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By Bruce Lidl
The on-going saga of the city of San Diego’s attempts to keep Comic Con happy in its home town, despite the explosive growth of attendees, the lack of convention center space and the traditional bad relations between Con-goers and local hotels, seemed to have been settled amicably in 2010. San Diego pledged to expand its convention center and the Con organizers responded by committing to remain in San Diego for the time being, despite the active, almost desperate, wooing by both Anaheim and Los Angeles.
Now, barely two months after a blissfully relocation anxiety free Comic Con 2011, the city’s financial plan necessary for the expansion to take place may be in seriousjeopardy. In a move reminiscent of all too many teen movies and afternoon specials, the local jocks, in this case the San Diego Charger professional football team are dead set on grabbing the lunch money away from the nerds of Comic Con. In a move that has surprised even the most jaded of localpoliticalobservers, the Chargers organization has declared their ambition to force the money allocated for Convention Center expansion to be used instead for a new football stadium. The current city plan calls for an increase in the hotel tax for visitors staying in downtown San Diego to be used for building out the Convention Center where it presently stands, but the Chargers, are proposing instead that a convention center/stadium be built on the far side of the Petco baseball stadium in the East Village area of San Diego.
The issue of where and how to pay for a Convention Center expansion had seemed settled, but a new law, passed by the voters of California in November 2010 as Proposition 26 changed how taxes in the state can be enacted, and doubtabout the legality of the San Diego hotel tax hike plan began to bubble under the surface. The Chargers, owned by the Spanos family, have been trying to get a publicly funded new arena for at least a decade, as they are unhappy in their current Qualcomm stadium, which they consider too old, too small, too lacking in luxury boxes, not hip enough to host Super Bowls, etc. With the Convention Center plan up in the air, the Chargers pounced, announcing that they would back a petition to put the entire idea before the San Diego voters in a local proposition in an
15 Comments on Con Wars! It’s Jocks versus Nerds in the Battle for Downtown San Diego!, last added: 9/29/2011
Here is the difference between Comic-Con and the Chargers: Comic-Con is successful; Chargers are not. Until the Chargers win a Superbowl, they deserve no right to a new stadium. San Diego learned that lesson after the whole Padres debacle.
And I’m a Chargers fan, so I’m not biased about it. I just call it how it is.
Randy @ WCG Comics said, on 9/27/2011 4:10:00 PM
As an L.A. area resident who’s been tracking the stadium process here, I was going to mention how obvious it seems that the Chargers are using the threat of moving to L.A. as leverage to extort money from San Diego. This, of course, is NFL owners’ usually M.O. (And I’m speaking as someone who, like many in L.A., doesn’t think an NFL franchise in L.A. is necessary, esp. with UCLA and USC in the area.)
Torsten Adair said, on 9/27/2011 4:26:00 PM
Okay… looking at Google Maps, the first question is:
where do people park if it’s built next to Petco field? They have a massive parking lot in Mission Valley, able to fit twelve Petcos. (166 acres) Oh, they intend for all the fans to use mass transit. No tailgating? Right….
Also, it looks like it would be shoehorned between 12th and 14th Street, making it rather compressed (four city blocks, 14 acres).
Or maybe south, near the Marine Terminal.
The current stadium seats 70,000, and the new stadium would seat 62,000?!?
$200 Million from the team, $500 Million from bonds, maybe $100 Million from the NFL.
Stadium land would be free, City owns the stadium (what keeps the Chargers from leaving town?), Chargers get to develop nearby land.
Torsten, the SD Stadium site isn’t an official Chargers site. I’m pretty sure there’s a lot of back and forth between the organization and site, but I’m pretty sure it’s more of an ‘astro-turf’ operation.
The current stadium sits on land that is contaminated from a fuel processing and storage site making it near undevelopable and the Mission Valley area has too many residential-shopping entities as it is with roads to small to accommodate them. Price wise, a new stadium will be around a Billion dollars. And then think more, these things are not cheap.
The rest of your post is spot-on. The team is asking for (lots of) public money to build a 62,000 seat stadium (with convention center facilities!) which is too small to host the dozen Superbowls supporters say we’ll get with a new stadium (seriously).
And SDCC won’t be interested in a satellite expansion which would be too small for their needs. They want lots of space in one place. The combo that the Chargers are floating is a joke at best and a deliberate attempt to chase SDCC out of town at (likely) worst.
At some point, Mark Fabiani and David Glanzer are going to be in a room together, and I’d kill to be the fly on the wall there…
Jay said, on 9/27/2011 5:28:00 PM
If Comic Con were actually about comics this might bug me, but Comic Con is a BS media convention that could give a crap about comics and has been totally co-opted by movie studios.
I’m with the Chargers on this.
The Freaky Tiki said, on 9/27/2011 6:18:00 PM
Really? Jocks VS. Nerds? I see this as two businesses via for public funds. In the end it will come down to the city’s business plan that will dictate the outcome.
The Tiki
Rich said, on 9/27/2011 7:33:00 PM
So how do we get the Lambda Lambda Lambda guys to hold a concert for us? It worked to defeat Prop 15.
Hutch said, on 9/27/2011 8:08:00 PM
Much ado about nothing. The Chargers won’t even be in San Diego five years from now.
rhuppertz said, on 9/27/2011 10:35:00 PM
No contest.
The Chargers are much more important to the city than Comic Con. Plus Jacksonville, Buffalo and Oakland are much more likelier targets for moving to LA.
Nat Gertler said, on 9/28/2011 5:26:00 AM
Someday, perhaps, the NFL will be profitable, and won’t need a government handout…
Ryan Buck said, on 9/28/2011 7:56:00 AM
Has anyone taken a look at mainstream comics lately…tell me they aren’t made for jocks?
Jimmy S. Jay said, on 9/28/2011 7:57:00 AM
I’ve been waiting for an article liek this to surface….
It would be interesting to note the economic impact of a NFL franchise over the course of an entire year vs the economic impact of one HUGE event on one week of the year…
Much like the NFL has used LA to leverage cities/teams/owners over the last 20 years, I always thought the “threat” of moving Comic Con further north was similar by SDCC. If the show is registered “nonprofit” and the staff are all San Diego residents, why would they move the event? And if they did, would SDCC management be forced to wear a “scarlett letter” in their community?
Of course having Wondercon move to SoCal for a year is a good enough threat to last another decade
The alternative to convention expansion is $500 tickets to comic-con, I guess. At least based on recent years.
Seems like there would be a way to do both.
I love california election laws.
Pablo said, on 9/28/2011 8:33:00 PM
Love the Chargers but, I, like many other fans, are unsure if the team will stay or leave. Having Comic-Con and the Chargers both leave San Diego would be double whammy for fans both or either or thing. I would hate to see both leave. The problem for the Chargers is that they can’t find a location for a stadium. The problem with Comic-Con is that it is too big. The easy solution for the Chargers is move back to LA. The best solution for Comic-Con is to make the event last for a week or make the event become 2 separate events, a comic book convention for the true comic fans, and a multi-entertainment convention (for fans of movies, tv, and video games). If Anaheim can have multiple Con events (D23 Expo, WizardWorld, Anime Expo, BlizzCon, etc.), and Long Beach can have a comic book expo and comic con, then why can’t San Diego have more than one comic book event per year? It seems like the people who run the SDCC are only interested in making alot of money for one week out of the year. They should no longer call their con a non-profit organization either. They make money and make alot of money for the city of San Diego as well.
ed said, on 9/28/2011 11:12:00 PM
Expect to be having the San Diego versus LA versus Anaheim versus Las Vegas debate all over again at Comic-Con 2012.
Great! The Comicsratti needed another SDCC topic to talk about and to fill the three years till 2015— when the next COMIC-CON/SD RENEWAL CONTRACT drama can properly start up once again!
Nice to see the usual The Beat echo chamber pronouncements in the discussion, though..
Pass the popcorn.
(As for the CHARGERS: this is their last desperation move to wrangle a new stadium out of the City and taxpayers of San Diego. Courting Chula Vista AND Oceanside as ‘viable options’— shut down by those cities. Dangling the ‘moving to LA/Orange County’ carrot— denied by Oakland RAIDERS proprietary claim to the LA NFL market. Returning to ‘build it in Mission Valley BUT we get the real estate for that’— NO city government would be that stupid to make the deal. So they fell back to what was revealed to have been their INITIAL
game plan.)
/counting down to the special Comic-Con episode of THE REAL WORLD
While not as bloody an incident as the 2010 stabbing, this year the fever pitch of Hall H at Comic-Con was again marred by violence when Welsh actor Rhys Ifans, who plays the Lizard in the upcoming Spider-Man movie, got into a scuffle with a security guard, which resulted in a citizen’s arrest by said guard.
The incident was said to kick off when Ifans, who might have had a tiny bit to drink that afternoon, him being Welsh and all, went outside for a smoke with his entourage, and upon trying to get back in, found his entourage didn’t have the proper credentials. After a shouting match with the guard, Ifans reportedly gave her a shove, went on stage looking pale and rattled, and upon getting offstage, was arrested.
However, the charges won’t stick. Police were unable to find enough evidence for an indictment.
Gina Coburn, a spokeswoman for the San Diego Office of the City Attorney, said: “After reviewing differing witness accounts, our prosecutors concluded there was not sufficient evidence to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.”
This event is part of a whole new theory we’ve developed for San Diego, namely that it’s now way more stressful for Hollywood types than for comics folk — after all we understand that getting our entourages anywhere without a badge or a wristband is impossible. Actors just aren’t smart enough to figure that out yet.
We’ve been assembling some other evidence to support this theory which we shall perhaps present to you before Comic-Con 2012.
2 Comments on Rhys Ifans, The Hall H Shover, will not be charged, last added: 8/16/2011
If entourages are outlawed, will only outlaws have entourages?!? :-(
I fear for the future of our celebutards…
Jason Green said, on 8/16/2011 6:45:00 AM
Not comics-related at all, but Ifans was really, really good in Mr. Nice. Looking forward to seeing him as the Lizard, although I think Dylan Baker was a pretty awesome choice in the Raimi movies. Too bad we never got to see that play out.
Well, after posting my initial analysis of Comic-Con programming, astute Beat readers suggested I consider the square footage and attendance of each panel.
Using the color-coded programming grids found on the CCI website, and then using the occupancy data for the convention center and nearby hotels, I created a nice spreadsheet for each room or hall.
Here are the totals (apologies for the spacing):
(Media includes Film, Television, and Animation from the grid)
Total Square Feet*Hours of Programming
Comics 1,380,275.50
Media 4,100,324.25
Games 256,110.50
Books 172,715.00
Other 278,386.00
Why does Media have three times the space of comics? That’s a result of Room 20, Hall H, and the Indigo Ballroom, which were almost exclusively reserved for Media events. (The Indigo hosted 16 media, 3 comics, 3 other, and 1 game panels. Room 20 and Hall H were exclusively media panels, with Room 20 holding the less popular movies and shows.)
If we ignore those big rooms, the numbers are better:
Comics 1,306,658.50
Media 1,162,928.25
Games 232,110.50
Books 171,098.00
Other 204,769.00
Of course, remove the three-room Media circus, and most of the fanboy furor over Comic-Con vanishes. As do most of the crowds and journalists.
If we consider seating, it looks a bit better, with media at twice the attendance of comics. Attendance is hard to gauge, so I used the capacity seating listed for each room layout. These are liberal numbers… I suspect that the big rooms were packed, while the smaller rooms probably had some empty seats. I wouldn’t be surprised if the official numbers tabulated from CCI are proportional to the square footage number above.
