The Pop Culture Jump-Off: Notes from the 2009 Comic-Con
By Special Correspondent Arturo R. García, originally published at Arturo vs. The World
You can trace the story of this year’s Comic-Con with a line. Not a straight line, necessarily, but one that wound all over the building at various points all day all four days. If you were at Con, it’s almost a given you were in the line, or a line, maybe for hours, maybe even overnight. The phenomenon of the Line marked 2009 as a turning point in the Con’s 40-year history, for a variety of reasons.
1.The New Demographic
Besides the Twi-hards, who spawned their own controversy – more on that in a bit – this year was a coming-out party for the latest anime/manga generation. A/M cosplayers seemed to outnumber their “traditional” superhero/villain counterparts around the floor; you couldn’t walk more than a few feet without seeing another pair of furry ears, or a group of young people offering free hugs, or busting out some moves to entertain themselves and the crowd:
In fact, from the floor this year’s Con looked like it featured the most diverse group of attendees in years. POC creators like Gene Yang, Dwayne McDuffie and Leinil Francis Yu were among those showcased in spotlight panels. And two pro-diversity panels received a strong attendance, from both POC and white fans, despite some at-times questionable panel placement: as we noted before the con, they were booked to start at 6:30 p.m., nowhere near “prime time” hours. There were also more POC-related properties and creators on the floor, a few of which we’ll be spotlighting later. The question going forward is, how much attention will this market get from the comics/pop-culture profiteers?
2.The Uninvited Guests
… The 10,000 Twilight fans at the con really were a problem for the show, but a lot of the reasons that got floated came from a sexist, xenophobic, bullsh-t fanboy place. I actually feel bad even writing this, but truly, legitimately, 6,000 people at the show just for Twilight means 6,000 people that weren’t spending money at the show means 6,000 people that might’ve wanted to go that had an interest in dropping a few bucks at the various vendors? Shut out.
- Christopher Bucher, co-founder, Toronto Comic Arts Festival
Love ‘em or otherwise, the Twilight fans were the topic of discussion throughout the convention, even moreso than the film series they’re so devoted to. Some blamed them for the fact that tickets to the event sold out two months ahead of time. The line for Thursday’s New Moon panel reportedly started Wednesday, before the convention even opened, and grew to Star Wars-like proportions. Tents even popped up in lines for showing of the series’ eponymous opening film at a nearby theatre. Twi-hards, though, encountered a rarity at a geek gathering: a backlash.
Smart-asses bearing TWILIGHT RUINED COMIC-CON signs, while not abundant, were definitely on the premises, even after Thursday. The negative response was, no doubt, at least partially based in gender; here you had a flock of young women not just stepping into a traditionally male-based arena, but stepping into it without the “proper” fandom. Female fans of Joss Whedon and his BBD collection (Buffy/Browncoats/Dollhouse), for instance, tend to get a free pass. And it should be noted that people of both genders also reportedly camped out overnight for Saturday’s Lost panel, without catching much flack. But on another level, the complaining about the Twi-hards wasn’t so much about the nature of their devotion as it was about what it represented.
3.(Lost In) The Hollywood Shuffle
ITEM! PRACTICALLY NOTHING EVER HAPPENS OR IS REVEALED AT SAN DIEGO THAT F-CKING MATTERS. THE ENTIRE F-CKING THING IS LIKE A MOVIE TRAILER THAT LASTS FOR A F-CKING WEEK!
- mightygodking.com
Most of the biggest panels – and by that I mean the ones that were booked in the SD Convention Center’s biggest rooms and drew the biggest lines – shared one disconcerting characteristic: none of them was related to comic books. Iron Man 2, remember, is an ongoing comic adaptation, not an original comic work. The same can be said for the much-applauded panel for Mark Millar’s Kick-Ass. But, even if Twilight is being adapted in a manga format, its’ panel was part of the ongoing encroachment of Hollywood into what used to be a comic-book convention. There were panels for, among other things, Lost, District 9, True Blood, James Cameron’s Avatar, Burn Notice, Chuck, 9, the instantly odious Glee, Stargate Universe, and even web series The Guild – and none of these is based off of a comic book. And these are only a few examples on the tv/movie side. Even Kevin Smith showed up for his own panel, for no other reason than he’s Kevin Smith and people will still line up to hear him ramble about nothing in particular.
