San Diego Comic-Con has always been a bucket list item for yours truly. Kind of like the Mecca of Geekdom for me. A great pilgrimage where I would travel across the country in an attempt to make it into the fabled Hall H so I can geek out with thousands of friends I’ve never met. Geeklings, this is the dream and I like to believe that one day it’s going to happen. Obviously, this won’t be the year for that. Travel is kind of off the board with the pandemic and for the first time in fifty years, there will be no San Diego Comic-Con…

At least not in the traditional way.

One of the best things to come out of this pandemic is the use of technology like Zoom to present us with some pretty stellar pop culture moments. Everything from the Parks and Rec bonus episode providing us the hug we needed at that exact moment in time to the Community table read that personally filled my heart with an overwhelming amount of joy all the way to the Lord of the Rings Reunited Apart that helped remind me how much I love that trilogy, our favorite stories and characters have found a way to be with us during such a crazy/scary time in the world. As an added bonus each one of these moments not only brought us a little happiness but provided an outlet for us to donate to others in a time of need. These reunions have been the light that shines from Gandalf’s staff as he chases away the Nazgul from Gondor. 

And while this time of year would be the start of convention season for many of us, we’ve kind of found that way of life put on pause. I have no clue what conventions look like going forward. I’ve been anxiously awaiting New York Comic Con to announce that they won’t be holding the event this year so I don’t have to debate with myself whether or not I’m going to go. NYCC is one of my favorite traditions every year. I get to go with my sister and we spend two of the best days geeking out over everything and anything while trying to peep as many exclusives as possible. I’m not ashamed to admit that it’s one of the things I look forward to the most every year, but with the way of the world right now and the fact that they’ve used the Javits Center as a makeshift hospital… I really don’t want to be in a position where I have to make a tough choice. Honestly, I’m not sure how I would decide. I’m not sure I’m strong enough to say no even though I probably should or I’ll say no and it’ll bum me out even further because it was my choice. Ugh, it’s clearly a Catch-22.

As I overthink my NYCC dilemma there is some good news for those of us who sit by pools near the end of July with their phones glued to their hand frantically searching for updates/trailers/news to post on social media and their website while those around them enjoy the pool/beach/drinks. This year, we actually will be able to attend SDCC in some capacity. We as in everyone! Much like our reunion shows, SDCC will be going online this year as the convention turns into Comic-Con@Home July 22nd through July 26th give us an opportunity to safely experience the world’s biggest con.

That’s right, you will be able to attend the panels poolside. You’ll be able to attend the panels beachside. You’ll be able to attend the panels at your favorite tiki bar, providing it’s open and practicing social distancing.  There will be exhibits for you to visit much like Artist Alley that allows you to shop for exclusives and prints of things you love. If you want to print out a badge and wear it around your neck during the five-day event, you can because they’re providing badges to print! Comic-Con@Home is working on masquerade and gaming events to bring fans together. For those of us who have not been able to travel to California for the Mecca of Geekdom, this could be our opportunity to attend. 

As of right now, we’re still waiting to hear what panels or trailers are going to be announced. We’re waiting to see what comic companies are going to reveal their next big stories or events and what writers and artists will be contributing. I’m personally waiting to see what the t-shirts and other merch looks like but that’s because I’m a t-shirt junkie. But in these strange times where there is so much uncertainty, Comic-Con@Home sounds like something we all could enjoy. Sure, we’d much rather be in Hall H screaming ourselves hoarse but who is going to stop you from screaming while sitting outside with friends and family? Sure, you’ll get some odd looks but sometimes it’s hard to keep excitement bottled up. That’s how you pop blood vessels. 

Speculating about who will present and what we can expect to see can be part of the build-up to the event. It seems that DC will be holding its own 24-hour event on August 22nd called DC Fandom where we could get first looks at James Gunn’s upcoming Suicide Squad or maybe a trailer for the Snyder Cut of Justice League or possibly something Watchmen related (I’m betting that’s geared more toward comics with Tom King attached) along with a full website to navigate and possible panels. Keeping that in mind, I would be willing to bet that DC skips Comic-Con@Home but that doesn’t mean Marvel will. There are full trailers for Wandavision, The Falcon and Winter Soldier, as well as The Enternals to be had. It doesn’t mean that we won’t get our first look or info on the long-awaited Rick Grimes The Walking Dead movie. There are movies and tv shows galore that could use Comic-Con@Home as a platform to get your interest and with the event being online the platform became that much larger. 

Who knows what content we’ll be freaking out over come July 22nd but in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t really matter. What matters is SDCC is giving us an opportunity to do something we love or something we’ve always wanted to do, for free. In a time where things have been more than a little bleak, Comic-Con@Home could be exactly what we need right now. A chance to feel normal, geek out with friends, and maybe cosplay around the pool. With actual conventions being put on hold this certainly sounds like the next best thing. At the end of the day, what more could you ask for?