Maximum Seating *Hours of Programming
Comics 226,868.50
Media 440,108.75
Games 34,377.00
Books 25,736.00
Other 56,795.00
Without the big rooms:
Comics 218,729.50
Media 133,787.00
Games 31,714.00
Books 25,586.00
Other 48,656.00
A rather spectacular difference in possible attendance
13 Comments on Comic-Con 2011: Perception vs. Reality, Part Two, last added: 8/3/2011
Amazing work, Torsten. This has got to be the first breakdown of its kind on SDCC’s media vs. comics situation ( or infinite crisis).
Is it possible to do the same thing for convention floor space? That seems to be where comics folk really get the feeling that they’re losing the battle.
Jake Orion said, on 8/2/2011 9:02:00 PM
Very good stuff Torsten, great article. It is nice to know that the Comic-Con committee is still devoted to comics (for now.)
However, one trend that has begun to worry me: I had the pleasure to speak with Joe Corroney this year in Artist Alley. We blabbed about various odds and ends of the Comic-Con when he said something puzzling; how small Artist Alley has been becoming. Every year, it seems to be becoming more condensed or is being intruded due to the major gaming booths, which, in my opinion, has no business being at the con.
Unfortunately I do not have my past events guides with me as I’m out of town, but does anyone have any information on what floorspace Artist Alley used to encompass compared to what it was this year?
Bill Cunningham said, on 8/2/2011 11:21:00 PM
It’s clear, based on the #’s you’re presenting, that the perception is in fact, the truth (or as close as we are going to get here). The “three-room Media circus” events dominate Comic Con.
I have to also agree with Cliff and Jake above that another point to gauge the media v. comics controversy (?) is on the dealer’s room floor. Though that might be much harder to accurately measure.
So what does this all mean for SDCC?
Jimmie Robinson said, on 8/3/2011 12:09:00 AM
Thanks, again, Torsten.
Your work is very much appreciated and I hope it spurs future comic creators to continue to fight the good fight with the full understanding that they ARE supported at San Diego and elsewhere.
Al™ said, on 8/3/2011 5:01:00 AM
Very interesting analysis!
But I wonder if comics and media are now in symbiosis forever. Comic companies are owned by media conglomerates.
Comics, with their limited mass appeal (this year’s hot story involves one comic company reorganizing its comic line)TEAMS UP with ‘beautiful yet shallow’ media. (Starlets and stars appear and wear comic Tshirts)
It might be the match made in heaven. Comics giving some sort of fan street cred to movies, and movies being made from comics by the very owners of the comic companies.
Torsten Adair said, on 8/3/2011 9:11:00 AM
The exhibitor map can be found here:
I cannot calculate how much area each booth occupies, nor how to “split the baby” in deciding how much of each booth is allotted to each category. (Marvel had a media display and signing area in their booth.)
On that exhibitor map, you will note that the fan club tables were moved up to the “attic” of the convention center, up on the Mezzanine Terrace/Amphitheatre level near Room 16. How many CCI attendees actually ventured up there?
What if CCI offered bargain-priced Artist Alley tables in a nearby hotel (no badge required to enter so to maximize traffic), and used that space on the convention floor for expanding the small press area by averaging the rent to make it cheaper? The Hilton had a larger ballroom which wasn’t used. The Hyatt was empty, except for the 2012 pre-registration, and it could host it’s own comic con with the amount of space it has! The Hard Rock and Omni also have ballrooms.
As we saw with TR!CKSTER, there is opportunity to expand, “Angoulême”, or “Mardi Gras” Comic-Con. That involves the involvement of the San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture, the San Diego Public Library, and various fan groups. A “cosplay 10K” where everyone is costumed. (No costume? Can’t run? Get made up as a zombie.) Art workshops for kids and teens. Free movie screenings in Embarcadero Marina Park South or Balboa.
Steve G said, on 8/3/2011 9:15:00 AM
What happens to the numbers if you break out the media events for shows and movies based on comic properties and animated series like ThunderCats that skew decidedly to the comics side of the whole equation?
Rupert Giles said, on 8/3/2011 9:23:00 AM
A couple years ago, this Chuck Rozanski blog , painted a picture of doom & gloom for comics retailers at the show in 2008.
However, your numbers would indicate that its not as bad as it seems. Thanks for putting the numbers together Torsten.
Lee Whiteside said, on 8/3/2011 9:37:00 AM
The fan tables used to be in the exhibitor hall, but about five years ago they started putting them up in the mezzanine area. There is a fair amount of traffic up there, especially when the food outlets are open. When the fan table I run (AZ SF Cons) was in the exhibit hall, we got complaints from dealers that couldn’t buy additional tables that the fan tables were taking up space that they could buy (and occasionally when the fan table was adjacent to a regular exhibitor, there inventory would sometimes creep over to the fan table). Pretty much any fan groups that have tables in the exhibit hall now are paying for the space.
One area that has been completely eliminated is the art auction space, which used to be an area with a stage and about 100 seats where artists would work on pieces for the art auction. They tried moving to a function room at the far end of the newer part of the convention center upstairs, but no one ventured down there, so it was dropped completely.
Todd A said, on 8/3/2011 9:45:00 AM
I think breaking it down by square footage and seats is a bit tricky, especially by seats. Sure Media dominates because they have the big rooms, but there are a lot of people that attend Comic Con for the comics that go to these panels as well. It’s not black and white, if you attend media panels that doesn’t mean you only attend the convention because of this. The same goes for comics, gaming, and anything else the convention offers.
Torsten: Your right, I think spreading out the convention is the way to go. Also, I believe that artist alley tables are free already. So it’s a matter of getting artists to want to setup away from the main exhibit hall. With the success of TR!CKSTER this year, that might make it easier.
Torsten Adair said, on 8/3/2011 10:22:00 AM
Artists’ Alley tables for 2012 will cost $350 for half of an eight-foot table. Register before September 23, and it’s free.
(A full table at APE costs $300.)
10×10 booth $2500 (minus discounts for early registration and payment)
Corner booths and islands have additional costs.
Hmmm… what if Disney/Marvel set up a D23-style show at the Hilton during CCI? No admission charged, just take the money spent towards a CCI booth and spend it at the Hilton. Control all aspects of programming, including hours (and sales!). Import a few walk-around characters from Disneyland, including the gift shop (with exclusives!) Plaster the hotel with marketing, including swag bags in each hotel room, a dedicated “D23″ channel on the hotel TV system, CCTV broadcasts of the panels, including repeats…
Then the year after, Warners does the same, perhaps at the Hard Rock Hotel. Then Lego sets up a mini-Legoland in the Omni, and runs a show for AFOLs. And then…
Trev said, on 8/3/2011 1:58:00 PM
This is great work Torsten!
If you take into account occupancy percentage, I think it skews significantly more towards media. The ‘3-room circus’ (I love that term) is almost consistently at 90% or better capacity — though there are a number of campers who sit in those rooms all day regardless of interest in any particular panel.
Anecdotally, most non-major publisher/event comics panels are 25-60% full at most. At least most of those I attended.
You can’t put a number on every room wrt occupancy, but just knowing that there may be a 25-30% or better discrepancy in true occupancy skews things even more.
And the bright side for us comics folks is what a lot of people have known for years — avoid Hall H, Ballroom 20, and Indigo and you get a really great comics event.
Would be awesome to know how the comics portions stacks against the next largest non-cci con (NYCC??).
Trev said, on 8/3/2011 2:04:00 PM
Torsten wrote:
“Hmmm… what if Disney/Marvel set up a D23-style show at the Hilton during CCI? No admission charged, just take the money spent towards a CCI booth and spend it at the Hilton. Control all aspects of programming, including hours (and sales!). Import a few walk-around characters from Disneyland, including the gift shop (with exclusives!) Plaster the hotel with marketing, including swag bags in each hotel room, a dedicated “D23″ channel on the hotel TV system, CCTV broadcasts of the panels, including repeats…
Then the year after, Warners does the same, perhaps at the Hard Rock Hotel. Then Lego sets up a mini-Legoland in the Omni, and runs a show for AFOLs. And then…”
I think we saw the beginning of this trend for the con this year. The bulk of the gaslamp area and surrounding hotels is being consumed by just this kind of stuff.
Okay, by now you’ve all heard about how the topic of women working in superhero comics (and women geeks, but that’s another post) was the talk of the town at Comic-Con. At each of the daily DC New 52 panels, a woman dressed as Batgirl would ask about more women characters, what characters her daughter should dress as and more, to an increasingly hostile reception among other attendees. There’s much more on this woman and her reception on the internet but we’ll get to that in a moment.
I was only able to attend one DC New 52 panel, and it was the first one on Thursday, the one that has gotten a particular soundbite spread all around the internet. DC has made all their panels available as podcasts, and I guess if you are a real Kremlinologist you’ll want to comb over these tapes for clues and evidence. I do want to talk about the panel I attended, because there are some things that happened that I witnessed that I haven’t seen reported, and some other private moments that I witnessed that I think add to the whole picture. So here’s what I know:
This first panel was a hot ticket as everyone thought this would be where the most sparks flew. I attended the panel with our own first timer, Ali Colluccio. The line was humongous — I really didn’t think we’d get in. Ironically, we were standing only two people behind Rich Johnston, who was busily posting and taking phone calls even while standing in line — that guy worked his ass off at the Con, for sure.
As Ali and I chatted we got into a conversation with the man standing in front of us, the owner of a store in Burbank called Emerald Knights. He introduced himself and gave me his card, but it doesn’t have his name on it, and I didn’t write it down, so I’ll call him The Owner. Of course I asked him what he thought of the relaunch, and he was generally positive. However, he said “I’m concerned that they’ve gone from 12% women to 1% women creators.”
I allowed that I was surprised to hear a MAN saying this, as it usually seemed to be the female element that was complaining. The Owner told us that his wife is a writer, and he sees getting more women in the business as part of growing it. Clearly a man of vision!
When we got into the room (just about the last to get in, I might add!) few seats remained so Ali and I and The Owner all sat in the far left of the room. The panel began — you can read my live blog here. Ali and I both had our laptops out taking notes, so we were both head down working.
And then this happened:
15 Comments on SCOOP: What really happened at the infamous Dan DiDio/Hire More Women incident, last added: 7/29/2011
Why should fans dictate to a company who they “should” hire?
Because “best” doesn’t mean anything specific in the context DiDio placed it in. It could refer to the best-selling comics, the people with the best name recognition, the best at satisfying editorial demands (e.g., at doing event tie-ins), the best people available at a given time, or the people who produce the best work in an aesthetic sense.
If a guy is producing terrible work, stories or artwork crippled by obvious problems, it’s hard to argue that other people shouldn’t be given shots at landing assignments. Perhaps publishing poor work is a systemic editorial problem; perhaps it’s due to isolated instances of poor performance. In any case, soliciting submissions from female professionals doesn’t have any evident drawbacks. At worst, evaluating submissions takes staff time; they might discover talent superior to their existing talent that will appeal to readers who aren’t currently customers.
SRS
Brad said, on 7/29/2011 1:58:00 PM
Marvel has done a lot of women-created and female-skewing titles lately — I agree that’s part of it. But that doesn’t mean a woman has to write Wonder Woman! Or a man has to write Batman. And look at all the artists, ex-artists, and (cough) V.P.s!! who are writing some of these #1s — why them if not an Old Boys Club? A relaunch designed for new readers who don’t indulge in cult of personality buying habits would have been a great opportunity to showcase someone new.
