The first time I went to Comic-Con, the entire thing fit in about one half of what is currently the exhibitor's hall. It wasn't quite a longbox show, but it wasn't that far removed from it, either. There was no viral marketing, no multi-story booths, no Hollywood presence at all, and though it was a lot of fun, it didn't feel like the event it has become.
Over the years, the con grew. I remember the first year we expanded to the second floor, and how huge the whole thing seemed. I remember the first time I saw a Games Workshop booth that wasn't promoting 40K or Warhammer Fantasy Battle, but was promoting the then-unreleased Lord of the Rings minis game. I clearly recall telling my friend who was with me, “this is cool, because I love GW games, but what does this have to do with comic books?”
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I'm not entirely sure if that was 2001 or 2002, but it was the first time I was keenly aware of Comic-Con changing. “I really don't like how the entertainment industry is co-opting our culture,” I said, later that day.
Since that con, eight or nine years ago (!), I hear the same lament from my friends every single year: Comic-Con sucks. Comic-Con is too big. Comic-Con has been taken over by Hollywood. Comic-Con isn't about comics, anymore. When do passes go on sale for the next Comic-Con?
Yesterday, I was talking on Twitter with Scott Kurtz (creator of PVP, and one of my very good friends) about Comic-Con. Scott quoted @leverus: "Comic-Con is hurting nerd culture, in a broad and systemic and probably permanent way."
I replied: @pvponline Disagree. Nerd Culture has survived and endured for decades. Comic-con doesn't define us; we make it possible.
Scott said: @wilw I disagree. The people who make it possible are being shoved into corners and trampled by lines for hall H. #nerdfight
And I said: @pvponline Oh, I agree. What I mean is that our larger culture isn't going to be destroyed by it. We will endure. #disappointingnerdfight
And then, because it made me laugh: *stabs you in the eye with a pen* _Now_ it's a #nerdfight, sukka! (h/t @damnglitch)
What I was trying to say to Scott, and what I wanted to communicate to my fellow nerds, is that even though Comic-Con has changed (if it's for the better is certainly debatable), I don't see how those changes can hurt us, as much as they disappoint us. But I think we have to be honest with ourselves: are we really upset that Comic-Con is hurting our culture, or are we upset that something that belonged exclusively to us for so long clearly doesn't, anymore?
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I hate the douchey agents and development people who are swarming all over the con as much as anyone. Like a lot of my friends, I wonder why shows that have nothing at all to do with what's traditionally considered geek culture have panels and booths. I'm not thrilled when I sit in the lobby of my hotel, I see twenty fancypants Hollywood types for every authentic geek. But there's a trade off: all of that means that Comic-Con has become so important to studios and networks, they'll spend the money to make Flynn's Arcade and Cafe Diem. They'll bring out the people who make things we love, and we're willing to spend a loooooooong time in line, we can meet them.
There's something else to consider, too, when we ask ourselves if this is causing lasting damage to nerd culture: A generation of nerds who started going to Comic-con around the Lord of the Rings and Spiderman years have been going for almost a decade. They have grown up with a Comic-con that has always been like this … and they don't care. They enjoy the same things we do, the same way we always have, and if they see a panel or a booth for something that's nerd-adjacent at best … they ignore it. They are the future caretakers of our culture, and they - like us - simply tune out the things they don't care about (speaking as the father of two teenage geeks, I have experience in this regard.)
Maybe I'm missing something, but I just don't see how Comic-Con's evolution is hurting our culture. Disappointing to some of us? Sure. Exploiting some of us? I guess you could make that argument, but I don't know if I'd completely agree with you. I tell you what: we can talk about it next year, while we're waiting to get into Hall H to see that thing we don't even know exists right now.
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Nicely put.
To put it a different way, in the end, we're all just nerds.
I may not understand how someone can be obsessed with Twilight, but I'm not so silly as to think my obsession with Buffy is somehow better.
The only time I worry about the future is when nerds get made fun of in mainstream Comic-Con coverage. For every story about how The Avengers is getting huge buzz and property X was just signed for $$$ they throw on a fat Jedi photo so people can laugh at the guy (for the record, that guy is awesome and brave). That and the "Bif! Pow! Comics aren't just for kids anymore!" stories we've all been tortured with since the 80s.
But those are really minor. Comic-Con is still a celebration of nerd culture. The fact that nerds are big business in the mainstream hasn't changed the fact that you can proudly walk through the convention hall wearing your Spock ears or brandishing an 8 foot cardboard sword and fit in with the crowd much better than the guy in an Armani.
loonyboi
Jul. 28, 2010 09:26am
Think about it this way- without Comic Con, these movies would never have gotten made in the first place. Exposure to the general public of these stories, gets them widely read, and therefore gets gets us more of it.
