From your Editor-in-Chief Ezequiel Gutierrez

Every year I chant the same misguided phrase to myself in preparation for Comic-Con.  I wear it like a badge of honor and repeat it like I’m meditating. “I will not spend 4 days in Hall H” “I will not spend 4 days in Hall H” “I will not spend 4 days in Hall H”  Yet, every year I spend 4 days sitting in Hall H. Guess what? This year seems to be no different. Take my badge away and give it to someone who has the balls to wander the show floor while thousands of people gawk at footage never seen by the public in the great Hall.  I don’t have the stones. Goddammit I’m getting a panic attack right now just thinking of not getting a first glimpse of “Man of Steel” or Bilbo Baggins and his band of dirty dwarves. I love/hate the gravitational pull that particular location has on me, until of course the day is over and I’m one of a select few who gets to talk about what we saw ad nauseam for a few weeks until the rest of the world see’s it. Is it worth it though?! The answer is generally no but I don’t care I love it…and hate it.  Having said all that, I do get one whole official day OUT of Hall H.  There is no programming on Thursday that I am dying to participate in besides ‘Wreck-It Ralph’.  And I may even skip that on principal alone so that one day I can tell my sons, I resisted!! Here are the other things I’m looking forward to next week at Comic-Con. You can be sure content will be right here on BGBE.

‘Paranorman’ kicks things off in Hall H at 10:45am on Friday but before that Nickelodeon is giving fans a glimpse of their all-new TMNT show.  I think ‘Paranorman’ looks incredible and being a fan of the Turtles presents a bit of Sophies Choice on who gets my attention that morning. Either way I think I’ll be happy no matter which animation I start my day off with

After that I’m headed out to mingle with the real people on the show floor to try and snag my beautiful wife an autograph from Kurtis Wiebe. He is the Author of one of her favorite comics ‘Grim Leaper’ Did I just say my wife has a favorite comic book?  What’s happening?!

‘Game of Thrones’ kicks off at 2:45pm back in Hall H. The CCI organizers got smart this year and placed really popular TV shows in Hall H instead of Ballroom 20. The Big Bang Theory and The Walking Dead share this similarity but I don’t really care about those shows as much as Game of Thrones.  A few members of the cast will be on hand but the Writers/Ex-Producers are still in the middle of filming Season 3 for us so they won’t be there. That’s only slightly a bummer because they are amazing dudes.  As long as my Khaleesi is there, I’ll be fine. This is a Con high point for me.

After that it’s a mad dash to Ballroom 20 where Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston will wow us with whatever it is they plan to wow us with.  Just a few days before the Season 5 premiere, I anticipate they will probably attempt to screen the 1^st episode for us. I won’t complain. That ends day 2.

Day 3 is Saturday and for anyone who has ever gone to con you know that’s the big day. This is dread day for me.  There is so much awesome happening every where it’s not humanly possible to experience it all.  For me I’ll be in Hall H all day.  First up is Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Django Unchained’ which I’ll be happy about until it ends. At that point I’m being forced to sit through 2 more panels for things I didn’t even know existed and an hour of movie trailers in order to see what Warner Brothers bring to the table.  Who made that decision? Really?! In the end the payoff should be worth it as we’ll get a glimpse at ‘Pacific Rim’  ‘Man of Steel’ and ‘The Hobbit’.  That means Guillermo del Toro, Zack Snyder and Peter Jackson. Not a bad trade off even if I’ll need a shower by then. Another hour-long gap of doom until Marvel’s ‘Iron Man 3’ panel begins.  This will be a doozy as it’s still early in the shooting process for the movie, so who on gods green earth knows what we’ll see.  If you remeber though that Johnny Fav’s brought Iron Man 2 to con weeks after filming began and BLEW US AWAY! So here’s hoping Shane Black can answer.

So yeah, most of that happens in Hall H but you can be sure that Thursday I will relish a day walking the show floor and soaking up what truly is still the best thing about Comic-Con: The People. I know a lot of this sounds like complaining but I really do love Comic-Con fr a lot of reasons.  Way more reasons to hate it infact.  It’s all about the experience that makes us come back year after year.

