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SDCC '09: Dr. Horrible Crushed the Robotech Dreams of a Dying Old Man
For all the awesome things that can happen at a Comic-con, there are the fair share of disappointments. I had planned on attending the Robotech panel at 6:45pm on Thursday night of the 'con. Given my experience from the same panel last year, I headed to the room so I would have about 20 minutes before it started. Last year there was barely a line and people were able to walk in the room well before the panel started. Plus, last year the panel was barely even half full, it may not even have been a third full, so I figured 20 minutes was more than enough time to get myself situated. As I walked up to the room, I noticed that there was a fairly good-sized line at the doors. Well, the panel beforehand must be something popular that I don't really care about, I thought, and these people are just waiting to get in for Robotech. I followed the line... and kept following it... and it kept going. What the hell? Why were there so many people in line for Robotech this year? Were there actually that many more Robotech fans at Comic-con this year than last year? I continued to follow the line until I got to the end. It was a long freaking line and I was getting worried that I might not get in. The line started moving at a good pace, however, and as I moved up in the line I was amazed that even more people were getting in at the end of the line. Damn, there are a lot of Robotech fans this year. Then the line came to a stop. The panel was about to begin and I was stuck, still a decent ways away from the doors. I stood there and the time ticked down, the scheduled start time of 6:45pm passed, and time ticked down some more. Around 7:00pm, an old man standing in front of me turned to me and asked me the time, which I told him. He let out a big sigh, looked down, and said, "I don't think we're getting in. Well, no more sense standing in line." The gentleman quietly departed the line, seemingly heartbroken. I stood there for a few minutes longer mainly because I was shocked at how disappointed this old man was for not getting into the Robotech panel. Then I heard it; people all around were talking about Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog and one passer-by asked what the line was for. Someone said Dr. Horrible. These people weren't in line for Robotech at all; All of them were there for the Dr. Horrible panel AFTER Robotech. And in that room there were probably more Dr. Horrible fans than Robotech fans. What made me bitter was that I wasn't the only Robotech fan Dr. Horrible fans screwed over; they screwed over a nice old man; an old man who was dying. How do I know he was dying? Because he was old! On his death bed he'll probably say, "I wish I could have seen one last Robotech panel." Not only did Dr. Horrible ruin my chance of seeing the Robotech panel, but also the wish of a dying old man. For shame, Dr. Horrible fans. I guess next year I'll have to check to see what the panels are after the panels I want to see, so I can avoid this kind of absurdity again. In all my years of Comic-cons I've never had to worry about what was in a room after a panel. I know the lines at panels can get ridiculous, but when a dying old man is unknowingly standing in a Dr. Horrible line for a Robotech panel, then some things need to change. SDCC crew members need to start capping off lines again (they actually did this a few years ago) or ask people what they are actually in line for, so those that want to see a panel before another panel can get in. That is no way for a dying old man to spend some of the last precious moments of his life. What made things worse was when I looked up what the Dr. Horrible panel was about on the Comic-con schedule. I was expecting some of the stars to be appearing at the panel, but it looks like it was just a screening. Seriously? Dr. Horrible fans were in line for a screening of a show they can watch anytime online or on DVD? Wow, Comic-con does some crazy things to people. - Shawn - 8/3/09 |
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