Do you like escape rooms? Haunted mazes? Free trade and alcohol? How about all at once a great superhero tv show themed? That’s what you’ll find at DC Studios on J Street in San Diego. Lanterns As part of the training headquarters San Diego Comic Con.
Over the past few years turned into large-scale activations The norm at Comic-Con. People line up for hours to experience something fun they can’t do anywhere else, and these experiences are always changing. Sometimes it’s a set you have to explore. Other times, it’s a game you can play. But it’s usually short enough that anyone who wants to do it can do it.
Lanterns The Training Staff is not short. The experience takes about 30 minutes in total, which could be a very long wait if you weren’t lucky enough to make a reservation. Warner Bros. invited io9 to attend so we didn’t have to brave the sun or a frustrating booking process, but both were almost worth it.
Once you enter, you are divided into four groups of about 10 people each. You’re immediately immersed as a person posing as some sort of drill instructor sits you down and explains how everything will work. You must complete two missions, and if you do, you will be eligible to take the Green Lantern oath.
Three people are given the task: the smartest, the strongest and the bravest. Each will have a specific role to play later, some more important than others. I was the strongest, which meant I had to hold back as we made our way through the scary maze and into the farm of a mysterious man named William Macon (played by Garrett Dillahunt on the show). His ranchers set the tone for future missions by leaping at you in flashing lights in the dark.
At this point, you enter a large space with four different stations. Each group will do two of these, so if you only experience them once, you won’t experience them all. Our group first had to go to the sheriff’s office of the city to find a special code. You’re given about two minutes to walk around the room, and if you don’t find it, your assigned Green Lantern handler will radio the smartest one given a walkie-talkie.
It took a little help from our handler, but we finally got the code. After sneaking past the sheriff again, it’s time for the bravest to stand up. I didn’t get to see how it all went down, but after signing what I can only assume was a substantial waiver, our bravest members climbed the tall stairs and trust went straight down. To be honest, it was a shock. After a few minutes, he came out and the group passed the test.
Around this time, three other groups joined us as a Warden, one of the leaders of the Green Lantern Corps, came out and told us we were Green Lanterns. The staff gave rings and we all said our vows together. In the end, the whole room was lit with green light. We were ready to take over the universe.
They sent us away from there Lanterns lounge, where you get a free Heineken (regular or NA, of course), buy some exclusive merchandise, get a glimpse of the sister experience through a special portal, and get a photo taken with your ring. The ring you must keep.
The whole thing was so epic, well-acted and precisely planned that the free beer was an unnecessary but pleasant way to celebrate a very special experience.
Unfortunately, it was the last day for Saturday Lanterns Experience at Comic-Con, so if you don’t get a chance to visit, it’s too late. But Warner Bros. and the fact that DC has gone to such lengths to promote the show certainly shows that they are incredibly confident.
Lanterns premiere will be on August 16.
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