I think what’s missing is the strong editorial hand of yore. Johns the writer? Or Lee the artist? Or DiDio the cartoon guy? Instead of promoting these guys, I wish they would have promoted an honest-to-gosh editor like Karen Berger. Someone who can manage talent and has vision — just like Julie did. Then you’d see some stuff.
Bill Gatevackes said, on 7/29/2011 1:59:00 PM
Couple things I feel compelled to say about this:
1. Are comic fans belligerent? More and more so. I’ve notice a lot of the vile stuff that used to be said under the cover of anonimity on the internet are being shouted out loud at people at conventions. So, I’m not arguing that. But DiDio’s reaction to that just sounds awful. I wasn’t there so, who knows, maybe he was smiling and joking when he was barking at Mr. Enright. But is sounds awful, much worse that is appear in written form. He is the public face of his company. He needs to be professional, even in the face of rudeness.
2. DiDio coming over to the guy was good, I guess. But what he told him one on one should have been said up at the podium. If it was, the aftermath could have been much different.
3. I love the way the comic industry works. As an example, Tracey Morgan makes a horrible, offensive joke about killing his son if he became gay. It gets spread throughout the internet like wildfire with many media markets chiming in to opine on it. Everyone involved with 30 Rock, from NBC to Tina Fey to Morgan himself starts making statements to allieviate the damage and apologize for what happened. Now, you might say what Morgan said was far worse than what DiDio said. But people hardly talked about the Morgan incident a week after it happened. Here we are still talking about the DiDio statement. I haven’t seen anything where anyone from DC or DiDio himself has said anything about this to try an do damage control. And while they are ignoring the issue, a petition over at Change.org (http://www.change.org/petitions/co-publisher-dc-comics-hire-more-women-heres-a-few-to-get-you-started) has grown to over 2,840 signatures. If the reason what there are less women working at DC because of scheduling issues, they should have come out and said it and nip this controversy in the bud. Unless, of course, they think even bad press is good press.
4. Maybe I am naive, but I grew up in an era that if they held to the “finding the right writer for the book,” we might not have had Alan Moore on Swamp Thing or Neil Gaiman on Sandman. Because a relatively unknown Brit who was most famous in the States was for his work on Captain Britain in the UK doesn’t sound like any better a fit for Swamp Thing than an even lesser known Brit whose only major work in the States was a Black Orchid mini being allowed to rebuild a DC concept from the name up. Both of those choices were kinda risky in the day and turned out quite well.Granted, the business of comics is far shakier today than it was in the 1980s, and that kind of outside of the box thinking might not be affordable, but, really, if people aren’t buying a JT Krul Green Arrow before the reboot, they aren’t going to be buying one after.What does it hurt to give a woman creator a chance.
Sorry for rambling,
Bill
Sparks said, on 7/29/2011 2:13:00 PM
@Sue
@Fotoclub’s response speaks to how Dido may have to answer in public and not about what he does behind closed doors. The Community show runner is probably free to talk about whatever he wants (especially now that Angela is gone). It’s not quite the same thing.
That’s not to say that we shouldn’t have more diversity in general in all walks of life, including comics.
That said. Remember that DC is really Warner Brothers which is a pretty big company.
“Speaking of JK Rowling, I would pay good money for a faithful adaptation of the Harry Potter books in comic book form (similar to Marvel’s Oz books). Warner has the rights, Warner owns DC. My money’s on the table so make this happen, DC!”
Warner has the movie rights, Scholastic has the US publishing rights and only Rowling can authorize new material like a comic adaption.
MAYBE Warner can authorize a comic adaption of the movies but only their lawyers know for sure.
And Warner may not want to tarnish the HP brand with a product that, best case scenario, will sell 100k.
It’s a lot harder than ‘make it happen’.
The Beat said, on 7/29/2011 2:21:00 PM
COMICS FAQ 101: JK ROWLING DOES NOT WANT SPIN OFF MATERIAL IN COMICS FORM.
Period
As for Rich’s story, with all the bad intel he’s been running (and never correcting) I take this with a grain of salt. But we shall see indeed.
Chris S said, on 7/29/2011 2:40:00 PM
I think what impressed me most about “kyrax2” in that interview and in the one panel that I saw her at (the one where she was booed), was how level headed, open minded and downright unflappable she was. A far cry from the intolerant, blinding rage and bile that we get on a regular basis from the “usual suspects” on various tumblrs. Not once in that interview does she call anyone sexist, misogynist, ableist and the variety of other expletives that these “tumblrs” delight in spewing at DC/Marvel. I was particularly happy to hear about her response to Paul Cornell and how, because of his sensitivity to her concerns, she is willing to try a comic that she wouldn’t normally read. Same with her reaction to Gail Simone upon speaking to her. She’s not going to boycott Batgirl, she’s going to actually “read it” and then make up her mind (a controversial concept to be sure).
You get a great feel for where this woman’s head is at with comments like this…
“There’s something so down-to-earth about the way Brian Q. Miller is writing her, so positive, so human. At one point she says to Damian: “Everything doesn’t *have* to be about fear. There’s room in our line of work for *hope*, too.” That right there sums up everything I love about Steph.”
and this….
“buy Paul Cornell’s and Gail Simone’s books. As SilverLocust1 said to me on Twitter, “Please encourage readers to buy comics that prove reader interest, boycotting gives the people who buy all the influence.”
I can almost hear the angry tumblr folks heads exploding after hearing that kind of positive talk.
My girlfriend and I talked to quite a few women before, during and after various marvel and dc panels and were surprised (after months and months of tumblr outrage) how open they were to the new changes at DC. They expressed their very legitimate concerns about the lack of female writers, artists and characters but also a willingness to give everything a fair chance. Mostly though, they just talked about their favorite things that they were currently reading and looking forward to reading. No talk of boycotts and misogynists and outrage over Oracle or Mera’s lack of a head or whatever other things that people are getting ulcers over. Some of them even like the covers to Catwoman! (gasp!) exposed bra strap and all. Go figure.
It cemented what I already knew for the most part (at least based on what I hear daily from fan girl friends of mine), that there isn’t much difference between fan girls and fan boys (something you would never know based on tumblr and other various internet comments), that they just want good stories, they aren’t all pissed off about the new 52, they‘re not perpetually angry, they don’t all hate DiDio and Lee, they know that Simone is writing Batgirl because she loves the character and that she’s not goose stepping to company orders or selling out for a paycheck. They don’t think any of that bs that we hear on various tumblrs on a daily basis.
Personally, I agree with everything Kryax said in that interview but I think people would do well to take note of “how“ she said it. We both clapped when she was getting booed. And I think she and people like her prove that the “tone” of fandom on various “tumblrs” is the exception, not the rule.
Andrew Farago said, on 7/29/2011 2:50:00 PM
Just to throw out some numbers:
Between Shaenon K. Garrity’s Kickstarter project and the Womanthology book, there are over 1600 (and counting) backers who’ve spent $100 grand to finance two woman-created publishing ventures, and most backers pledged at least $10 (and many pledged $50 or more).
I don’t think it’s a stretch to imagine that some of this enthusiasm would carry over if some of these same creators were producing material for DC, is it?
jimmy palmiotti said, on 7/29/2011 2:52:00 PM
Nicola Scott and Amanda Conner are both doing books for D.C. but they happen not to be in the september launch…Amanda on two seperate things that hit later in the year and 2012.
I totally get what Dan is saying…he is hiring talent based on their work, not their sex. Walk in with amazing art and really, they dont care if you are male or female…all they want to know is are you available and can you do a monthly title.
Some of the people mentioned are already busy and cannot do D.C. work…which is understandable, but I stay positive that we are bringing in new talent each year…and a lot of them happen to be female.
Hiring writers has always been a harder task all around.
Jimmy Palmiotti
Jamie Coville said, on 7/29/2011 3:09:00 PM
It’s true that *some* female creators don’t want to be pigeon holed as female character writers only. If that’s the only thing they’ve been offered in the past then they might turn it down and ask for something else instead.
DC did tell retailers that their target market for the 52 relaunch was *male* readers and in particular former comic readers. So when Didio talks about the “best” writers, he’s talking about the best writers for that demographic.
I’m half expecting offensive 90’s bad girl style covers to be part of the 2nd wave of publicity for the books.
Overall it looks like an example of a comic publisher looking backwards instead of forward.
Alexa (Ladies Making Comics) said, on 7/29/2011 3:32:00 PM
@Chris S.- Pls 2 not b painting all women bloggers with the same brush based solely on their choice of blogging platform. KTHXBAI.
But seriously, in my experience it is very rare for any individual or companies to be called “sexist” or “misogynist”. If you read our complaints and think, “they’re calling everyone sexist!” maybe you should unpack that interpretation.
The Comics Journal is posting video tapes of several Comic-Con panels — so avoiding those crowds was the right way to go after all! Here’s one that we much desired to see 50 Years of Comic Book Fandom with Mark Evanier, Jean Bails, Paul Levitz, Dick and Pat Lupoff, Richard Kyle, Bill Schelly, Roy Thomas, and Maggie Thompson. This is where it all began, people.
1 Comments on SDCC11 Videos: 50 Years of Comic Book Fandom Panel, last added: 7/31/2011
People have been complaining that “Comic-Con” is no longer about comics.
How Hollywood has slowly colonized the show, and that comics are becoming marginalized. Is this true?
Yes, Hall H and Room 20 are packed full of film fans, celebrities, and press, and much of the news from San Diego each year is media related (even if it does tie into comic book properties).
Yet comics had a fair share of panels in the Indigo Ballroom and the various Room 6 halls, so there were large crowds for comics panels, and a lot of cosplayers dressed up as their favorite comic book characters.
But does media really dominate the programming at Comic-Con International?
Let’s find out!
I used the grid charts found at the CCI site and tabulated the hours for each category.
“Media” is Animation, Movies, and Television. I grouped them together, since most critics lump them together as well. (Razzafrackin’ Hollywood…)
I didn’t count the panels or screenings occurring in the Marriott, nor the special events and playbacks scheduled in the evenings.
This is just the panels.
So, looking at the pie chart, we see that comic book programming has 51% of total programming, for an estimated 298 hours of programming! (That’s twelve days and 10 hours, if laid end to end!)
Media has about a third of the programming pie, with 190.75 hours (almost 8 days).
The remaining sixth is almost evenly divided between Everything Else (toys and other miscellany): 37.5; SF/Fantasy/Horror: 29.5; and Games: 28.5.
The grand total? 584:15 hours of programming! 24 days of programming (not including the Masquerade, Eisner Awards, and the film festivals)!
What is amazing about Comic-Con, what makes it such a mecca, is that it is a fan fest for a wide variety of tribes. Thumb through the panel grids (ha! A comics reference!) and look at the “Everything Else” panels. Yes, lots of toy groups there, but also Harry Potter, costuming, sculpting, and Klingon lifestyles! Plus a separate track for film-making. It’s diverse and chaotic, and one hopes that the fandoms cross-pollinate. Yes, the crowds are crazy, but the energy is intoxicating. Find a way to enjoy it, not just survive. (And attend one of the many regional cons which tend to be smaller, but just as much fun.) And quitcher bellyachin! Grim and gritty is out! We’re in the “hippie” phase of the Sekhmet Hypothesis! Grant Morrison says so! So be happy! Accentuate the positive! (Unless you live in New York. New Yorkers are never satisfied. We complain/kvetch/grumble/grouse as a form of therapy.)
15 Comments on Comic-Con 2011: Perception vs. Reality, last added: 8/1/2011
Same amount of comics content. Just not enough people who care about it!
