups who were waiting just outside the exhibit hall doors. By this time it was 8:30am and we stood there for 30 minutes, when around 9am a woman comes by and starts telling everyone we have to go outside. She proceeded to tell everyone that the lobby "wasn't open" and we all had to wait outside. The woman rounded up a few other employees to push us all out, but we weren't about to go without an explanation. We had to explain several times that all we were trying to do is get our lanyards and we had repeatedly been denied. Not only that, but they wanted us to get back in the long line outside that was now even longer and we had already been in that line! So, finally the woman let us up the escalator to go and get our lanyards. The process of getting the lanyards was fairly easy. The line moved at a decent pace and we got them in under 10 minutes.

Now comes more ridiculousness. So, after getting our badges, the joke was to try and get back downstairs. At this point we had about 20 minutes before the exhibit hall opened. When we walked through to make our way back downstairs, we quickly realized just how unorganized SDCC was this year. - There was a guy ushering everyone to just move in as tightly as possible and to "keep going". So, basically it was just a massive amount of people trying to walk to the same destination with no lines or organization and we were literally being told to just crowd together. Then, randomly, they would just stop everyone and make us wait until (I guess) enough people had cleared the section for the herd to continue moving forward. Our group got separated and some of us were let through to the next section before others. To make a long story short, I was stuck in that mess of a crowd until almost 10am, which is 30 minutes after the exhibit hall opened.

Because I was the last of my group to get into the hall, the other members had already been to Toddland and found out that the Kuchi Kopi was a random drawing and you had to wait in line to see if you would have the chance to draw the right card to be able purchase it. This made me beyond mad, because Toddland never made that announcement. Had I known that I wouldn't have rushed to the con that morning. In the previous years I attended I have pretty much always gotten what I sought to buy and never had to be there when the doors opened to get them, because they were random drawings -that means they won't sell out right away, since the chances of every person pulling a winning card/ticket is low. To make matters worse, the line cap for Toddland was originally very small. They only had to the end of their section of the row and so I couldn't get it. I circled back 2 more times before taking a break to see what else I could get.

I headed over to Toynk booth's, where it was also shortly capped and made no sense. Clearly, there was room for people to stand before the cut off, but the line moderator was being a jerk. So, we basically just jumped in line and he couldn't say anything, because we weren't obstructing traffic. The line moved fairly quickly though, but people in line were being difficult. The workers at the booth constantly had to repeat they were open and for the next person to come down before anyone would move. Even the person in front of us only moved when we threatened to cut in front, because they wouldn't go! I was able to get my friends their Bob Ross pins though.

After that I headed back to Toddland to try and get in the line and they wouldn't let us. We were at a loss of words as to how we would ever get in the line and not just to get the Kuchi Kopi, but also pick up the pre-ordered purchase that was already paid for and it was only one line for everything at the booth. But then the con all of a sudden decided to move the line much further down and all of a sudden all these people were in line and we still couldn't get it! It took us fighting to finally get in line and we stood there for about an hour. Both us and the couple in front of us could not believe how the people were taking so long once they walked up to the front of the booth. Several "menus" or information about exactly what was available was handed down the line multiple times while we were standing and waiting.

Toddland itself was pretty unorganized. Once we got up there it took the employee quite a bit of time just to find all of the stuff we pre-ordered and two of the things had me in panic-mode, because at first he couldn't find them. I was able to get the Kuchi Kopi pin that was originally at WonderCon this year (since I didn't attend WonderCon) and the coveted "Hall H" pin from them. No luck on the Kuchi Kopi though, which was pretty disappointing.

To top it off, in the middle of us waiting for Toddland, they decided to create a line right next to ours for the FOX booth giveaways and that only made confusion and chaos. People trying to get in the FOX line kept asking us if we were in line for it. [Heavy eye rolls at SDCC.] And when we exited Toddland we got pushed into the FOX line by a crowd of people moving through. I can't complain though, since we did get free Bob's Burgers Fanny Packs.

After that mess, we did our best to make our way around the convention. We needed to get away from the huge crowds in the center booths, which is where the majority of selling-only vendors were. So, we walked down to the comic book companies, because after all, that's why we have SDCC in the first place!

[Meeting Camilla D'errico at the Dark Horse booth.]

We went to the Dark Horse comics booth to pick up the exclusive cover of the first issue of "American Gods" and we went at the time they just happened to be having a free poster giveaway and signing with artist Camilla D'errico! I had no idea she was going to be there! I discovered her after becoming active in the snail mail community. She is huge to people in that community and the planner community! She was so nice and kind! She even invited me to her booth personally to talk more, later on!

By then we needed a break from the massive crowd inside of the convention center. We walked out to PetCo to find the Hello Kitty Cafe food truck! Unfortunately, when we got there I discovered that the adorable bow mug I wanted was sold out, so I had to settle for the regular one. PetCo was actually a highlight for me this year. I loved all the food trucks and activities there. I was really sad in 2016 when they turned it into nothing but obstacle courses and previews that generated all-day-long lines. It's nice to be able to walk in it again and experience a variety of things!

We ate lunch after the food truck and the streets and restaurants were very crowded! It took us a long time to find a place where we could sit down and eat! -This is a big point of SDCC. It's just getting too big. I know it's always been a massive event and it's always been a lot of people, but it's to the point where it doesn't even seem like the organization can fully keep control. The overall convention wasn't that fun. It was worse than going to Disney World. Too many people and not enough staff or quantity of anything to suffice the number of attendees.

[In line for the Laika Live exhibit.]

After lunch, we stood 2 hours to see the Laika Live exhibit by Laika Studios. That was well worth the wait! The company was great to the fans! We received a ton of great stuff! Shirts, hats, posters, beach balls, and a really nice shopping bag to put it in! We started with trivia and then went on a tour to see how the characters are created and how the animation is made. It was really neat to get to talk to people who actually worked on the films! We also saw life sized Coraline furniture and art from their not yet released film, "Missing Link". Everyone at the exhibit, from the people at the pop-up shop, to the guides, to the line moderators were great!

Next it was time to go get in line for the Brooklyn 99 panel. I was so excited to see this panel! I absolutely love the show and Stephanie Beatriz! SDCC really messed up. The previous panel was cancelled. So, all the people waiting to see that panel were allowed to stay in the room and given passes, so that they could come and go from the room and have a reserved spot. However, no one in the line waiting outside knew that. It really wasn't fair to all of us waiting in line and for people who were there longer than myself to try and get a spot in the panel. A lot of people outside weren't going to get in when the room held more than 2200 people, since most of the seats were already full. Yet another way that SDCC really messed up this year.

We finished the night walking the exhibit hall in artist alley. It was really crowded, even after the announcement that the hall was closed. For the first SDCC ever, I didn't buy anything in the Artist Alley.

©Comic-Con logo is copyrighted and owned by San Diego Comic-Con. Use is for information only.