NO STUDIOS, NO ACTORS, NO PROBLEM
Reporting From The Floor of Comic-Con 2023
Article by Justin Bowler
San Diego Comic-Con is the center of the entertainment industry for five days (including preview night.) It literally hosts stars, executives, creatives, bean counters, fans, nerds, geeks, cosplayers, stunt men, techies and more as they all come together in a mass of 150,000 people and descend on downtown San Diego.
In short… It’s BIG. It used to be about comics, hence the original name San Diego COMIC-Con. But it is not just about comics anymore, it is about entertainment as a whole. And the life it has taken on by itself is as vivid and spectacular as anything that it celebrates. The Comic-Con experience is unlike any other. There are panels (obviously), there are events (obviously), there are parties (obviously), there are scene re-creations (not so obviously, but it definitely tracks). In addition, there are contests, shows, breaking news, pageants, and so much more. It is a time for fans to revel in fandom. Do you like a show that none of your friends like? Well, guess what? The show will be represented at Comic-Con, and you will come in contact with literally hundreds and thousands of other people that love that show. Have you ever stood outside of a movie theater with your friends after watching a movie? Have you ever stood there conversing for an hour, simply talking about what you just saw? Imagine 150,000 people discussing thousands of shows, comics, movies, etc. And all of them are on display for you, the fan. So, you can walk up to a creator, and talk to them about how much you love something, ask them a deep dive question about the reasoning behind an aspect of the show. Because, at its heart, that is the Comic-Con experience.
Yes, at a panel for an upcoming movie, you will see footage from the movie that has never been seen by anyone anywhere else. Yes, you can see a trailer for something that has not been released yet, nor will be released for another month. You will hear stars talk about how much fun they had making a movie or TV show. You can ask questions to the writers who created something that you passionately obsessed over for weeks waiting for the season finale.
In the Gaslamp Quarter around the convention center, posters and murals, as big as the side of a building, are erected to bring hype around projects the creators are excited about sharing in the coming months.
Store fronts are transformed into pop-up experiences, where you can geek out over new merchandise or be transformed into an animated character, or sit in a room that is an exact re-creation of the Mos Eisley cantina. (Incidentally, if you want to do that on any given day, I would highly recommend a bar in Hollywood, called the Scum and Villainy Cantina. On any given night, you may see someone walking in dressed as Han Solo (FYI, they are not hired by the establishment, they are just a fan who likes to dress as Han Solo, and go to this Cantina).)
There are insane and lavish parties for industry types, held on $100 million yachts next to the convention center. Sometimes they premiere movies. They have their own film festival. Are you a gamer? Do you like D&D? Let’s talk about the massive gaming area and tournaments that they have at SDCC, with people from all over the world. Plus, don’t even get me started on the massive amount of amazing costumes. Cosplay, at its finest. Not only will you see all of the Disney princesses, as if they were Jedis, you’ll see an entire choreographed, fight scene, and all of this taking place on the street. For free! (Side note, if you see someone in ordinary regular clothing, who just happens to have a mask on, that covers their face, there is a 95% chance it’s a celebrity who doesn’t want to be recognized (A few years ago, Bryan Cranston walked around the entire Con wearing a full Heisenberg head mask. BRILLIANT!!!).)
In the past, there have been especially mind-blowing moments at San Diego Comic-Con. Once, JJ Abrams was hosting a Star Wars panel in Hall H (the largest panel area) and showed some new unseen footage for the fans in attendance. Then, he answered questions about the upcoming movie. THEN, he asked the audience if they could join him in a brief concert by John Williams, and proceeded to escort 6000 people outside to a private performance of John Williams and the Philharmonic. Williams played classic and new music from Star Wars. Ask anyone in attendance how mind-blowing it was and how great of a surprise it was. They will tell you, it was a phenomenal moment in San Diego Comic-Con history.
Amazing experiences don’t even have to be inside the convention center. About a decade ago, a pop-up of Flynn‘s arcade was on Fifth St. (the main drag for the Gaslamp Quarter next to the convention center). It was a complete re-creation, from the bricks on the outside to ‘70s and ‘80s video games on the inside, complete with a wall that you could push open to reveal the bar from Tron: Legacy (2010). It was spectacular. There were characters in costumes from the movie and actual alcoholic drinks.
