The ratio of nerds to official Comic Cons has always been out of whack in San Francisco, where we cosplay every day but have never had a full-on Comic Con (just WonderCon!) held in the city. That all changes today with the opening of the first San Francisco Comic Con (September 2-4) at the Marriott Marquis. And we’ve broken down the festival’s most mint-condition celebrity appearances, cosplay contests, significant panel discussions and lightsaber battle opportunities that you can stand in line for while reeking of b.o. because you were up gaming all night.
Celebrity Stars
Some last-minute cancellations have dimmed the star factor here with Jason Momoa (Aquaman, Game Of Thrones) canceling because of a film shoot conflict, and Krysten Ritter (Jessica Jones, Breaking Bad) suffering from a sudden infection that we hope does not indicate a zombie outbreak.
But everything is proceeding precisely as foreseen for appearances by Ian McDiarmid (Emperor Palpatine of Star Wars), Jenna Coleman (Doctor Who), and Manu Bennett (Spartacus, Arrow). All will appear both Saturday and Sunday, with the Q&A’s being livestreamed online. The stars will also sign autographs and pose for pictures, but you better believe it’s going to cost you $50-80 a pop.
Cosplay
This Comic Con has a very strong lineup of big-deal cosplayers like Jessica Nigri, Heather1337 and more (their Q&A livestreams at 1 p.m. Friday). But cosplay will be taking place at all corners of the convention, with cash prizes on the line in the categories of TV/Movies,Comics, Video Games, Anime, Star Wars and the Kids division.
Image: Warner Bros. Animation
Significant Panels
The voice of Daphne from the rebooted Scooby Doo cartoons (Grey DeLisle) highlights the panel Cartoon Voice Actor Q&A, plus there are dozens of other notable panels like Mrs. Pac Man: A Panel of Women Game Developers, Simpsons Trivia, and Body Image Diversity in Comic, Cosplay and Pop Culture.
Lightsaber Battles
Unlike certain lightsaber events, the lightsaber events at Comic Con will be highly organized and carefully thought out, with instructional and battle sessions like Sport Dueling with Lightsabers, Translating Traditional Sword Into Lightsaber Metastyles, The Art of Storytelling with Lightsaber Stage Combat.
San Francisco Comic Con runs today (12 Noon - Midnight), Saturday (10 a.m. - Midnight) and Sunday (10 a.m. - 5 p.m.) at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis (780 Mission Street, at Fourth Street)
Official San Francisco Comic Con poster. They're free to attendees while supplies last!
