Nerd Mecca

Nerd culture is alive and growing. Each year, many of these nerds make a holy pilgrimage to the convention of all conventions, and it happened this weekend. San Diego Comic-Con, the ultimate destination for geeks and nerds everywhere, took place from July 24 to 27 in the San Diego Convention Center.

Sure, there are Comic-Cons all around the country - we have a good-sized one in Denver - but San Diego brings international attention with panelists and attendees from across the world. Naturally, that means tickets are a hot commodity. This year, every last pass sold out in just 72 minutes. (Source)

With hundreds of exhibits and panels featuring writers like Patrick Rothfuss and Joe Abercrombie, cast and crew of world-famous television programs like Orphan Black and Game of Thrones, comic book creators and more, it's hardly a wonder that it draws such a crowd. It is, however, a staggering number. In 2014, the Con saw over 125,000 attendees. That's more than 12 times as many as there are students at UNC, and it doesn't include panelists, press or special guests.

Some con-goers dress up in elaborate costumes of their favorite superheroes, movie characters or video game faces to win contests and generally impress everyone else. It's pretty extensive: people spend months or even years building their costumes and sometimes create them completely from scratch.

Tickets for all four days of the Con plus the Preview Night cost a whopping $200. Add in the cost of travel a trip to SDCC is a serious investment, yet thousands obviously do it every year. So if you'd like to donate to the "Send Awnna to SDCC 2015" fund, you can visit my Kickstarter...

Just kidding! But I wouldn't say no...