We will have a special Con2012 section on the front page of the site. Down on the right you’ll see the Con logo. Click that for all 2012 Comic-Con Coverage. Making it easier for the rest of you geeks! We will also be blowing up Twitter throughout the day so you can Follow BGBE’s tweets @Epichappenshere and my personal twat: @ezgoo.  See yo on the otherside and read on for Brendens take on the whole event.

From Brenden Toda: Editor and Co-founder

San Diego Comic Con International is special. Anyone who has ever been knows this as an absolute truth, but for guys who claim to have the Best Geek Blog Ever…. this is the big one. Every year I look back at the sights, sounds and experiences I have shared with my closest friends at SDCC and reminisce with fondness, happiness and pure unadulterated geek joy. With only a few more *gasp* HOURS until this year’s event kicks off I thought it would be best to highlight the top 5 things I am most looking forward to for Comic Con 2012.

5.  SWAG. For those of you who have never attended a festival or convention SWAG is short for Stuff We All get, and at Comic Con SWAG typically reaches epic proportions. From the programming guides to the handouts at nearly every booth, I absolutely love all the things that can only be found at SDCC.

4. The People. Yes, it is very nice to get to walk up to Felicia Day and tell her how awesome you think she is. Or get a chance to shake hands with Grant Imahara and find out he’s actually a smaller man than you are. Or perhaps it’s the third time you’ve seen Jim Lee at a convention this year and you realize today is the day you are going to ask him to draw you as a Green Lantern. The level of accessibility to the creators and talent of some of our favorite entertainment is what makes these conventions special. Not to mention the Comic Con crowds (although massive) is made up of geeks and nerds that are all there for the same reasons. Con is a great place to really get that meet lots of folks who truly share a common interest and can celebrate that passion together!

3. Merch. While the news portion of Comic Con comes from the announcements at the panels, Comic Con is also known for it’s ginormous show floor. There you can find so many wonderful things on display and…(for the right price)….you can take some of that home with you too! Who doesn’t want a scaled replica of the Iron Man Suitcase suit? Or maybe you’ve always wanted to own your own version of the One ring NOT cast from the fires of mount doom? I can’t wait to own my own piece of Comic Con 2012! You know…..my bookshelf could really use another Batman statue!

2. Panels. This one had to be towards the top of my list as it is nearly the whole reason we go to Comic Con in the first place. I’ve always enjoyed the fact that Comic Con celebrates so much of popular arts that there is something for everyone! Specifically this year I am looking forward to seeing panels for the Big Bang Theory, The Walking Dead, and Robot Chicken. Not to mention a panel devoted to the man who has brought Optimus Prime to life for more than 25 Years: Peter Cullen. This one for me is a can’t miss.

1. One of a Kind Experiences. To this day my favorite Comic Con memory to date happened two years ago with my best friend and BGBE Editor-in-Chief Ez Gutierrez as we sat in the infamous Hall H in 2010. After a days worth of quality entertainment the night was winding down and it was clear that he had little to no interest in staying for Scott Pilgrim vs the World panel, but being the good friend he is, he stuck it out with me. I pled my case for the film just as the lights dimmed and Director Edgar Wright took the stage. As his natural charisma began to fly off the stage I watched as Ez went from thinking “why am I sitting here?” to “oh that’s what the fuss is all about!” to “I really want to see this film!”

The panel came to a close and Edgar shared once last tidbit of information about the movie: Those in the audience who had received 1-up buttons at the beginning of the panel were in fact given movie tickets to see the World Premiere screening to watch alongside himself and the rest of the cast! As we looked down at the buttons we were given we both were disappointed when we realized we did not have a winner. Ready to pack it up and call it a night we headed for the door where we were stopped on the way out by a random couple who  graciously gave us their pair of winning buttons! Stunned at our sudden change of luck, we raced out of Hall H eager to find the theater a few blocks up the street in the Gaslamp District. A few wrong turns and mad dashes later and we found ourselves face to face with THE Edgar Wright who promptly shook our hand and thanked us for making the trek all the way to see his little film. Out of breath and out of time we rushed into the theater just in time to catch the free popcorn and soda and enjoy the first EVER screening of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. I will never forget sharing that one of a kind moment with my friend that could only happen at SDCC. What new stories will be told this year? Stay tuned to Best Geek Blog Ever and follow us on Twitter to stay updated with all the latest BGBE coverage of Comic Con 2012.