San Diego Comic Con Book Tag

With San Diego Comic Con right around the corner, I thought it would be fun to create a book tag inspired by the con itself!  For those unfamiliar with the con, I did a quick blurb on the various features that I spotlight in this post.  If this tag happens to strike your fancy, feel free to fill it out for yourself! Have fun!

Hall H – Most Anticipated Release in the Next Year

What it is:Hall H is where the biggest upcoming movie and TV shows have their panels, so let’s shout about a favorite upcoming release we’re excited about!
My Pick: SHOREFALL by Robert Jackson Bennett
Choosing only from officially announced and dated releases, I choose the sequel to FOUNDRYSIDE!

Ballroom 20 – A Favorite TV/Film adaptation

What it is:Ballroom 20 is predominantly home to panels of some of the most popular shows on television, so let’s celebrate adaptations!
My Pick: THE HATE U GIVE by Angie Thomas
This film was criminally underrated, an excellent adaptation of Angie Thomas’s hit book that follows a teenage girl who is caught in the media uproar surrounding the cop-shooting of an unarmed black teenager.

Artists’ Alley – Favorite Cover

What it is: This is where all the amazing artists draw their commissions, so let’s drool over some amazing artwork.
My Pick: SHIP OF SMOKE AND STEEL by Django Wexler
There’s something just so arresting about this very impressionist take on the heroine.  The book itself is cursed to be forever in my TBR, but I can’t help staring at how beautiful it is anytime I see it.

Honorary Mention: THE WINTERNIGHT Trilogy Tryptic
I LOVE the combined artwork of these three covers, I would love nothing more than to have this artwork hung up on my wall.

Comic Con: A Favorite Graphic Novel

What it is: We sometimes forget, Comic Con was created to celebrate – wait for it – COMICS!  So what’s a favorite graphic novel or comic book?
My Pick: THE WICKED + THE DIVINE
I absolutely love this series, which poses an alt world where 12 gods take on hosts once every 90 years; two years later, the hosts die.  When the series begins, we are in the middle of one of the two-year windows, and everything is going as normal – until someone starts killing the gods early.  It can be a bit graphic in terms of violence and nudity, but my oh my do I love this twisty mythology tale!

Offsite Experience – Favorite book inspired by a Non-Western Culture

What it is: While the convention hall is the main attraction, there are DOZENS of events and booths and experiences to be found in the streets surrounding the con, and they are just as good, if not better, than what you can find in the main hall. Western fantasy might be a central hub, but anyone paying attention to SFF knows that we have had plenty of amazing non-Western-inspired books of late (some of which have been my favorite reads of the year)!
My Pick:  JADE CITY by Fonda Lee
Have to go with JADE CITY by Fonda Lee, I was completely unprepared for how much I loved this book!

Studio Booth – A Favorite Media Tie-In

What it is: The major film studios and TV networks often have booths celebrating their properties.  So pick a favorite tie-in novel!
My Pick:  THRAWN by Timothy Zahn
After so many years without a STAR WARS novel, THRAWN by Timothy Zahn was like a big mug of hot cocoa, a perfect snuggle with my favorite character from the Expanded Universe. 

Indie Booth – Favorite Self-Published or Under 1000 Goodreads Ratings Book

What it is: The big studios and publishers definitely take up a lot of space, but there are plenty of small vendors at a con looking to find new fans and connect with old ones! So what’s a book that’s a bit off the beaten path?
My Pick: NEVER DIE by Rob J. Hayes
This martial-arts inspired fantasy manages to capture the feel of the action and beauty of a CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON-type film.  A young boy travels the lands to recruit legendary heroes to take down a tyrannical emperor.  The catch?  They can only be recruited after they’ve died.

Book Alley – Favorite Book-Related Con or Signing Experience

What it is: Book Alley is my unofficial title for the main row(s) of book publisher booths at Comic Con.  I’ve had some fun experiences waiting with people for an ARC drop or getting to meet an author. So share the one time you met your favorite author or did something crazy for a book!
My Pick: A few years ago, THE AERONAUT’S WINDLASS by Jim Butcher was THE hot item, one of those ARCs you could only get if you happened to spot the password on Twitter and make it to the booth in time.  I fully remember that I had been standing with a friend waiting for a giveaway, talking and checking my phone, when I spotted the password that had only been live for 30 seconds.  I literally stopped mid-sentence and bolted – *ahem* – walked briskly to the nearby booth and came back with my prize.  The book itself lived up to the hype and I am looking forward to the next in the series!

And that’s a wrap on the tag!  Looking forward to sharing my further exploits after next week!