Joe C said, on 7/28/2011 5:20:00 PM
I’m mor interested in the breakdown as far as vendors go. buying comics ain’t what it used to be.
Matthew Fabb said, on 7/28/2011 6:05:00 PM
I went to SDCC for my first time this year and was disappointed that I didn’t arrive early enough to get into Hall H for the Doctor Who panel. However, I was very happy to easily get into Mike Mignola panel, the Love & Rockets panel, the Fables panel and the Dark Horse panel (even with Guillermo del Toro on that one). All panels these comic panels had good crowds, some that I had to line up to get in, but I still managed get in which as a comic fan is great. I’ll take that any day compared to the media panels where you have to line up for some hours before hand to get in.
Jamie Coville said, on 7/28/2011 7:00:00 PM
Every year at comic-con is a hair pulling exercise for me. There are a lot of great comic panels and there is always several that overlap, forcing me to choose one of the other.
This year I barely had enough time to walk the floor and see everything. I actually didn’t get to see a lot of people I normally visit and have a conversation with.
CitizenCliff said, on 7/28/2011 7:30:00 PM
Is there any way of knowing the comics square footage vs. Hollywood square footage on the convention floor?
Milton Burden said, on 7/28/2011 9:17:00 PM
I’m with Cliff, I think the bigger issue is the amount of booth space that non-comic stuff takes up.
Jimmie Robinson said, on 7/28/2011 9:19:00 PM
Thanks for that, Torsten. Your work is appreciated and your research is happily accepted. It’s true that we see the huge Hollywood displays and read the media news and cringe, but this is heartening to read about the panels.
Bill Cunningham said, on 7/28/2011 11:13:00 PM
I think your report here could use another level of analysis, that is you should look at the room size as well as the hours programmed. How many comic book programs were booked in Hall H or the equivalent?
Does it even out? Do the hours programmed coincide with attendance #’s? My theory is you’ll find a shift in the percentages, with a larger percentage of SDCC attendees in the media events than the comic ones. However, it needs to be proven.
If this is indeed the case, what does that mean for SDCC, the attendees and so on…?
Jeremy Nguyen said, on 7/29/2011 1:18:00 AM
This is just counting programming hours. But I always cite cases where fans of Twilight have bought tickets just for the Twilight panels and never ventured outside of Hall H.
Then take into account the traffic of ‘big booths’ in the center of the con floor coming to a standstill, but walkable in the artist alley/small press/golden age areas.
Just because 50% of the coffee shops in a city are Starbucks, doesn’t mean 50% of the coffee that people are drinking is Starbucks.
Al™ said, on 7/29/2011 5:06:00 AM
From here (in a land far, far away from Comic-Con) any mass media coverage has featured 1. movies and movie stars and 2. People dressed as squirrels or Conan
Nothing about comics, creators or art.
So, Comic-Con equals movies and dressup.
Todd A said, on 7/29/2011 8:01:00 AM
This comment thread makes me sad. Comic-Con attendees sound like a bunch of whiners. They will never be able to make everyone happy, and people will always find something new to complain against. I for one am happy that they have this much comics programming. Thank you for the article and analysis.
Torsten Adair said, on 7/29/2011 8:52:00 AM
Each panel room has a public square footage, and even a suggested occupancy given a particular layout (classroom, banquet, theater…)
So all it would take to figure this out:
multiply room footage by panel duration for each category.
Hall H hosted NO comics events. (And it would be difficult to picture a comics panel which would fill 6,000 seats.)
Indigo hosted three comics panels (one of which had a media tie-in via Joss Whedon). Heidi, how was your panel with Frank Miller?
Room 20 hosted no comics panels (and was empty on Sunday).
Most big comics panels were scheduled in the “sixes” (A, BCF, DE).
The convention exhibit floor (Halls A-G) is more difficult to gauge. Square footage is harder to calculate, and some exhibitors are promoting more than one category.
As for attendance figures, unless a room is packed, that figure is harder to calculate. CCI might keep a head count for future analysis, but even the general attendance figures for conventions have a bit of wiggle room.
A more general question, which Dave brings up: what is the greatest attendance a comics-only show could generate? In Japan, that number is 560,000 and growing. Anime expo cites 47,000 attendees (128,000 turnstile). Baltimore, Heroes, Mega Con are some of the biggest “comics only” shows.
For fans, the question is, Was there enough stuff to keep me occupied, and was it worth the hassle?
For professionals and exhibitors, the questions is, Was the show profitable for me, and was it worth the trouble to exhibit?
Matthew Southworth said, on 7/29/2011 9:53:00 AM
For what it’s worth (not a lot?)–
I spent the weekend in San Diego, totally busy the entire time I was at the show, and the only celebrity I saw was James Urbaniak, the actor and voice of Dr Venture, who is just THIS CLOSE to being a comics guy. . .
The “Hollywood Thing” is only a problem in one respect, in my opinion. I really wish that Artist’s Alley and the booksellers like Stuart Ng and a few of those folks weren’t placed on the end past all the games/movies/toys. Because that’s where the huge clotted crowds are, going to get the con exclusive toys and seeing the celebrities.
It’s idiotic to approach this as an “us vs them” thing, though. Is this high school again, a jocks vs nerds battle? Doesn’t the success of Comic-Con prove that the “nerds” won?
So while it’s a hassle sometimes, I’m thrilled that the whole world wants to come hang out in a building full of comics, art, movies, games and toys, all the things I’ve always loved.
CitizenCliff said, on 7/29/2011 2:55:00 PM
Torsten, I’m sorry for not being clearer — what I was getting at was: How much space on the actual convention floor does comics use vs. Hollywood. Not the conference rooms where the panels are held, but the area where the booths are. Artist’s alley would be included as well.
For me, it’s the presence on the floor of con — that area where everyone converges and one gets a sense of what is happening at Comic Con that truly matters. I would be surprised if that area showed that comics held the majority of booth space in square footage.
ed said, on 8/1/2011 3:17:00 AM
Wait— so you mean “Comic-Con” actually STILL has Comics content in it?? I’m shocked. And stunned. Mostly stunned.
/chasm
It’s nice to have statistical proof here on the BEAT what I— anecdotally through my years of attending SDCC— have experienced first-hand.
Funny how my memories of attending Comics Writer/Artist “Spotlight” panels… “Golden–” and “Silver Age” ones moderated by Mark Evanier… “Comics Art Conferences” on various topics and themes… among other non-Hall H/Ballroom 20 panels I’ve attended have always ran counter to the prevailing BEAT comments on the post-mortem of the Comic-Con just ended.
This year, the Chan/Niño/DeZuniga “Spotlights” and capping “Philippine Invasion” panels, the “WATCHMEN: 25 Years Later”, Evanier’s “That ’70s Panel”, a “Spotlight on Chester Brown”, and “The UK Invasion” (complement to the “PI” one; all thanks to Joe Orlando at DC!) were highlights of my SDCC’ 11 experience. Okay, so I also managed to score an AVENGERS poster/t-shirt and went to that Christopher Moore panel and booksigning… but I think I STILL managed to have a Comics-dominant Con experience. Just as I’ve had all these years prior.
Now exactly WHAT am I supposed to have missed
out on on this “Comic-Con” [that] is no longer about comics? It’s good to have corraboration here on this site that’s more in line of what I’ve seen being presented each year at SDCC… FINALLY putting to rest all those mistaken perceptions and Message Board echo chamber pronouncements to the contrary?
Oh, but now I see that there’s the new twist: ah, so it’s not about the “Comics” CONTENT of Comic-Con… but about Exhibit Floor space and panel room SIZE?? Somehow I don’t think my observation about Comic-Con’s Artist Alley, Illustrators Areas, Small Press and Indy Exhibitors Pavillions, Web Comics, “Gold and Silver” Age sellers area, and the size total of the DC/MARVEL/IMAGE/D&Q/DARK HORSE/SLG/IDW/BOOM!/BONGO/AVATAR/ANTARCTIC PRESS/ARCHAIA/HEAVY METAL/FANTAGRAPHICS/EXHIBIT A PRESS/VIZ/UDON booths would change that point of view much.
Perhaps a similar graphic might help out there?
(And I look forward to this site’s similar analysis of the actual “Comics” content of NYCC ‘11, what with the convention merged with the “Anime Festival” [not Manga], the PAX EAST-Jr. presence of the Gaming Industry, and that “Cultyard” partnership with REED Pop.
As a non-attendee of that Con, I’m curious to see if my perceptions of it is also mistaken.)
One red-eye flight from Burbank later, and I’ve had the most uninterrupted sleep I’ve gotten in two weeks. It will take another 10 hours to really get normal, but for that I’ve got to hang on until the weekend. YOU CAN DO IT!
I’ll have more emblematic con thoughts tomorrow, but for now a few shout outs:
• Big ups to Chandler M. aka kaijuMOSES for cat-sitting. At the show I expressed concern to many people over the well-being of my 19-year-old cat who I had to leave in a horrible heatwave. I’m thrilled to report that Inky was at the door to meet me, and bright and alert as a kitten. I think in the future I’m not going to be able to leave her alone for this long a period, but Chandler did an AMAZING job and I can’t thank her enough. She’s also a cartoonist, folks, so check it out.
• HUGE thanks to the great Patricia Mulvihill who read my pleas on Twitter for an electric kettle to make morning Vietnamese instant coffee and sent one to our hotel, which although old and charming and conveniently located has NO coffeemakers, NO minibar and barely any Wi-Fi. It did, however, have a ghost and a balcony! Trish is the best friend anyone could have, and the electric kettle shall see us through many rocky mornings.
• A sad farewell to my perfect black mesh hoodie which I left behind in the Marina Room at the ICv2 conference, never to be seen again. You served me many long years as the perfect summer cover-up and died a Viking’s death at Comic-Con, mesh hoodie. Never shall I see your like again. Unless Nike makes one.
• Many thanks to all the pals who made the show a better, more enjoyable place: Ben McCool, Lorelei, Jimmy A., Jimmy P., Paul P., the Legendary crew (Bob, Greg, Heather, Joel, Arup and anyone whose name I missed); Ali C and Nate C for all their help; Jah Furry; David B.,; Calvin and Jody, the royal couple of Comic-Con; the guy who let me into the Spike Lounge so I could use their Wi-Fi; Brenda M. for hanging Sunday night; and many people who I will only remember when I look at the hundreds of pictures I took.
• And of course HUGE, HUGE, HUGE thanks to Torsten Adair, Kate “Oracle” Fitzsimons and Shannon O’Leary for all their hard work at the show. Almost nonexistent networks and the general logistics make covering the whole show from on the ground impossible, and having an eye or two in the sky is as necessary as instant Vietnamese coffee. To have folks who can do it with style and insight makes it even better.
5 Comments on SDCC, A Look Back: The Beat, last added: 7/28/2011
Okay we’re not going to spend weeks and weeks rounding up San Diego memories, but we are going to share a few good ones. James Kochalka has started his sketchbook diaries account, and this is the comics equivalent of the MODERN FAMILY recap.
0 Comments on SDCC11 A Look Back: James Kochalka as of 1/1/1900
[Editor's Note: as expected our first time Comic-Con attendees are still trying to catch up and deal with the PCSD -- Post Con Sleeping Disorder. Ali C. is the first to reënter earth's atmosphere!]