I'd say the people hurt by this are people who generally suffer socially, and find it hard to make friends easily.The camaraderie of Nerdism is easier when you're all nerds. But perhaps that could be solved by people forming their own meet-ups and advertising them in the right online circles pre-convention.
BTW- I'm a big fan of comics and Sci-Fi, and was nerdy in high school, but guess what? I got over it. Im not embarrassed about my love of this stuff, and think that the more focus and attention, the better.
My only thing hurting us is the bad versions of movies. Stop making shitty ones, and then we'll not complain. Same could be said of Marvel/Dc...
thegaf
Jul. 28, 2010 09:58am
I completly agree, Hollywood and the big TV stations are hijacking our culture and turning into a mass media glutfest. Why would anyone care about some of the stuff comming to Comic Con? I heard sad stories about the east end of the hall where comic books are actually sold being a ghost town, while the flashy west side with the big studios and the flashy booths got all the attention. Honestly, how many true "nerds" are in the Comic Con crowds anymore, or just people that are there to see the next big thing and could care less about the con's roots?
wrenthefaceless
Jul. 28, 2010 10:16am
Hey, newbies. Get a sense of history. This is just a rerun of Trekkies "invading" or "co-opting" science-fiction fan culture, just as that was a retread of con fandom horning in on the territory of the "true" fans, the ones who pubbed fanzines. (For the REAL newbies, a fanzine is a blog or twitter feed produced with ink — precursor to toner — on twiltone — descendant of paper.)
According to evolutionary theory, the species that are best adapted to the CURRENT environment are the ones that will survive, thrive, and reproduce so they'll be abundant in FUTURE environments. That same precept holds for institutions, cultures, and memes as well as for genes.
richardsrussell
Jul. 28, 2010 10:38am
I like your take on things, Will. It seems the "change" occurred around the same time the big Super Hero movie boom began (obviously no coincidence) and movie studios realized the wealth that lies in comic book properties.
But will that last? If we get a string of poorly performing Comic movies, will that drive away Hollywood?
There is a strong possibility that the movie industry will tire of the Cons and fade away.
In reality, Pop culture is merely a string of rising and falling fads. Maybe next year Lady Gaga styled movies will take over (granted I don't know what that "lady gaga" movies are, but it sounded keen) and Hollywood will leave us alone. You never know.
clarkkers
Jul. 28, 2010 10:48am
It's so weird thinking of things in terms of "Back when 'Spiderman' was big," hard to believe that was already ten years ago
.
cakaroches
Jul. 28, 2010 10:57am
As someone who doesn't go to comiccon, but still gets near live info and video of almost every panel, I say the bigger the better
Rorschach
Jul. 28, 2010 13:29pm
There is a danger inherent in going mainstream. Back in the late eighties and nineties I lived in the "Alternative" section of my local music store. When Nirvana came along, it made the Alternative mainstream and things got really exciting for a few years. After several more years, things got bogged down and tween boybands became the thing. In the meantime, the whole old support system for alternative music had been dismantled. It's now harder for today's equivalents to get any widespread exposure and rock music is on its knees, sales-wise.
That could happen again but it's not like it will kill nerd culture. It will suffer, be knocked to a low point, and then start to build itself back up again. Once it does it will go back to being what it used to be. There are still interesting bands now and while it's harder for them to make a living, they haven't been erased.
djtrudeau
Jul. 28, 2010 14:43pm
I completely agree with Wil's assessment. We've had the comic corner of the world for a long time, but now the rest of the world has seen what we've known all along--it's an extremely rich medium that isn't just for the nerdiest of nerdy nerds. Are we really upset that people might become interested in comics as a result of watching a film or attending Comic-Con? Wouldn't we want more people to realize how awesome it is to be a nerd?
If anything, I think it's made us prouder to fly the geek flag. The rise of comics in pop culture means that the medium is not viewed as lowbrow when compared to traditional prose.The popularity of Comic-Con, while I'm sure it has its frustrations, means that the geek really shall inherit the earth.
geekyvixen
Jul. 28, 2010 15:02pm
Once a geek, always a geek, I say. Hollywood is going to glom onto anything that will suck money into its ravening maw. If it's the NerdFest of the Year, they'll be there.
Our culture resides within us. Nothing can take that away. We have the Internet, now- which has done more than anything- even ComicCon- to perpetuate Geek culure, even if the 'mundanes' want to plaster it with spam for fake watches.
