With San Diego Comic-Con just around the corner we here at GAMbIT Magazine have teamed up with our friends over at GeekLeak.net to bring the ultimate “Must Know” guide to the convention. For many people this may be their first convention (We have some on our team who will be making SDCC ) so we start off this guide with the must have essentials for taking in the show.
Comfortable walking shoes
We can not stress enough how important good shoes are for this event. The amount of walking you do back and forth, up and down is intense on your feet. We understand that a lot of the ladies like to look super fly in those sexy heels but always bring a backup of flats or you will be hurting trying to press on for the whole day. Not only is the San Diego convention center massive but there are so many events going on all around in nearby hotels that the pain can sometimes be inevitable.
Backpack
Unless you want to wear a fanny pack which i totally support a backpack is essential to hold all the crap you accumulate throughout the convention and I promise there is a lot. The most important things your backpack will hold is your schedule book of all the panels, and your map of the convention floor. You will also want to throw in all the business cards, free stuff you gather from booths, bottle of water and your small purchases.
Portable Battery Charger
This is a big one! Your phone will die and there is nothing you can do to prevent that…other then turning it off of course or putting it on airplane mode, but with trying to post things to your social media pages or trying to connect with your friends whereabouts your phone will die. You will see crowds huddled around wall sockets charging their phones all over the convention to even nearby hotels. You can prevent all of this nonsense of having to battle your way in by bringing one of these bad boys to re-up your electronics.
You can buy a PowerAdd on amazon right now HERE for $23.99 which can charge an iPhone up to 5 times! (GeekLeak)
On a tight budget? We recommend RAVPower Luster Mini for $12.99 from Amazon HERE (GAMbIT Magazine)
Poster Tube
No matter where you go on the convention floor you will be bumping elbows and saying “excuse me”(if your nice) to absolutely everybody in site. The convention floor is packed tight and there is really no avoiding it. If you plan on buying art this will be your best bet to keep it from getting bent up or even torn. The compact size along with the strap makes it super easy to throw across your back and move through large crowds without having to worry about ruining your favorite artists work. Plastic sleeves are great too but you have to hold them in your hand and either tuck under your arm or hold directly in front of you while maneuvering through the crowds which just isn’t ideal for this event. If you will be flying in like I am these poster tubes can also be a part of your carry on luggage which is a plus to have.
They come in all different sizes but for a basic art buyer like myself you can get a simple one HERE for $15.14 (GeekLeak)
For those flying in you may consider a shipping tube to mail back home HERE starting at $2.59 (GAMbIT Magazine)
Cash
Cold hard cash! Now I know that almost everyone takes card now or has the square for easy swiping but cash is the way to go. Not all vendor booths will take card or even if they do, with all the people fighting for cellular data they sometimes struggle to get a connection to even swipe your card. The convention floor has ATM’s but nobody want’s to pay a $4.00 convenience fee.
Now that you have your gear squared away what about all the exclusive goodies that are available on the show floor? Eacg year San Diego Comic-Con features exclusive comics, toys, memorabilia, that can only be found at the show. Yes, many of these items from the major retailers will eventually see the light of day in a toy store near you, but many items are exclusive only to SDCC, or are specialty badged to show your friends and other collectors how unique they really are. Let’s look a few exclusives that are sure to be must have items and where you can get them.
2000 AD (Rebellion) Booth #2806
Dredd: Underbelly posters by Jock
2000 AD brings us this incredible variant cover to DREDD: Underbelly cover by the movie’s concept artist, Jock – is now a fantastic looking poster that is exclusive to this years show. Each print is signed and numbered.
Price: $20.00
Action Figure Xpress Booth #3345
She-Ra Filmation Sword of Protection Letter Opener
Based on the Filmation television series! Wield the power of a princess in your hands with the Masters of the Universe She-Ra Power Sword Letter Opener by Icon Heroes. Complete with gem, this sword of protection approximately measures 7”H x 1.4”W x .3”D and weighs 3 oz. Made of sturdy zinc alloy metal, this Masters of the Universe She-Ra Power Sword Letter Opener is great addition for any She-Ra fan. Fully compatible with the Castle Grayskull business card holder and Masters of the Universe power sword letter openers.
Price: $20.00
Star Trek TOS Yellow Logo Bookends
Secure your favorite books or DVDs on your journey into space: the final frontier with these stylish Star Trek Logo Bookends by Icon Heroes. Together the two ends measure approximately 6.5” H x 7.25” W x 4” D and weigh approximately 6 pounds. Made of sturdy poly stone, each piece is meticulously hand painted. Easily recognizable, these Logo Bookends are sure to be a great addition to any Star Trek collection.
