My Dad gave me a few free passes for a local Comic Con (Tampa this Saturday) and I thought I’d come here for advice. I’ve never been to one and I’m only marginally into comics. He thought my kids, ages 12 and 10, might be interested. Is this just going to be a bunch of guys like the Comic Book Store guy from the Simpsons sitting around with their collections in plastic sleeves, or is there more to it than that?
Thanks,
Shibb
There is a lot more to it than that.
It is probably not as big as the San Diego con which I go to off and on but there will probably be similar things.
Here’s the website.
AFAIK, Comic Con has opened up and now includes just about all things sci-fi, like TV shows, movies, and video games. Even if your kids aren’t into anything sci-fi related, I’ve heard that it’s still an enjoyable experience, getting to see mascots walking around and the like. If you live relatively close to Tampa I’d check it out; the tickets are free, and the worst that could happen is you don’t have fun and you leave.
If you go, keep an eye out for Tarvold from Viking Quest.
Yeah, if the one you’re going to is in the same vein as the one here in San Diego, it’s more like a Pop Culture Con. I’ve been, and I’ve found many things that interest me - movies, TV, graphic novels, weird people to look at… 
I would crap myself if Tarvold was there. I’m a big Entourage fan.
Take the kids. They’ll love it! We’ve been going to the San Diego Comic-Con for years now, and have had a blast every year (not to mention that we feel handsome and skinny there as well). They are true gathering spots for all that is Geek.
It won’t be as good as the San Diego Comic Con. That one’s the gold standard for comic book conventions. Looking at the website for the convention it’s not something I’d be chomping at the bit to go to, it looks very meh.
You’ll probably have some tables set up for the “celebrities” to sign at, and other than that it’ll be mostly dealers with long boxes of back issues.