That’s right true believers, the glory days of Comic-con have officially ended and, as I leave behind this year’s sea of Spandex, I have to admit that the experience itself was definitely more than I expected.

Having already been exposed to the images of underwear clad fan geeks and Styrofoam armored clone warriors that seem to dominate the media year after year, I was surprised to learn that it was actually the hidden workshops and insider panels that were the most interesting aspects of this year’s event. Open discussions on the industry pitch processes, insights into taking projects from concept to creation, and the legality of presenting work to larger studios were only a few panels that immediately grabbed my interest as I wandered the convention halls. And, while it was the larger revelations such as the new cast of the Avengers and the glories of Hall H that seemed to garner the most media attention, I found that it was the smaller venues and hidden back rooms discussions that seemed to contain the most relevant information and personal experiences.

While the event continues to grow each year and more and more focus is put on the geek culture and craziness that takes place on the showroom floor, it’s easy to forget the mission of shared knowledge and creative collaboration that brought those original 300 über-nerds to a basement in San Diego all those years ago. But, looking back at the short time I spent navigating the event halls, I would definitely brave the bikini clad anime girls, overweight supermen, and cardboard battle-suits to do it all over again.