Just when I think San Diego Comic-Con can NOT get any better…IT DOES! Another Comic-Con in the books and it definitely wasn’t a disappointment. From big panels to small, exhibit floor attractions to outside events, there is something for everyone at Comic-Con! Oh, and did I mention the cosplayers? Check out Nerdist‘s The Cosplay Music Video 2016 in this video montage:

This year’s Preview Night exhibit floor had plenty of elbow room. I’m not sure if it was because of the first year introduction of the RFID badges or because SDCC volunteers weren’t able to attend Preview Night, but for the first time in a long time, the exhibit floor didn’t feel overcrowded!

World premiere screenings of new series could be viewed in Ballroom 20. This year’s features were Riverdale. Powerless, People of Earth, Time After Time and Frequency. Plus a brand new episode of Teen Titans Go! And the debut of Justice League Action.

Inside the Convention Center, in Ballroom 20, were the highlighted CBS panels of Scorpion, MacGyver and American Gothic. Along with Fox/FX/20th Century Fox’s – The Strain, Teen Wolf and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. NBC brought their headliners – Blindspot, Grimm and The Good Place. AMC showcased The Walking Dead and Preacher. Hall H was the home of Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Kong and Doctor Strange. We’ve compiled a sneak peek at  FOX, CBS, NBC, ABC and The CW‘s New Fall TV Programming. Warner Bros. RULED Hall H this year with big panels like Wonder Woman, Suicide Squad and Justice League. 

There was also a Star Trek 50th Reunion panel celebrating 5 decades of the Final Frontier. The guests included William Shatner, Scott Bakula, Michael Dorn, Jeri Ryan, and Brent Spiner. The panel was moderated by Executive Producer, Bryan Fuller. The new Star Trek television series is coming in 2017 on CBS All Access. My personal favorite panels I had the pleasure of attending were American Gods, Orphan Black and Vikings.

Outside the Convention Center was the ever so popular Conan Con. If you were fortunate enough to score tickets to one of the 4 tapings scheduled across Wednesday through Saturday.

At the end of the taping you were given a collectible Funko Pop! I attended both the Wednesday (guests were the cast of HBO’s Silicon Valley) and Saturday’s taping (guests were the cast of Suicide Squad).

Behind the Convention Center was one of the most sought after events: The red carpet premiere of Star Trek Beyond on the first ever outside IMAX display. SDCC attendees that were fortunate enough to pull a pink winning pink ticket earlier that day during a lottery were pampered with free ice cream, Star Trek Beyond seat cushions and even a light-FX bracelet that lit up against the movie’s score which was being performed live by the San Diego Symphony Orchestra. At the end, all were given a Star Trek Beyond swag bag full of goodies:

For the first time this year, there were Syfy Presents LIVE at Comic-Con tapings on top of the Marriott Marques Hotel and Marina. Hosted by Will Arnett (Arrested Development) I attended the Thursday taping with special guests Tony Hale (Arrested Development), Zachary Levi (Chuck), Rose McIver (iZombie), Alan Tudyk (Con Man), and Wilmer Valderrama (That ’70s Show). There were Friday and Saturday tapings as well. It was a scorchingly hot day, but definitely a worthwhile experience.

There was also Entertainment Weekly’s ConX which offered daily fun and nightly parties. Their motto…Relax. Recharge. Refresh. Offering free music and activities every day of the Con.

Surprise events were Mystery Panels hosted by the Screen Junkies crew. A week before the Con, you were able to reserve up to 3 tickets to certain dated mystery panels that were to be held during Comic-Con, but were not told the time or panel guests until the week of the Con. I reserved 3 tickets, but I wasn’t able to attend due to CONflicts. Surprisingly, Friday morning at 5:45am a Screen Junkies Twitter notification alerted me to a last minute “added panel” for the ‘Men of Orphan Black’ that was scheduled for 9:30 am that same morning. It was a VERY good offsite panel.

The ‘Adult Swim On The Green’ interactive offsite Carnival was a blast too! You could have your photo taken in the Mr. Pickles photo booth and check out the Meatwad Full Dome to view their new show – “Six Minutes Of Your Life That You’ll Never Get Back”. They even had a Carnival Midway full of fancy games and prizes. All you had to do was wait in their lines. All the lines. So many lines. Lines, lines, lines. Comic-Con is full of them.

This Nerdist video sums up the Con experience nicely – Comic-Con the Musical:

NerdHQ did it again. It was full of gaming opportunities, intimate panel and celebrity photo-ops. This year at NerdHQ, I got to play Battlefield 1 and attend the Stephen Amell – Conversation for a Cause panel with a Smiles for Smiles for Operation Smile photo-op afterwards.

Overall, this year’s Con was a ton of fun! And I haven’t even listed half of what was going on. So much to do, so much to see! One year I MUST do the ‘hidden gem panels’. The smaller room panels like ‘Women in Comics’, the ‘Matt Fraction’ panel and the ‘Jack Kirby’ Tribute.

Shameless Plug: The biggest highlight of this year’s Con for me, was getting my homage illustration to Wonder Woman’s 75th Anniversary featured in the 2016 Souvenir Book. Thank you Comic-Con International for the opportunity! Until next year!