FANDOM FEATURE A view from above the show floor at New York Comic Con (NYCC) , October 2019.
THE YEAR(S) WITHOUT THE CONS The COVID-19 era continues to disrupt fan events.
by James Zahn, senior editor
A
s the reality set in last summer that for the first time since its inception in 1970, the fandom community would not be gathering in southern California for Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC), the world felt battered and beaten. The U.S. was just four months into official lockdown mode as the COVID19 pandemic continued to spread, but still, there was a glimmer of hope that humanity might stand together against the invisible enemy like the Avengers did in the third act of Endgame. But that type of triumph just never happened. There was no Tony Stark “snap” to put things back to how they once were. And COVID-19 — like Thanos — had taken away friends, family members, and coworkers, along with entire businesses and events that had long been taken for granted by nearly everyone involved. For a multitude of reasons spanning fear, carelessness, stupidity, confusion, con-
tradiction, and a simple lack of widely accepted science-based facts, the epidemic curve was never flattened, but the live events industry certainly was. In a final move that took ReedPop’s New York Comic Con (NYCC) into a virtual Metaverse, the 2020 convention scene was essentially toast. Now, the year(s) without the cons continues as the industry explores the prospect that hybrid events composed of smaller-capacity in-person gatherings and a digital companion experience could become the new normal.
“We’ve always had a hunch that participating in these events may not be as critical as we thought. Now we have proof.” — Jason Labowitz, Entertainment Earth
On March 1, following months of speculation, the organizers of SDCC announced the cancellation of the 2021 event. In lieu of the live event, fans can once again enjoy a free, virtual Comic-Con@Home, which will take place from July 23-25. The cancellation, while disappointing, is hardly a surprise. At press time, the San Diego Convention Center is still being used
for Operation Shelter to Home, an initiative that launched last April in an effort to contain COVID-19 among the city’s homeless population. On Jan. 28, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria won unanimous approval from the City Council to extend the program — and its use of the famed venue — through at least the end of March. Vaccinations may hold at least a few of the keys to bringing back fan conventions, but the slow speed of the rollout coupled with low public confidence regarding being in crowds continues to push back the goal posts. The empty venues and convention centers are even playing a critical role in getting the public vaccinated. An open letter delivered to the Biden administration from a coalition of organizations representing the live event industry offered “the full weight of the industry to support vaccine distribution.” The group, which includes Live Nation, AEG, IATSE, and more, says that nearly everything needed is standing by at the ready. “Our industry has thousands of venues throughout America that are under mandated closures and sitting empty,” said the letter. “Event venues make ideal community vaccination sites: They are located in most urban, suburban, and rural communities, often near transit lines and with easy access to parking. Due to the nature of our business, our buildings and our workforce are accustomed to patron queuing and large crowd management.”
18 | Issue No. 9 | THE POP INSIDER
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