How Much Comic-Con Is Too Much?

Long ago i wanted to go to SDCC. but i decided after this year i'll pick a different convention. SDCC is not about the comics any more.

Very little actual comic information came out from DC or marvel. Marvel is already deep into Heroic age and DC is a couple months into Brightest Day. There was No big bomb shell major annoucement.

It's about movies and tv. How is Glee or Bones comic related?

it all seemed a bit… smaller this year, didn't it? the booths, the costumes, just the general sense of it. Or at least that's the way it seemed Friday (the only day I was there).

I think we just have to accept that this is Pop-Culture-fest now and actually has been for some time.

Interesting perspective. My theory is this: Did you have fun? If so, how much did you have? If you didn't have fun, you tried too hard….

Ah, but in our digital age, nothing at Comic-Con is really “per attendee.” How many of the attendees report, tweet, share, facebook everything they've seen? And in past years, the show had an attitude of “nothing is taped” inside the panels, in an attempt to preserve the experience for attendees. In the past few years, they've caved to the larger studios and news outlets… allowing them to tape, share and spread the highlights on the panel on YouTube and their own sites (check out Warner Bros. site for tons of footage).

I started attending the con five years ago, when 60,000 people showed up. You could still walk freely from place to place and room to room. No lines for anything. This past years, there was 137,000 attendees. Studios have harnessed the “geek elite” power and they know these evangelists will spread the word far and wide digitally.

As far as what makes an impact, it all depends on what you are into. I didn't notice “Tron” at all, because I'm not a fan. But I was delighted to attend the “It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia” panel. And what does that show have to do with comics? Sadly, nothing. But “Comic-Con” has become a misnomer, because it's really a Pop Culture Con.

I do have to say, the past two years, I have been asking myself, “Was it worth it?” On Friday, I spent 3 hours in line for one panel in Ballroom 20. And anything in Hall H (Green Lantern, Thor, etc.) is a pipe dream — you could end up waiting in line for hours and just not get in at all. And although comics have taken a backseat, the sketch craze is at a fever pitch – leading many artists to jack up (and sometimes double) their asking prices.

I miss the Comic-Con of 4-5 years ago!

Always wanted to go but the more I see the more I don't care, they should just call it movie con and have done. There may well be more comic stuff there than given credit but it's not selling me.

Probably my big regret of Comic-Con this year was going to the panel for “Dexter” instead of “Scott Pilgrim VS The World”. Not that there's anything wrong with “Dexter”, the panel was fine. But the whole “Scott Pilgrim” experience – down to being taken to see the film and attend a live gig afterwards – sounds like it was the highlight of the Con.

My biggest point of contention is related to the Hollywood invasion, but not in the way one may not consider.

Since 2000, it really has NOT been a “comic” con, per se. It's now a branding. Like, when you hear the name “Corvette” or “Mustang,” you know exactly what sort of car it is, even tho the current models do not really resemble the originals. To change the name would be like when Ford tried to replace the Mustang with the Probe back in the 80's.

My biggest “complaint” about Comic-Con is just how out of hand the programming has become. Why are there panels devoted to stuff like “Glee,” “Royal Pains,” “White Collar,” “NCIS,” “NCIS: LA,” “Hawaii Five-O,” “Psych,” “Community,” “The Other Guys,” & “Castle” ?!
NONE of those programs/films have ANYthing to do with any GENRE associated with comic-con! (Comics, animation, anime, sci-fi, fantasy, horror & video games)

Granted, I like some of the programs that I just listed. But, they have NO PLACE being featured @ Comic-Con! I mean, what's next? Is Comic-Con going to host “American Idol” auditons? Or, maybe the announcement for the next batch of celebrities for “Dancing With The Stars” will be made during Comic-Con?!

The Comic-Con organizers have really lost touch with what Comic-Con used to be about. All they are doing now is (literally) bending over backwards, being Hollywood's…uh…um…well, you-know-what-i-mean, right…?

They're just happily smiling, accepting Hollywood's money…not realizing just how much it's corrupting the original intent of Comic-Con.

If the Movie/TV series fits within the genre that Comic-Con professes to cover, then party on! Bring it! But, for cryin' out loud! Please do not include stuff like “Glee,” “Castle,” or “Hawaii Five-O” as part of Comic-Con just because they're either the current zeitgeist or feature actors/actresses who used to star in genre programs!

i'm just sayin'…

Aren't you, y'know, not there? Every year I see a couple dozen panels to visit–but those are panels. No one ever talks about the show room floor, because that's not what people want to hear about. It's not about the comics? WTF. This year it was ALL about comics or comic-related properties.

I know Glee made it, but who's talking about that? All I've heard about was the Avengers movie, the Avengers cartoon, Young Justice, the Iron Man anime, and looots of new comics coming out.

