| Comic-con International |
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Information AboutComic-con International |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL | |
| multigenre conventions | |
| san diego, california | |
| 1970 establishments | |
| comic book conventions | |
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Comic-Con International: San Diego, commonly known as '''Comic-Con''' or the '''San Diego Comic-Con''', is an annual Multigenre Fan Convention founded as the Golden State Comic Book Convention and later the San Diego Comic Book Convention in 1970 by Shel Dorf and a group of San Diegans. It is traditionally a four-day event (Thursday through Sunday--though a four hour preview night on Wednesday is open to guests pre-registered for all four days) held during the summer in San Diego, California , at the San Diego Convention Center . Comic-Con International is both the name of the annual event, and the common name of the organization. Comic-Con International also produces two other conventions, WonderCon and the Alternative Press Expo (APE), both held in San Francisco, California . Originally showcasing Comic Book s, and related popular arts, the convention has expanded over the years to include a larger range of Pop Culture elements, such as Science Fiction , Fantasy , Horror , Anime , Manga , Animation , Toys , Collectible Card Game s, Video Game s, Television , and Movies . The convention is the largest of its kind in the world, filling to capacity the San Diego Convention Center with over 125,000 attendees in 2007. Since 1974, Comic-Con International has bestowed its annual Inkpot Award to guests and persons of interest in the industries of popular arts as well as to members of Comic-Con's Board of Directors and convention committee. It is also the home of the comic-book industry's Will Eisner Awards . EVENTS Along with panels, seminars, and workshops with comic book professionals, there are previews of upcoming feature films, portfolio review sessions with top comic book and video game companies, and such evening events as awards ceremonies and The Masquerade; a costume contest, and the Comic-Con International Independent Film Festival which showcases shorts and feature length movies that do not have distribution or distribution deals. Traditional events include an eclectic film program, screening rooms devoted to 's "Oddball Comics" slide show and animation expert Jerry Beck 's program featuring TV's "worst cartoons ever", as well as over 350 hours of other programming on all aspects of comic books and pop culture. Like most comic book conventions, Comic-Con features a large floorspace for exhibitors. These include media companies such as Movie Studio s and TV Network s, as well as comic-book dealers and Collectibles merchants. Like most comics conventions, Comic-Con includes an autograph area, as well as the Artists' Alley where comics artists can sign autographs and sell or do free sketches. Despite the name, artists' alleys can include writers and even models. Academicians and comic industry professionals annually hold the Comics Arts Conference at Comic-Con, presenting scholarly studies on comics as a medium. Educational forums such as the Comics Arts Conference help Comic-Con maintain its non-profit status. IN THE MEDIA Comic-Con has served as the setting for '' and for the " I Love You, Too " episode of the HBO Television Series '' Entourage '', the latter of which, while set at the event, was not filmed there. Comic-Con also served as an excuse for the fictional characters Seth Cohen and Ryan Atwood 's trip to Tijuana, Mexico in the first season of TV series '' The O.C. '' QUOTES is on the big screen.]] , where the con was held for several years in the seventies. I'd say the place was a dump but that would be demeaning to dumps. Still, it was a fun dump, run by a management that didn't seem to care all that much what we did to it". "News from Me" (column of April 7, 2006) by Mark Evanier Evanier on an early spillover venue: "In the seventies, when we all started going to San Diego Comic Book Conventions, back when they called them that, Hotel San Diego was a frequent venue for con events. Some years, before it outgrew any available hotel ballroom, the Inkpot Awards presentation was held there. There were many memorable parties and gatherings, such as in 1982 when a group of Jack Kirby 's friends staged a memorable surprise birthday party for him in one of its halls. Perhaps some year, you were either so hard up for money or so desperate for an available room (or both) that you even booked into its sadly deteriorating accommodations. It was one of the cheaper places to sleep and con-goers took advantage of that up until June of 2001 when the building was declared structurally unsafe and was closed down". "News from Me" (column of April 8, 2006) , by Mark Evanier ISSUES Capacity attendance at Comic-Con in 2006 and 2007 has caused crowding issues. Concerns have been that the event is possibly too massive for the San Diego Convention Center, Comic-Con's home through at least 2012.http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/07/30/ap3964442.html "''What began as a comic-book event has grown to include toys, video games, anime and movies. The event practically no longer fits in the San Diego Convention Center, its home through 2012." '' In 2006, for the first time in the show's history, Comic-Con "sold out" on Saturday and potential attendees were denied entry. In response, for 2007, Comic-Con introduced a new 3-day membership that did not include Saturday. Nevertheless, the 2007 show went on to sell out Saturday, as well as Friday and Sunday for the first time in history. Additionally, both the 4-day and 3-day memberships sold out for the first time in history.http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/fn/5010567.html ''"The event is so popular that, for the first time in its history, tickets sold out on Friday, Saturday and Sunday."''http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:yLp1Jtp0I-MJ:www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_reg.shtml+comic+con+2007+sold+out&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us&client=firefox-a LOCATIONS AND DATES Much of the information for conventions before 1999 is from the 1999 30th- anniversary program book. SEE ALSO REFERENCES
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