First, the good news: kids are FREE. Yes, children under 12 receive free admission to the Con with a paid adult. If you want to bring an extra kid, or if your tween is between ages 12 and 16 (you have my sympathy), junior tickets (ages 7 - 16) are about half the price of adult tickets. When you pick up your registration you can get the kids’ badges, but be sure to bring the wee ones with you – you cannot pick up the kids’ badges unless they are physically present. Now, you know you don’t want to wait in that hellacious line twice, so don’t expect to plead your way out of this one.

Preparation is Everything

Every expedition must be well-supplied, and the Con is no exception. Here is the short list of things you must not be without:

Strollers: Even if your kids are big enough to freak out at the idea, bring a stroller. Be warned that wagons and carts are NOT allowed on the floor (we had to check ours at security) but strollers are cool, so bring one for hauling swag. Better yet, bring a double stroller so the kids can ride, too.

Footwear: You and the kids will be on your feet most of the day, and you’ll probably get your toes smashed as you fight for that Silver Boba Fett on the floor, so wear comfy sneakers – or steel-toed boots.

Food: You’ll certainly want snacks; juice boxes, crackers, etc. (the usual rugrat diet) because food at the Con can be expensive and there are usually long lines for just about everything. We ate lunch or dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory (a short walk up 5th Avenue) every day, mostly because Sarah is a certified 12-step noodle addict. We went at off hours (NOT noon) and didn’t have to wait too long for a table. The Con Suite in the Manchester Grand Hyatt (5 pm to 2 am) hotel has free sodas, snacks, and fruit – can’t beat that! – and it’s a good place to chill out and meet people.

Comics: If the kids have a favorite comic, bring a long a copy in case you run into the creators. My girls loved meeting Jill Thompson (SCARY GODMOTHER), Chris Giarrusso (MINI MARVELS), and Landry Walker & Eric Jones (LITTLE GLOOMY) and getting personalized signatures on their comics.

Shelby says: You should bring your favorite comics so the people who made it can sign it. You can meet them and ask them about how they made it. I want to meet the people who make BATMAN ADVENTURES, TEEN TITANS GO!, THE GHOULY BOYS, JUSTICE LEAGUE ADVENTURES, and ABADAZAD. I hope they have the next ABADAZAD there!

Camera: A camera is a must. If your kids have fave characters, you’ll eventually run into them and you don’t want to be out of film (or memory). An example: As we approached the DC booth we could see a crowd gathering. We skirted the edge, peering between fanboys, and I saw Shelby’s mouth fall open. There was Batman, in the flesh! He spotted her (in her Batman costume), ignored all the adults, and called her over. He got down on one knee, gave her a hug, and spoke quietly with her for a while, then called in Wonder Woman and little Super Sarah for photos. Talk about a childhood fantasy come true….

Sarah developed into quite a little Star Wars geek as the Con went on. She met just about every character and finally went wide-eyed and speechless when she bumped into Princess Leia in the restroom. Fortunately the Princess was good about it and met us outside for photos when she had finished her royal business.

Shelby says: We got to go to the DC booth and pretend to climb the batrope. I liked taking pictures of people in costumes like the Batman gang, Green Lantern, and Wonder Woman. Bring your own camera so you can take pictures all you want.

Sarah says: Go see Comic Con people dressed up as comic book people. Take pictures – you might like Spiderman or even Batgirl. If you’re shy you could have someone in your family who’s not shy ask them to take a picture with you. I liked taking my picture with Yoda because he was a statue and I didn’t have to ask. I think it’s cool when I got to see all of the characters because I got to take pictures with them and you should, too.

Costumes: It’s strange how you think you know your kids so well, and then one day they throw you off completely. Shelby is our shy one – wouldn’t do the piano recital, doesn’t like it when the waiters sing Happy Birthday at restaurants – but she spent three days dressed as Batman, shaking hands and posing for photos with strangers. Sarah – she who lives for dance recitals and singing in front of large groups of people – lasted 5 minutes in her Robin costume. She did wear her “Super Sarah” costume the second day (Superman tee, yellow cape, and pigtails) but wouldn’t let anyone but me take her picture. Go figure. The moral of this cautionary tale is: If your kids want to go in costume, bring a change of clothes, just in case.

Sarah says: I liked to wear my Robin costume but the mask got way too itchy. When people took my picture it made me really nervous. I liked being Super Sarah better.