Days at Comic-Con: 4
Total hours of sleep: 15
Total number of drinks: lost track after 23…
Time of brain death: Sunday, July 24, 12:47am PDT, Hyatt lobby bar
Items crossed off To-Do list: 10 (out of 22)
Brain broken. Nerves shot. Seeking solstice in an over-priced beer at Trickster. Oh, Trickster. I would marry you if I could. You are an oasis in a vast desert of elbows, backpacks, and cosplay. A place where I can breath. A utopia of comics and sanity. Why did I not find you sooner?
Look, I’ve been to cons before. I’ve been to lots of conventions. I did the C2E2/WonderCon double header. I’ve watched NYCC grow exponentially. But nothing can prepare you for San Diego and its sheer dominance of your soul. There’s no escaping it once you’re here. You just have to keep moving. ‘Cause if you stop? Well, to paraphrase Sam Quint, this con’ll swallow you whole.
(2 days and 2,783 miles later)
HOW THE FRICK DO PEOPLE GET ANY WRITING DONE AT THE CON?
Seriously, I am in genuine awe of the reporters and bloggers who turn work around at lightning speed while surrounded by the craziness of Comic-Con. San Diego is no place for a Cub Reporter. At least I got about half this post out while I was still in San Diego. And now that I’m back in beautiful, humid New York City–away from the throngs of people (sort of)–I’m able to think a bit clearer.
While Comic-Con may have broken me, it was also a ton of fun. I got to meet new people, see friends I’d only known online, and talk about comics a LOT. There’s a humming energy to SDCC. It’s fueled by the tens of thousands of people all there because they love comics. And while I saw my fair share of rants, the majority of the people were genuinely happy and in good spirits. That’s a rare and wonderful thing. And I’m very glad to have witnessed it.
Also, I got to meet Red Fraggle. RED FRAGGLE!! OK technically it was the Muppeteer who voiced Red, but still. I have a picture of me and my favorite Muppet. I talked to Jonathan Hickman about curling (and hopefully did not bore him to tears). I felt very proud being a girl at the Oh You Sexy Geek and Women of Marvel panels. I got to wear cute dresses to fancy rooftop parties.
That said, when I do go back to San Diego, I’d do things very differently. I’d test out the wifi and get that sorted on Preview Night. I’d take a lot less notes in panels (or maybe just live-blog). I would only go to panels on Saturday and Sunday and avoid the con floor at all costs. I would definitely go to Artists’ Alley before 2pm on Sunday. I’d spend more time at Trickster and less time at the Hyatt bar. I’d sleep in more and stress out less.
It’s not a convention I’d go to every year, but it was most definitely a great experience.
0 Comments on The Comic-Con Virgin Diaries: Ali C. — Final Report as of 1/1/1900
While a veil of acceptance settled over most of the attendees of the just passed Big Show, a few people were still miserable, namely those who had to sleep out over night on concrete to get a ticket for next year, with the oft-heard, but seldom-heeded battle cry “I don’t think I’m coming next year.”
Maria and her family from Escondido got into line for pre-registration at 1:00 a.m. Saturday. “The floor was too hard and too cold, but we got our tickets.”
Joyce from San Diego summed up her feeling after her early-morning wait: “It’s just shameful and disrespectful.”
Dennis, from Vista, a Comic-Con attendee for 20 years, said, “I got into line at 5:45 a.m. and was number 741 in line. It took me four hours to go through to get my ticket for next year, and as I was leaving there was a handful of people getting in line for tomorrow.”
People lining up for hours! Well, I nevah! The outrage! Appalling! Terrible! Luckily there is a simple solution:
Yturralde says Comic-Con has a solution for 2013: “There will be no pre-registration…. All sales for the 2013 convention will be done online.”
The Yturralde in question is Mark, a longtime con board member, and certainly not a spokesman, so use the salty cellar, but really, WHY do on-site pre-reg when it is such a horrible experience?
We are creeping closer and closer to the day that San Diego badges go for market price on StubHub. Con official have avoided the truly outrageous extra fees of using a Ticketmaster thus far, but with demand so far outstripping supply, it might be just a matter of time before they go to a pure lottery system (which it already is, informally) or open market. We’d prefer not to see the latter, however, and the con has always tried to make getting a ticket possible for everyone from the teenaged fan to the millionaire.
But, as we’ve ben saying for years, not everyone gets to go to the Super Bowl or Wrestlemania every year. either.
15 Comments on SDCC12: No pre-reg for 2013, last added: 7/28/2011
The old-school wrestling fan in me loves the fact you used Wrestlemania as an example!
mark said, on 7/27/2011 4:52:00 PM
Well, at least I went to Comicon for 10 years, got in but couldn’t go last year due to a death in the family. This year because I just couldn’t get in. Now I’ll turn to smaller shows if I have to have the con experience, it’s probably better this way.
Torsten Adair said, on 7/27/2011 5:14:00 PM
I predict that for 2013, both versions of the four day tickets will sell out in less than one day once they go online. 2012 will allow CCI to figure out the server requirements, so that 2013 won’t have any server disruptions.
StubHub… I thought CCI had a system to prevent scalping? Oh, I see… the “beard” picks up the badge on Wednesday, then sells the badge. Expect to see a lot of androgynous names like Chris, Pat, Alex, Sam…
On eBay… 2011 Thursday one-day ticket (Twilight day) sold for $350.
4-day, no preview: $305, $550, (2, M/F) $860
4+: $463, $535, $480, $687 (VIP?)
My suggestion? Become a professional.
And, ironically, the banner ad for this post advertises advance ticket sales for NYCC…
Steve Hendricks said, on 7/27/2011 7:17:00 PM
Pre-reg was quite easy, fast and painless in the past.
It was only miserable this year due to the horrific restrictions placed on it anew (only 2400 per day, have to have your pass for that day to buy it for the same day next year, half-a-mile walk to the pre-reg site).
Were I determined to get rid of pre-reg in the future, I would do exactly what SDCCI did this year.
Jake Orion said, on 7/27/2011 9:25:00 PM
I honestly didn’t mind the system they had in place this year, as it is giving those a chance to purchase tickets for next year.
I think the best system they had in place was when they “quietly” introduced ticket sales online. Your responsibility to check every day; you miss out, learn from it.
neeb said, on 7/27/2011 10:15:00 PM
I’m okay with no Pre-Reg for 2013.
The show isn’t fun enough to justify getting in line at 4am.
You essentially kill half your day buying tickets (or trying to) and you drag the other half (you meth heads are the exception, of course). The organizers should be thankful weather cooperated this year and the temperature wasn’t 90 degrees for the lines.
This assumes the Con will be as big in the next few years as it is now. I can’t help but think something(s) is going to break.
And yes, there are those who say the Pre Reg line wasn’t that bad- except those people spent half their lives in Soviet Russia where you wait 12 hours for toilet paper. Comic Con! At least it’s not the Soviet Union!
Trev said, on 7/28/2011 4:36:00 AM
Anybody know when the expansion will be done? 2013?
I figure they raise the price to $250 by then and add 30k more tickets. Maybe they figure to do that and fix online sales then the problem this year goes away.
Twilight is done now, right? No new movie for 2013?
“‘Especially in the second movie (New Moon) there are so many new characters I expect she’ll want to revisit them at some point.’” [said the director].
“The final two Twilight films in the current series, Breaking Dawn – Part 1 and Breaking Dawn – Part 2, will be released over the next two years and some fans fear Meyer, just like Harry Potter’s author J.K. Rowling, will end the franchise.”
2012 will be the last movie (so far), but do you really expect the fandom to evaporate? That depends on if there is (heh) fresh blood reading the books and watching the movies and geeking out.
Meyer has already written one book outside the Twilight storyline, “The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner”.
Then there’s “The Host”, a science-fiction novel in pre-production.
Torsten Adair said, on 7/28/2011 7:14:00 AM
Construction on the expansion is slated to begin in 2013, finished by 2015. The first public hearing was July 14.
Rob J. said, on 7/28/2011 7:21:00 AM
The expansion isn’t going to do a damn thing to alleviate demand.
NadaMucho said, on 7/28/2011 8:16:00 AM
Rob, it might help with supply though.
Trev said, on 7/28/2011 8:38:00 AM
@Rob and Nada — I didn’t say it *would* fix things, just that they might currently *think* it would.
2013 is too far away right now to take anything uttered by anybody during 2011 as what will actually happen.
Dave said, on 7/28/2011 9:05:00 AM
Expansion of the SDiego Con Center will not come close to satisfying attendee demand; it’ll just help people who set up booths and provide panels to market their shows/projects, as there will be more room to do so in 2015. Nothing will satisfy attendee demand until we have a helpful plague to thin out overpopulation.
Randy Nickel said, on 7/28/2011 11:18:00 AM
I think its a horrendous idea to sell all the tickets online. For one the servers have never been reliable and it opens up the sale of ticket to scalpers. On top of that people that really want to go are going to look to ebay and get ripped off.
Friday I went to ask a couple of security guys a question when I overheard a woman talking to them. She was showing them how she had purchased a pass on ebay and the seller told her all she would need is this verification from paypal.
Now I know it was stupid of her to do that and its really her own fault. Still, I cant help but feel sorry for all the money she was out with the hotel, the flight, etc. If the whole of pre-reg gets moved to online you can bet this is going to happen to a lot of people that just don’t know any better.
Steven Ng said, on 7/28/2011 2:51:00 PM
It’s not very democratic, but the con could review attendee names and addresses for the last 10 years or so and make a snail mail offer of passes. I think it will keep a good base of comic fans as attendees rather than many newcomers who only want to attend for movie and TV events.
We’re still running around and have yet to assimilate all that happened, but here are some highlights of our reading of other reports, other voices at comic-con:
§ One of the best stories coming out of Comic-Con? After they had camped out for two days,
Just a little after 6:15 a.m., faithful Twi-hard fans, who have long been lined up outside of Comic-Con’s Hall H, were rewarded for their efforts when cast members from Breaking Dawn showed up to give their thanks with with a surprise breakfast. Nikki Reed (Rosalie), Ashley Greene (Alice), Elizabeth Reaser (Esme), Boo Boo Stewart (Seth Clearwater), and Julia Jones (Leah Clearwater), sneaked up on on Camp Breaking Dawn. Fans, who were just waking up from a long night in line, thought the surprise were the free Twilight posters and mugs being given out by the studio. Little did they know! Unsurprisingly, when members of the Cullen clan and the wolfpack showed up (with apples, bananas, muffins and water), a delighted cheer rippled down the line, as Reed and Greene posed for photos and signed autographs.
That story is definitely going to inspire about 350,000 more people to go to Comic-Con but it’s really nice.
Seventeen year-old Povi Romero was sobbing uncontrollably yesterday afternoon in our booth here at the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con international. Povi’s tears were not motivated by sadness or despair, however, but rather by uncontrollable joy and happiness. After traveling 800 miles to be here from her home near Santa Fe, New Mexico, Povi accidentally ran into Alexander Skarsgard, the luscious vampire Eric Northman from the HBO series, TRUE BLOOD. Despite having just participated a wonderful presentation, he graciously signed Povi’s convention badge for her, and then signed her mom’s badge, too. Povi was still so overcome and shocked at her unexpected good fortune that, even ten minutes later, she was still trembling, had tears streaming down her cheeks, and could barely speak.
I am passing Povi’s wonderful story on to you because I think that it clearly illustrates that San Diego Comic-Con is a place where even your wildest dreams can come true. Your personal interests may be vastly different than Povi’s, but I’ll bet that you would at least take a passing interesting in the stunning GREEN LANTERN sketch that Neal Adams drew for Povi’s dad, Mateo Romero, or running into Stan Lee, Joss Whedon, or Lou Ferrigno walking to a panel. Whatever your personal tastes and/or fan enthusiasms, San Diego has it for you!
