The family that Comic Cons together, stays together.

Last weekend, we had another awesome Comic Con experience. We've learned a lot from our previous experiences at Comic Cons, and like anything else involving kids with Autism, we knew we had to plan, plan, plan. And that is exactly what we did. Comic Cons usually publish a program guide a week or two prior to the convention. So our first bit of planning involves going over that guide with a fine tooth comb. We let the kids pick out the celebrities that they want to meet, who they want to get autographs from,  who they want to be photographed with, and which discussion panels we think the kids will enjoy. I try to go in with a budget in mind, otherwise you can easily spend a fortune.

Once we have a list of what we want to accomplish, we are all set and just do our countdown to Comic Con. The kids are huge comic book fans, so the month prior to the convention usually involves them bouncing off the walls with excitement. The kids like to go in costume. This year, Noah wanted to wear his Superman costume again. I gave him other options, but he was adamant that he wanted to be Superman again. Nik wanted to be the 11th Doctor from Doctor Who. Alex and I don't dress in costume, but we do try to wear a nerdy type shirt.

Nerd clothes.

This year, the kids really wanted a group photo with some of the Guardians of the Galaxy cast. That photo op was scheduled to take place at 5pm, which would make for a very long day. Normally, we only spend a few hours at the convention. Since we were planning on being at the convention for 8 hours, I made sure that I packed a day bag for us. I brought my Travelon Circle Lock travel crossbody bag. It's meant for travel, so it has several great organizing pockets, as well as the ability to lock the zipper compartments. In the backpack, I kept some things that would distract and keep the kids comfortable during the day. I packed one of the ipads, wet wipes, hand sanitizer, Tylenol, band aids, pretzels, crackers, a couple oranges, and a fold up tote for purchases. The reason we packed snacks, is because the concession lines can be very long. We wanted to have something on hand in case the kids were starting to lose it. Believe me, you don't want to be waiting in a long concession line with two kids on the verge of losing it.

Nerd gear. Loving my new camera! It was nice not to lug around the big DSLR.

On the morning of the con, we got up bright and early, so we could arrive by 8:30am. 

Meet the 11th Doctor.

Two super excited kids!

I had pre-purchased our tickets ($110), so we were able to go through the will call line to get our wrist bands. There was already a line to get in, even though we arrived 90 minutes early. 

Fortunately, we were at the front of the line. Check out the crowd by 9am.

Ahhhhhhhh!

The crowd was starting to get to Noah, so we let him take refuge on the floor. Nik took Noah's lead, and before long, we had to kids relaxing by our feet.

That ipad came in handy. Nik read some of his comic books!

Pretty soon, the 501st started their procession into the convention. This is the official kick off to the Con!

Once they were inside, we were ready to go in. See that 100 number suspended from the ceiling. In our 90 minute wait to get in, we talked to the kids about what would happen if we were to get separated. We pointed that number out and told them that if anyone got separated from the family, they should go stand under that number. In the old days, when the kids weren't so verbal, I would iron on a name tag and phone number to the inside of their clothes. 

Even though there was a sea of people behind us, everyone was pretty relaxed as they entered the convention. There was no pushing or shoving. The kids wanted to meet Michael Rooker, so we went straight to his autograph line. We were at the front of the line, but still had to wait an hour, because he was not doing autographs until 11am. More waiting, more chillin' on the floor. This is why I brought plenty of wet wipes to clean hands.

And look who stopped by. It's Chef Vader!

Before long, it was our turn to get an autograph ($60) and picture ($30). That's Michael Rooker in the hat. He was very nice and friendly with his fans. As an added bonus, that's Sean Gunn standing to Noah's right. He was also in Guardians of the Galaxy.  

And here is the picture that was autographed.

By the time we got out of the autograph/photo line, it was already time for lunch. And of course, there was a line. 

The food is nothing fancy. Alex, Noah, and I got cheeseburgers, Nik got the chicken strips, and we split a couple sodas and fries. The total came out to $38.

After lunch, we decided to do some exploring. 

They had the original Batmobile, and one of the Back to the Future cars.

The Kit car.

Indiana Jones motorcycle and side car.

Superman admiring Batman's wheels.

Why so serious, Nik?

By this time, it was getting really crowded. It was hard to take pictures or shop, but we did our best.

There were some cool Lego displays.

And that extra tote bag came in handy. Rule #1 of going to a comic book convention. Bring your own tote bag to carry purchases. While we were shopping, we ran into some amazing cosplayers!

But before long, it was time to head over to the Guardians of the Galaxy panel discussion.

We got there an hour early, and were about the 10th people in line. Woo hoo! We actually had a nice, cushioned bench to wait in. 

We sat somewhere in the back. And there were big screens up at the front, so there really wasn't a bad seat.

The panel was very funny. They had everyone laughing. And as an extra bonus, we had an hour to sit and relax. 

After the panel, we went back out onto the convention floor to check out some of the cosplayers. At this point, we still had an hour to kill before our 5pm group photo.

The kids were getting pretty tired at that point. We had a seat, and let them eat an orange and have some water to recharge their batteries.

Then we headed over to Steve Cardenas (Red Power Ranger) to get a photo with him ($20). Nik was super excited, because he is a big Power Ranger fan. And apparently this Ranger was one of the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers from the tv show.

Finally, it was 5pm, so we headed over to our group photo op ($150) with Michael Rooker, Sean Gunn, and Karen Gillan. We waited about 30 minutes until it was our turn. The kids were tired, but excited to get their group photo.

It was a another great comic con experience. And of course, I can't help but remember that it was almost 7 years ago, when Noah wouldn't even leave the house without having anxiety. Now look at my  kid! I love that we can go out and do things together and have fun as a family. The kids are such comic book fanatics, and love everything about these conventions. It's so worth every penny. And there were a lot of pennies. Our spending total for the day came out to $550, including parking. Because this is the place where my kids could recite every fact that they know about Marvel and DC. And not only can they talk endlessly about every villain known to mankind. But they are surrounded by other people filled with the same knowledge. Instead of the one kid who likes to flap his hands and bounce on his tip toes, or the kid who likes to pace and recite cartoon lines, they are like everyone else in the room. A sea of fellow nerds who love and embrace all things comic books. So yeah. Worth. Every. Penny.