The mailman, whose last day delivering to my street is tomorrow, delivered not one but two golden tickets: Thursday and Sunday passes to San Diego Comic-Con 2026. The annual pulp media pilgrimage starts one month from today, July 23, and runs through the 26th. Additionally, the lucky—or the chosen—can attend Preview Night on the 22nd.
Thursday is official first day. Friday tends to be busier. Saturday often is busiest because of the masquerade ball that evening. You will see more cosplayers strutting about than on any other day. I call Sunday “family day”; locals predominantly fill the convention center. Meanwhile, the majority of celebrities have gone. (Should I say good riddance?)
I am not much of a comic book reader. But I am a reader of people and the stories they tell. SDCC is an incredibly rich venue for seeing who people want to be and the aspirations behind the roles they play.
I first attended the Con in 2009 on a press pass. But after 2014, the organization stopped granting me press privileges, and maybe none are given; any amateur with an Instagram following could claim to be a journalist. (Yeah, right. Not in this universe.) I managed to snag passes in 2015 and 2016 through the public registration process. My luck ran out in 2017, although I purloined one-day access near the event’s end.
Twenty-seventeen was the last time I attended SDCC. In September 2021, I did secure a pass for San Diego Comic-Con Special Edition but couldn’t attend. Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I was unable to be tested in time to show myself free from SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 infection.
So here we are, 30 days to the Con and seven months from when I purchased passes for two days. Training begins today. I should start walking with a backpack of things to be taken along. Should I rely on Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra for photos and video? Or should I lug Nikon Zf with 25mm or 40mm attached for still photos and use DJI Osmo Pocket 3 for video? Field testing in crowded areas can answer these questions.
Meanwhile, I wonder: Where’s the lanyard? Comic-Con provided a clear, plastic carrying cover but nothing to attach the thing. Well, I can guess what will be a popular giveaway item this year.
Okay, let’s talk Featured Image, which I shot with the S26 Ultra. Vitals: f/1.9, ISO 200, 1/60 sec, 23mm (film equivalent); 11:46 a.m. PDT, today. The original background was white (freezer top) that Samsung Gallery made grey. In Microsoft Photos, I applied the Dynamic Cool filter to change the hue.