That crowding for attention has spread from the ballrooms to the showroom. At least one end of the floor was dominated by video-game displays, and there were also booths dedicated to shilling material for films like The Collector and Sorority Row. The allure of the Hollywood dollar could also have bad implications for the Con’s core constituency.
4.The Shifting Tide
With a reported waiting list of 300 media/consumer products companies lined up for booth space here at San Diego Comic-Con International, the convention feels absolutely no restraint as regards raising booth rent. What does exist is a totally uneven playing field, where mom-n-pop comics retailers, publishers, and creators are now being asked to pay the same cost per square-foot as the international corporate giants. That being the case, it should come as no surprise that we comics exhibitors are rapidly being priced out of our own house. I heard from several comics retailers who have been here at the convention for decades that they are either cutting back for 2010, or completely pulling out of the show.
- Chuck Rozanski, Mile High Comics
More and more each year, Comic-Con has billed itself as a “pop culture” extravaganza. It’s not implausible to suggest this year marked the point of no return in that evolution. With Hollywood continuing to not only pay to play on geeky turf but re-sell geeky ideas and content to the multiplex masses, I heard more than a few local fans complain, privately, that the heart of the city’s biggest non-athletic attraction was being torn out.
That loss might also become physical soon. It was reported during the Con that organizers are already threatening to move the event unless additions are built to the Convention Center, which is hemmed in on all sides by hotels, downtown San Diego, and the San Diego Bay. It’s also no secret that officials from Los Angeles and Las Vegas have pitched their respective cities as preferable alternatives once SDCC’s contract ends three years from now.
But what convention will we – and by “we” I mean comic-book fans – even be going to by then? If the Con continues to march toward becoming a mass-media trade show, will we even have a reason to go? If a more diverse demographic continues to attend, will the exhibitors pay notice? Will sitting in the Line for hours for the chance watching maybe two or three minutes of clips – the Avatar panel, featuring 25 minutes of footage, has to be considered an exception to the rule – be worth it in three years’ time? Will camping out in the Line overnight, or holding your spot with the help of friends and family, now become an accepted practice? And if the Con does end up moving, who would go with it?
Carmen Van Kerckhove is co-founder and president of
jen* wrote:
I’m trying to be patient…but I *need* to know what the scoop is about Torchwood.
And while it’s totally uncool to be hating on the Twiharders cuz of their gender, mine comes from specific Twihate. I just don’t like the franchise. I think they should have their own conventions….
Posted 04 Aug 2009 at 12:41 pm ¶
cb3n wrote:
As someone who didn’t make it to San Diego this year, I’d be interested in hearing more of what you observed involving the Twilight crowd and gender. Gender seems to be a perennial issue at cons and in some ways for fandom in general so I totally have an idea of what you’re talking about.
Posted 04 Aug 2009 at 12:49 pm ¶
cb3n wrote:
oh also, more POC at Comic-Con is nice to hear. I noticed a similar trend at MoCCA artfest this year at least in terms of who was sitting in the booths.
Posted 04 Aug 2009 at 12:50 pm ¶
Kat wrote:
Costs are also rising for attendees. Pre-registering for next year was $100 this year, compared to $65 the year before and a mere $45 the year before that. That is to say nothing of the cost or trouble of finding a hotel in the area. It becomes more cost prohibitive each year the con grows in size and popularity.
Posted 04 Aug 2009 at 1:12 pm ¶
maus wrote:
“The negative response was, no doubt, at least partially based in gender; here you had a flock of young women not just stepping into a traditionally male-based arena, but stepping into it without the “proper” fandom. Female fans of Joss Whedon and his BBD collection (Buffy/Browncoats/Dollhouse), for instance, tend to get a free pass.”
