I was also pleased by the fact that although my son Tony said he was no longer buying toys to play with, just ones that he could display, I found him and his friend up at midnight having a battle with their "collectible" set of Halo figures.
I also want to say a little something about Comic-Con karma. That's when things just turn out right without you having to do anything. This year I was looking for a giant Astro Boy bag that was being given out and could never find the booth. Then on my last trek across the floor on Sunday afternoon, some guy with just a couple bags in his hand gave me one. That's good Comic-Con karma. Or my friend Shane who was looking for a Darth Vader pin all Con long from the Star Wars booth and on the last day a lady with a baby carriage gave him her Darth pin. Or my booth neighbor Beth who was in line to get her fortune told by a cat (don't ask) and was told by a little kid that when you get your fortune told you could get a gold ticket and win a bunch of cool stuff. My friend said all she wanted to do was get her fortune told by a cat, if she got the ticket, he could have it. He didn't believe her. She got the gold ticket and gave it to him and he was amazed. That too is Comic-Con karma!
Every year I also like to talk to little kids making their first visit to the Con. I remember when my son Tony was little a dealer practically gave him a Dragon Ball Z figure free because Tony didn't have much money. The dealer said kids are his future so he tries to be nice to them. (A smart business move but also a nice gesture.) So I always ask little kids if they are having fun and if they've picked up any free swag (that's key whether you are young or old). If they haven't gotten any swag I always try to provide some from my booth. So at the end of the day Sunday a little boy came by and said he hadn't gotten anything so I gave him a Batman figure and the kid's eyes practically popped out. It's those kinds of reactions that will always make the Con fun for me. I think it goes to building that good karma as well.
And even though I got shut out of the Spaced DVD panel (the panel that was number two on my list) and I came home with money in my pocket, this was still a great year and Comic-Con is still my favorite place on earth.
So now there's 364 days till the next one...
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