San Diego Comic-Con
San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit[2] multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California, since 1970. The event's official name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego, but is more commonly known as Comic-Con, the San Diego Comic-Con, or the abbreviation SDCC.[3][4]
San Diego Comic-Con International
Active
Multigenre
San Diego Convention Center (main)
Downtown San Diego (various)
San Diego, California, U.S.
United States
March 21, 1970 (as Golden State Comic Book Convention)
July 20, 2023
July 25, 2024
>135,000 (2022) [1]
San Diego Comic Convention dba Comic-Con International
The convention was founded as the Golden State Comic Book Convention in 1970 by a group of San Diegans that included Shel Dorf, Richard Alf, Ken Krueger, Ron Graf, and Mike Towry;[5][6][7][8][9] later, it was called the "San Diego Comic Book Convention", Dorf said during an interview that he hoped the first Con would bring in 500 attendees.[10] It is a four-day event (Thursday–Sunday) held during the summer (in July since 2003) at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego. On the Wednesday evening prior to the official opening, professionals, exhibitors, and pre-registered guests for all four days can attend a pre-event "Preview Night" to give attendees the opportunity to walk the exhibit hall and see what will be available during the convention.
Comic-Con International also produces WonderCon, held in Anaheim, and SAM: Storytelling Across Media, a conference held in 2016 in San Francisco and beginning in 2018 annually at the Comic-Con Museum in San Diego. Since 1974, Comic-Con has bestowed its annual Inkpot Award on guests and persons of interest in the popular arts industries, as well as on members of Comic-Con's board of directors and the Convention committee. It is also the home of the Will Eisner Awards.
Originally showcasing primarily comic books and science fiction/fantasy related film, television, and similar popular arts, the convention has since included a larger range of pop culture and entertainment elements across virtually all genres, including horror, Western animation, anime, comics, manga, toys, collectible card games, video games, webcomics, and fantasy novels. In 2010 and each year subsequently, it filled the San Diego Convention Center to capacity with more than 130,000 attendees.[11] In addition to drawing huge crowds, the event holds several Guinness World Records including the largest annual comic and pop culture festival in the world.[12]
SDCC was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A smaller-scale "special edition" event was held in November 2021, followed by the return of the main show in 2022 with strong health restrictions. The following Comic-Con on July 20, 2023 attempted to return to normal, but many of the larger panels were abruptly canceled or heavily affected due to the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike and 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. The next show is planned for July 25, 2024.
Exclusive collectibles[edit]
In the 21st century, the convention has drawn toy and collectibles designers who sell "Comic-Con Exclusive" products. Such companies have included Lego, Hasbro, Funko, Gentle Giant LTD, Mattel, NECA, ThinkGeek, Sideshow Collectibles, Entertainment Earth, Bif Bang Pow!, Mezco, Toynami, and Kotobukiya.[58][59] Most such exclusives are licensed properties of film, comic book and animation characters.
Comic-Con Magazine[edit]
Comic-Con Magazine, formerly known as Update, is the official magazine of San Diego Comic-Con International, WonderCon, and SAM: Storytelling Across Media, published free by San Diego Comic-Con International in the United States. The seed of the Comic-Con Magazine was a short one-shot issue of The Spirit, based on Comic-Con and sold exclusively in 1976 at the San Diego Comic-Con International. The Comic-Con Magazine debuted as Update in July 2005 and mainly focused on the winners of the Eisner Awards.[135] The last Update issue appeared in July 2008;[136] then it went on hiatus. When it came back, it was as Comic-Con Magazine, which not only covered San Diego Comic-Con International, but also WonderCon and the Alternative Press Expo, more commonly known as APE (which the con owned through 2014). The new Comic-Con Magazine features interviews with Comic-Con attendees and complete coverage of the Comic-Con events.[137][138] The fourth issue of Comic-Con Magazine was a hybrid with Comic-Con's Souvenir Book with cover art by Alex Ross, in full color and exclusive to Comic-Con attendees.[137][139]
Accidents and incidents[edit]
In 2013, a young woman attempted to jump off the balcony of a local high-rise, but nearby stuntmen prevented it.[170]
In 2014, multiple pedestrians marching in an off-site ZombieWalk were struck by a car forcing its way through an intersection.[171] A 64-year-old woman sustained serious injuries to her arm; two others had minor injuries.[172][173]
The same year, a teenage cosplayer was initially thought to have been sexually assaulted early Sunday morning, and a suspect was arrested on Sunday at the San Diego Marriott Hotel and Marina.[174] Police later stated that the teenage girl was injured in a fall; the arrested individual was released without any charges.[175]
Trademark[edit]
In 2014, San Diego Comic-Con sent a cease and desist order to the organizers of Salt Lake Comic Con, asserting that "Comic-Con" and "Comic-Con International" were registered trademarks of the convention, and that use of the term "comic con" in any form was trademark infringement as it implies an unauthorized association with San Diego Comic-Con.[176] A U.S. court ruled in favor of San Diego Comic-Con and awarded $20,000 in damages (albeit not considering the infringement to be willful). Phoenix Comiccon changed its name to Phoenix Comic Fest as a proactive move to avoid possible legal issues in the wake of this ruling. They then filed a motion in an Arizona Federal Court to strike down San Diego Comic Convention's trademark[177] In 2017, the Salt Lake Comic Con changed its name to FanX Salt Lake Comic Convention (or just FanX).[178] On January 16, 2018, Salt Lake Comic Con filed a motion for a new trial.[179][180]