So what is the “proper fandom”? Something male-created? Harry Potter didn’t get the same loathing, because its appeal was more universal. Something non-Vampiric? Because Ann Rice’s fans were never squealing youngsters. Twilight brings a certain rabidity that doesn’t mesh well with other sci-fi/fantasy, even if the poor writing is barely below (or above) some of the other schlock being peddled there. Even the vampiric abstinence lessons being taught are probably better written than the anime shown around it, and those fans can be just as obnoxious/prevalent. Coming from someone who grew up in sci-fi conventions of the early 80s, I watched a lot of import films and shows (including Anime) but those fans really did alter the tone of cons ~2000 and on. Not really for the better or worse, but there’s so much crap Anime out there that I don’t feel like I have anything in common with those folks.
Well, that turned out to be more a ramble than anything else
Posted 04 Aug 2009 at 2:17 pm ¶
Freakzeek wrote:
Co-sign 100% with maus
Posted 04 Aug 2009 at 4:13 pm ¶
Zahra wrote:
Yeah, I’d also be interested in hearing more about the Twihard reception and what “proper fandom” is. From your description I suspect it’s something that guys ALSO like, which in the current state of entertainment means male-created by default.
All told this is a fascinating write-up of how demographics are shifting, in multiple ways, at the con.
Posted 04 Aug 2009 at 4:42 pm ¶
Tony wrote:
I admit I wasn’t there, but I feel that the dislike of Twi-Hards is probably less because they’re mostly women than because Twilight is just something it’s fashionable to hate.
And one could make the case it’s fashionable to hate for a good reason considering it sends messages like.
“If a guy breaks into your house to watch you sleep, it’s a sign he really loves you”
Seriously, judging from the movie (Which I’d guess most Twi-Haters are) the thing is full of misogyny.
I’d say being opposed to it could be the opposite of misogyny, rather than a sign of it.
Posted 04 Aug 2009 at 5:44 pm ¶
Rob Schmidt wrote:
As someone who was there the first day, I agree with many of your observations, Arturo.
I didn’t see the diversity panels, but from my perspective, the floor looked pretty white to me. I didn’t see much diversity among the people manning the booths.
Coincidentally, I did get to hang with the “Twilight” crowd. That was an interesting experience.
My Comic-Con reports:
http://www.bluecorncomics.com/2009/07/report-on-comic-con-2009.html
http://www.bluecorncomics.com/2009/07/our-twilight-adventure.html
http://www.bluecorncomics.com/2009/07/pix-of-comic-con-2009.html
P.S. Did you see the pilot for “Glee”? I thought it was good.
Posted 04 Aug 2009 at 7:17 pm ¶
Notebook wrote:
On the gender thing, in my experience on the internet, fangirls tend to be hated more. The reasons I’ve read why they’re hated more doesn’t make any sense to me because those same reasons [overly obsessive, bashes anything and everything they hate, flames anybody whose opinion is different or threaten their view on things] apply the same to plenty of fanboys that I’ve seen on the internet as well. I do remember reading that some people would rather be with a rabid fanboy than a rabid fangirl as well [with completely contradictory reasons that made my head explode]. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather not be with a rabid fan regardless of sex. As much as I would say I don’t understand why people would say stuff like that I sort of do–and it basically all comes down to “girls are icky!” *sigh*
Admittedly, perhaps there is some nuances I’m not aware of. Over the years I have noticed that there are some notable differences between the two, I’m not exactly articulate enough to describe them, and even then, I’ve seen those differences in both groups enough time to say it’s not something exclusive. In general I’m not a fan of rabidness, male or female, fan or anti-fan.
Speaking of anti-fans, Twilight. Now, I haven’t read the books but from what I can tell they don’t sound like my cup of tea. And I’m rather… picky when it comes to things I read. I can’t really say much about it or the fandom, though I’m curious: does the sparkle thing really happen in the books?
Posted 04 Aug 2009 at 8:01 pm ¶
jen* wrote:
ok Notebook – you’ve got me curious. What sparkle thing?
Posted 04 Aug 2009 at 11:34 pm ¶
Tony wrote:
jen-
In the movie the vampires SPARKLE in the daylight.