My problem with ComicCon is that it has grown too large for very shy people like me to properly enjoy it. Crowds terrify me- even nerdy ones. If they can fix the problems with the crowds, I might be able to attend. ComicCon has replaced WorldCon as the go-to bucket-list convention for fans.
Wil, I appreciate your thoughtfulness, and really enjoyed your posts during the convention. Hearing fanboy-squee was lots of fun. Maybe next year, they'll lay out some bandwidth and stream some stuff for those of us out here in Flyover Country.
Sunfell
Jul. 28, 2010 15:19pm
I think there *is* an argument to be made that the evolution of Comic-Con has had a detrimental effect, and here's what it is: The industry has become so obsessed with wowing those Hollywood execs that come to San Diego that they've stopped going so all-out at other cons. I've never been to Comic-Con, but I have gone to Wizard World Chicago several times, including 2006 as part of (if you can believe it) my honeymoon. That year, WWC was just after SDCC and I can tell you it was a shell of what it had been in previous years. Marvel was better represented in Artist's Alley than in their own booth!
And the reason was obvious: they'd devoted all their attention to San Diego at the expense of Chicago. Given how many of us geeks/nerds/fanboys/etc. don't make it to Comic-Con annually (if at all), the industry cannot afford to sacrifice its presence throughout the rest of the country to court Hollywood. The Internet has done a great job offering the kind of community atmosphere that used to exist solely at cons, but it can't replace the experience of attending one. For young fans, that first convention is a rite of passage, and I fear that there were attendees in Chicago in 2006 who walked away feeling cheated out of theirs.
minlshaw
Jul. 28, 2010 15:22pm
Similar comments could be made about GenCon today vs. when I attended in the late 70s and early 80s.
bornagaingeek
Jul. 28, 2010 15:24pm
For the most part, I agree with the original article.
The one exception I'd make is for Twilight, because the fans are both so numerous and so disruptive to the con... not because they're punching people, but because they don't have the tiniest shred of interest in anything else at the convention, and they're going to spend the majority of their time clogging up a conference hall (killing the buzz in any non-twilight presentation) as they wait for their chance to scream their heads off when the twilight presentation finally starts.
It's easy to just not go to a panel I'm not interested in. (What does Glee have to do with the geek culture? Eh. Who cares... I'll go to a different panel) It's harder when a particular panel brings in an enormous influx of people who are entirely disinterested in the rest of convention.
xsikal
Jul. 28, 2010 15:28pm
I went to NYCC '07 and while I enjoyed it, I believe Hollywood's invasion did change things, who among the Hollywood stars are legit nerds and who are just going to shrill their latest projects.
I have no plans of going to sports events even if my town or neighboring town gets in the Big One. That's for the real fans so same idea here, just ride out the wannabes and we'll just keep going.
moffattbooks
Jul. 28, 2010 15:28pm
I've had similar gripes about change or people ruining something I love, but I agree with Wil that the attraction of money can be a serious bonus. The other thing is that yes, fads come and go, and those things that aren't "mainstream" tend to become so. (Check out http://youarenotsosmart.com/2010/04/12/selling-out/ for an article about just that.) I get the nerd snobbery about what is authentically nerdy, about not wanting "those people" ruining the whole thing. At the same time, it does provide a way for more people to experience those very things that you all love. 5 years ago I would have winced at the idea of attending a con. But the more exposure I get to geekery the more I want to go. My interests are diverse, but I'm most decidedly a nerd or a geek or however you want to label me. And I am happy when more people discover the things I find awesome. And it gives me a chance to encounter other nerdiness that I probably wouldn't have otherwise encountered and fallen in love with.
So while it sucks having what used to be a safe haven be co-opted, it may also mean that some of those people who come for one thing may discover an awesome comic or graphic novel or webcomic they love. Or they may become the next comic artist/writer that you could enjoy.
It has upsides. A lot of them. I think they're worth it.
Little Red Lupine
Jul. 28, 2010 15:44pm
ool article. (And an interesting expose about how almost all of us complain in one context about being "outcasts"--then form sub-cultures that we hope grow beyond the shadows--but complain when they grow out of our control to make others stay "outcasts.")
("He who would fight dragons must beware he does not become a dragon?" Who guessed in some cases Nietzsche would be so ... "literal.")
robertsubiaga
Jul. 28, 2010 15:55pm
I think the strongest part of this piece is mentioning that true nerds will just ignore the mainstream things that don't interest them. This is WHY we are nerds. As long as that keeps happening (and it always has), "nerd culture" will remain intact.
