As in previous years (2009, 2008), I thought I’d provide an overall recap of my own personal experience at San Diego Comic Con this year. In short, I’d say that this may have been the best one yet, though I’ve really had a spectacular time every year. It is really the “must attend” pop culture event of the year.
As in recent years, the event sold out in advance (about six months prior), and the convention center was consistently packed with attendees, guests, and exhibitors.
This year, it felt like there were fewer “original prop and costume” attractions. As I understand it, Disney will have an exhibit every other year to support their D23 event, so this would appear to have been an off year following last year’s exhibit. While in previous years Profiles in History had exhibits with a great number of pieces on display (like last year with both LOST and their next regular auction), this year they had one very impressive exhibit but with fewer (though much larger) pieces via their tribute to Stan Winston. Overall, Prop Store had the most substantive “go to” prop and costume exhibit, with a variety of pieces from film and television. Immediately behind their booth, Propworx had Star Trek props and costumes on display in support of their live auction this month.
There was a variety of additional material brought by a number of exhibitors (most of which can be found in this article), so many realize that such items can be a draw among attendees. I was personally disappointed with the Marvel Studios display, in that much of what people wanted to see was hidden from view during much of the convention. During hours in which the exhibit was closed, and such items were on display, I was asked not to take photos… so it seemed to be a bit counter-productive if they were interested in getting fans and press excited about their upcoming films. The Motion Picture Prop Company was much more diligent in covering these pieces than I, so I would recommend checking out their site for their own coverage of Comic-Con: All Comic Con 2010 Coverage | Captain America Shield | Thor’s Helmet
I had an opportunity to meet and spend time with the principals behind the MPPC at the convention, as they had their own exhibitor space at the show, which was great. I really enjoyed talking with them about the hobby and their efforts in sharing news with hobbyists on their website. Below is a photo I took of Steve Radler, Shannon Wendlick, and Lee Malone, who could not have been friendlier:
In addition to shooting photos and video at the convention as part of my news coverage, I had an opportunity to spend time with many, many hobbyists, which was the highlight for me. So much of the interactions in the hobby take place via e-mail and on forums, so it is very refreshing to be able to sit down with people in person and build real relationships the old fashioned way.
I also had a chance to meet a lot of people “in person” for the first time, which was awesome. In addition to the folks of the MPPC, I also got to meet and spend some time with Gus Lopez, who I’ve “known of” since the early 90s, funny enough, as I was always into Star Wars and vintage toys, and Gus has been a pioneer in that area really since the advent of the Internet. Awesome guy.
It was also great to have spent some time at the Profiles in History booth to watch them produce content for the upcoming “Hollywood History” television series coming to SyFy. What could be a better opportunity to get a sense of what the show will be like than to actually watch it be filmed?
Prop Store showed tremendous hospitality, as always, and it was nice to catch up with the guys (from the UK and the US). Their space also served as kind of the default “hub” of the show for fellow hobbyists, so it was fun to hang out just to see who would show up next. They also do a great job representing the hobby and spreading awareness of what it is all about.
It was my pleasure to spend quality time with people from our field both at Comic Con and off site – special thanks to all those who made the time to catch up.
For me, one of the best things about Comic Con is San Diego itself. Having first attended the show way back in the late 80s, I can’t imagine one without the other. Even walking around town, away from the Convention Center, Comic Con is literally everywhere. So it will be a sad day if/when an announcement is made about relocating the show.
Find all of the Original Prop Blog coverage of San Diego Comic Con 2010 here:
Jason DeBord