The Comic-Con game plan

Okay, like I said a few weeks ago, and if you couldn't tell from incessant tweets and Facebook updates, the San Diego Comic-Con is coming up this week. One more day of work, and then I'm free to be geek it up for a week.

This year, as per usual with Comic-Con, we had some some tough decisions to make: There are too many great panels at the same time -- an embarrassment of geeky riches. So every year, my MO is to create a multi-day spreadsheet with Plans A through D, each in their own color-coded column, so we'll have plenty of alternatives in case we don't get into a panel we want. But if all goes well (knock on wood; pray to Comic-Con gods), here's Plan A:

Wednesday

The madness before the capital-M Madness ...

First day at dawn last year. There are people
in line under those tents. (Credit: Me)

• Pick up badges.
• Hit the floor for preview night, when the convention floor opens early for preview-night badge-holders. I'm apprehensive -- supposedly it's a zoo, but you can get good swag. And I'm shameless about swag.... I swung by the Hunger Games booth last year twice within minutes to grab two coveted Mockingjay pins last year.
• Possibly seeing pilots for a few new shows coming out if we get bored of the floor.

Thursday

Rogue agents don't have time for smiles. (Credit: Amazon)

Our least-busy day so far, but some good stuff lined up. 

• First stop of the day: Nerd HQ. Yay! For a "Psych" panel. If you have seen that USA show, you should. Funny mystery show about a guy who pretends to be psychic detective but really he's just hyper-observant.
• A mix of "would be nice to see if possible" panels: Disney, Twilight (hell, why not? It's the first one and the room might not be that full; it wasn't last year), Jackie Chan, etc.
• "Nikita." I saw Maggie Q and Shane West at a panel at the New York Comic-Con in October, but I didn't watch the show then. Now I do, so it'd be fun to see them again (like we're friends or something)...
• The Walking Dead Escape zombie obstacle course. See first post....

Friday

Here's when things get real:

Adam Baldwin, Jewel Staite and Alan Tudyk.
The "Firefly" cast (except Staite and maybe one or two others)
will reunite this year, too! (Credit: me)

Thus begins the marathon sitting sessions -- if we get into the rooms at all. For reals, we're getting there at the crack of dawn. The main goal Friday is Firefly anniversary panel and Nathan Fillion Nerd HQ panel. But we have to sit through several sessions as they don't clear the rooms between panels. So:

• "Community" - I'm one of maybe three people who don't watch this show.
• "Legend of Korra" - This will probably be another show where I see the panel first and then watch it later. I'm watching its predecessor "Avatar: The Last Airbender" now and I like it.
• "Firefly" -- One of my favorite shows ever. Space meets the Old West. With crime!
• "Bones" -- This will just be a Joss Whedon day. First "Firefly," then David Boreanaz....
• Nathan Fillion at Nerd HQ: Now we're making a Gigantor-size sacrifice giving up a Joss Whedon panel to see Nathan, but it'll be worth it, I think. 
• Nerdist live podcast with John Barrowman from "Torchwood." The podcast is really fun, especially when they have celebrity guests. "Torchwood," a spin-off of "Doctor Who" was great (Starz run not included), and Barrowman is wildly unpredictable, so who knows what could happen.... 

Saturday 

Also known as Richard! Armitage! Day  

Richard Armitage: The dwarf on the left is the guy on
 the right. Yeah. I know. Crazy.  (Credit: WETA, "Strike Back")

Presentations on:

• "Django Unchained" --  Quentin Tarantino's new movie. Meh. (Sorry, not a huge fan.)
• "End of Watch," "Silent Hill" -- I know nothing about these movies except they star Jake Gyllenhaal and Kit Harington (my "Game of Thrones" boyfriend), respectively, and they will be there, so I get my "Game of Thrones" fix after all since we're missing the panel.
• "Pacific Rim" -- Guillermo del Toro's movie. Del Toro is a candid, personable panelist, so this'll be cool.
• "Man of Steel" -- new Superman reboot. I hope Henry Cavill is there. Swoon!
• "The Hobbit" -- The aforementioned  Richard! Armitage! I hated this book in sixth grade and I couldn't finish it a few months ago when I picked it up again. But the things you do for love....
• "Iron Man 3" -- Hopefully Robert Downey Jr. shows up, even though they're still filming in Wilmington, N.C.

Sunday

Another big TV day.

Joshua Jackson, left, and John Noble
at last year's "Fringe" panel. (Credit: Me)

• "Fringe" -- the final season, so this'll be a fun panel.
• "Supernatural"
• "Sons of Anarchy"
• "Doctor Who"
• Zachary Levi panel and signing at Nerd HQ. HUZZAH! I get to see my nerd boyfriend. One of the things I love about him is: He organized Nerd HQ last year for charity with his company, The Nerd Machine (this apparel line; though they do other things). I thought, "Oh, he's busy; he'll just lend his name to it and never be there." Wrong. He introduced the stars -- and then stuck around for their panel. He was always there. Good for him! Hoping he'll do the same this year. And I get to get something signed too! I'm thinking my "Tangled" DVD, because then he'll see it and obviously think: "Oh, this girl brought something other than 'Chuck' to sign and she's cute and clearly she's my soulmate." Kidding. Not really.

So that's it. Those are hopefully the shows/films I'll be tweeting/Facebooking about all this week. So apologies in advance for the squee tweets (squeets?) and Facebook updates! And if you see any photos from Comic-Con online, just look for me. I'll be the one in the geeky T-shirt. Hee!