It’s A Bird - It’s A Plane - It’s Comic-Con 2012!

Summer in San Diego means warm beaches, beautiful weather, and masses of people walking around the Gaslamp Quarter in super-hero costumes. Yes, ‘tis the season for San Diego Comic-Con International and with four days of events from art shows to a Masquerade Ball, there is no better place to be than Comic-Con International on July 12-15, 2012.

As the world’s best comics and pop-culture convention, Comic-Con International in San Diego attracts comic fans from around the globe. In 2012, the San Diego Convention Center reached maximum capacity of over 130,000 attendees, all ready to meet their favorite artists and experience the phenomenon known as Comic-Con. Last year the big event brought Twilight fans by the droves to catch a glimpse of their favorite Twi-hard couple, actors Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart. They will be in attendance this year as well, but all eyes are on the upcoming movie, The Amazing Spider-Man, starring Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone.

Founded in 1970, Comic-Con was originally a small event known as the Golden State Comic Book Convention. With a meager 300 people in attendance, the original Comic-Con was held at the US Grant Hotel in Downtown San Diego. As the convention gained in popularity and grew year after year, it eventually found its current home at the San Diego Convention Center in 1979. With the ever-present issue of overcrowding, Comic-Con has occasionally expanded into Downtown San Diego hotels such as the DoubleTree Hotel to help maintain such large numbers of attendees. The focus of the original Comic-Con was initially on comic books as well as science-fiction/fantasy movies and TV shows, it has since grown immensely to feature an array of pop-culture facets ranging from anime to horror films.

Speaking of horror, steer clear of the streets of the San Diego Gaslamp Quarter on Saturday, July 14th unless you want to be engulfed in a mob of zombies. The Zombie Walk has sprung out of the festivities of San Diego Comic-Con and every year hundreds of zombie-clad Comic-Con fans take to the streets of San Diego displaying their best undead saunter. It’s a sight you don’t want to miss as the Gaslamp Quarter is transformed into the set of a zombie horror film at 5pm starting at Horton Plaza and ending at the San Diego Convention Center.

San Diego Comic-Con International’s growing success and popularity has raised some concerns and many have questioned, “Has Comic-Con outgrown San Diego?” With tickets selling out every year and the capacity of the San Diego Convention Center maxing out, the idea of moving locations is constantly looming in the background.The Gaslamp Quarter provides convenience, beauty and a vibrant setting for Comic-Con, and the organizers do not want to lose these qualities. So for now, Comic-Con will remain in “America’s Finest City.” With the San Diego International Airport just four miles away and a surplus of great San Diego hotels and restaurants within walking distance to the event, San Diego is the ideal location and the birthplace of Comic-Con International.

For visitors coming into town, bags packed with their favorite super-hero duds, the Gaslamp Quarter has plenty of perfect hotels close to the Comic-Con action. The original home of Comic-Con, the US Grant Hotel, is just a few short blocks away and is a great place to stay and celebrate the start of this world-renowned event. The boutique style, LEED Certified Hotel Indigo or the San Diego Marriott Gaslamp are also great options that are close enough to park your car and walk the weekend away in Downtown San Diego. With so many neighboring hotels, restaurants, and nightlife venues, the San Diego Gaslamp Quarter makes Comic-Con an event the whole city can enjoy.

For those visitors who weren’t lucky enough to snag one of the sold-out tickets for Comic-Con San Diego, don’t fret, the Gaslamp Quarter is Comic-Con central during the event and a great place to people watch and interact with the crowd. Trendy San Diego is infiltrated with costumes and comic-lovers for four fun days in San Diego. Whether you are attending the event or enjoying the Comic-Con festivities while sipping a cocktail at your favorite Gaslamp Quarter hangout, the city transforms into Comic-Con mania each year making it a must-see for anyone lucky enough to be in the area.

What started as a modest comic-book event in Downtown San Diego has flourished to become the 4th largest Comic Convention in the world! San Diego Comic-Con International is four days of non-stop excitement and a chance to bring the comic loving world together in one amazing place, the Gaslamp Quarter of San Diego!