By Luis Monteagudo Jr.
As Comic-Con has gotten bigger and more popular, it’s also gotten harder to get into.
But there are plenty of ways to get your fill of the Con experience, even without a ticket.
In recent years, the Con has spilled out into the neighboring Gaslamp district and the East Village with exhibits, booths and promotions. Many of the activities are open to the public, with some just requiring an ID.
At the Interactive Zone just behind the home plate entrance of Petco Park, fans can enter a giant, red inflatable dog house to promote Snoopy. There, they collect a free Charlie Brown hat and then exit via a giant slide.
Nearby, as if to emphasize the growing carnival-like atmosphere of Comic-Con, a promotion for the new FOX show “Scream Queens” features a tall drop ride like you would see at the county fair.
The Interactive Zone also features a trailer showing a 3-D preview of the remade Keanu Reeves “Point Break” movie, a “Gotham” photo set and a promotion for the video game “Dark Souls II” that allows people to take photos of a simulated battle in the game, complete with a vanquished foe sending up a geyser of blood.
In the Gaslamp area, there are exhibits where you can play the newest “Rainbow Six” and “Call of Duty” video games and a promotion for NBC’s upcoming reboot of its “Herores” show.
But perhaps no exhibit is more elaborate this year than the one promoting the “Assasin’s Creed Syndicate,” the latest chapter in the popular video game series.
The exhibit near the Hilton San Diego Gaslamp Quarter hotel features an obstacle course meant to replicate some of the moves and activities of the hero in the game. This is no ordinary obstacle course. Participants have to ride a short zip line, climb a glass wall, leap onto cargo netting and walk on a rolling barrel. Or, if you want something a little easier, there’s the Leap of Faith, a recreation of the character’s signature move, which involves jumping off a two-story stage onto a stuntman’s inflatable landing pad.
It’s a way to play the video game in real life and fans were lined up all day to wait their turn.
Meanwhile, the San Diego Children’s Museum has been turned into Nerd HQ. Created by “Chuck” star Zachary Levi as an alternate to Comic-Con, Nerd HQ is free and features parties, panels and autograph sessions and opportunities to play the upcoming Star Wars: Battlefront” video game. Tickets are being sold for the panels, with the money raised going to the Operation Smile charity.
For more information on Nerd HQ, you can visit thenerdmachine.com.
Luis Monteagudo Jr. is a freelance writer and pop culture enthusiast who has attended Comic-Con for more than 20 years. He was written for the San Diego Union-Tribune, USA Today and numerous other publications.
