San Diego Comic-Con to Comics: “Eh”

The San Diego Comic-Con is quickly becoming one of the biggest entertainment nodes of the year. Hollywood rolls out in greater force year after year, showing off their latest blockbusters, giving fans the chance to see their favorite stars speak live, and teasing new merchandise. The only problem seems to be the second half of that name. Comic-Con just sounds so… nerdy. At least, that’s how Comic-Con International seems to view it, as their efforts to push the comic book content out in favor of that fat Hollywood cash seem less subtle than ever.

Judging by the annual reports that come out of the event, with their photo parades of cosplaying fans, you’d be forgiven for thinking comics remain the event’s focus, but the evidence is stacking against that view. The event’s size has led to friction with the city of San Diego, and it looks like they’re eyeing Los Angeles as their new home, much closer to Hollywood. David Glanzer of CCI claims that Hollywood programming makes up only twenty percent of the event’s income, but that may change in the next two years, as CCI is pricing a great deal of the comic book community right out of their own convention, as exhibitor badges are going up in price by about 266%. That’s pretty steep from a supposedly not-for-profit business. Many in the independent comic book crowd are starting to sweat, as this rate is higher than any profits they can hope to make from the show, and some are already bailing.

Comic-Con is a fun event for the casual visitor, but it’s become a logistical nightmare for professionals. Hotels have to be reserved so far in advance that it becomes difficult to plan, and San Diego’s infrastructure has shown no concrete signs of further support. With the rise in cost, it’s likely that many will opt to shift focus to the quickly-growing New York Comic Con, which has maintained its focus on the books that these shows were founded on and which has already begun offering a second show, C2E2, in Chicago (the latter to apparently mixed response).

CCI won’t lose all of their comic business, but they may lose enough of it that the focus will be shifted permanently, something of which they’ve been accused many times over the last decade. Hollywood loves having Comic-Con as a promotional tool, and there’s little doubt that the event will endure. But then there’s that name again…

(Comic-Con logo from CCI)