San Diego Comic Con is usually regarded as the Mecca of comics, a holy place of intense popular culture worship with completely different altars unfold out via the conference for individuals to revere. I definitely thought of it as such, a vacation spot I wanted to verify off if I wished to contemplate myself a true fan of comics. As such, I was at all times left in frustration when plans for attending it fell via. This yr, the pilgrimage was lastly attainable, a possibility I seized with some hesitation, although. That is, till I realized that the Hollywood actors union SAG-AFTRA would be a part of screenwriters of their strike for higher contract and working circumstances concerning AI and streaming royalties.
This meant that this yr’s SDCC was going to be completely different, distinctive. With actors and Hollywood-inclined well-known individuals bowing out as a result of strike, it meant SDCC 2023 was going to be all about comics. It’s what pushed me to make the ultimate choice to attend. That and Junji Ito.
Before going additional, a warning. You’ll hear a truthful quantity about two different conventions that left a mark on my con-going expertise: New York Comic Con and Barcelona’s Salón del Cómic. NYCC is a sentimental favourite, as it was the first massive conference I ever attended, and it was a shock to the system (which, upon reaching the present flooring for the first time, resulted in being overwhelmed by the sheer dimension of it, retreating to drag myself collectively by consuming an $8.00 grilled cheese sandwich on the meals part, and then taking the dive into the mass of followers and cosplayers.)
Salón del Cómic is my favourite conference, interval. It’s a big artwork present full of artist-specific installations and mini-exhibits made to appear like you had been getting into the comedian worlds of the artists and creators honored on the occasion. A Will Eisner set up regarded like a large web page from a Spirit comedian, whereas native artist sections glowed with the colourful colours of the fantasy and sci-fi landscapes they had been recognized for. Comics had been the main voice. Everything else got here second. They additionally had a science fiction exhibit that featured unique Moebius pages and props from Guillermo del Toro’s Hellboy motion pictures. Gaming tournaments additionally occurred and had beneficiant house afforded to them.
SDCC jogged my memory of those two conventions, worlds unto themselves. On the one hand, it had a related grand and overwhelming sense of spectacle as NYCC (although multiplied a thousand instances over), and on the opposite it carried the playful and creative art-first vibes of Salón del Cómic.
Unlike NYCC, San Diego’s conference boasts a bigger house that stretches on and on to the purpose that strolling all of it from one finish to the opposite for the first time appeared like a two-day endeavor. Once it occurred, it grew to become extra manageable. You begin figuring out the spots you’ll be gravitating in the direction of essentially the most and largely stick with them. NYCC is a big rectangle that pulls individuals to its heart, proper about the place Marvel’s sales space and the large t-shirt retailer could be discovered, and it can really feel crammed very a lot to its detriment.
There’s a distinction between crowded and crammed. I discovered SDCC was crowded, however by no means to the purpose of feeling like I was going to be caught for minutes at a time in a single spot earlier than I might transfer within the path I wished (one thing that occurs extra typically at NYCC). Then once more, my scenario was distinctive due to the strike, which greater than doubtless affected attendance numbers.
Also in contrast to NYCC, largely due to house, SDCC had bigger themed cubicles full with strolling house and a number of entry factors. Each sales space, most notably these for WWE’s motion figures and Star Wars, got here throughout as legit stops with welcoming worlds to discover. They incentivize taking the time to essentially look via. The 30th anniversary Jurassic Park sales space was one other spotlight, celebratory in nature with the colour palettes and designs we’ve come to count on from the franchise. The similar could be mentioned of Lego’s sales space, which was made to appear like a Blockbuster rental place.
In essence, these cubicles had been like little museums with extra enthusiastic present retailers. Though their objective was to promote stuff, simply strolling into them and having fun with the issues on show was rewarding sufficient. This jogged my memory of Salón del Cómic greater than NYCC. Salón is mainly a collection of experiences that prioritize the appreciation of the artwork displayed on every part.
In Salón’s case, celebrating the medium of comics takes the lead, with gross sales not being shoved within the faces of congoers. Not that they’re extra noble than every other conference, Salón desires you to purchase until your pockets’s dry, however it’s clear there that presentation does a lot extra of the legwork when it involves getting individuals to spend cash.
And then we have now SDCC’s Junji Ito expertise. This is the place my con worlds collided to make for among the best experiences I’ve ever had in a comedian guide occasion. Hell, the very best expertise I’ve had in a comedian con. The Japanese Master of Horror, Junji Ito, grew to become the soul of the conference. His presence was unavoidable. From the panels he had on the San Diego Library and on the conference heart, to the moment basic artwork exhibit titled “Welcome to the Ito-Verse: The Junji Ito Experience”, there was no denying SDCC ought to’ve most likely been known as ItoCC. He was that necessary to it.
