July
27The Myths of Comic-Con
First, let me shoot down some myths:
Myth : Comic-Con has grown too big. Wrong. The geeks and freaks positively thrive on the frenzied overcrowding. When a costumed Dark Knight collides with a waddling Wall-E on the center aisle, both relish the gang-bump. Besides, there’s no room for anyone to fall.So, you see, things are not always as they seem at Comic-Con. You need to peer beneath the surface. Well, not too far beneath --
Myth: Hollywood has rudely conscripted the event and the fanboys resent it. Bullshit. The Comic-Conners are downright orgasmic when they round a corner only to confront a Seth Rogen or Mark Wahlberg. Or when they spy a studio executive hanging out to find out what’s hip. The dweebs then feel hip!
Myth: Comic books, once the focal point of Comic-Con, have been all but forgotten. Not true. Everyone comes to this event to pay homage to comic books. Even folks like me who have never read a comic book. Indeed, the entire spectrum of show biz content has fused comics with vidgames with graphic novels. Meanwhile, most movies have become comic books.
Myth: Comic-Con is all about grownups fawning over the cultural appetite of the kids. Wrong. The demi-gods of Comic-Con are old guys like Stan Lee or Frank Miller. Lee, lean and hyper, has popped out everything from Spiderman to Iron Man and now, under a rich new deal at Disney, is developing new creatures like Tigress, Blaze and “maybe one or two insects” that he doesn’t care to describe.
Myth: Comic-Con is all about superheroes. Not so. The nerd herd also loves antiheroes. Seth Rogen, who’s a big star with this crowd, says he made Pineapple Express about a weed-smoking slacker because, well, he’s a weed-smoking slacker. (Of course, he also is still busily prepping "The Green Hornet," where he’ll probably play a weed-smoking superhero).
(Tune in to AMC TV Sunday August 3 for Shootout at Comic-Con, with Seth Rogen, James Franco, David Gordon Green, Simon Pegg, and Edgar Wright. The interviews with Stan Lee and Frank Miller will air August 10).
Subscribe to Peter Bart's Blog Feed
I am a little disgusted.
First of all, the writer credits Wolverine to Stan Lee. This is a clear sign of the writer not doing his research.
Second of all, he says us geeks and freaks THRIVE on over-crowding...that's like saying californians LOVE traffic..what a .
there's more but those two things bug me the most.
*Noted Corrected*
Posted by: Tanjint | 8/4/2008 11:19:58 AM
I think you got it right! ComicCon has evolved into the biggest media happening in the world. And the people whining about it not being about comics anymore need to consider whether they''d rather have a convention with 10,000 die-hard comics fans seeing your work, or a potential of 120,000 media fans seeing your work!
We have a recent example of what happens when you try to limit a convention. E3 decided it had gotten too big and noisy and two years ago eliminated the public to focus on an industry-only crowd. This past week, with barely 5,000 in attendance and the biggest companies passing on the convention, people are asking why have an E3 at all.
So people should chill out and enjoy themselves. There''s still plenty of comic conventions around the country where die-hard comics fans can geek out. But if you want to rub shoulders with the industry greats, ComicCon is the place to be.
Posted by: Dan Petitpas | 7/30/2008 7:56:13 AM
Bart writing about SDCC is a sure sign that the event has jumped the shark.
Posted by: Reed Durr | 7/29/2008 7:45:36 AM
I fully don't expect Mr. Bart to really understand or comprehend what Comic Con is really supposed to be about. It's about a comics artist coming back from losing nine pets and a lifetime's worth of work a devastating house fire a year ago to help debut a fantastic anthology called <i>Comic Book Tattoo</i>. It's about another friend who worked feverishly to have all of his writer and artist pitch packets ready so that he could earn enough money to move into his first home. It's about socializing with artists whose work you've admired for years. It's about getting to talk to major creators about their work. It's about finally getting to meet people with whom you've shared the love of comics for years but have never met in person.
It's good that Comic Con has gained enough popularity to be covered by the mainstream media, and yet it's a bitter pill to swallow as well because the focus of the convention seems to have been lost. It reaffirms that only people with money can be respected, and that is very wrong.
Posted by: Trisha Lynn | 7/29/2008 7:16:26 AM
Myth: Peter Bart actually at Comic-Con. Psych! Bart was actually "photoshopped" into this random shot of the crowd.
Posted by: RodTooHot | 7/28/2008 11:29:49 PM
That photo is priceless.
Posted by: Remy | 7/28/2008 1:54:08 PM
Looks like the writing of Hollywood Elsewhere's Jeffrey Wells (the font issues are a dead giveaway that the reply was written in Word).
Why cover Comic Con if you plan on making fun of the same people that insure your livelihood? It is the arrogance of this article that continues to push Variety six feet under. It would make a lot more sense to leave Bart with the paper version and hire someone who understands the web to bring Variety into the 21st Century.
Posted by: dbldn | 7/28/2008 11:54:34 AM
Uh, after reading "Hot Rod's" rambling comment I have to ask: Who the hell is allowing Charles Manson access to the Internet?
Posted by: WhoIsHotRod | 7/28/2008 11:43:27 AM
Snidley Whiplash you’ve become.
You deliver clever pros and reporting to your core readers with vision that cuts through the minutia like a razor.
But Arie thinks you’re missing the boat on Aquaman.
You have a bigger audience. You're on the web.
Your relevance is diminishing quickly as the outsiders who read you are moving in.
Comic Con has made sleepy little San Diego, No Country For Old Men.
Treat the geeks with a little more respect, or your legacy will soon be forgotten.
Sincerely,
Not A Geek.
Just a long time reader watching you get blown up like Wile E. Coyote in the Blogsphere. In fact, one of my connections on Digg, is passing around your work and asking all their connections let you know.
Posted by: Hot Rod | 7/28/2008 8:54:10 AM