Recap by Jennifer Ortega, Red Carpet Report Reporter
follow Jen on Twitter @JenniferEOrtega
This year’s San Diego Comic-Con once again offered a playground of sorts for adults. Beyond the countless panels, meet & greets and endless booths of merchandise laid countless mazes, pop-up shops and interactive experiences all themed after various shows, movies and comics. Taco Bell set up, Taco Bell: 2032, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Demolition Man, there was a Jack Ryan obstacle course and a Castle Rock walk-through activation to name few.
To introduce their new tv series, The Purge, USA networks set up Purge City. It was designed to look like a Party City except instead of carrying streamers, birthday banners, and party favors, Purge City carried items you might need to have a successful Purge night. Guests were handed 20 Purge Dollars that they could spend in the store. There were T-shirts that said, “Live, Love, Purge”, 12 hours candles to countdown the Purge, bumper stickers, balloons and of course, stain remover to get out those pesky blood stains. They even created sale flyers featuring the items. As you left the store all the cashiers made sure to wish you a “Happy Purge”.
Amazon created an immersive experience to showcase their new hands-free streaming media player, the Fire TV Cube. Presenters showed off all the capabilities and the sound quality of the Fire Cube in various rooms. The experience including numerous creative photo opportunities for guests. There was the Iron Throne from Games of Thrones and mock up sets from The Good Place and Jack Ryan. There also was a bar serving non-alcoholic tv themed drinks and places to sit and watch some of your favorite shows if you needed a break from the chaos outside.
DC created The DC Universe Experience this year for fans of the comics. Firstly, there was a public unveiling of rare artwork and memorabilia. Then there were various escape rooms and walk-throughs. There was The Court of Owls scare room where masked members of the secret society follow you around. Guests could walk through the steamy swamps of The Swamp Things or take part in Harley Quinn’s Chaos Room. There was also a Titans escape room and an interactive Doom Patrol lab. Of course, The DC Experience lent itself to many great photo-ops for those who attended.
There tended to be massive lines at most attractions. If you do attend Comic-Con in the future, pre-register when you can, get to the events you most want to see as soon as they open and slather yourself in sunscreen. And once you get in, take pictures and have fun!
