In just about 48 hours, I head down to San Diego for w00tstock and Comic-con. Here is my effort to answer questions about both:
Q: Are tickets available?
A: Yes. You can get them from Ticketbastard, or from the box office.
Q: Ticketbastard says there aren't any seats! Do I have to stand for the whole show?
A: No. Ticketbastard is stupid. This is a seated show, for your comfort.
Q: Ticketbastard says the show is sold out!
A: Yeah. Ticketbastard is fucking stupid, an evil corporation that we all hate, and they're lying to you.
Q: Woah. Why so angry?
A: Because it's bullshit that Ticketbastard makes you pay almost as much in fees as you pay for the ticket. I don't know a single performer who doesn't hate that damn company.
Q: So if I buy my ticket at the box office, it costs less, and I don't give any money to an evil corporation you hate?
A: Now you're getting it.
Q: But what if the show sells out before I can get to the box office?!
A: That's always a possibility, but I think it's unlikely. There are a couple hundred seats available right now, so if you get to the box office around the time it opens, you should be fine.
Q: But standing in line sucks.
A: I hear you. However, standing in line for w00tstock means you're surrounded by your fellow nerds! How fun is that?! Someone could, for instance, start an ad-hoc LineCon. You could play games like Zombie Dice and Pieces of Eight! Think about how the possibilities! Also, , and I heard that there may be ice cream for people in line.
Q: WHAT?!
A: Yep. I guess I should say that again –
Q: And put it in bold!
A: Well, I'd never think to do that myself, but since you suggested it … , and I heard that there may be ice cream for people in line.
Edit: Quick addition/clarification to this: Len Peralta, creator of Geek A Week, says, "ThinkGeek will be giving away the cards at SDCC, but at w00tstock, I'll be the one giving them away – when they purchase a poster. It's a Free Gift with purchase sort of deal."
Q: What if we don't get to the line early? THEN WHAT WILL WE DO?!
A: I don't know, man. It's a big, scary world, filled with uncertainty.
Q: Okay, okay. Fine. So, when does w00tstock start?
A: Doors open at 6:30pm, and the show begins at 7:30pm.
Q: Where is it?
A: 4th and B. You know, you could find all this information out at the w00tstock website.
Q: Is this going to be another one of those 3 hour shows that's really 5 hours?
A: No. We promise it won't be that long. We know you have lots of comic-conning to do, and we won't keep you out too late.
Q: I heard the show is 21 and over. That sucks! Why did you do that?
A: It wasn't our choice, and we didn't know until the venue was booked that it was 21+. We're really sorry that our under-21 fans can't come to the show. Like Save Ferris sang, it sucks to be under twenty-one. (If it makes you feel any better, I'm pretty unhappy that my kids can't come and see the show.)
Q: Bah. I don't want my damn wiener kids listening, anyway.
A: I know, right?
Q: So who's in the show, anyway?
A: I'm glad you asked. Here's something I cut-and-pasted from the w00tstock site:
And we’re pleased to announce our first volley of guests:
- Ukulele-wielding favorite Molly Lewis (sweetafton23)
- The NERDIST himself, Chris Hardwick
- Comic book legend Matt Fraction (Uncanny
X-Men and Invincible
Iron Man)- Real Rock Star Jason Finn (Presidents
of the United States)- Len Peralta, who will once again dream up and draw a
custom poster LIVE on-stage- And singer-songwriter Marian Call
- Bad Astronomer Phil Plait
- Rifftrax—Bill Corbett, Kevin Murphy, and Mike Nelson
- Magician Jamy Ian Swiss
- Surprise guests!
And of course Wil, Adam, and Paul and Storm will all be performing,
and there will be a meet and greet after the show.
A: Oh, and also? There are surprise guests and other fun things we haven't told you about.
Q: Yeah, I saw that Surprise guests thing in the cut-and-paste. Jesus, Wheaton.
A: Sorry. My bad. I'm excited because I know who the surprise guests are.
Q: Can we record this show?
A: As long as your recording doesn't interfere with anyone else's enjoyment of the show, yes. Also, we ask that you release whatever you record or photograph under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike license.
Q: I have a stack of pictures I'd like you to sign after the show. Will you do that?
A: Within reason, we're happy to sign things for you after. I can only speak for myself, but if you bring me a big stack of things, I'm going to tell you to pick one. If I don't do that, it slows down the autograph line (which averages about 2 hours after each show).
Q: What if I wait until the end?
A: The last thing I want to do after performing for three hours and signing for two hours, is sign a big stack of things. I have my limits.
Q: Man, that's a real dick move, Wil Wheaton.
A: I'm sorry you feel that way.
Q: Hey! I'm a different person, and I totally understand!
A: Ah, I see your different font styling. Very nice. Thank you for understanding that I'm a human being with limits! That's awesome.
A: Okay, I think that covers most of the FAQs about w00tstock. If you have more, leave them in comments, and I'll do my best to answer them.
Comic-Con
I'm kind of all over the place at Comic-Con this year. I'm on four different panels across two days, and I'm doing one signing on Friday.
Here's my schedule:
Friday:
11am – 11:45am: signing in the Warner Brothers booth in the exhibitor's hall. I understand that Warner has made some Evil Wil Wheaton posters for me to sign and give away. I'm not sure what their rules are, because I've never signed for a studio like this, but I would expect they'll want me to only sign their stuff.
12:45pm-1:45pm: The Big Bang Theory panel. I'm moderating! I'm going to spend the first few minutes asking the cast and executive producers some questions of my own, then open the floor to fans.
8:45pm: I'm introducing the screening of my episode of Eureka, All The Rage.
Saturday:
11am: I'm on the Leverage panel. Holy shit, I was invited to be on the Leverage panel!
2pm-3pm: I'm on The Guild panel. Axis of Anarchy RULES!
At the moment, that's my entire schedule. There's a small chance I may add one signing on Saturday, but the details of that are being worked out.
You may have noticed that I didn't list the halls where those panels are. That's because I don't know, and I'm counting on someone pointing me in the right direction and telling me, "If something gets in your way … TURN!" I'm sure the program or website can give you the information that you seek.
Okay, that's all for now. If you have on-topic questions, go ahead and ask them here; I'll be here as long as it takes for me to drink this Futuremug of tea, and then back again a little later after I walk my dogs.
