Comic-Con draws tens of thousands of visitors every year. Photo by TillTheMoneyRunsOut.com

SAN DIEGO -- Cosplayers, comic readers, toy collectors, and general nerd and geek fandom consumers will descend upon the San Diego Convention Center this weekend for the annual San Diego Comic Con event.

The yearly spectacle is quite the scene to behold, as the event consumes the entire downtown San Diego area if not a bit more, filling the streets with color, activity, excitement, and overweight men squeezed into spandex that they ought not to be wearing.

The impact on the region alone is eye-opening; as much as $150 million, according to a CNBC article from 2016. I wouldn’t be surprised if that number hasn’t already increased in two years.

I myself have attended the convention several times over the last eight years or so, and many of my friends and colleagues have become accustomed to me making the two-hour trek down the 5 Freeway south. Around this time of year, I always get the same question.

“Are you going this year?”

The answer this year? No.

Hell no.

Let’s not get this twisted right from the beginning; I’m not bitter about not being able to secure a badge. If we’re being honest, I didn’t even try this time around.

It’s not as though I’ve outgrown my love for comic books, action figures, movies and all other things nerdy; one look at my desk would prove otherwise (as my coworkers often lovingly tease me about).

So, you may ask what soured me to the whole ordeal.

I won’t deny that Comic Con is fun on initial observation, but while attending last year’s convention I realized something: the con itself has just about outgrown the hassle it requires.

Let’s start with the obvious: the crowds.

Crowds at the 2012 Comic-Con. Photo by William Tung, Creative Commons license.

Comic Con is great for the fact that it surrounds you with a bunch of likeminded individuals. The problem is that you’re surrounded like a sardine packed in a can of sardines. Often times, it smells just like that too.

While it’s nice to know that being a “nerd” or “geek” or what have you finally has some acceptability to it, fighting with the crowds to get to that panel or exclusive you want can easily suck the energy out of you, and put a damper on the fun.

Speaking of panels and exclusives, lines are ridiculous; they make a summer-crowd day at Disneyland without a Fast Pass seem like a walk in the park.

To be able to secure certain collectibles and exclusives or seats at popular panels, you better be in line early; way early. If you’re not in line before the sun comes up (or in some cases, in line the day before), you can forget getting to buy or see what you want.

Photo courtesy San Diego Convention Center.

This wouldn’t be so bad if you hadn’t already probably spent at least $1000 on a hotel room for the duration of the convention (and that’s around low-end if you’re lucky). Before factoring in other necessities such as food and drink, travel, and convention tickets, it’s important to factor in that it’s not uncommon for a room that would cost you less than $100 on a normal day to cost you nearly $200 at the time of the convention; a fact not easily forgotten at 4 a.m. in the morning.

I’ve stayed out on the lawn overnight before only to not be able to get an exclusive item I wanted, when I could’ve been in bed not wasting hundreds of dollars on a bed and room I wasn’t in.

When I came home from Con last year, I didn’t feel like I had been on vacation. In fact, I almost felt like I had worked harder there than I do at actual work.

It was an easy decision to skip out on SDCC this year, just because it seems like the convention is no longer worth the time, effort and energy to make it a “success,” especially with so many local cons like Wondercon and Long Beach Comic Con around and easily accessible.

For those of you going to Comic-Con this year, I definitely encourage you to make the best of it. Buy cool stuff, see amazing panels, meet your heroes and celebrate all the things that you enjoy. Just be prepared for the gauntlet that you are about to throw yourself at.

I’ll be back here at home, sleeping in my warm bed at the end of the day, and thinking about all the money I won’t be spending.

Why I won't be attending Comic-Con this year