This was Wizard's third year at the Los Angeles Convention Center but you would be forgiven thinking it was their first.
I arrived an hour early on the first day and was directed up stairs to stand in a line by an ill informed volunteer. This is standard at all conventions. They are hungry for warm bodies to deflect the wrath of attendees. Twenty minutes later the the loud mouthed barrel on legs in charge of the staff vociferously told my wife and I we we're in the wrong line and sent us back down stairs.
Of course there were three lines down stairs. One was for people who'd already been up stairs and registered. Running parallel was a line for people waiting to go upstairs to register. The third line was for people who hadn't preregistered doing same day purchase and registration. Of course no one knew which line was which. Leaving my wife in what I thought was the correct line I ventured to find out where we should be. Five minutes later there was a great shuffling of bodies as my inquiry made many realize they were in the wrong line.
Five minutes after that Loud Mouth came down to sort out who got to go upstairs next. Not us of course we were split into a fourth line to keep the registration line from going out the door. He then proceeded to take 4/5th of the line up stairs leaving a bewildered group wondering what was going on . Ten minutes later he came back for my group which set off complaints from those left behind. Once that was straightened out we were on our way to registration.
Thirty minutes later we reach the front of the line. The tickets had been purchased under my wife name so she had to show her ID the register noted that she was who she said she was in a lap top computer handed us a copy of Hulk #1 for each adult pass told us to take as many badge holders as we needed from the box on the counter and sent us on our way. No programs, no updates, no goody bags. Those familiar with conventions know these things are customary to show gratitude to the attendee and to let them know what is happening at the show and what changes have been made. I found out later why they were reluctant to hand out their programs but thats a story for later.
The real kicker was that the security guards were handing out badge holders at the door for people who didn't wait in line to register!?!?!?!
On Bizarro World they nod their heads in bewilderment at how Wizard World is run. Please return for further Tales of the Wizard World.
To be continued
-CJ