The Ito exhibit was the closest I’ve been to having the expertise I had at Salón del Cómic within the United States. It was intimate, creepy, and masterfully well-curated. It held greater than 90 unique pages from a few of Ito’s most iconic works. I was fortunate sufficient to attend the reception get together for the exhibit and Ito himself was there speaking to followers and assembly trade individuals, amongst them Jim Lee. His great translator Junko Goda made communication with Ito a risk for non-Japanese-speaking followers and she did a great job conveying our pleasure when talking to him.
The entire time on the exhibit felt like a uncommon however particular convergence of comics cultures, the type that proves the medium shares greater than we give it credit score for and that it harbors immense quantities of affection for it that crosses oceans and nation traces. Anyone on the verge of shedding religion in comics and its energy had solely to go to the exhibit and see how uplifting having all these pages there was, regardless of how terrifying the issues illustrated on them had been. It was the beating coronary heart of the conference.
The exhibit mannequin is one thing that every one massive conventions ought to aspire to. Celebrating artists and creators with their physique of labor, in unique pages and scripts, accessible for anybody to see is a privilege everybody ought to be uncovered to. Ito’s exhibit was within the Marriott proper subsequent to the conference heart. Next time, I hope it makes it to the present flooring, so extra individuals can have interaction with it.
The few negatives from SDCC didn’t detract within the slightest from my enjoyment, however some are value mentioning. First, this con’s Artist Alley is nothing however unhappy. It’s small, cramped, and barely there. It’s as if the con had been duty-bound to have one and so it was given the barest of minimums to make occur. It was in entrance of the large Funko sales space, which sucked away what little life the Alley had left. NYCC and Salón are means forward of the curve on this, to the purpose it’s not even truthful to match.
On high of that, publishers like 2000AD, Dark Horse, and IDW barely had any comics on sale. Their choice was reduce to simply a few objects. They had been largely there for show and bulletins. Instead of pulling a web page from Salón’s fastidiously constructed reveals and cubicles, these publishers went with a few show stands or big posters and units individuals might take footage in. They felt lifeless.
This was disappointing, as in years previous, and in different cons, these cubicles have had a giant choice of their libraries accessible for buy. It’s a loss to the present and it was sorely missed, particularly as this conference lacked the Hollywood presence that pulled everybody away from the present flooring.
The publishers that did have comics to promote, like Mad Cave, Image, and Fantagraphics, appeared to have a regular movement of consumers and individuals appeared usually glad to have books there for consideration, together with artist signings. Viz Media alone proved that having books and different objects on the market attracts in crowds, and that’s with out mentioning that their sales space had a few samples of unique Ito pages and blown up shows of his most annoying artwork throughout it.
In reality, Viz is a great instance of the right way to do a comedian con sales space proper amongst massive publishers. Vinland Saga additionally boasted a powerful sales space with unique artwork from the manga. Interesting that essentially the most spectacular and well-rounded cubicles got here from the world of manga.
The entire ticketing system for con exclusives, traces, and restricted comedian books was additionally a bummer. There are few issues as deflating as listening to the guide you wished and hoped to get your palms on on the con was solely accessible via a web-based raffle that occurred weeks earlier than the conference began (like Titan did with the brand new Jamie Lee Curtis guide Mother Nature). A greater system should take the place of ticketing. It’s one thing that closes off sure experiences from congoers.
On the brighter facet, the panel choice was huge and it boasted a ton of comics-specific subjects that had been already huge when Hollywood was nonetheless within the sport. There was one thing for everybody, and there was no scarcity of programming.
It bears mentioning that, whereas SDCC proved it doesn’t want Hollywood to succeed, I’m questioning whether or not the identical could be mentioned if toys and collectibles ever determined to skip it. Booths like Tamashii Nation and NECA had been among the many busiest on the ground and their traces had been typically capped for the day early. A large sum of money circulates there alone, so getting a higher take a look at how necessary collectibles are for the conference is important to understanding the comedian con expertise.
So, did SDCC turn into my new favourite? Did it beat NYCC and Salón del Cómic? It definitely beats NYCC in dimension, imaginative and prescient, and scope alone. Salón del Cómic, not a lot. It comes very shut, although. The Junji Ito expertise needs to be given credit score for chopping it so shut. I feel Salón is extra devoted to having a comics-first present than SDCC, which tries to be all of popular culture on a regular basis fairly than comics first and all the pieces else second. Having mentioned that, SDCC is life-changing, and it utterly reconfigures your expectations of what cons are and what they are often. More importantly, it leaves you wanting to come back again for extra as quickly as attainable, one thing I hope to do subsequent yr. It’s the sort of expertise that makes you are feeling such as you want to go yearly. I’ve definitely received that want now — the necessity for extra Comic Con.
Miss any of our earlier SDCC ’23 protection? Find it all right here!
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