All that being said, this year, the whole experience was a little different. Many of the major studios chose not to show up and do panels. So, the big panels were lacking. Mostly because the studios are in the midst of a very bitter negotiation with the Screen Actors Guild. And while major stars like Chris Pratt, Chris Pine, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, and of the any other famous Chrises aren’t broadly affected by the requests studios won’t bend on, they are standing in solidarity with the other 98% of working actors who have trouble making the minimum income to qualify for SAG health insurance (Seriously, the strike is not about millionaire actors wanting more money, it’s about people who are barely earning above the poverty line, getting health insurance while trying to make a living in the arts. It’s about background actors who are being asked to sell their likeness in perpetuity for a few hundred dollars so AI can then put them into any movie the studio wants, forever, doing whatever the studio wants them to do… ANYTHING the studio wants them to do. Never thought you could be in porn? The studio could literally put your likeness in anything. ANY THING. No matter how grotesque or obscene or objectionable. Don’t believe how bad it can be? Watch the first episode of Black Mirror this season. That is a genuine possibility and one that Selma Hayek NEVER wants to come true. Religious defecation aside, it’s a really big deal). So, the bottom line is… there weren’t any major stars there. Hence, the entire year was focused more on the people who don’t get the limelight: digital creators, designers, artists, etc.
While there were a few panels of note (directors are not on strike, so a few of them were talking about their new movies), smaller panels, like mine, were a HUGE SUCCESS. It was a packed house with standing room only. That’s right, Selling the Hit: What You Always Wanted to Know About the Stunt Industry (In Memory of Eric Cajiuat) had a huge audience. Since there weren’t any stars, you could hear major stunt people talk about their experiences, the industry, the strike, and answer questions from the audience.
Cosplay was in full effect, as usual. People come from all over the world to partake in the fun of dressing as their favorite character or interpretation of that character. In addition, SDCC has a Masquerade on Saturday night. The SDCC website describes it as “Not a dance or party as the name may imply, it is more akin to a talent show set on a large stage before an audience, showcasing amazing costumes crafted by our non-professional but still very creative and talented attendees. Most costumes will be impressive re-creations from movies, television, anime, comic books, fantasy, Broadway shows, video games, and history; others will be completely original designs from the imagination. Some will be solo entries; others will be groups with a shared theme. All genres are welcome, but NO purchased costumes are allowed.” These cosplayers walk the streets and halls of the convention all day showing off their costumes. You can see the winners at the SDCC MASQUERADE WEBPAGE.
In addition, here are a few I came in contact with.
(Side note: This Chewbacca was more than seven feet tall! And performed the Chewbacca “Rrrruuuurrr”!)
Pop-ups were a plenty, all over the Gaslamp Quarter. The Tin Roof Inn turned itself into a Moobies pop up, with live podcast recordings from SmodCastle. You could even catch, the king of pop culture, @ThatKevinSmith with @RalphGarman doing their live show Hollywood Babble-On.
Quantum Leap erected a Headquarters Experience that looked cool from the outside, but had a line WAYYYYYY too long for me to check it out. Google it, if interested.
More Snoopy is on its way and had a small Camp Snoopy for kids to check out.
Or when the kids weren’t around, then the adults just took over their area.
Themed food offerings are available all over downtown. From the restaurants, and cafes, to street carts, where you can get a number of dishes at highly inflated prices. (When supply is low, and time is precious, you will pay a lot for expediency and convenience. Notice, that I did not write “you are paying for quality”).
Comic-Con Autographs are huge business. Did you have a favorite star from a comic inspired show from yesteryear? Well, they are here.
Did you have favorite wrestling personalities from days past? They are here too!
Maybe you wanted a picture with someone who has worked with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dean Stockwell, James Cameron, Bill Paxton and DMX. If so, he is here too!
Or maybe you are just into pop culture and ACTUAL COMICS, then we have an empty table here for you as well.
Meanwhile, on the exhibit floor, though it might be crowded, you can find statues and actual screen used costumes on display.
A life sized statue of Lord Vader IF he were a Samurai. (No matter what he wears, he is still dangerous.)
Speaking of life sized: E.T., a 3-foot LEGO Sonic, and some fire beast that A LOT of people were very excited about. Hellboy and I weren’t sure why.
Then of course, if you are so inclined there are tremendous restaurant and food opportunities all over the Gaslamp Quarter. They could be themed for upcoming movies, shows, or just a simple whiskey bar. And by “simple”, I mean “the largest whiskey selection I have ever seen”. (They may have had food too.)
I became a fan of The Whiskey House very quickly.
So, there you have it. A 2023 experience at SDCC. As of writing this, tickets are still on sale for San Diego Comic-Con 2024, but, they sell out each year. So, I’m not sure how long they will be available. Hopefully, I’ll see you there!
Follow @IndyFilmTwittic on IG and Threads. And be sure to comment below!
