Week 134: San Diego Comic-Con 2025

elenalilamartin
Jul 27, 2025
7 min read

Week 134: July 20th-26th, 2025

Back in November 2024, I was lucky enough to actually land Saturday and Sunday badges for San Diego Comic-Con 2025. But, when I saw the announcement that there was a third round for volunteer sign ups, I figured it would be fun. Why not see behind the scenes a little and volunteer for a three hour shift?

(Speaking of behind the scenes, I thought this article and this article from the SDCC Unofficial Blog were pretty cool bits about the set-up that goes into this annual nerd fest.)

Since my first time back in Week 29, (wow, it's been almost 100 weeks since then!) my goal every year is to donate blood during San Diego Blood Bank's annual SDCC Blood Drive. This year, I even made an appointment and got dressed up in a cute Bratz outfit with a plan to explore the offsites.

I've continued using the MTS trolley to get downtown after moving to Mission Valley because the Rio Vista station is right near my apartment, and that was not going to change for Comic-Con 2025. So, after logging off slightly early on Friday, I headed to the trolley to get to my 2pm donation appointment.

Per usual, the Blood Drive was held at the Manchester Grand Hyatt, but this time it was on the first floor, in Grand Hall A.

The Entry for the Blood Drive was pretty busy on Friday afternoon.

I appreciated how easy it was to find the Blood Drive, as I remember in previous years, they've sent us up escalators and down hallways. Though I had an appointment, and even arrived a little early, I still had to wait about 30 mins before the nurse screening. The screening, where they verify all your answers on the questionnaire and check your blood, is where I've been turned away before. This past week, I've been eating beef and trying to remember to take an iron supplement pill every day. So, when my hematocrit level was a 34, when the minimum to donate as a woman is 36, I was surprised and bummed. I wanted to continue my tradition of donating during Comic-Con, but I'll just have to return to my favorite nurses at the Liberty Station location in a month or so.

While I tried not to be too bummed about not being able to donate, I did still get the free t-shirt. It was a blue Fantastic Four shirt, like the ones you can see in the photo above.

I decided to make the most of my Friday afternoon and continued exploring the offsites. I had to check out the official Art Show, conveniently right next to the Blood Drive.

I don't have many photos from the art show, as there were many watchful eyes and signs that said "Photography prohibited," and I wanted to be respectful of the artists.

I timed things well, so I was able to go to the Volunteer Check-In area at the Marriott Marquis Marina. I wanted to get my assignment for the following day.

The volunteer area was pretty empty when I got my assignment on Friday.

It was a smooth process and everyone was really friendly. I just had to give them my badge, preferred times and assignments, and was told to report back 30 minutes before my assigned time the next day. I requested an indoor morning shift, (9-12pm), and got assigned to Disabled Seating for Ballroom 20.

Feeling slightly more accomplished after getting my volunteer assignment, I wandered around downtown to see the hustle and bustle of the offsites. There was, of course, The Lodge by Paramount+, a Predator: Badlands activation at Hard Rock Hotel, a Google Play Fantastic Four: First Steps activation, and more from HBO Max (Peacemaker: Peacefest), Adult Swim, Hulu, Abbott Elementary, and Old Spice. Each activation was complete with their hour-long wait times and freebies.

I thought the "Buttworld" butt-themed bounce-house for Rick and Morty was hilarious, and the CrunchyRoll AnimeFest at the Rady Shell looked cool from afar. There are many ways to experience the offsites without waiting in line for hours in the sun. My preferred method is to sacrifice my feelings of FOMO a bit to save some sanity by watching detailed reviews and posts on social media, or checking out the press releases like this one from ABC7 after Press day on Friday night.

While I don't really see the appeal of waiting in line for three hours for a few free items or to possibly get a glimpse of a famous person, I appreciate others' dedication to the con, both inside and at the offsites. While inside the convention center, I much prefer attending smaller panels, checking out Artists' Alley, and looking at fun installations. Offsite, I find enough joy in walking around and not waiting in line. Just people-watching is enough for me. The amazing cosplayers and excited, nerdy people of all ages that flock to downtown every year is always a sight to see.