Price: $80.00
Alex Ross Art – Booth #2419
Marvel Alex Ross Art Book HC
Attendees will be exclusively able to purchase for the very first time Marvel-Ross, the first official Alex Ross Marvel art book, each hardcover is hand-signed by Alex Ross. Never before have Marvel’s most popular characters come together as brought to life by Alex Ross’ fine art in the 48-page, full-color book. These will be available for the ultimate Alex Ross Marvel art collection, exclusively at AlexRossArt.
Price: $30.00
Wolverine Limited Print By Alex Ross
Each print is on thick, smooth archival stock paper, ready to be given a place of honor in any art fan’s collection. Alex’s cover to Death of Wolverine #1 is presented here as an 11″ x 17″ art print, hand-signed by Alex Ross. These will be available for the ultimate Alex Ross Marvel art collection, exclusively at AlexRossArt.
Price: $20.00
Archie Comics – Booth #2842
The Death Of Archie Convention Variant Cover
The death of an icon. The unthinkable happens in Riverdale, as everyone’s favorite redhead makes the ultimate sacrifice to save a friend – living out his final moments as a shining example of heroism. Join Betty & Veronica, Jughead, Reggie, Kevin Keller and the rest of the Archie gang to experience the story that’s captured the world’s attention: the final moments of Archie Andrews – and the celebration of his life that follows. Writer Paul Kupperberg and artists Fernando Ruiz and Pat & Tim Kennedy join forces to craft a tale of heroism, love, friendship and tragedy that will stand as one of the most shocking and remarkable comic book stories in history. Experience the end and celebrate all that’s come before with The Death of Archie: A Life Celebrated, a deluxe presentation of one of the most acclaimed and talked-about stories in the history of Archie Comics.
Price: $10.00
Blizzard Entertainment – Booth #115
Funko Pop! Vinyl – Primal Kerrigan
Back from her vacation on Zerus, Kerrigan has “got her groove back” and gone primal! Primal Kerrigan is an SDCC-exclusive variant of her Pop! Vinyl figure.
Price: $15.00
Bluefin Distribution – Booth #140
Real Grade 1/144 Zeta Gundam Clear Color Ver
This special translucent version of the RG Zeta Gundam model kit was originally a Japan event exclusive and will be available for purchase in limited quantities at SDCC for the U.S. Clear parts allow for visualization of the Advanced MS Frame that serves as the mechanical skeleton for the kit. Model is fully transformable from robot to wave rider mode.
Price: $34.99
Sentinel Toy Synthetic Human Special Ver
The 10″ tall Synthetic Human from the Biomega manga features a humanoid highly articulated figure that can be used both as a figure from the series and also anatomy model due its very mobile nature. This version to be sold at SDCC features coloring and weathering changes from the original release and will be available in very limited quantities. After SDCC it will only be available at events in Asia.
Price: $159.99
Bluefin-Tamashii Nations – Booth #3545
S.H. Figuarts Armored Black Power Ranger
It’s Morphin’ Time! Tamashii Nations presents an exciting 2014 San Diego Comic Con exclusive from the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series! Introducing the S.H.Figuarts Armored Black Ranger. Intricate attention to detail allows for a rare and exciting portrayal of the Armored Black Ranger! Fans of MMPR will remember Zack in the first season finale, “An Oyster Stew”, donning the Dragon Shield and making a comeback from the Oysterizer’s attack. Additional accessories include the Power Axe, Thunder Slinger and Blade Blaster; as well as interchangeable hand parts (4 right, 3 left). Don’t miss out on this must have exclusive!
Price: $44.99
S.H. Figuarts Vegeta Original Animation Colors
In this classic S.H.Figuarts rendition of Vegeta, he appears as you’ve only seen him in the original anime! Flash back to when Vegeta had reddish-brown hair and a completely different green and orange coloring for his Saiyan combat suit. Set comes with a rich variety of accessories for the ultimate action figure experience! Parts include folded arms, four interchangeable hand sets, including a special interchangeable “scouter crushing” hand part, three interchangeable face parts and head part with attachable scouter, tail parts, effect parts and special support stand for effect parts. This 2014 San Diego Exclusive is offered exclusively to fans in the US!
Price: $44.99
Dark Horse Comics – Booth #2615
Game of Thrones: Lannister Shield Wall Plaque
8″ x 5″ polyresin replica of Lannister shield. Package in full color box. Includes hook for wall mounting. Two per person
Price: $30.00
Itty Bitty Hellboy Plush: 2014 San Diego Comic-Con Exclusive
7.25″ tall plush version of the colorful cartoon treatment of Mike Mignola’s characters by Art Baltazar and Franco featuring an San Diego Comic Con International logo t-shirt. Two per person.
