Conventional Thinking
The tone of this site is often rather serious, and it may leave a few readers with the impression that I lay awake at nights plotting the downfall of Bush and all who support him. In fact, for the last few weeks, I have thought of nothing so much as July 15-20, the dates of an event as far removed from current day politics as can possibly be imagined.
I speak, of course, of the Con. That’s Comic-Con International: San Diego, the annual gathering of all the pop-culture tribes for a long weekend of utter escapism, schmoozing, partying and indulgences the likes of which cannot possibly be imagined by outsiders.
When I first started going in 1997, I was astounded by the scale. I had been to comic conventions before, mostly when I was a kid in the 70s, but nothing like this. Event organizers and long-time attendees (the Con has been an annual event since 1970) were concerned that it was becoming too big, drawing nearly 35,000 people for the four-day weekend. Last year, attendance was 65,000, and this year, with over half a million square feet of exhibit space, I expect it will be closer to 75,000.
So what do all those people do? Well, first, there’s programming. Saturday’s schedule alone runs to 20 single-spaced pages. There are about 15 separate events at any one time, ranging from panel discussions of comic book themes and interviews with old-time creators to major movie events and previews. Ben Affleck, Angelina Jolie, Arnold Schwarteneger, Quentin Tarantino and several other A-list stars are on the bill to talk about their latest projects, rap with fans and sign autographs. That, of course, is of no interest to the serious collectors, who come to buy and sell precious, seldom-seen rarities and original artwork, and who venerate the living legends of the comic book industry who turn up each year, including Stan Lee, Will Eisner, Neal Adams, Julius Schwartz and others. For those who like their words without pictures, authors Ray Bradbury, Neil Gaiman and Michael Chabon will be in attendance, along with hundreds of other authors and publishers of fantasy, science fiction and related genres.
Friday night, the industry presents its annual awards for best work at a gala ceremony. Saturday night is the always-entertaining Masquerade. Movies and anime features show on four screens round-the-clock. Gaming tournaments go on until the wee hours. And fans and pros mingle at bars and parties going on all weekend. This is fun in highly-concentrated doses, with something for absolutely everyone.
In addition to all the ambient recreational value of all of this, I am looking forward to meeting my editors at Comic Buyers Guide (the trade publication that I write reviews for, and who recently published The Comic Buyers’ Guide to the Hulk), seeing old friends, and concluding negotiations for an original Will Eisner Spirit cover. Consequently, the blog will be shuttered until next Monday at least, but be sure to stay tuned for a complete report.
2:47:14 PM 
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