Today should be the eve of San Diego Comic-Con which more or less equants itself to geek Christmas. Over the last few years, I have spent this weekend spending time with family and friends but also kind of ignoring them. I’m present and will throw in a casual chuckle or something to make it appear that I’m paying attention but in reality, I’m glued to my phone checking updates. Last year I was supposed to be playing a game with my cousins when Marvel was killing it in Hall H. Last year I was supposed to at bbq being social but instead was sneaking away to watch trailers for It Chapter Two, the new Top Gun, and whatever Jay and Silent Bob were doing. In years past I’ve sat by bonfires drinking as friends conversed and I learned Brie Larson would be playing Captain Marvel. This is the event of the summer. Major announcements. Trailers. Promise of things to come. New Funko products. Exclusives all over the place. Us geeks live for this time in July but this is 2020 and nothing has gone according to plan. In fact, I would argue that there is no playbook anymore and we’re just in a survival like scenario in the hopes that 2021 can do better. I mean, how could it not? Unless COVID partners up  with dementors but that could still be a plot twist for 2020. Don’t forget, murder hornets weren’t introduced by accident.

This year looks to be a lot different and the family/friends that have had to endure my constant internet searches/barely present attitude will now have more of my attention. I’m not entirely sure if they’d consider that a win. They’ve won enough if they’re in my quarantine bubble because that list is slim.

Yes, we’ve discussed how Comic-Con@Home is trying to make the best of a pretty crappy situation, and there are things I’m looking forward to. The Upload and The Boys panels are standouts for me as is Keanu talking about Constantine fifteen years later. Other than that I’m feeling the blues when it comes to the lack of normal  SDCC. At this point, it’s kind of par for the course. Nothing in 2020 has been even remotely normal. Kayne West is having a mental breakdown via Twitter right before our eyes. Cities are in literal upheavals. Schools might not open in the fall. And the list goes on and on and on and on and somewhere murder hornets are lurking in the shadows waiting for their moment.

I think it’s okay to be bummed out about the lack of traditional SDCC this year. Sure, in the grand scheme of things and the greater life picture,  losing a traditional SDCC isn’t that big of a deal but for those of us who find it important and look forward to it… you’re one hundred percent allowed to be kind of down and glum chum. I wish I could promise you that next year’s convention will be bigger and better but there’s no way to know that just yet. Optimisim is all we can cling to but I think speaking honestly, conventions are going to change as we move forward. There’s no way that they don’t.

And I know it feels like Comic-Con@Home has its heart in the right place but is there enough to be excited about? Maybe there are some surprises in store for us. I wish Marvel would be present too but maybe they’ll go the route of DC and do their own online fandom event or wait until Disney Expo and do something online on a future date. There is the potential for some serious surprises though. Just because a company isn’t participating in panels doesn’t mean that they won’t use social media to drop some geek bombs on us.  Hold on to hope.

Yeah, it doesn’t feel like SDCC season at all and that sucks out loud. But maybe this weekend can turn into something special. Something new. Something that allows us to escape for a bit and focus on the things we use to escape world wide pandemics. It’s okay to be down but it’s also okay to be optimistic. It sure beats the alternative.

What do you think Geeklings? Are you excited about Comic-Con@Home? What panels are you looking forward to the most? Do you think they’ll be any surprises this weekend? Sound off in the comments or throw me a line over on Twitter @iamgeek32. It may not be what we know but we can still try and have some fun with it since it’s here!