Comments on: A Look Back: Has Comic-Con Really Jumped The Shark?

By: David Bare

David Bare — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 01:25:00 +0000

I don’t think that just because there will be no more twilight movies, doesn’t mean that there won’t be twilight panels. (I mean, at DragonCon, there are still Buffy the Vampire Slayer panels and there hasn’t been a Buffy tv show in years.)

By: David Bare

David Bare — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 01:25:00 +0000

By: David Bare

David Bare — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 01:23:00 +0000

I don’t think that was what the author meant at all. It’s not that he couldn’t find it, it’s that there was a diluting of the core premise of what Comic-Con by popular shows, series and movies that have no relevance to “creating awareness of and appreciation for comics and related popular
art forms, primarily through the presentation of conventions and events
that celebrate the historic and ongoing contribution of comics to art
and culture.”

I myself have watched the same thing happen at DragonCon in Atlanta. It used to be a hardcore tabletop gaming convention. Then it started “evolving” into more of a party atmosphere with writing workshops, robot wars, costuming tracks, etc. etc. However, the main difference is they actually changed their mission statement to “Dragon*Con is the largest multi-media, popular culture convention
focusing on science fiction and fantasy, gaming, comics, literature,
art, music, and film in the universe!” So, basically, now the gamers are stuck away in the furthest hotel’s basement, and the cosplayers are in front and center.

So, I know how he feels, it’s not really a “Jumping of the shark,” but more along the “We’re trying to be everything to the geek culture rather than being differentiated.”

(my $.02)
-D

By: David Bare

David Bare — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 01:23:00 +0000

So, I know how he feels, it’s not really a “Jumping of the shark,” but more along the “We’re trying to be everything to the geek culture rather than being differentiated.”

(my $.02)
-D

By: Renee Bach

Renee Bach — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 18:18:00 +0000

We all will need to find room for growth and change with our beloved SDCC. However, I put the blame directly on the organizers of this amazing weekend. It is time that they change the approach and layout of the event itself and begin to follow other cultural-event con-based models and still support its mission and the various types visitors every year. Most notably they could learn from Sundance and SXSW as ways to improve. Both of these have a mission which always takes center stage, and yet they still are able to support other genres and their fanbases.

Yes, seeing Con “tourists” line jump and their signs for “free hugs” irritated me beyond the pale, besides their ignoring the arts on which this convention is based upon. And I can admit, seeing ABC’s PanAm promo booth (wtf?) was a marketing turn-off. Yet, I cannot bring myself to blame the ignorant or the arrogant.

The real failure of this year’s con comes from the lack of vision and leadership in the event organization that will keep ComicCon on a clear path for it’s future and it’s devotees.

Without this, we will see some dark days ahead.

But then again, things have a way of changing…

By: Mr. ZAP

Mr. ZAP — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 18:13:00 +0000

I’ll admit I have no firsthand experience of Comic Con. I’ve been trying to go for the past three years and have not been able to get a pass due to the crazy fast sell-outs. I intend to try again this year. But I have kept track of what kinds of things they show at Comic Con and I am a bit worried. I have no doubt that if (when) I get to go (hopefully next year!) I will love it, both because it’ll be my first time going and because I AM a huge fan of genre and speculative fiction. I love DC and Vertigo, I adore Tolkien, I’m a huge fan of Star Wars, Doctor Who is right up my alley…you get the idea. So I’m certainly the kind of person who would have loved it before it went mainstream as well, although I never got a chance to go then either.

I can’t say they’ve jumped the shark now, obviously, nor will I after one time attending, but one thing that makes me really annoyed is the sell-outs that prevent me from going. It can safely be assumed I think that a lot of those passes go to the Twi-hards mentioned as well as other people who don’t really fit in, and if those panels bring them which makes me, who is a part of the main target audience, not able to go, that’s obviously bad. Something I understand is that everyone who goes every year gets their passes for the next con at the current one. I imagine that also makes it much harder for new attendees like myself to get to go, and that’s sad. Good on them if they’re the target audience and enjoy the show, but what about those of us that don’t have the luxury of getting the passes before they go up online?