Once again, these stories are going to fan flames of fan desire even more but, as CCI:SD has become more of a fanfest for entertainment, these kinds of interactions are what will make it all the more special.
§ io9 rounded up Comic-Con Badvertising– the lowest nadirs of awfulness to be seen, from a giant, glaring Smurf to other marke
10 Comments on SDCC11: What the hell happened?, last added: 7/28/2011
Having been a life long Tintin fan, I was never a fan of Tintin himself, curiously enough. I always thought of him as bland, characterless and lifeless. However, I believe that might have been intentional, as Herge may have painted Tintin that way so that readers can take over the role in their heads and be Tintin.
It is the supporting characters of the books that have the most life and character. Consider Captain Haddock, my favorite comic book character of all time: mad, irascible, hysterical, lovable, and fiercely loyal. Consider Calculus, Thompson and Thomson, Snowy and even Jolyon Wagg… all of them bursting with life. They, along with the terrific adventures, are why I love the books.
And if the movie reflects this, then it would have done a great job.
Oh by the way, nice meeting you at last, Heidi!
Torsten Adair said, on 7/27/2011 5:47:00 AM
How much did it cost Summit to purchase breakfast? How much amazing PR did they receive?
BRILLIANT
The dog was interesting, but what about the Centaur?
(and will CCI turn into Hollywood and Vine, attracting freak shows hoping for free press?)
Ed Gauthier said, on 7/27/2011 5:49:00 AM
I’ve said it for years and will continue to say it: Comic Cons are no place for movie mush. They called Comic Cons because they’re supposed to be about COMICS – not movies.
And no, I’m not one bit impressed that some movie or TV director dweeb made a show about some fantasy character(s), which likewise prompted a comic company to hastily print off some lame movie or TV version of it.
Comic Cons are for comics – for movies, go to a gall darn movie con!
KentL said, on 7/27/2011 5:55:00 AM
“DC’s attempts to talk directly to fans about The New 52.”
Okay, I just had a vision of Dan Didio walking around with a DC promo comic/flyer trying to talk to each person walking by asking, “Have you heard about ‘The New 52′?”. Not unlike religious zealots at sporting events. Made me giggle just a little.
Trev said, on 7/27/2011 6:56:00 AM
I thought the DC 52 stuff was fine. I was only in 1 panel though. DC was probably more open than they needed to be but then not enough for fans, so that created some friction. From a marketing and business side, there’s only so many things they can say without blowing things and fans didn’t take kindly to some of that.
I did think they were remarkably frank with fans about everything in a way Marvel never would be.
John Mayo got a fairly in-depth interview with Bob Wayne and John Rood around the numbers, motivation, sales tactics, how they’ll react, etc. It’s a very good listen if you are interested in the how’s and why’s along with the numbers.
There’s an article in the latest National Georgraphic about androids, where they talk about the ‘Uncanny Valley’ between robots and people that applies greatly to these mo-cap movies, (like Tintin), as well.
It states “Up to a point, we respond positively to robots with a human appearance and motion … but when they get too close to lifelike without attaining it, what was endearing becomes repellant, fast.”
Stuart Moore said, on 7/27/2011 10:31:00 AM
That dog on the motorcycle RULED the con.
NateInNY said, on 7/27/2011 2:26:00 PM
@Ed
re: “I’ve said it for years and will continue to say it: Comic Cons are no place for movie mush. They called Comic Cons because they’re supposed to be about COMICS – not movies.
And no, I’m not one bit impressed that some movie or TV director dweeb made a show about some fantasy character(s), which likewise prompted a comic company to hastily print off some lame movie or TV version of it.
Comic Cons are for comics – for movies, go to a gall darn movie con!”
This years comic con was more about comics than it has been in years, in over a decade actually. The major news coming out of the con, the majority of the panels were mostly all about comics related projects. It was a breath of fresh air.
For years now studios weren’t just “testing the waters” for comic/sci fi/action/adventure films, but they were giving us lame dramas that had nothing to do with any of the various nerd genre. That had been scaled back greatly this year.
As far as not wanting any movie related stuff at comic con, I think about 99 percent of the attendess would disagree. Especially when it comes to things like Captain America which was a movie that was chock full of awesome comic book greatness. I was also excited to see Marvels tv comic book adaptations on Mockingbird and Jessica Jones.
I could only go two days this year but those two days were a blast and probably the most fun I’ve had at the con in ten years.
When I compare the mood of this con with the “year of the Watchmen” con, it’s not even comparable. That particular year was pretty miserable and souless and made me want to never go back to SDCC again. SDCC 2011 actually restored my faith in their ability to return to their comic centric roots. I’m not saying there were no negatives about 2011. But, for me at least, they were completely overwhemled by the positives.
If you were a comic book fan you had to try pretty damn hard to NOT have a good time at SDCC this year.
Shags said, on 7/27/2011 8:46:00 PM
That dog is Chopper, the Biker Dog! He also goes around to hospice care centers once a week. He had visited my dad just earlier that week. http://www.chopperthebikerdog.com/
[We've been spotlighting the experiences of first time Comic-Con attendees, but what about the other side? What is Comic-Con like for the many celebrities who breeze on down for a walk-on role in the big panels? The Beat asked old chum actor James Urbaniak
for a diary of his trip down to Con this year. Urbaniak has appeared in such films as Henry Fool and Across the Universe, and TV shows from The Office to Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and had a memorable role as R. Crumb in the American Splendor movie. He's best known of course, for voicing Dr. Rusty Venture in The Venture Bros, and he was down at Comic-Con to appear on the Venture panel. Here's how it went.]
I was planning to arrive at San Diego Thursday morning but I ended up getting a callback for one of my trademarked red herring characters on a crime procedural for Thursday afternoon. (Seriously, why do I still have to audition for these red herrings? But that’s another blog post.) So I ended up taking the train from Los Angeles Thursday night. I arrived around 11:00 pm. An Adult Swim party was in full swing but I was tired and carrying bags. Dr. Venture took a cab to his hotel.
I checked in and although I was by myself was given two keycards. Printed on one keycard was an ad for the new J.J. Abrams series “Person of Interest;” printed on the other was an ad for “Mortal Kombat: Legacy.” First time I’d ever seen ads on keycards. I’d gone straight to my hotel from the train station and the marketing had already begun. Welcome to Comic-Con.
Next morning I took one of the city’s free event shuttles to the Convention Center (I was staying about a 15-minute ride away.) I boarded behind a man and woman both wearing t-shirts for a horror movie called “Blood Fare” starring Gil Gerard (which presumably did not have the money to buy space on keycards.) The bus included the usual array of cosplayers. A noncostumed old guy got on at one point and jovially barked “We’ve got quite a cast of characters here!” He was right.
I headed to the Hilton next to the convention center for the Venture Brothers panel that morning. As I approached the hotel (which was draped with a giant poster for “Cowboys and Aliens”), a swarm of people were exiting. I recognized television’s Johnny Galecki among them. A man entering the hotel said in a matter-of-fact voice “It’s the entire crew of Big Bang Theory.” He was right too.
I was soon found by an Adult Swim liaison who took me to the green room where I ran into television’s Martin Starr (star of Adult Swim’s new NTSF:SD:SUV and a certified mensch). There was an array of eats and drinks in the green room. I asked Adult Swim bigwig Keith Crofford if the spread was for us. Sometimes more than one production company shares a green room at these things and they guard their food with proprietary intensity. I did not want to reach for a grape that I assumed had been put there by Adult Swim only to be sternly informed that it was property of NBC-Universal. But Keith said it was all ours. I snacked with a clear conscience.
9 Comments on The Comic-Con Celebrity Diaries: James Urbaniak, last added: 7/27/2011
Every year it always seems James is having the most fun!
Randy @ WCG Comics said, on 7/26/2011 10:28:00 AM
Are you sure that Dorothy Michaels was a male? I ran after “her” to get a picture too and when she responded to my thank you, I could have sworn it was a woman.
Afterwards, I told my booth neighbor, “Is it weird that I’m disappointed Tootsie was a woman?”
Clem said, on 7/26/2011 10:43:00 AM
Dorothy *was* a woman, but I’m so happy you thought I was a man – I spent the morning binding my breasts, then building them back up with a hilarious push-up bra; then put on my girdle and stuffed it, THEN did a whole bunch of shading on my face to look a little more Dustin-esque… so it was a multi-layered gender-bending cosplay! :)
Randy @ WCG Comics said, on 7/26/2011 11:33:00 AM
Ha ha thanks for “coming out”! I was beginning to question myself… Not that there’s anything wrong with that!
Conley said, on 7/26/2011 12:37:00 PM
That may have been us who didn’t get your signature right away! If so, it’s not that we didn’t want it, or even that we heard Doc Hammer (we didn’t), we were simply bewildered in the whirlwind of excitement, and thought you’d already signed it! It wasn’t until we got a few steps away that we looked down at our lunchbox, realized you hadn’t, and had to run back for yours too.
Bruce said, on 7/26/2011 1:20:00 PM
I loved the Venture Brothers panel, like every year, and saw James at the convention center on Saturday. Would have pestered him but was with my kids and they needed to leave right about then. Probably better that way. ;)
Clem said, on 7/26/2011 2:10:00 PM
Haha Randy, you’re not the first; I have a history of confusing cosplays – last year in a hometown con (I’m from Australia) I was Wikus from District 9. I kept getting mistaken for my brother.
Conley said, on 7/26/2011 7:58:00 PM
Oh wait, on closer read-through it totally wasn’t us. We were at the Entertainment Earth signing, not the Adult Swim booth one!
by Lauren Adkins [As the scrum and tumult of con began, our trio of first-time San Diego Comic-Con attendees lost contact with the overweb, but reports have been trickling in. Here's a mid-con report from Twilight fan Lauren.]
I’m writing from the Indigo Ballroom line!
A wise man once said, Comic-Con plans often go to complete shit. And since my arrival on Wednesday, I’ve been a textbook example, mostly thanks to beer. Here’s how it’s been so far:
Wednesday: beer, beer, beer, CHAOTIC CON FLOOR, brief excursion to Camp Twilight, beer, beer, beer
Friday: party at Wired Cafe, multiple True Blood-themed drinks at adorable Fangtasia bar, several random celebrity sightings, beer, beer, beer.
Today: line, line, line, line, line for Dark Horse: Joss Whedon panel, extreme sunburn.
Here’s hopin’ I get in! I’m already taking notes for next year: Always get in line earlier than you planned. Make friends in said lines. Wear sunscreen.
Detailed post to come!”
1 Comments on The Comic-Con Virgin Diaries: Lauren A., Days 3-7, last added: 7/27/2011
Meanwhile, Ms. Tree, a literary character who began as a comic book character, returns to print. Author and comics creator Max Allan Collins announced at the First Comics revival panel that the entire run of the hardboiled graphic novel series will be collected and returned to print. Although Collins has published several short stories and a novel about the character in the years since, the Ms. Tree comics have been out of print since 1993.
Well, another Comic-Con is drawing to a close, with the traditional annual Buffy sing-along, this time in Hall H. (Perhaps they could also add a “Mayhem of the Music Meister!” event as well?)
So, here’s some more interesting tidbits from Comic-Con…
Rock it To The Bang Bang Boogie Dept.:
ComicsAlliance reports that Superman gets depowered, but not deflowered, in the next volume of “Superman: Earth One”. J. Michael Straczynski states that Superman will be temporarily depowered, and tries to hook up with his sexy neighbor, but fails.
