In this 25 page essay, Douglas Wolk writes about the phenomenon that is the San Diego Comic-Con. From humble beginnings in the early 70s when a mere 300 people attended, Wolk talks about how the Con has evolved over the years to become the heaving corporate behemoth that now annually attracts 130,000 people over a 5 day celebration of pop culture and commerce.The piece is mostly matter-of-fact, detailing the variety of events that make up the con from the Eisner Awards on Friday night, the Cosplay Saturday night, and the panels often featuring movie stars that fill out the mammoth Hall H (which seats 6500 people). Wolk gives you a good idea of what the event is like with enormous queues literally stretching to thousands of square feet, nowhere to stay (even places 50 miles away charge extortionate rates during this week), and the intense enthusiasm of its attendees.While it’s interesting to read about, despite being a comics fan, I would never even consider going there – the queues alone require superhuman patience and I get annoyed even when there’s a couple of people in front of me for anything. But the fact that comics take a backseat in an event called Comic-Con is a bit depressing. Movies and TV shows are the headliners and the cynical corporate marketing that ensues only heightens my distaste for the event.“Comic-Con Strikes Again!” is an interesting and succinct look at the sub-culture that grew to become pop-culture and what it’s like to attend such an event , especially for those (like me) who want to experience it from a distance, far away from the queues for the “True Blood” and “Twilight” panels. I will likely never attend San Diego Comic Con, but I have attended several DragonCons, so this book struck a chord. I think it tries to capture the width and breadth of the Con, from the frustration from "true fans" about "Twi-hards" or other fads, contrasted with the old fans from the first cons who barely get recognition at all. It's important to see the change in the last 10 years from fan conventions about the love and work put towards a passion to now when it's so media and industry oriented. The scope of the cons have also grown to include a lot more with hundreds of panels devoted to all aspects of geekery.I felt that the essay was a pretty honest introduction to nerd conventions, if you've never attended. Good read for a couple bucks.
What do You think about Comic-Con Strikes Again! (2000)?
Interesting read. Anybody considering the Con should read this first.
—emily
Took me back to my adolescents and the NYC comic con
—butterfly11
