SDCC 2017: Amazon’s ‘The Tick Takeover’ Offsite Event Was A Fantastic Way To Open The Week!
I’ve already touched on the experience during yesterday’s long form journal piece, but the event was a serious convention highlight and deserves some recognition of its own.
The offsite event will draw you in with the gigantic, moving Tick antennae, gorgeous artwork, the whirring of fans, and the temporary market, but there’s so much more to see and do here that I could definitely see attendees spending a ton of time at the offsite.
The first part of the installation was an awesome Amazon Prime Member Lounge. Here, you could grab yourself some wireless headphones and experience The Tick pilot almost a month before the show hits the streaming service. There were comfy couches to chill out on, cold water was available for those in attendance, and the tables featured all of the most popular phone charges so that you could juice up your phone while you relaxed. The outside of the lounge featured giant (like 20 foot tall) Tick antennae, where those inside the lounge could control the expression that the antennae were making. There were also giant blue fans all around the area, as an attempt to keep you cool in the hot, dry San Diego heat. It was much appreciated, and certainly had me far more comfortable and willing to watch the pilot than I would have been with the sun bearing down on me. Throughout the lounge there were stations where you could scan your RFID bracelet and do The Tick trivia, and when you exited the lounge you were treated to a cool swag bag that included a Tick hat, iPhone case, bottle of water, antennae, and more.
During the experience in the Member Lounge, Matt and I made a poor attempt to livestream everything that was going on. Check it out below (I really sold it to you, didn’t I?).
https://www.facebook.com/GeekscapeDotNet/videos/10155604323786908/
Next (after waiting for everyone else to catch up and potentially watching Matt hit on yet another girl) our group went through a The Tick / AEGIS themed competitive experience. Here Arthur said the he needed our help finding clues through several environments that are important to the show, including Goat’s Deli, Arthur’s Apartment, The Warehouse, and The City Police Station. We had four minutes in the first few rooms room, and in each there we a series of RFID scanners that you were supposed to activate as slyly as possible, as the experience has you competing with the rest of the attendees in the room. Once you’re done competing, you scan your bracelet once more to find out what kind of hero you are, and in the final room you have the opportunity to choose from several customizable Tick themed items (I went for a baseball tee), and even create a short gif of yourself in a heroic pose. Here’s another Facebook Live of Matt and I going through this part of the experience.
https://www.facebook.com/GeekscapeDotNet/videos/10155604366781908/
Amazon also notes that “During their adventures at SDCC, Citizens will be able to call upon the #TeamTick street team for help when they are in a bind. Need help with that selfie? Have a painful blister? Have no fear… Team Tick is here! In true Tick form, Team Tick will be taking to the streets of San Diego helping the helpless and defending the defenseless. Citizens seeking assistance from the street team need only flag down a member of Team Tick, adorned with blue antenna, to get help for their distress.”
The experience itself was just as well done as the Thunderbirds / The Man In The High Castle event from last year’s convention, but it felt a lot more interactive, and that made it more fun as well.
I anticipate that due to the quality of the experience, lines will be pretty long (though it’s San Diego Comic-Con… there are long lines for the bathroom). Amazon is betting big on The Tick, and from what I saw of the pilot yesterday, for good reason.
If you can make it happen, I’d implore you to make some time for The Tick Takeover. The event is open to the public Thursday, July 20th through Saturday, July 22nd from 9:00 am until 6:00 pm, and Sunday, July 23rd from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm at the MLK Promenade (corner of 1st and J street).
Take a look at a few more photos from the event below, and let us know if you plan to attend!
