I thought I’d share my own personal impressions and experiences about Comic-Con International 2008 in San Diego, to close out my series of articles and features on the event. Some bits admittedly off topic…
My Personal History with “San Diego Comic Con”
Growing up, I was into many different pop culture mediums – film, television, comic books, and related memorabilia. I first attended what was then called “San Diego Comic Con” back in the late 80s, while I was in high school, and before I was old enough to drive. I think that first convention was a huge event for me, as a teen, traveling alone and staying in my own hotel room and attending this (at the time) larger than life event where you could buy all kinds of cool comics and toys and meet comic artists and writers and to a lesser extent writers, actors, and directors from film and television. And, back then, there wasn’t much of a “cool” culture surrounding these things, which are now very mainstream and openly celebrated.
Anyway, every year thereafter I would go to San Diego Comic Con as an annual trip, through high school and into college. I had a lot of fun, and met many celebrities in film, television, and comics.
But, as you get older, priorities change, and eventually, I got completely out of comics and stopped going to the convention. When I was in Los Angeles for graduate school, I did drive down to one show, just for the day, probably in the mid-90s, and that was the last one I attended.
Obviously, the event has changed and grown in so many ways in the last 10 or more years; it barely resembles what it once was. Now it is a huge, world-wide event, and is just as much about film and television as it is comics (maybe more so). So, given my interest in the original prop hobby, I felt almost an obligation to go this year, and had planned to, if anything, fly down and back same day one of the days to do some brief coverage for the OPB.
As it got close, I went to the Comic-Con.org site to register as “Media” (given the blog and intended coverage), and Media Registration was closed. I was not expecting this, but thought I would just buy a ticket later, once I figured out which day or days I would attend. Then all registration was closed, with no on-site registration available. Long story short, I found someone selling 4-day passes on eBay that seemed legitimate, took a chance, and paid a lot of money for them.
Too Much To Do
The next dilemma was making a plan. I knew that there was just too much to do, too many cool conflicting events, and that I needed to make some choices, prioritize, and not be overly ambitious with my goals. I also fit in the last Yaz concert (not to get way off-topic, but this was one of my favorite bands growing up, and I never imagined I’d ever get to see them live) on the tour in Costa Mesa Thursday night, so that ate into my schedule.
My main interest with Comic-Con was in meeting and connecting up with other original prop hobbyists, giving coverage to the original prop-related content and events at the show, and doing all of this in less than two days “on the ground”. I’m not a fan of giant crowds, cosplay, etc., so I figured under two days was a good target to get value out of the expense of going without getting burnt out.
Comic-Con: Original Props & Costumes on Display, Exposure for the Hobby
There was a good variety of original props and costumes on display, of which I probably missed a few (like the KITT car slightly off-site – I didn’t realize it was for only on view for a few hours). All coverage can be found under the Comic-Con Intl’ 2008 category. This includes photos of the exhibit spaces for the three original prop and wardrobe dealers at the show: Profiles in History, Back Lot Props, and The Prop Store of London ~ Los Angeles.
Because Comic-Con has become an event of huge importance to genre-based popular culture, I think it is increasingly becoming an opportunity to give exposure to the original prop hobby, and currently, the dealers exhibiting at the show are really serving as the gateway to and ambassadors for introducing original prop collecting to this audience. Many people still have no idea that original props from film and television are things that can be acquired by anyone with the means, and if so, may not be aware of some of the foundational considerations and risks involved in the hobby.
Looking forward, I already have some ideas for next year so that perhaps we can better capitalize on this event, collectively, in order to help spread awareness of the hobby to this demographic that is most apt to take an interest in it.
In any event, I had a great time for the day and a half or so I was at the show, and had an opportunity to spend time with people involved in the hobby.
I spent a good amount of time talking with Joe Maddalena and Brian Chanes at Profiles in History, asking questions, discussing issues, and learning more about their business and their experiences and perspectives with regard to the business side of the hobby.
I also spent a lot of time talking with the Prop Store group. I enjoyed meeting Tim Lawes for the first time after all these years and talking with him over a wide variety of hobby-related topics. Tim is one of those I would characterize as a pure collector – it truly is a passion for him and very apparent that he gives a lot of thought and consideration into building his own collection and thinking about the hobby at large.
I was also fortunate enough to run into a few collectors who were walking the floor and enjoyed chatting with them as well.
As noted (see “Reunited Video Interview”), meeting Mr. James Duval (who portrayed “Frank” in Donnie Darko) and spending some time with him, other fans, and “the mask” was definitely the highlight of the convention for me.
Unfortunately, what I had absolutely no time for were the scheduled events and organized discussion panels that were actually a big draw for me in attending the show in the first place – time was short and lines were unbelievably long. It just didn’t make sense for me to spend the majority of my time there standing in a line.
In closing, I am very glad I went – I had an incredible time. I would say that this has definitely become a “must attend” event for me again, bringing me full circle but in entirely different circumstances. Only next year I’d like to see the original prop hobby make an even bigger mark, and I think that will definitely happen.
Special thanks to all who took the time to say hello and chat at the event.
Jason De Bord