Move over, Metropolis. Get bent, Gotham. This week, sunny San Diego is
home to the world’s greatest gathering of superheroes and supervillains,
though luckily for residents, they’re only passing through.
The
annual San Diego Comic-Con convention storms the southland this week,
transforming the idyllic seaside city into a chaotic whirlwind of
coiffed celebrities, costumed fans, and pop-culture geeks of every
persuasion. Not sure what all the fuss is about? Here’s a primer.
What’s its real name?
There
are tons of comic conventions around the world, but the San Diego event
is considered the Super Bowl of these shows. Technically, it’s called
Comic-Con International: San Diego, but no one calls it that. Most folks
simply refer to it as Comic-Con or, if you’re on Twitter and running
out of space, SDCC (short for San Diego Comic-Con). Considering it’s the
largest comic convention in the U.S., it has earned the right to
jettison the extra verbiage.
That’s a mouthful. (Photo: Comic-Con International)
When did it start?
Originally
called San Diego’s Golden State Comic-Con, the first event took place
in a small San Diego hotel in 1970, where a few hundred comic book
aficionados gathered to talk shop and swap books. It wasn’t just fans,
either, as the guest list included sci-fi author Ray Bradbury and comics
legend Jack Kirby.
Please use deodorant. Please. (Photo: Getty Images)
Is it still anything like that?
If
the first show was a quaint neighborhood bake sale, the latter-day
Comic-Con is a corporate party at Walmart. Comic-Con 2014, for instance,
topped 130,000 attendees. What began as a place for comic book geeks to
geek out over comic books has ballooned into a multimedia behemoth that
includes television, film, collectibles, cosplayers, and much, much
more.
Even superheroes need bottled water. (Photo: Getty Images)
Wait, movies?
Oh, yeah. Led by Marvel’s stable of Avengers
films, the comic-themed renaissance of the past decade has helped turn
Comic-Con into one of the most important annual events for fans of
superheroic films. New movies are announced, casts are revealed, and
brand-new trailers are shown to rapt audiences at packed panels.
Back in 2013, for instance, Warner Bros. unveiled the very first images and a teaser trailer for Batman v. Superman, while Marvel formally announced The Avengers 2: Age of Ultron. Last year, director George Miller trotted out the first footage of Mad Max: Fury Road. If you’re a fan of geeky films, you’re fan of Comic-Con.
Wait, collectibles?
I
mean action figures. And hats. And T-shirts. And pretty much anything
else you can wear, display, or play with (or all three). Comic-Con is a
treasure trove of awesome merchandise, and much of it is exclusive to the show.
The heroes San Diego needs. (Photo: Getty Images)
Wait, wait, wait, cosplayers? You mean those weirdos who wear spandex in public?
Those
weirdos aren’t so weird at Comic-Con. In fact, the thonged throngs are
as much a part of the show as the art they worship, crafting some truly
inspired homemade takes on famous (and not-so-famous) characters. Leave your Spider-Man Underoos at home, because at Comic-Con the cosplayers go big. Really big.
Sadly,
the foundation of Comic-Con is often lost beneath the sheer Hollywood
wattage. But look hard enough and you’ll find plenty of comic artists
and writers signing autographs and showing off their latest goods.
Comic-Con is also home to the Eisner Awards, the comic book version of
the Oscars, which celebrates the best works from the prior year. This
year’s awards take place on July 10.
Avengers autographs: $25 on eBay. Samuel L. Jackson smiling at you: priceless. (Photo: Getty Images)
OK, this sounds cool. Can I go?
Theoretically? Yes. Realistically? No way.
Comic-Con is a public show; daily badges run about $50, though they sell out incredibly quickly (this year, it took one hour to sell out all four days).
Then there’s the issue of finding a place to stay, or a place to park,
or a place to stand while you futilely attempt to catch a glimpse of
someone famous. From start to finish, Comic-Con is a challenging show to
attend. The good news? Thanks to the Internet, you can take it all in
from the comfort of your couch. In your Spider-Man Underoos, naturally.
That’s a mouthful. (Photo: Comic-Con International)