For my volunteer shift, I woke up early and enjoyed a chill morning with a full breakfast (yes, a non-fizzy Celsius with noodles, chicken and a fried egg, and chili oil is an acceptable breakfast in my world). Then, I took the green line trolley back to the Convention Center and headed to the Volunteer Check-In at the Marriott.

There were a ton more volunteers this time, and things were a bit confusing as they figured out where to put me. Finally, they had me tag along with Group A for line management, led by one of the guys holding a "Volunteers on the Move" sign. It felt a little bit like elementary school, following the line leader, but I was thankful to be dropped off right where I needed to be: the ADA line for Ballroom 20.

Now Hall H is the big one at the convention center, hosting the largest, most anticipated panels, but Ballroom 20 has its moments. The docket for my volunteer shift was back-to-back panels for Bob's Burgers, Futurama, and The Simpsons, which are all very popular animated shows. My job was to stand guard at the door as we let the ADA line into the ballroom before the Bob's Burger panel. There were specific ADA stickers, wristbands, or badges given to attendees, and we had to check each person at the door.

Lemme tell you, even if you are holding a big, red sign that says "Ballroom 20 ADA Line," people will still ask you what the line is for. I also had a couple people ask what ADA meant (FYI: Americans with Disabilities Act), but they weren't as bad as the one guy who asked me, "Who's Ada?"

It seems pretty obvious what the line is for, right?

Throughout my shift, I got pretty comfortable with directing people and answering questions like where the nearest restroom was ("Down the hall, to your left") or where the regular Ballroom 20 line was ("Across this hall, through the glass doors, and turn left outside"). I like to think I was quite friendly and smiley, and kept my cool when the stupidity of humanity made itself quite obvious at times.

Luckily, we only got a few complainers that were quickly handled by Roni, the section lead. She clued me in on the tricks people try over and over to attempt to get past security or avoid waiting in long lines. She even shared a story about a guy pretending to be deaf just to try to get special access to a pane. He got caught because he slipped up being "deaf," didn't even sign ASL well, and had no special ADA sticker on his badge.

It was baffling to hear about how many tactics people tried to get into Ballroom 20 through the ADA line. Roni said some people tried to rush the doors in previous, so they got more and more security guards over time. I was able to see and hear some of the Bob's Burger panel from my assigned station by the ADA access door, so I felt lucky to have been assigned such a coveted panel as a volunteer.

The staff and crew working at Comic-Con seems to be made up of a lot of seasoned volunteers. I was lucky to meet Roni, as well as Rebekah, Nancy, Michael, Christina and Laurel. They were all great leaders and companions during my 3 hour shift. They taught me a lot of behind the scenes tricks and I was honored when they specifically asked me to come back next year to work Ballroom 20 with them again.

After my shift was over, I bid farewell to my new friends and explored the exhibit hall. It was pretty crowded, so I tried to keep moving while still checking out all the cool offerings. My favorite part of the exhibit hall is Artists' Alley, and I even got myself a treat at the OLO and Karin marker booth.

Outside on the terrace, I took a break and ate a snack while watching some medieval cosplayers fight with fake weapons.

The crowd cheered "Chivalry is dead!" when one guy bested the other.

Even though I re-fueled in the sun on the terrace, I was able to attend one panel before losing steam and energy pretty quickly. I did really enjoy it, because it was an all-women panel about Women in Concept Art, but I felt myself getting sleepy toward the end. The panel was led by Jen Hancock and featured very accomplished artists in the gaming and entertainment industry: Allie Irwin, Justina Son, Cynthia Halley, and Naomi Baker.

If I had more energy, I would've stayed longer and seen more panels. But, I felt myself getting grumpy and tired and headed home. I was happy enough with my Karin deco-brush markers and three new pins, as well as a special edition SDCC San Diego Public Library card.