I’m not kidding, it’s like they’re made of glitter.
And while I haven’t read the books, I have it on good authority that they do sparkle in the books too.
Posted 05 Aug 2009 at 12:37 am ¶
Whitney wrote:
It has nothing to do with the fans, per say (although they are fucking insane), it’s that Twilight generally sucks. The books are mediocre, the acting in the movie was mediocre, the script was mediocre, the special effects were truly “special.”
The only reason why so many teen girls and older women alike went crazy over it is because of the oh-so-dreamy Edward character. *rolls eyes* They literally believe that Rob Pattinson is Edward, and the poor man is mobbed by fangirls every time he leaves his house. Fangirls are only awful when they’re hysterical, and they’re hysterical about Twilight *all the time*.
@Notebook: The books are mediocre at best. I read them twice. They’re nothing that special, just an overly dramatic and swoony teen romance. And yes, they freakin’ sparkle in the books too. Ugh. My best advice is not to waste your time and money by reading them.
I could go on and on about why they’re awful, but this is neither the time nor place.
Twilight will die down, and in 10 or so years, no one will remember it. People will look back and say “Why on earth did I like that series?”
Posted 05 Aug 2009 at 3:00 am ¶
jen* wrote:
oh wow. they *sparkle*?
ew.
I like vampire stories, but I’ve tended more toward the ones like ‘Moonlight’ (which devolved too quickly for me, but Mick St. John is an awesome name), or ‘Being Human’ (which I’m loving right now). I’ll even take BtheVS, the *movie*, over sparkling vampires.
Posted 05 Aug 2009 at 9:45 am ¶
Anonymous wrote:
@ Jen
I heard that Torchwood COE (Children of Earth) had great ratings in the UK and in the US so there is a great chance that they will return for Season 4!!!
Posted 05 Aug 2009 at 11:57 am ¶
O wrote:
@ jen
I heard that Torchwood Children of Earth did really well as far as ratings in the UK and in the US, so there is a great chance that there will be a Season 4!!! But if you go to youtube, they have clips of the Torchwood session from Comic Con!
Posted 05 Aug 2009 at 12:05 pm ¶
jen* wrote:
I thought CofE was great – though sad – so I’m hoping for a season 4…but I’ll have to go to youtube tofind those clips. Thanks O!
Posted 05 Aug 2009 at 2:26 pm ¶
Tony wrote:
It’s also worth noting that the actors of the Twilight movie (Robert Pattinson who plays “Edward” and Kristen Stewart who plays “Bella”) have pretty openly said they HATE the stuff.
Kristen did it for the paycheck, Robert did it to meet Kristen.
What Whitney said about Twi-Hards thinking Robert is really Edward is true, he has talked about how girls showed up for autograph sessions with cuts on their necks and showed them to him saying “We did this for you”
So, when the people who are in the movie are saying (in effect) “This is not a good product, and the fans of it scare me”….you can’t expect people who aren’t getting paid to love those same fans.
Posted 05 Aug 2009 at 5:46 pm ¶
O wrote:
@ jen
Yeah, I hope for a season 4, but I am very curious about how it will run, with Ianto dead
Jack disappering, Gwen pregnant and the HUB gone!!
Posted 05 Aug 2009 at 8:51 pm ¶
Roxie wrote:
So, I actually like Twilight. A lot.
Would never overstate it though. I’m not a screaming teenage girl & most fans that I know aren’t.
It’s just that screaming teenagers are louder than non-screaming non-teenagers.
Yes, the sparkle. Really not my favorite thing. They sparkle b/c the “venom” crystallizes their skin cells into something hard like granite rock.
Also Kristen Stewart & Robert Pattinson do not HATE the series. Reports, excerpts, & interviews have been taken wildly out of context/greatly exaggerated.
I disagree with Christopher that 6,000 fans of other things got “shut out” and now everyone loses money. If there’s one thing Twilighters do very well, it’s SPEND MONEY. I mean, hello
I had a chat with another fan about how the Twi-fandom needs to “gain respect of other fandoms”. Her thinking was that male fandoms are more respected by the media, so we (as a majority female fandom) must strive harder so we can gain the same respect.
