Comic-Con

For four manic days in July, San Diego hosts the largest pop culture event of the year: "Comic-Con". Unlike the massive game conventions like E3 and even PAX, "Comic-Con" isn’t just about video games – in fact, it’s almost hard to pin down exactly what the show is “focused” on, since it encompasses graphic novels, film, TV, web entertainment, games, art, anime and so, so much more. Like live episodes of X-Play and Attack of the Show!

But whether you’re on our way to San Diego as a gamer or just a pop culture fan, we’ve prepared a few survival tips for you. After all, nobody wants to come back from a con complaining that all they saw was the back of some dude’s head in line, and a few lame Slave Leia costumes. The first thing newcomers should be aware of is just how gargantuan SDCC is. Take the most crowded PAX (so far, that would be PAX East 2011, with 69,500 attendees), multiply that by two, and you’ll get a rough estimate. Lines are an adventure unto their own – and a topic we’ll get to shortly.

Of course, that also means there’s a ton of variety, and awesome stuff you won’t see anywhere else. Where else in the world can you go to a panel about diversity in comics, check out a Klingon Lifestyles presentation, attend a four-day low-budget filmmaking boot camp, or hear George R.R. Martin discuss “epic” storytelling, all in one weekend? Read on for your survival tips! (Source: G4)