San Diego Comic-Con. Millions want to be there, only 140,000 are able to get in.
What to do if you're one of the many, many geeks left out of all the fun?
Fortunately, we live in the future, where it's possible to follow right along via the wonders of technology. There are numerous major outlets that are broadcasting live from Comic-Con 2015, and many, many others posting pictures, videos and more on a constant, unending basis. There's so much, in fact, it can be a bit overwhelming.
You can follow all of the latest San Diego Comic-Con 2015 news right here at T-Lounge. In addition, some of the biggest celebrities, publishers and companies in the geek world are getting in on the game. So here is how to get that authentic Comic-Con experience from home.
Live Broadcasts
The only place on the ol' boob tube that you'll see any live broadcasts from Comic-Con is late nights on TBS. Conan O'Brien has moved his show to San Diego for the week, and is focusing exclusively on guests and coverage from Comic-Con. Highlight clips are being posted regularly here.
Now on our #MarvelSDCC livestream: chatting with our friends at @zen_studios' Marvel Pinball: https://t.co/NiP4DrGga5 pic.twitter.com/yGnwawAUYd
— Marvel Entertainment (@Marvel) July 9, 2015
Marvel is doing live broadcasts every day, starting at 9:30 AM Pacific. The publisher's live programming will naturally be slanted towards all things Marvel, but it's not like that's a bad thing, right?
Zachary Levi's Nerd Machine has its own Comic-Con tradition. At a location outside the convention center, Levi and his friends set up something called Nerd HQ, which hosts numerous panels during all four days of Comic-Con. Unlike other panels, these are intended to be smaller and more intimate (and you have to buy tickets to attend, but the money goes toward paying for surgery for kids who can't afford it), with no more than 200 audience members at a time. But they're also broadcast live online. Be sure and check the Nerd HQ schedule to find out when and how you can watch.
Lastly, and possibly most importantly, don't forget about Periscope. If ever there was an event to validate Periscope's existence, it's Comic-Con. In case you're not familiar, Periscope is a hot smartphone app that lets anyone broadcast live video from anywhere. It's an imperfect technology — expect to see the words "lost connection" a lot — but it's a blast to be able to watch and interact with people in real time.
Loads of people are Periscoping from Comic-Con. To tune in, first you need the free app for iPhone or Android. Fire it up once it's downloaded and tap on the Earth globe icon at the bottom of the screen. A map will appear. Pinch-to-zoom in on southern California and you should see several red dots hovering over the San Diego area. Zoom in or out as far as you like and tap on a dot to see what the broadcast is and who's doing it. Tap on a title to start watching.
Live Blogs
The DC Collectibles panel in Rm 9 is starting a little early with some Q&A + prizes! #DCSDCC pic.twitter.com/iAgoRr9CDm — DC Comics (@DCComics) July 9, 2015
DC Comics isn't broadcasting live like Marvel, but the company has plenty going on at Comic-Con this year. With movies like Batman v. Superman and Suicide Squad, TV shows like Arrow and Gotham, video games like Batman: Arkham Knight and of course comic books, it's going to be hard to go very far on the show floor without seeing something DC-related. DC has is posting a live blog to keep track of it all.
More
Twitter has always been the king of right-this-moment social updates, and this year at Comic-Con is no different. We recommend the following hashtags to see the con through the eyes of social media: #sdcc, #sdcc2015, #hallh, #comiccon, and #comiccon2015. Also, whenever a major event is happening, you'll want to check for related hashtags, such as #batmanvsuperman during the Warner Bros. panel on Saturday.
Eventifier is great for aggregating the latest photos and videos from Twitter.
Instagram is another great resource for images and short videos from Comic-Con. The only problem with Instagram is that it doesn't have web-based search. We recommend Worldc.am, which lets you search for Instagram pics by location.
Be sure to follow T-Lounge on Twitter and visit our Facebook page.