I disagree very much.
Posted 07 Aug 2009 at 5:56 pm ¶
Whitney wrote:
@Tony: Rob Pattinson has actually said that he thinks Stephenie Meyer is crazy. Basically he said that when he read it, he thought Meyer thought she was Bella, and that it was basically like her own personal fantasy. I don’t know if that’s meant to be taken as an insult or a compliment, but they’ve just seemed lackluster about it.
No doubt though that Twilight has done a lot for the economy and has gotten teenagers to start reading more, and hopefully they’ll start reading better stuff.
but wow…. I had no idea that the fans were *that* insane to actually cut themselves on their necks. Poor guy, that would scare the shit out of me!
And I’m saying this as someone who liked the series when i first read it, and then I read criticisms about it…. and then I read it again with the criticisms in mind, and I saw exactly what they were talking about. I’m not against it, I just think it’s mediocre. Teenagers deserve better, ya know?
@Roxie: Maybe the male “fandoms” are more respected because they don’t mob the stars of whatever movie they are fans of. It’s not female fans that are disrespected, I think it’s specifically Twilight female fans who do crazy things like stalk Pattinson and cut themselves for him. That’s crazy. When your fans seriously interfere with your life, you have bad fans.
Posted 08 Aug 2009 at 9:19 pm ¶
perpetual explosion wrote:
My deep and abiding Twilight hate comes not from gender, but the fact that it’s a crap franchise. The novels are crap. Vapid, silly, badly written, completely ridiculous, crap. It’s fucking Dawson’s Creek with vampires. It takes skill to take vampires, which are innately scary and cool, and turn them into lame, sparkly soft-core porn for high school girls. Bella is just not an interesting character, characters need flaws. In stead, Bella is blandly perfect, pretty, popular, and eventually gets to make out with a hott vampire guy. The whole thing is straight off the back of a Trapper-keeper. Edward Cullen is not much better. He breaks into her room and watches her sleep, how is that not fucking creepy? And yet, he’s the heartthrob. The bland, sparkly, stalkerific heartthrob. Then there’s Jacob. Myer seemed to realize halfway through that she was making Jacob cooler than Edward, so she has him shove sexually assault Bella to take his character down a few notches. And yet later, she lets the same guy take care of her fucking kid? Even after he and the newborn were declared “soulmates?” It’s just bad. I can’t take Twilight fans seriously, not because they’re female, but because their chosen fandom is to vampire literature what the Jonas Brothers are to music.
Posted 09 Aug 2009 at 12:22 am ¶
Altoid wrote:
I was there and I only saw an anti-Twilight sign once. I’m a girl and I found no hatred from any guys there for being there.
The problem I see with Twilight is that it’s terrible fan-fic tripe that caters to lonely “outcast” girls. Anyone who gets that obsessed with it is somewhat scary. Even to the point that they had their own ‘Twilight Fanfic Panel’. They need a panel for their fanfics?
I did enjoy the women of comics panel where Christina Strain said that the big problem with girls and comics is that males think they need to protect them. As she put it she’s “colored her fair share of boobies” and never had a problem with it. However many people will say that she “shouldn’t have to.” Most of them are guys. I’ve found this true, being a wanna-be comic artist myself many people assume that because I draw boobies and sexy women that I’m a man. I draw men as well but women I find easier to draw.
As for who belongs and who doesn’t? Joss Whedon and Kevin Smith: Both of them write comics. And if we’re being really nit picky Lost and Heroes both have (or had) Comic book writers on their writing staff and have shown comics in their series. The other stuff I don’t know much about.
SDCC attracts a lot of star power which attracts a lot of people. And vice versa. A bigger venue won’t help. Being 5′2 I felt claustrophobic at times, but under all that complaining, I really enjoyed it. I bought a lot of art and saw the people who made it. I learned a few things in art panels and got free crap I never knew I wanted.
Posted 12 Aug 2009 at 5:15 pm ¶