The Douche Army has packed up their Desigual and headed back home, leaving Sunday for comics here at Comic-Con. It’s been an action packed week of parades, parties and panels. The big news from the show? Was it Andrew Garfield at the Spider-Man panel? Was it Tintin? Was it Paul Pope and Matt Wagner joining Frank Miller at Legendary Comics? Was it Fantagraphics adding EC to its reprint line-up?
Or was it just the “Angoulême of Pop Culture” feeling of the town all week? From the Conan O’Brien Art Gallery to Tr!ckster to Marvel’s Monster Truck display, the entire Gaslamp has become one big festival of pop culture, more so than ever before. Last night the klieg lights were on star power with the COWBOYS & ALIENS premiere — Harrison Ford, Daniel Craig, Steven Spielberg and Jon Favreau did the old school red carpet for the premiere while the E!/SyFy party had the block closed down for arrivals.
Meanwhile, the plan for Tr!ckster to become the chilled out hang for cartooning types was definitely achieved, as it was packed to the rafters last night with the likes of Jeff Smith, Ben Templesmith, John Cassaday, Amanda Conner, and too many to count, really. Mike Allred’s band rocked out with some prog rock stylings and the lawn quickly filled up with comics people hanging, laughing and planning.
While the sheer spectacle that is Comic-Con is overwhelming to all, everyone seems to be having a fun, productive show. People are used to the heightened security and larger crowds, and have simply adapted to get their business done the new way.
While the whole story won’t be told on Tr!ckster until the dust settles, it seemed to be a sales success. Co-founder Scott Morse says that books sold briskly, while original art was more of a high-ticket item that moved slowly.
Elsewhere, the big story was people wondering what was the big story. As usual, the gestalt of Comic-Con is more powerful than any single part, and people will only see the elephant after they get some rest.
3 Comments on San Diego Day 4: Packing up, last added: 7/28/2011
Ok – you’ve mentioned the words ‘prog rock’ and Mike Allred both in the same sentence. Now you’ve got me concerned.
~
Coat
kelly kilmer said, on 7/25/2011 3:57:00 PM
Frank Miller and Paul Pope walked by us twice (brushing by us). Miller looks sick. He also kept looking at my 14 year old boy (all decked out with Con swag) somewhat expectantly. We knew who he was but said nothing. Anyone know if he’s sick or anything?
ed said, on 7/28/2011 2:16:00 AM
And Nerds throughout the world, now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their geekhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That went with us to Comic-Con this year.
Be it Angoulême or Agincourt for we few, we happy 120K who were fortunate to have attended this year’s Con: anxiously anticipated… exhaustively enjoyed… glad it’s all over… can’t wait till next year.
Fantagraphics announced at their panel Saturday that they will be republishing two comics classics which so far have yet to receive the deluxe treatment: the EC Comics library and a complete collection of the influential early indie anthology Zap Comix. The complete collection of Zap Comix, which was created by Robert Crumb, is two volumes and 800 pages long. EC Comics, however, was a comics industry stalwart for years before changes in comics forced it to close, and even a library of its highlights will be many volumes in length. Fantagraphics is approaching the project by organizing the material by creator and theme – the first four volumes will collect all of Harvey Kurtzman’s EC war stories, Wally Wood’s suspense comics, all of Al Williamson’s EC science fiction comics and Jack Davis’s EC horror comics.
11 Comments on SDCC Fantagraphics to Publish EC Comics Library & Complete Zap Comix, last added: 7/26/2011
I like the idea of buying creator-centric EC volumes, but don’t Gemstones’ re-issues count as “deluxe”?? Does that mean that Fantagraphics’ will be even more expensive?
timothycat said, on 7/24/2011 9:37:00 AM
A moment of excitement … then the letdown of realizing those color EC archive sets sitting on my shelf will not be finished. Will most likely buy the Kurtzman war comics volume and the Williamson science fiction volume but that’s probably it. Fantagraphics could have made a LOT more money off me continuing the program as was and doing artist volumes. The lack of color is the biggest disappointment. That said, I’m sure the program will be succesful and it’s nice to see this material coming out again.
Deaf65 said, on 7/24/2011 10:19:00 AM
About time!!!! I will buy both!!!
Rick Hood said, on 7/24/2011 10:23:00 AM
I’d be curious to know how comicbook publishers determine what re-print material they are going to publish. I wonder if there any marketing research done to determine demand? I’m not sure I see the interest for Zap comics. I personally enjoyed them originally, but I’m not sure I’d want to spend that kind of money on a large volume of reprinted material today.
saipaman said, on 7/24/2011 10:24:00 AM
I’m passing on these. If I had wanted B&W reprints of EC Comics, I could have gotten them long ago.
Boycott this product!
Torsten Adair said, on 7/24/2011 4:04:00 PM
Fantagraphics:
1. Do the artists volumes in black-and-white, since it’s about the artists.
2. Finish the Gemstone line of series reprints, in color.
3. On 05 Jan 2011, Kim Thompson stated, “• POGO VOLUME 1 will be released in the Fall of 2011 – yes, seriously, for real this time” yet now BN.com shows a publication date of 12/05/2011. I hear the Kelly Estate is not part of this project. How amazing will the book be without their involvement? Will subsequent volumes be just as tempest-tossed? (and why are the color sundays, with a different storyline, being collected in the same volumes as the dailies?)
4. Nice job on Zap (which will sell internationally to Crumb fans). Nice job on Jack Jackson. Now howabout Arcade? witzend?
Gary Dunaier said, on 7/24/2011 8:37:00 PM
“a complete collection of the influential early indie anthology Zap Comix”
First time I’ve ever heard Zap Comix referred to as anything other than an underground.
Scratchie said, on 7/25/2011 6:15:00 AM
Agree w/ Torsten re: 1 & 2. Keep in mind that Gemstones had to pay to have the comics recolored, and that may be a job that Fantagraphics doesn’t want to undertake.
Torsten Adair said, on 7/25/2011 8:14:00 AM
Scratchie, they are recoloring the Barks comics… even though they’ve already been recolored by the masterful Susan Daigle-Leach.
Or is Disney worth it, but EC isn’t?
They had the Krigstein comics recolored, some by Marie Severin.
Sabin said, on 7/26/2011 5:58:00 PM
Wally Woods EC work is mind-blowing. I will take it any way I can.
Saturday brought a boatload of news from DC, which isn’t surprising, given the number of comics panels they held.
In Saturday’s DC The New 52 panel, Geoff Johns said that his version of Aquaman will add a humor element by having the other characters in the DCU see him in the same funny but unflattering light that most people do in the real world. Meanwhile, the new version of Hawkman, as written by Tony S. Daniels will no longer have Hath Set as his archnemesis, instead introducing a new foe. Cyborg, originally a member of the Teen Titans, will now be a founding member of the Justice League.
Meanwhile, in Green Lantern news, Sinestro will continue to bear the Green Lantern ring, while Hal Jordan will be homeless, for some reason, which will be played for laughs.
Coming soon to a poster near you!
In DC’s The Dark and The Edge panel (we see what you did there, yes, yes, darker edgier, we get it) it was revealed Animal Man will return as a horror comic written by Jeff Lemire and inspired by early pre-Vertigo comics. Lemire also will create the new title Frankenstein: Agent of SHADE. Paul Cornell will create the new book Demon Knights, featuring Etrigan, Madame Xanadu and Vandal Savage among others as a sort of “Magnificent Seven”. Meanwhile, Swamp Thing will no longer be a different person from Alec Holland, reversing Alan Moore’s reinterpretation of the character, and yet every Swamp Thing story will remain in continuity. Suicide Squad will also return, with an emphasis on the premise’s darker nature. Joshua Fialkov will write a new take on the classic horror comic I, Vampire. Stormwatch will return, written by Paul Cornell, and Apollo and The Midnighter will still be gay and a couple. Issue 1 will be their first meeting. Because none of these books will be part of the Vertigo line, they will lack the line’s traditional nudity and profanity.
“Geoff Johns said that his version of Aquaman will add a humor element by having the other characters in the DCU see him in the same funny but unflattering light that most people do in the real world. ”
Wow, could this be an opportunity to introduce real-world sarcasm and cynicism in to superhero comics? How novel. How cutting-edge.
Kate Willaert said, on 7/24/2011 11:18:00 PM
Is that actually a McGuiness drawing? Usually his exaggerated, cartoony style still shows a working knowledge of anatomy…what the hell is going on in that image?
Let's not meet this fellow in a dark alley, shall we?
Today, The Beat’s own Heidi MacDonald chaired a Comic-Con panel on Legendary Comics, the new comic book offshoot of movie powerhouse Legendary Pictures. One of the highlights of the new line is Frank Miller’s upcoming book Holy Terror, a comic about terrorism that started life as a Batman vs. Al Quaeda project inspired by 9/11, but has since become an original work and will be published by Legendary. Miller was on the panel, but his involvement with Legendary was known in advance of San Diego Comic-Con.
What wasn’t known, was the addition of two new all-star names to the Legendary roster. Matt Wagner announced at the panel that he will creating a new comic series through Legendary, The Tower Chronicles, about a supernatural bounty hunter. Also announced and in attendence was comics legend Paul Pope, whose new art book, PulpHope, was announced would be coming out from Legendary in time for Christmas.
Earlier during the convention, Legendary released a book trailer for Miller’s Holy Terror, embedded below.
3 Comments on SDCC Legendary Comics with The Beat, Frank Miller’s Holy Terror, Matt Wagner’s Tower Chronicles & Paul Pope’s PulpHope, last added: 7/24/2011
I'd say something funny but... I just really want it.
At Image’s Creator-Owned panel, Image did what Image does best – original books by independent creators. Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard will be releasing a series of original graphic novels called Album. Each volume will be a completely original idea, and the plan is to bring out a new one every year. The books will be simultaneously released in France – sounds like they’re really gunning for the Angouleme Prize and the European market!
Brian K. Vaughn announced his new, epic ongoing called Saga, about a family surviving a galactic war – the artist will be Fiona Staples. Howard Chaykin is bringing out a sequel to his controversial graphic novel Black Kiss, entitled Black Kiss II. Jonathan Hickman will be creating a new series called The Manhattan Projects, about the scientists who created the atomic bomb. He’ll also be bringing out another book, a spy story called Secret, which may become an ongoing title.
3 Comments on SDCC Creator-owned Image Comics: Kirkman’s Album, Chaykin’s Black Kiss II, Vaughn’s Saga & Hickman’s The Manhattan Projects and Secret, last added: 7/24/2011
Brian K. Vaughn’s back!!!! This is the best news I’ve heard from this year’s SDCC.
Torsten Adair said, on 7/24/2011 4:09:00 PM
Hey, Hollywood! When will someone adapt “Black Kiss”?
Synsidar said, on 7/24/2011 6:53:00 PM
When will someone adapt “Black Kiss”?
I took a look at a description of BLACK KISS. Not impressive. It suggests that Chaykin was trying to shock and push buttons. The vampire element is newly outdated.
I wonder if Chaykin ever explained why he spelled “Boniface” with two ens.
Manga publisher Viz has just announced VizManga.com, a digital comics site which immediately went live during the con. Viz’s wide variety of manga titles are now available there in an array of digital formats, with first chapters available free, and first volumes available at 40% off for the first month.
By Jove, I think they've got it!
Customers can read manga they purchase on as many platforms as they like, from tablets to phones to pcs, without paying an additional fee. Customers who have already purchased manga on the Viz Manga iPod/iPad app will find their purchases available to them on the new site.
