SMOF News, volume 1, issue 48

A Comic-Con International roundup, and news in brief.

Comic-Con Strike Resolved

At press time last week, workers for one of Comic-Con International’s official venues, the Hilton San Diego Bayside, were on strike. Late Wednesday night, the Hilton made a new offer which caused the strike to be suspended, sparing congoers a decision about whether or not to cross picket lines.

KBPS reports that details of the offer were not made public, but did get this slightly disingenuous quote:

"We did not want to strike during this important week for San Diego tourism, but it's clear this is what it took to get the wages and benefits these workers deserve," [Brigette Browning, president of Unite Here Local 30] added.

Comic-Con: Is It Still Whatever It Is?

The return of a full-sized in-person Comic-Con triggered many, many articles on the theme of “Does Comic-Con still matter?”. Digital Trends says yes, pointing to the outcomes so far at official studio events:

Warner Bros. came up with DC FanDome, a mostly successful event that couldn’t help but feel blatantly small-scale compared to the heights of the once mighty Comic-Con. Disney/Marvel kept its major announcements for its bizarrely anti-climactic investor day and made full use of the trades, sending blasts via The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, and many of the usual suspects. Most did hefty business on Twitter, trending and succeeding in generating word of mouth. However, none achieved the same level of attention or provoked the same excitement that they would’ve had they been announced on the Hall H stage.

…

The truth is, San Diego Comic-Con is the clash of multiple fandoms and, hard as it may be to believe, not everyone is in love with superhero content. So while Trekkies and Potterheads might’ve been compelled to learn more about Marvel’s newest adventure because of the rumblings coming out of Hall H, they wouldn’t even know about the reveal if it happened at an event exclusively dedicated to superheroes.

Publishers Weekly says maybe, looking at the absence of some traditional publisher booths and the appearance of new ones. It also notes that decisions are still complicated by non-industry factors:

[Fletcher Chu-Fong of Fletch Forward] agrees that returning companies “have been cautious, and rightfully so, because the pandemic is not quite over.” He explains, “It’s a tough call, because as an exhibitor you’d want to have your company be where your fans are, but you also are looking out for the safety of your employees.” The fan community, he says, “definitely” wants to return to in-person events, “as evidenced by such shows as WonderCon in March, and it has been growing steadily to record capacities as recently as MegaCon in May.” Fully vaccinated fans, Chu-Fong adds, are looking forward to returning, and more companies “are sending their vaccinated staff and talent to these conventions.”

The Wrap says not if you’re a Hollywood insider, focusing on how Comic-Con buzz has not always translated to box-office success. It looks back at the industry involvement of the 2010s:

“Comic-Con really became a place for agents and executives to get away on the company card for a few days,” the producer said. And then, almost ruefully: “The sad thing is that once Comic-Con started to be about the movies, not the comics, most of the comic creators were tragically given short shrift by the Con.”

Another Comic-Con mainstay was themed parties thrown by various companies, which combined over-the-top excess with an attempt at building awareness and buzz. While a few of these parties are still happening (Fandom is throwing a big bash, there’s a tavern experience themed to Paramount’s upcoming “Dungeons & Dragons” movie and a yacht party meant to evoke A24’s upcoming horror romp “Bodies Bodies Bodies”), the lavish parties and all-night ragers that used to dominate the nighttime hours during the convention is also a thing of the past.

“It’s not the same anymore. Agencies used to throw huge parties. Stars with no affiliation to any of the presentations used to go there,” a talent agent told us. “That era is gone.”

All three agree, though, that regardless of what big business does or doesn’t do with Comic-Con in the coming years, fans will still be having plenty of fun.

Back Pages

One thing that was not welcome this year was the NFT craze. Bleeding Cool reports that “a number of” NFT-related program items were proposed and every single one of them was turned down.

With Comic-Con’s official souvenir book available for the whole world to download, everyone had a chance to gawk at an unfortunate mistake. File 770 reported that the tribute to Ron Goulart on page 175 was published with a photo of still-living (as of press time) prose author Joe Haldeman. The online version has been corrected, but the original page has been preserved at File 770. Presumably it is also in any print copies of the souvenir book, which would now be now rare collectibles.

In Brief

• Conversation 2023 (April 7-10), next year’s British national sf convention, which was seated without a firm site, has signed a contract to put the physical part of the con at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole.