Price: $15.00
Mass Effect Alliance Cruiser: Convention Exclusive Bronze Edition
9″ long polyresin bronze finished Alliance Cruiser. Dark Horse has utilized digital assets direct from Bioware to faithfully capture all details in transforming this ship from a digital creation into our physical world. One per person.
Price: $60.00
Diamond Select Toys – Booth #2607
Star Trek Battle Damaged USS Excelsior Ship
All hands brace for impact! The U.S. S. Excelsior has engaged the enemy, and it shows in this new battle-damaged edition of the original Excelsior-class starship! With new paint applications showing damage from the Battle of Khitomer, this limited edition will only be available at Comic-Con! Push a button to light up the bridge, deflector dish, impulse engines and warp nacelles, and trigger dialogue by George Takei as Captain Hikaru Sulu!
Price: $70.00
Star Wars Spirit Yoda Figure Bank
Toys, exclusives… a Jedi craves these things! DST’s 7-inch Yoda bank returns in spirit form, as a translucent blue vinyl figure exclusively available at SDCC! In scale to previously released Ultimate Quarter Scale action figures and banks, this new limited edition of the original Yoda bank includes a separate cane accessory, and has a coin slot on the back as well as an access door in the base.
Price: $23.00
Graphitti Designs – Booth #2314
Grayson #1 CCI Variant Comic
You won’t want to miss out on this GRAYSON #1 convention exclusive by Giuseppe Camuncoli! Written by Tim Seeley and illustrated by Mikel Janin, a thrilling new chapter of Dick Grayson’s life begins as an agent of Spyral in this new, ongoing series!
Price: $10.00
Harley Quinn Invades Comic-Con International CCI Variant Comic
Our favorite little troublemaker, Harley Quinn, takes on Comic-Con International: San Diego in this over the top issue written by Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti! This title will have two exclusive variants, with this version featuring a full wraparound cover by Amanda Conner.
Price: $10.00
ThinkGeek – Booth #3849
R2-D9 USB Car Charger
R2 units: is there anything those little guys can’t do? While we don’t yet have the technology in this quadrant of the galaxy for fully-automated repair droids like the R2 units from Star Wars, we can get a portion of the R2’s versatility into something small enough to sit in your vehicle’s cupholder. You see, it makes R2-D9 whistle sadly when he sees a device that’s run out of power. Make him bloop and bleep happily again by letting him use your vehicle’s power to recharge your devices. With him plugged into your cigarette lighter socket, you can get 2.1 Amps through each of his USB charging ports, which is enough to charge two tablets or smartphones or, well, pretty much anything that charges via USB. What’s that, little guy? He says, “Bloop bloop bleep,” which we think means “Yay!” Product Specifications : – R2-D9 USB Car Charger – A ThinkGeek creation and exclusive – 2014 ThinkGeek Con Exclusive – Officially-licensed Star Wars merchandise – Compatible with anything that charges via USB (iPhones, smartphones, iPads, tablets, GPSes, etc.) as long as you have the cable – Two (2) USB charging ports – Each port provides 2.1 Amps (enough to charge 2 tablets simultaneously) – R2-D9’s dome rotates and lights up; he whistles and beeps (when power is connected and when your device begins to charge; force him to animate by pressing his center button which turns power to the ports on) – Flexible arms allow you to customize him to best fit your vehicle’s cupholder – Blue/red LED inside the front radar eye lens indicates USB port power status – Dimensions: 5 1/2″ tall, 3 1/2″ wide at widest, 2″ diameter at bottom (to fit cupholder), cable 36″ long – Includes: R2 unit with 2 USB ports, 12V vehicle cigarette lighter adapter
Price: $40.00
Titan Entertainment Group – Booth #5537
Adventure Time: The Original Cartoon Title Cards: Ultra Limited
Signed by Pendleton Ward especially for Comic-Con, this lavish hardback is hand numbered and limited to only 100 copies.
Price: $50.00
Doctor Who TITANS: 11th Doctor in 10th Doctor Suit
“Legs! I’ve still got legs!” After an explosive regeneration, the 11th Doctor emerged still wearing his previous incarnation’s suit – as represented in this 3” Convention Exclusive!
Price: $15.00
The most important thing to remember about San Diego Comic-Con is to have fun. Enjoy yourself just take in the entire experience. There is a lot more to SDCC that we didn’t even touch on with this guide and if you want to find the complete list of exclusives you can head HERE and be sure to head over to the Comic-Con International website to see a full list of events going on.
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