Shelby says: If you wear a costume, everyone will pay attention to you. If you don’t, it will be like you’re in the crowd, nothing else. If you’re shy, don’t wear a costume. I’m shy, but I wore a cowl to cover my face, so no one will know who I am. My costume was hot but I liked it when people took my picture. I put my hair out from under my cowl so people would know I’m a girl Batman.

On the Floor

There is much free booty to be had at the Con. S&S scored Batman pins at the DC booth, Hulk keychains at Marvel, and many free comics and posters. Then, of course, there is the not-so-free stuff. If your kids have a piggy-bank, they’ll probably want to empty it. If you owe them allowance, be prepared to pay up. For the Con is nothing if not the world’s largest retail therapy event. Shelby bought a goth Powerpuff girls t-shirt, a ‘60s Batmobile model kit, some pins, a Batman soundtrack CD, and of course, a stack of comics. Sarah scored a stuffed Jar Jar (thank God it doesn’t talk), some Star Wars and Batman action figures, a Bat-villains poster, and…a stack of comics.

One of the coolest things we did was wander down Artist’s Alley. The girls loved watching the artists work, and were certainly inspired to draw when we got home. We paid $20 each to get portraits of Sarah as Super Sarah (Chris Giarrusso) and Shelby as Batshelby (Sergio Cariello). Look around for artists whose work you like and don’t hesitate to ask about commissions. Expect, however, for the cost to vary depending on the popularity of the artist. I’d love to have Alex Ross sketch the girls, but I know I don’t have that kind of bank.

A word of warning: keep an eye out for blue material. Most of it was in the Artist’s Alley area or at particular “adult” booths on the floor. I suppose little kids won’t be too shocked by naked boobies, but your pre-pubescent son might get an eyeful. Last year I noticed that some of the most visible pieces of art had post-its strategically covering the obvious bits, but some of the chicks in costume will turn your 12-year-old son into an instant fanboy. Also, Drunk Man might be an unwanted encounter, but you can usually hear him coming. Just watch about 10 yards ahead and be ready to steer the kids down any nearby aisle if needed. And be careful – Lou Ferrigno can be downright scary to little ones.

Panels, Screenings, and Signings, Oh My!

Before plunging in to the huge number of panels, screenings, etc. available at the Con, do your research. Be sure to read the entire list thoroughly and plan in advance which ones you want to get to. We found that using a tag-team approach worked well: Dan took the kids while I went to see Kevin (I wasn’t ready to expand their vocabulary THAT much) and I took them while he went to the LORD OF THE RINGS panel. In general, panels are boring for kids (who wants to watch a bunch of grownups discuss second variant covers?) but anything with video or costumes was a hit. The girls loved Jill Thompson’s panel where she premiered her computer animated SCARY GOMOTHER short, and enjoyed the TEEN TITANS and DUCK DODGERS teasers at one of the Cartoon Network panels. We had seen some Klingons getting into makeup in the parking lot earlier, and the girls were intrigued enough to talk us into stopping by the “Klingon Lifestyles Exhibit”. If you go, sit in the back so you can get out easily – a little Klingon goes a long way. At least they were speaking English.

There are sure to be lines outside most of the panels, and we all know how much kids love waiting in line. Bring comics, books, Gameboys, a portable DVD player, anything to keep them from whining. That said, we were able to walk into most panels after the line went in and get decent seats. You can always sit on the floor – kids are a perfect excuse for getting down front.

Shelby says: If you want to find out about a TV show that’s cool and funny, then you can just look in the book and see what’s going on and see what time it’s going on at. You have to wait in a long line, so you can mess around and read comics. Bring some comics with you.

Sarah says: I liked when Duck Dodgers said, “Some days you just can’t get rid of a Martian space mine!” – that cracked me up! I liked the SCARY GODMOTHER movie because Harry is funny and he eats a lot of food. And Bugaboo is cool-looking and he’s nice.

Kids’ Day is Sunday, but last year most of the stuff the girls wanted to see was on Saturday. They loved watching the Masquerade on the big screen and munching popcorn, but it was so late that their little heads were on the table before it was over. Happy, passed-out children – the perfect ending to a family weekend.

Top Five Reasons to Take Your Kids to the Con

5. Strengthen the parent-child bond through a shared love of Wolverine.
4. A stroller can hold a lot of “collectible” Swedish Chef dolls and “authentic” light sabers.
3. You can tell your coworkers that you’re “only going to the Con because the kids want to go.”
2. Precious photos of the tots with Stormtrooper Elvis
1. If your kids are cute enough, vendors will give you free swag.

Next Time: Kid-Friendly panels and other things of interest at this year's Comicon in San Diego.

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