This is it. One more day until the official start of Comic-Con. As you read this, thousands of comic book professionals and fans the world over are boarding flights heading in to San Diego. They’re locking down signing schedules and confirming dinner reservations. Why? Well, if you’ve been to Comic-Con before, you know preparation is key. And the heart of preparing for Comic-Con is to have some sort of strategy.

There’s a reason why so many people love Comic-Con. It really does have something for everyone. However, because of that, it can all feel very overwhelming if you don’t know what you’re doing. If you’ve never been to Comic-Con before, let us offer you one final suggestion: Decide right now what you want to get out of it. Are you going to Comic-Con primarily because you want to get sketches from all of your favorite comic book artists? Are you heading to San Diego because you want to check out never-before-seen trailers and clips from some of the biggest upcoming movies? Is your goal to snag the best free swag available on the show floor? Are you an aspiring comic book writer, looking to find an artist to collaborate with?

It may be one of the above goals, or something entirely different. But regardless, the difference between a successful Comic-Con experience and a frustrating one will be staying committed to it. For example, some of the best swag actually requires some action on your part—often a scavenger hunt or completing some objective. That takes time, which you’re not going to have if you’re spending most of the convention sitting in portfolio review lines. Decide on your top two or three goals for this trip and make those your focus. Everything else you happen to have time for is just gravy.

Of course, regardless of what that strategy is, we hope you’ll swing by the DC booth. We’ll have swag. We’ll have nonstop creator signings. We’ll have some of our best artists drawing live in our booth while fielding your questions. We’ll have portfolio reviews and panels. Props and costumes from DC movies and TV shows. Art from MAD Magazine. And much, much more.

And if you’re not going to be in San Diego, we’ll be bringing the best of the con to you right here on DCComics.com, so check back all throughout the weekend. After all, it’s Comic-Con—you never know what you might see!

Comic-Con is now only three days away (or two if you count preview night), and as survivors of many SDCCs past, we thought we’d help prepare those of you who are going for the first time by putting together a few Comic-Con Survival Tips. Comic-Con can be loads of fun and an experience you’ll remember for the rest of your lives, but it can also be overwhelming and many people spend an entire day just getting acclimated to the sheer scope of the show.

Well, as a DC fan, you deserve better than that, and so we’re going to do our best over the next three days to prepare you for what awaits you in San Diego. With a little luck, you’ll hit the convention floor running and ready to grab some of that great Comic-Con swag.

By the way, when we say running, we’re speaking figuratively. You don’t want to run around at Comic-Con, it’ll tire you out and it’s possible you’ll set people into a panic when they mistakenly assume you’re running towards something cool. Besides, there are so many other ways to get around while you’re at Comic-Con.

One of the best things about SDCC is that everything you’ll need is pretty much in walking distance. There are plenty of hotels, restaurants, grocery stores, bars, clubs and movie theaters all a short stroll from the convention center. If you do need to go beyond that, the convention shuttles are your best friend. This year they’re running 24 hours for the very first time and stop in over 60 locations. Yes, they’re meant to get attendees from the convention center to their hotels, but those hotels are next to all sorts of great things and a savvy shuttle rider can go hundreds of places without ever having to hail a cab.

Speaking of cabs, they’re around as well, and if you need to get somewhere in a hurry, they’re your best bet (the shuttles are free, but they can take a while). However, if where you’re going is nearby, consider taking a pedicab. They’re all over the place during Comic-Con, can often get you places more quickly than a car and you get to enjoy that great San Diego air!

If you’re a DC fan, you’re going to have plenty of reasons to leave the convention center over the weekend. From the DC-inspired art on display at the Darkness & Light Art Exhibition to the chance to see all six Batmobiles from TV and film at Warner Bros.’ outdoor “Extra” festival, there are plenty of reason to stretch your legs over the weekend.

And we have plenty more to discuss. Check back tomorrow for another SDCC Survival Tip!

Every day until the start of Comic-Con, we’re bringing you something cool to help you count down the days to the start of the big show. Last week we debuted our new Comic-Con print ads. For this week, we reached out to some of our favorite writers and artists to ask them what they enjoy most about San Diego Comic-Con.

Today’s creator is Jimmy Palmiotti, the always memorable writer and artist who’s been keeping busy by co-writing All-Star Western and G.I. Combat. Here’s Jimmy short and sweet thought on Comic-Con:

“Since I started in the business I have never missed a single SDCC, no matter how busy I am. It’s a celebration of everything I love on a global scale.”

Jimmy will be signing in the DC booth and will be discussing his current projects on the Tales from The Dark and The Edge panel on Thursday, July 12th at 11:30 a.m. (Room 6DE), the DC Entertainment – All Access: DC NOW! panel on Thursday at 3:15 p.m. (also in Room 6DE) and the DC Comics – The New 52 panel on Friday, July 13th at 4:15 p.m. (once again in Room 6DE). We’ll be covering every one of these panels live as they unfold right here on DCComics.com, so don’t miss them. And don’t miss our last creator tomorrow as our Countdown to Comic-Con continues!

Every day until the start of Comic-Con, we’re bringing you something cool to help you count down the days to the start of the big show. Last week we debuted our new Comic-Con print ads. For this week, we reached out to some of our favorite writers and artists to ask them what they enjoy most about San Diego Comic-Con.

Today we’re hearing from Gail Simone, the fan-favorite writer who’s been penning Batgirl’s adventures as a part of DC COMICS – THE NEW 52, and who’s also had ridiculously popular runs on Birds of Prey, Secret Six and Wonder Woman. Here’s what Gail had to say about Comic-Con:

“San Diego Comic-Con was not only the first real convention I ever attended as a guest, it was the first real convention I had ever attended in any capacity. Having SDCC be your introduction to the world of the comic book convention is like using a supernova to toast bread. I can’t even express what a shocking experience it was in all ways. On one side of the massive convention hall, you have fun shops and restaurants and the charming Gaslamp district, on the other side, stunning views of the harbor.

And the hall itself, aisle after aisle of everything I’d always loved but never really gotten to share with others; cosplayers, comics, films, cult TV...there’s a wonderful geek chic about it all, a fantasy glamour, that I still find inspiring to this day. For one long weekend, it’s its own city, a community of believers, people who only came because they love what they love, and this is the place that has it. It’s a party, a concert, a festival, a reunion, a costume ball, and it might also be a little bit of a sanitarium in the best possible way. 

Can’t wait to go back. See you there, I hope.”

Gail will be signing in the DC booth and will be a part of the Batman: Beyond the Night of Owls panel on Thursday, July 12th at 2 p.m. (Room 6DE) and the DC Comics – The New 52 panel on Friday, July 13th at 4:15 p.m. (also in Room 6DE). We’ll be covering both of these panels live as they unfold right here on DCComics.com. Don’t miss them, and be sure to swing by THE SOURCE again tomorrow for our next Countdown to Comic-Con feature!