Comic-Con International San Diego 2009 gets underway Wednesday, and comicdom’s little corner of the Internet has been abuzz for a couple of weeks with excitement on the part of professionals and fans alike. I wish I could share that kind of energy, but I’m left feeling a little disappointed. I’m unable to attend this year’s festivities/insanities yet again. Travelling to the show all the way from the East Coast of Canada to the Left Coast of the United States is financially daunting enough as it is, but when one factors in efforts to pay off bills amassed after a wedding and Irish honeymoon last fall and to save up for a home sometime in the coming months, committing to the Pilgrimage of the Comic-Book Enthusiast just isn’t feasible.
I have attended the convention on two occasions in the past: once courtesy an employer in 2000 (anyone remember the Fandom.com incarnation of Comics Newsarama?) and once on my own dime in 2003. Both were rewarding (and exhausting) experiences, and while the hectic pace, physical demands and Hollywood incursions temper one’s enthusiasm for Comic-Con, I always find myself feeling some regret in those years when I’m unable to attend or decide against it.
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