2 Comments on SDCC Viz Announces VizManga.com Multiplatform Digital Comics Site, last added: 7/25/2011
Viz’s iPad app was already the best thing in comics. This is going to kill my bank account! ^_^
Al™ said, on 7/25/2011 11:24:00 AM
Hmm, just checked it out. First title I saw was only $2.99 for 192 pages of content!!! That’s right, just three dollars for One Hundred and Ninety Two pages of manga content! Holding the line, at $2.99!!
Ahem. But excellent start, and I like the “pay once, read it anywhere” aspect a lot.
Four inductees were automatically chosen by the judges, while four were selected by Eisner voters from a field of fourteen. The fourteen nominees were:
Bill Blackbeard
Chris Claremont
Kim Deitch
Rudolph Dirks
Mort Drucker
Jenette Kahn
George McManus
Dennis O’Neil
Harvey Pekar
Cliff Sterrett
Roy Thomas
Rodolphe Töpffer
George Tuska
Marv Wolfman
As with other Hall of Fames, feel free to debate the inductees, those who were not voted in this year, and those who deserve future consideration. I will have a more analytical post later. Please be aware that these awards are primarily for American, comic book work. Foreign and comic strip creators are allowed under the “influential” criteria.
Here are the criteria for inclusion into the Hall of Fame, supplied by Jackie Estrada, Eisner Awards Administrator:
Criteria
*The person must have made some kind of major contribution to the comic book medium, whether by creating a major character (or characters), producing memorable stories that are considered “classics,” having an art style that influenced numerous others, innovating storytelling devices in the medium, or otherwise having been influential.
*The person should be a creator (writer, artist) or else highly influential editor or publisher.
*The person can be from the comic strip medium if his/her work there specifically influenced how comic books are done.
*The person can be from another country if his/her work is well known in the U.S. and is considered a pioneer/giant in the field (such as Herge, Tezuka, Moebius, etc.).
*The person’s first significant professional work (or job) must have appeared at least 35 years before the year of the awards .
The four inductees from the Eisner judges:
Ernie Bushmiller
Iconic newspaper cartoonist
Ernie Bushmiller got his start as a cartoonist when he took over the Fritzi Ritz comic strip in 1925. In 1933, he added Fritzi’s niece Nancy to the strip. The character became so popular that Ernie changed the name of
0 Comments on The Watchtower: Comic-Con — Will Eisner Comic Awards Hall of Fame 2011 Inductees as of 1/1/1900
All around the world, everyone is pacting with Stan Lee! From Japanese jpop sensation Yoshiki to Pamela Anderson to Boom! Studios to Morgan Spurlock, everyone had done it becuase it’s so fun! The legendary Man is the king of pacting — he’s got deals in place with just about every entity out there.
And now you can win your OWN chance to pact with Stan Lee via MTV, which is holding a talent search for creators to work with lee on a NEW series, THE SEEKERS.
MTV Geek, the news site/comics portal is announcing their new comics content this morning, including The Seekers. Other new comics properties include SEPTEMBER MOURNING with M Lazar, a music/comics hybrid. And also two more tarditional webcomics: Divination, written by Eisner nominee Val Staples and Gina Iorio and illustrated by Julia Laud, and Department P.U.L.P. by Tony Lee and Dan Boultwood.
Details in PR below
MTV Geek, (http://geek.mtv.com and http://m.mtv.com/geek/), a central multiplatform hub for comic related and inspired content, will announce several new comics, multiplatform experiences, and partnerships at its panel at San Diego Comic Con on Saturday, July 23, including details behind the partnership with Stan Lee’s POW! Entertainment on the creation and contest for “The Seekers,” in which one illustrator and one writer will be selected by Lee to helm the comic. Additional announcements include a partnership with Top Cow Productions on the forthcoming launch of a music and comic hybrid entitled “SEPTEMBER MOURNING,” as well as the launch of two new original comics “Divination” and “Department P.U.LP.” Since the site’s launch in October during New York Comic Con, MTV Geek has become a leading destination for geek culture with nearly 1 million unique visitors per month.
“These new partnerships underscore our primary mission to provide passionate fans a singular hub that celebrates comics, sci-fi, fantasy, music, horror, toys, tech, and gaming,” said MTV Comics’ Executive Editor Tom Akel.
THE SEEKERS
Comic legend and POW! Entertainment’s Chief Creative Officer Stan Lee and MTV Geek’s Tom Akel will announce the creative concept behind the forthcoming comic, “The Seekers” as well as a first-of-its-kind contest where one illustrator and one writer will be selected to helm the series under direction of Lee.
“The Seekers is the story of an ancient people who have been planted on Earth and little by little start to arise. What the human race is not aware of is that their purpose is to destroy the planet thereby eliminating all of mankind! But before you get too depressed, there are a few heroes who will be doing their best to save humanity. And we’re gonna give the most talented artist and writer we can find a chance to write and illustrate The Seekers comic book!” said creator Stan Lee.
Beginning August 1, aspiring illustrators and writers will be able to submit their artwork and/or writing sample via a nomination page on MTV.com. In late August, MTV Geek’s editorial team will narrow the pool down to 20 and feature their work on the site. Visitors will then vote for their favorite and the five most popular artists and writers will move on to the final round. These 10
3 Comments on SDCC11: How would YOU like to pact with Stan Lee and MTV?, last added: 7/24/2011
Don’t get me wrong…I love Stan Lee…but is there a better example of somebody who is bulletproof yet hasn’t actually accomplished anything in like 30 years?
Seriously, what has Stan Lee done since 1980 that has any any real lasting impact?
William George said, on 7/23/2011 3:30:00 PM
Stan is smiling because he knows he’s not going to be the one screwed over by any partnership with him.
Here is the difference between Comic-Con and the Chargers: Comic-Con is successful; Chargers are not. Until the Chargers win a Superbowl, they deserve no right to a new stadium. San Diego learned that lesson after the whole Padres debacle.
And I’m a Chargers fan, so I’m not biased about it. I just call it how it is.
As an L.A. area resident who’s been tracking the stadium process here, I was going to mention how obvious it seems that the Chargers are using the threat of moving to L.A. as leverage to extort money from San Diego. This, of course, is NFL owners’ usually M.O. (And I’m speaking as someone who, like many in L.A., doesn’t think an NFL franchise in L.A. is necessary, esp. with UCLA and USC in the area.)
Okay… looking at Google Maps, the first question is:
where do people park if it’s built next to Petco field? They have a massive parking lot in Mission Valley, able to fit twelve Petcos. (166 acres) Oh, they intend for all the fans to use mass transit. No tailgating? Right….
Also, it looks like it would be shoehorned between 12th and 14th Street, making it rather compressed (four city blocks, 14 acres).
Or maybe south, near the Marine Terminal.
The current stadium seats 70,000, and the new stadium would seat 62,000?!?
$200 Million from the team, $500 Million from bonds, maybe $100 Million from the NFL.
Stadium land would be free, City owns the stadium (what keeps the Chargers from leaving town?), Chargers get to develop nearby land.
Here’s the Chargers’ site:
http://www.sdstadium.org/
Torsten, the SD Stadium site isn’t an official Chargers site. I’m pretty sure there’s a lot of back and forth between the organization and site, but I’m pretty sure it’s more of an ‘astro-turf’ operation.
The current stadium sits on land that is contaminated from a fuel processing and storage site making it near undevelopable and the Mission Valley area has too many residential-shopping entities as it is with roads to small to accommodate them. Price wise, a new stadium will be around a Billion dollars. And then think more, these things are not cheap.
The rest of your post is spot-on. The team is asking for (lots of) public money to build a 62,000 seat stadium (with convention center facilities!) which is too small to host the dozen Superbowls supporters say we’ll get with a new stadium (seriously).
And SDCC won’t be interested in a satellite expansion which would be too small for their needs. They want lots of space in one place. The combo that the Chargers are floating is a joke at best and a deliberate attempt to chase SDCC out of town at (likely) worst.
At some point, Mark Fabiani and David Glanzer are going to be in a room together, and I’d kill to be the fly on the wall there…
If Comic Con were actually about comics this might bug me, but Comic Con is a BS media convention that could give a crap about comics and has been totally co-opted by movie studios.
I’m with the Chargers on this.
Really? Jocks VS. Nerds? I see this as two businesses via for public funds. In the end it will come down to the city’s business plan that will dictate the outcome.
The Tiki
So how do we get the Lambda Lambda Lambda guys to hold a concert for us? It worked to defeat Prop 15.
Much ado about nothing. The Chargers won’t even be in San Diego five years from now.
No contest.
The Chargers are much more important to the city than Comic Con. Plus Jacksonville, Buffalo and Oakland are much more likelier targets for moving to LA.
Someday, perhaps, the NFL will be profitable, and won’t need a government handout…
Has anyone taken a look at mainstream comics lately…tell me they aren’t made for jocks?
I’ve been waiting for an article liek this to surface….
It would be interesting to note the economic impact of a NFL franchise over the course of an entire year vs the economic impact of one HUGE event on one week of the year…
Much like the NFL has used LA to leverage cities/teams/owners over the last 20 years, I always thought the “threat” of moving Comic Con further north was similar by SDCC. If the show is registered “nonprofit” and the staff are all San Diego residents, why would they move the event? And if they did, would SDCC management be forced to wear a “scarlett letter” in their community?
Of course having Wondercon move to SoCal for a year is a good enough threat to last another decade
Just some thoughts-
Your pal-
Jimmy S. Jay…
http://www.comicCONMEN.com
Twitter: @JimmySJay
The alternative to convention expansion is $500 tickets to comic-con, I guess. At least based on recent years.
Seems like there would be a way to do both.
I love california election laws.
Love the Chargers but, I, like many other fans, are unsure if the team will stay or leave. Having Comic-Con and the Chargers both leave San Diego would be double whammy for fans both or either or thing. I would hate to see both leave. The problem for the Chargers is that they can’t find a location for a stadium. The problem with Comic-Con is that it is too big. The easy solution for the Chargers is move back to LA. The best solution for Comic-Con is to make the event last for a week or make the event become 2 separate events, a comic book convention for the true comic fans, and a multi-entertainment convention (for fans of movies, tv, and video games). If Anaheim can have multiple Con events (D23 Expo, WizardWorld, Anime Expo, BlizzCon, etc.), and Long Beach can have a comic book expo and comic con, then why can’t San Diego have more than one comic book event per year? It seems like the people who run the SDCC are only interested in making alot of money for one week out of the year. They should no longer call their con a non-profit organization either. They make money and make alot of money for the city of San Diego as well.
Expect to be having the San Diego versus LA versus Anaheim versus Las Vegas debate all over again at Comic-Con 2012.
Great! The Comicsratti needed another SDCC topic to talk about and to fill the three years till 2015— when the next COMIC-CON/SD RENEWAL CONTRACT drama can properly start up once again!
Nice to see the usual The Beat echo chamber pronouncements in the discussion, though..
Pass the popcorn.
(As for the CHARGERS: this is their last desperation move to wrangle a new stadium out of the City and taxpayers of San Diego. Courting Chula Vista AND Oceanside as ‘viable options’— shut down by those cities. Dangling the ‘moving to LA/Orange County’ carrot— denied by Oakland RAIDERS proprietary claim to the LA NFL market. Returning to ‘build it in Mission Valley BUT we get the real estate for that’— NO city government would be that stupid to make the deal. So they fell back to what was revealed to have been their INITIAL
game plan.)
/counting down to the special Comic-Con episode of THE REAL WORLD