All in all I’ll reserve judgement of the con as a whole until I’ve been at least a couple times…I just wish I could get to go the FIRST time.

By: Teleri

Teleri — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 17:14:00 +0000

So come to Dragon Con! Its a FAN-based convention, not run by the Powers that Be in Hollywood, runs 24/7 over 5 hotels, & is WONDERFUL
Atlanta over Labor Day weekend is THE place to be!

By: Andrew

Andrew — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 09:03:00 +0000

To be fair, “The world is changing.” were not Galadriel’s exact words. Her exact words were “The world has changed.”

By: TheRealQuickbeam

TheRealQuickbeam — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 21:57:00 +0000

Bob: I appreciate your insight — You are right in that there’s certainly LOTS of comics/ illustrated fiction still to be found there, and more overall programming on comics than other shows… Yes, that has always been SDCC’s bailiwick. But the show has evolved, and the trajectory of that evolution is my concern. There’s less of the original content, making room for the “newer” content. I suppose I should be more comfortable with that fact, it’s the great pattern of Life anyway, right? But my personal discoveries over 11 years’ time now leads to my discouragement. I simply question how much (how little) the SDCC is making illustrated fiction the bulwark of its whole show. Independent artists find it harder every year to secure Small Press and Artist Alley tables because those sections are physically shrinking in the Exhibit Hall. Gotta make room for Odin’s Throne set piece, you see. Aging Comic-Con veterans who’ve attended for years face strange new pressures to attend the show at all; most of these individuals lost a half day or their entire day of Thursday’s programming in order to stand in a long queue at some other building just to secure NEXT YEAR’s badge… so I perhaps there’s more than one way to analyze this.

I think our definitions of “jumping the shark” may differ. I have always felt TORn and WETA are fully justified to be at Comic-Con because their content is strictly for genre fans – with a narrow focus on fantasy art/storytelling (in the case of TORn, there’s an even more specific literary heritage from Tolkien that has fed popular arts on many levels: the documentary Ringers: Lord of the Fans offers a comprehensive discussion of this subject). Mattel sells action figures, based on a generations’ love for animated stories. TokyoPop sells magazines, based on adoring (mutual) international fan-bases. TORn sells nothing but a few T-shirts (to pay for server costs) but nobody individually makes a dime: our focus is sharing excitement over Tolkien’s mythology being explored by other artists. Seems to fit overall. But that’s just me.

I’m not sure what Patricia Heaton was selling last year, because far as I know, she’s ever put on latex Vulcan ears or a Poison Ivy fright wig once in her career. That whole thing of promoting stuff that has NOTHING to do with genre or fantasy or speculative fiction really shivers me timbers…

By: S

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 21:51:00 +0000

They are the words of Galadriel in the FILM. Which I’m sure a Purist like you hasn’t seen. Sadly for you, the film is the reason for this website’s existence, so I’m afraid you’ll just have to accept that for a great many people, those are indeed the words of Galadriel.

By: Jaidoprism7

Jaidoprism7 — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 20:40:00 +0000

I agree. Say good-bye to the thumb sucking weenies of the twilight age. Don’t mean to be abrasive but forget that stuff. You’ll be better off. Come home to Tolkien. The Hall of Fire is always warm and welcoming and you can almost choke on the rich history that is anything Tolkien created. Saw Castle’s interview on G4. The dude seemed nervous or drunk or both but he definitely looked to be either geeky or out of his element. I think the tides will reverse but there will be something equally sad and pathetically dramatic to replace the Twilight junk but this time we’ll be ready.

By: Mechtild1

Mechtild1 — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 20:37:00 +0000

Sorry to be so dense, but the article says, “overall viewership of our innovative live streaming video beat G4′s audience.” What’s G4?