Yes, the cosplayers and overweight druid types will be made fun of by mainstream media- and who cares?
Go to Dragon*Con in September and you'll be treated like a star! Go to NYCCC and you'll be fawned over. In fact, there are MANY conventions happening in hotel ballrooms in cities all over the world almost every weekend during the Spring and Summer of EVERY YEAR.
We may have lost SDCC to the pretty people, but it's not like that's your one chance to geek out quietly or loudly with fellow true fans of whatever it is you're into. There are many many chances.
Let the Hollywood types pretend they have the courage and self awareness to be a real "nerd" for a few days a year. No big deal.
fifthofficial
Jul. 28, 2010 16:35pm
I may get some flame replies but I still believe it to this day...Much like football teams and cheerleaders have their social parties, geeks have had their conventions....
Now that these particular cons are gaining attention the sense of ownership for geeks has diminished, its kind of like losing a best friends basement. It was comfortable, you knew who would be there and what games you would play, and you knew that you'd get along with everyone. Now that these conventions have blown WAAY out of proportion and you start seeing mainstream media, Hollywood, and people there it seems like your friends basement got remodeled, perhaps their parent married a new spouse, and the basement now seems like a fraternity house or design studio...
Give us back the dark corners and nerd exchanges with people that want to discuss stories or experiences more than watching trailers to a movie, or listening to people blather and theorize about things you're really not interested in.
highndrye
Jul. 28, 2010 16:42pm
I would say that nerd culture as a whole is shifting. While comics/sci-fi are still some of the lifeblood, PAX, w00tstock or a Coulton gig are more of a nerd happening than anything else I've seen lately. These things didn't exist 10 years ago — they're something new.
All the big cons were cool once. Remember when Wizard Magazine was cool? (Just kidding). Their cons are considered pretty awful now, and others rise to the occasion (I've heard nothing but good things about the Chicago con Reed Elsevier did this year).
Change is part of the game — if Hollywood is going to take the biggest nerd con and continues to sodomize it, other things will develop/grow/mutate.
You'd think for an industry that's forever identified by things like mutants (I started out as an X-men nerd at age 12) we sure seem afraid of change!
irrg
Jul. 28, 2010 18:52pm
I'm a relative newcomer to Comic Con, really. This year was my fourth one. But I think that a lot of people who complain about the overtaking are kind of missing something important. Hollywood is, whether they want to or not, creating more nerds. They're helping us grow in numbers and in geekery.
My number one geek thing is reading, but not comic books. I'll totally admit it; I was one of those book snobs who looked down on comics because they have pictures, and pictures are "cheating."
However, with the Hollywood "takeover," I'm now more interested in actual comics. Two years ago, I wouldn't have been able to tell the difference between the Green Arrow, the Green Hornet, or the Green Lantern, but today I've gone out and sought the original material specifically *because* there are movies being made about the latter two. I would never have read the Scott Pilgrim series (which I ADORE) if the movie hadn't shown me that something like that even exists.
The same thing is to be said about other things that exist in my geeky ways. I never would have fallen in love with one of my all-time favourite bands if a friend hadn't shared them with me. Would have never known that the Neverending Story, a book that has been there for me for twenty-one years, was even a real book had I not watched the movie and read the credits. I wouldn't have had Buffy the Vampire Slayer to lean on during our high school misadventures if I hadn't watched the (admittedly bad and not-at-all-what-Joss-wanted) movie first.
My point is this -- You have to be *introduced* to the things you love before you can love them. And sure, having Hollywood introduce you to something is certainly not as bonding as when a friend introduces you to something..but when you fall in love, the matchmaker doesn't matter. It's all about the match that was made.
observational
Jul. 28, 2010 21:56pm
Nerd culture will never die, because by definition it's made up of people that rebel against the popular and mainstream. It may get diluted every so often, but eventually it will return to its nature as a culture of resistance.
I agree with geekyvixen that we should be glad mainstream is crossing over to us. Yeah, there's always a trade-off. But I don't think a trade-off threatens us. I mean, if what we love and believe in is truly awesome (it is!), then the good stuff will stay and the stuff that wasn't really all that cool to begin with will eventually disappear. Cultures evolve, don't they?
anastasianoel
Jul. 28, 2010 23:11pm
xsikal~
You mean "uninterested", not "disinterested". Disinterested means impartial. uninterested means not interested.
Unless you meant Twilight fans are "extremely impartial" to the rest of the 'con, rather than "extremely not interested"
karmatiger
Jul. 29, 2010 15:39pm