Comic-Con returns to its roots, starless due to Hollywood strike

The big stars will not attend this week at the comic-con due to the historical hollywood strike. But while some of the attendees are disappointed, fans of the comics they seem delighted that the famous event is back.

The gigantic gathering of pop culture that takes place in San Diego, California, often grabs headlines for the thousands of fans who line up for days to see stars like Tom Cruise or Dwayne “The rock” Johnson.

But last week, the actors joined the writers’ strike and were therefore banned from promoting their movies and series. Thus, celebrities and studios, from Amazon to Warner Bros., canceled their appearances at Comic-Con.

However, not everyone is bothered by it.

“I’m probably more excited this year than any other in recent memory,” said Chris Gore, owner of the website “Film Threat” and director of “Attack of the Doc!”

“San Diego Comic-Con is going back to its roots, which is celebrating the art of comics”he claimed.

The event, which runs Thursday through Sunday, has become the largest pop culture gathering in North America, with 130,000 annual visitors dressed as everything from superheroes to space monsters.

Yet its first edition, the brainchild of an unemployed 36-year-old comic book collector and his five teenage acolytes, gathered just 100 people in the basement of a seedy hotel in 1970.

The “Golden State Comic-Con”as it was called, was originally conceived as a way for fans to network with each other and meet their heroes: comic book creators.

A gigantic convention hall with countless talks, seminars and signings has continued to allow fans to do just that.

Today, it’s often dwarfed by Comic-Con’s famous Hall H auditorium, where massive movie announcements are made.

“I watch the Hall H show especially, and it’s sparse” this year, said James Witham, host of the Down & Nerdy Podcast.

But “Comic-Con has never been just Hall H (…) it’s a unique animal, one of the few events that brings almost every fan and every aspect of the fan base together in one place.”

“Have filmstv, comics, anime, animation, toys”.

This year, fans like Gore are excited about seeing the panels without “bask in the sun in a giant row for hours”attend “smaller parties where you can actually chat with people” and focus more on comics.

Adaptation

Of course, the uncertainty about this year’s schedule has created logistical headaches for organizers.

Talks between Hollywood actors and the studios came to an end last week, giving Comic-Con just days to turn around since the strike was called.

David Glanzer, head of marketing for Comic-Con, assured that they were adapting to the situation.

“We really wish a resolution had been found before this,” lament.

However, the organization of the event is every year “Like a Rubik’s Cube” and organizers always have contingency plans, he added.

Hall H will host for the first time an Indian film panel, a gigantic launch of a new video game “Spider-Man” and several screenings of animated films, including the new movie of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

However, for fans whose priority was taking an illicit selfie or livestreaming some of the biggest names in Hollywood, the financial toll of Comic-Con may be harder to ignore.

Attendees spend thousands of dollars on travel, hotels and their Comic-Con tickets, which are highly competitive to obtain and have sold out months ago.

“There will be some disappointment with the lack of a Hollywood presence,” says Witham, who hopes many will discover for themselves the joys of the format that launched Comic-Con more than half a century ago.

This year, “Maybe you’ll make a detour to a place you normally wouldn’t make a detour.”

Source: AFP