Honestly, I think Comic Con is what each attendee CHOOSES to make it. There is enough in that building from all walks of life to satisfy everyone. While the “Chuck” and “Big Bang Theory” panels were fun, I ultimately didn't go for TV and movies, I went for comics and voice-overs. I had a great chats with Stan and Hunter Freberg and Jerry Robinson. Little actual comic info from Marvel and DC? How about IDW announcing new “Rocketeer” stories and a complete Alex Raymond “Flash Gordon” project? How about all of the artists and writers in the Small Press area with new projects to share? How about the overall creative energy in that building that people got a real high off of? SDCC is still about comics if you make your trip about comics. If you make it all about getting into Hall H or Ballroom 20, then you are bound to be disgruntled.

Lance Roger Axt
The AudioComics Company

I was set up in the Image Comics booth all week pimping SWEETS #1, and I had a fantastic Comic-Con. I was flooded by people all week long specifically interested in comics and meeting the Image Comics' creators. In fact, the Image booth was packed, non stop action all week long for every creator at our booth. One quick look around, and I could tell Rob Guillory, John Layman, Jason Howard, Ryan Ottley, Andy Kuhn, and Phil Hester had people swarming all week long.

I'd say that comics have certainly been overshadowed in the press by movies and TV, but lets face it, the press NEVER cover comics anyway. If the film and TV stuff was pushed out of the convention, the media would simply loose interest all together.

But the ATTENDEES still love comics and that's what it's all about. Lots of comic readers also love DEXTER, and that's cool with me. If it ever gets to the point where the attendees ignore comics in favor of TV, that's when I move on. But that hasn't happened. In fact, I'd say the attendees were swarming around the comic booths MORE than they were around the movie booths. I don't do many panels, so I can't speak on that subject, but our KICKSTART YOUR COMICS panel was packed, standing room only. People were eager to learn more about how we used the Kickstarter.com site to launch our comics and we were flooded with follow-up questions at our booth the following day. I wasn't at the Image Comics panel, but I'm told it was also standing room only.

I think we, as industry professionals, can look at the 'spectacle' of Comic-Con as a true opportunity. I was able to get coverage on G4TV not once, but TWICE, I was on camera several times as the Spurlock documentary crew followed John Layman at our booth, and I also did an interview with the crew filming Comic-Con in 3D for a separate documentary. I did 2 or 3 podcasts a day for comic and non-comic audiences, and I was even interviewed by a Jonas brother. Yes, I know the Jonas Brothers aren't exactly what we'd consider our normal “comics audience,” but one of my main goals of Comic-Con is to reach out and EXPAND my audience.

Mission accomplished.

If we go into Comic-Con with an optimistic view and carefully plan our attack, a lot can be accomplished at that show. If you just sit around and complain about GLEE all week, you'll miss an amazing opportunity to reach an impressionable pop-culture-friendly audience that only comes around once a year.

Ryan, Lance, Kody & John:
Thank you for your input. You all have very excellent responses.
Kody, I am glad to see that your company received a lot of interest. However, if you were to have been able to wander down towards the “smaller end” of the convention center (aisles #'d below 2000), you would have noticed just how little love we independent companies received, both from the general public & especially the media.
Unless you're with one of the bigger companies (Marvel, DC, Image, Dark Horse, IDW), the Comic-Con PR department doesn't give a tinker's damn. They tell you that all media requests must go thru them. However, the Con PR dept. is all about Hollywood, so they ignore anyone who isn't connected. (I know this because I've been fighting this uphill battle for my company for several years)
Ryan, I am in 100% agreement with you. However, you kind'a missed my point. I'd much rather NOT have any non-genre panels/events at Comic-Con. That is, unless they decide to possibly move them to one of the off-site facilities exclusively. Not only that, but how about they also move all of those Hollywood exhibitors off-site as well?
By doing so, it would help to lighten the traffic load within the Convention Center. I mean, let's face it, folks, most of the people who're attending Comic-Con are there to star-gaze. They just want to catch a glimpse at their favorite celebrities.
By segregating all of the Hollywood-related exhibits & panels, we can bring in more exhibitors/vendors into the center AND alleviate the crowd control issues.
Oh, and I have forgotten to mention the best part? It would eliminate “Camp Twilight” !

In a way, they're already sort'a doing that now. Or, did you not notice the “Battle: Los Angeles” real tank & helicopter display or the Green Hornet stage that were parked outside of the convention center?

I can dig where you're coming from, but I've been in the trenches for a long time. I've been going to Comic-Con since 1994 and my early years were spent standing in 6 or 7 hour lines waiting to have a portfolio reviewed by editors, pimping small black and white anthology work, and trying to claw my way up through various smaller publishers.

I've been on the slow climb for the better part of 17 years or so. So yeah, I know what that's about. But I've always found a way to get the most out of all the cons I visit.

My reply about the action at the Image booth was only to point out that a very large volume of attendees are at the show to support comics, they still love comics. And without the movie stars being there, there would be zero media attention at that show. The movie and TV spectacle brings an opportunity to get national coverage, that's a fact. And I don't think it shouldn't be ignored or dismissed the way many people do. And no, I'm not saying it's easy, I'm just saying it's an opportunity that wouldn't exist otherwise.