The First Time I Found a Fandom: SDCC

{Editor's Note - With the SDCC madness beginning earlier and earlier in the year, I thought I would share with you how my love of SDCC began!  This post was first featured over on What a Nerd Girl Says blog.}

I had just recently moved to San Diego in January of 2009.  My husband is a professional and was able to get us both free passes almost on a whim.  That first year I was a total NOOB.  It was our first full day in Ballroom 20 and the very first, and only panel we didn't come to see, was Chuck.  Zachary Levi grabbed my attention immediately with his love and kindness toward his fans.   Adam Baldwin kept making jokes eluding to Firefly.  With that I went home and caught up on Chuck and Firefly and my nerdiness hasn't stopped growing since.  

In 2010 we attended Comic Con again and I could still say I was a newbie con goer.  We stayed inside the convention center the entire con, but this time we did attend all five days, preview night included.  I did my first official early rise for the Chuck panel in Ballroom 20 where we saw them only one year earlier.  Twitter became my best friend that year.  By following Nathan Fillion, I was able to see a tweet he sent out just as we were about to leave for the day.  He was at the CA Browncoats booth signing Serenity comics.  I grabbed the fellow Browncoat of our group and we RAN flat out from one side of the convention center to the other and got in line and were able to get Nathan to sign my Serenity comic.  I was officially HOOKED on San Diego Comic Con!

2011 I would have to say I began to get more obsessed.  It is a bit harder when you have others with you and you all want to do different things, like sleep in.  But they all quickly learned the first rule of Comic Con is that you do NOT sleep in!  That year you were having to get to the con earlier and earlier to get a good seat or a seat at all.  We entirely skipped Ballroom 20 that year instead hit up the Hilton Bayfront Indigo Ballroom.  Arriving at 6 a.m. still left us about 200 deep in line.  I got to meet my very first celebrities {The cast of Being Human U.S.} and had a blast at Nerd HQ.  We did not plan to go to any of their panels, but thanks again to Twitter, I saw that their Nathan Fillion panel had extra seats right before it was to begin.  We were able to get in and have Joshua Gomez and Ryan McParlin sit directly behind us!  

In 2012 I was one of the thousands in line to see the 10th anniversary Firefly panel.  I again turned to my best friend Twitter for an estimate on when to arrive.  Some said 5 a.m., some said 1 a.m.  We ended up arriving in line at 2 a.m with sleeping bags in tow.  I got a bit of sleep, but was awaken to shouts of Joss is here!  What a way to wake up!  I was able to get his autograph and a picture with him.  I was pleasantly surprised by how sweet and kind he was.  Thanking everyone for camping out and keeping Firefly alive.  All with having one of the highest grossing films of all time!  He took the time to walk a fan line at 3 o'clock in the morning alone.  That's Comic Con in a nut shell.  Fans and the people they love coming together and spreading the love.  

Every Comic Con I attend keeps getting better and better.  I learn so much more every year, get to see more celebs and learn what dedication to a fandom really means.  2013 was my fifth and BIGGEST year at San Diego Comic Con.  I was able to help host my first party {SherlockeDCC}, meet so many of you who take the time to read my blog and as always have THE best time of my year!  As 2014 approaches, more amazing ideas are in the works and I cannot wait to see what comes together.  Thank you all for reading, I hope my tips help you going into this year's con!  See you there!

Comment below if you have any additional questions about San Diego Comic Con. You can also check out our San Diego Comic Con Guide for more useful tips and tricks!