San Diego Comic-Con 2019: Outside the Con

In its usual “Sunrise, Sunset” fashion, another year has flown by and another San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC)  has come and gone, leaving new trailers, limited edition merchandise, and fatigue in its wake.

San Diego Comic-Con

For a change, I was actually able to get out and see some of the off-site installments this year — independent exhibits/presentations that different companies set up in the areas around the San Diego Convention Center that are open to all comers with or without an official SDCC badge.

Amazon Prime Video Experience

One of the most elaborate was the Amazon Prime Video Experience, set up to promote three of their original series:  “Carnival Row,” “The Boys,” and “The Expanse.”  The 60,000-square-foot plot was divided into three experiences designed to put guests into the worlds of the respective stories.

Over at “Carnival Row,” attendees were divided into the more privileged Humans or the Immigrant-Surrogate Creatures to get a better sense of the class difference as they were let into a marketplace and then into The Forbidden Lounge — a neo-Victorian hideaway where performances of many kinds went on.

Carnival Row Activation
Carnival Row Activation
Amazon Prime Video Activation

An Audio-Visual Store was the site of “The Boys” experience, where guests joined some mildly hysterical anti-superhero vigilantes in looking for clues and covering up a kidnapping of one of the corrupt, self-serving “supes.”

The Boys Activation
The Boys Activation

Finally, in “The Expanse,” a Rocinante spaceship took guests on a United Nations peacekeeping mission to a newly colonized planet where they could investigate the cause of a terrible accident.

The Expanse Activation
The Expanse Activation
The Expanse Activation

For fans of the classic “Peanuts” strip, a pop-up shop opened for the weekend at the Super7 San Diego store:  Good Grief, a Super7 x Peanuts Gift Shop.

Good Grief, a Super7 x Peanuts Gift Shop

People who braved the approximately two-hour line to get in could purchase limited edition apparel, pins, and figurines depicting Peanuts characters in the 1950’s style.

Good Grief, a Super7 x Peanuts Gift Shop
Good Grief, a Super7 x Peanuts Gift Shop
Good Grief, a Super7 x Peanuts Gift Shop

Finally, as part of their big promotional push for the upcoming CBS All Access series “Star Trek: Picard,” CBS Studios created the “Jean-Luc Picard: The First Duty” Exhibit, which had on display a sizeable collection of original props and costumes throughout the famed “Star Trek: The Next Generation” captain’s life and Starfleet career, as well as sneak peeks at items from the new show.

“Jean-Luc Picard: The First Duty” Exhibit
“Jean-Luc Picard: The First Duty” Exhibit
“Jean-Luc Picard: The First Duty” Exhibit
“Jean-Luc Picard: The First Duty” Exhibit
“Jean-Luc Picard: The First Duty” Exhibit
“Jean-Luc Picard: The First Duty” Exhibit

These were only a sampling of the many different activations that traditionally spring up around SDCC each year–whether you count yourself a fan of Peanuts or Star Trek or virtually anything else in addition to your Disney interests, there was plenty to experience without even stepping foot in the Convention Center.

Simpsons Trolley Wrap

Stay tuned for more on SDCC coming later this week!

Did you get to San Diego Comic-Con this year? What did you think? Drop us a note below.

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Jeanine resides in Southern California, pursuing the sort of lifestyle that makes her the envy of every 11-year-old she meets. She has been to every Disney theme park in the world and while she finds Tokyo DisneySea the Fairest Of Them All, Disneyland is her Home Park... and there is no place like home.

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