Event Calendar

Weekend of July 29-31

• Diversicon 29: More Human Than We Are, Plymouth, Minnesota, USA

• NärCon 2022, Linköping, Sweden

• Confluence 2022, Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, USA

• LeakyCon (Harry Potter), Orlando, Florida, USA

• Mythcon 52: The Mythic, the Fantastic, and the Alien (symposium), Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

• Costume College 2022: Costuming Post Apocalypse: Creating a New World, Woodland Hills, California, USA

• CanFURence 5 (anthropomorphic), Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

• Kantcon (gaming), Overland Park, Kansas, USA

• Field of Games, Silverstone, UK

• Ropecon 2022 (gaming), Helsinki, Finland

• Cardboard Caucus 2022 (gaming), Des Moines, Iowa, USA

• PretzCon 2022 (gaming), Omaha, Nebraska, USA

• Ptarmicon 2022 (gaming), Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada

• World Boardgaming Championships, Seven Springs, Pennsylvania, USA

• Otakon (anime), Washington, DC, USA

• Tokonatsu (anime), Henlow, UK

• AnimeFest, Dallas, Texas, USA

• Tokyo in Tulsa: Worlds Collide (anime), Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA

• OokiiSoraCon (anime), Helena, Montana, USA

• Anime Com Fest, Kingston, Jamaica

• Anime Revolution, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

• Wasabicon (anime), Portland, Oregon, USA

• New World Comic Con 7, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA

• GalaxyCon Raleigh (media), Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

• TERRIFICON (media), Uncasville, Connecticut, USA

• Tampa Bay Comic Convention, Tampa Bay, Florida, USA

• The Urban Nerd Con (Black media), Montgomery, Alabama, USA

• GalaCon (My Little Pony), Ludwigsburg, Germany

• Above, Below, & Beyond (Beauty and the Beast TV show), Wichita, Kansas, USA

Weekend of August 5-7

• ArmadilloCon 2022, Austin, Texas, USA

• AMA-CON, Amarillo, Texas, USA

• CrossingsCon 2022 (sf books), Montréal, Québec, Canada

• PulpFest 50, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

• Surrey Steampunk Convivial, Epsom, UK

• Megaplex: Electric AvUwU (anthropomorphic), Orlando, Florida, USA

• Tierra de Nadie (gaming), Mollina, Spain

• Gen Con 2022 (gaming), Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

• Continuum 2022 (gaming), Oadby, UK

• Game On Expo, Phoenix, Arizona, USA

• Fragapalooza 2022: Hybrid Venture Showcase (LAN gaming), Leduc, Alberta

• Crunchyroll Expo (anime), San Jose, California, USA

• Otakuthon (anime), Montréal, Québec

• Advík (anime), Prague, Czechia

• Puchicon NJ (anime), Teaneck, New Jersey, USA

• KO+Con (anime), Lewisville, Texas, USA

• Anime-zing!, Davenport, Iowa, USA

• Queen City Anime Convention, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

• Animangapop Glasgow, Glasgow, UK

• Animethon 2022, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

• Mid City Micro-Con (comics), Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA

• Fanboy Expo Knoxville (media), Knoxville, Tennessee, USA

• Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, Chicago, Illinois, USA

• Dublin Comic Con, Dublin, Ireland

• Really Cool Comic Con, Flint, Michigan, USA

• Bell County Comic Con, Belton, Texas, USA

Weekend of August 12-14

• Geek Out at Staten Island, Staten Island, New York, USA

• CONvergence 2022: Your Reality May Vary, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

• Argentina FurFiesta (anthropomorphic), Buenos Aires, Argentina

• Wild Prairie Fur Con: Tropical Paw-radise (anthropomorphic), Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

• Wild Game Roundup, Austin, Texas, USA

• Long Island Retro Gaming Expo (video games), Garden City, New York, USA

• Grand Tribunal (Atlas Games products), Cheltenham, UK

• Abunai!: The Good, the Bad, and the Cheeky (anime), Veldhoven, Netherlands

• Anime Houston, Houston, Texas, USA

• Ronin-Expo (anime), Los Angeles, California, USA

• Superstar Anime, Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA

• AniBash (anime), Rochester, New York, USA

• MatsuriCon 2022: Tana's Night Market (anime), Columbus, Ohio, USA

• Pretty Heroes (female-centered anime), Toronto, Ontario, USA

• MAPLD Fan Fest (media), Matteson, Illinois, USA

• Sunrise Comic Con, Sunrise, Florida, USA

• Fan Expo Boston (media), Boston, Massachusetts, USA

• Fandom Fest 2022 (media), Schenectady, New York, USA

• Monster-Mania 50 (horror media), Cherry Hill, New Jersey, USA

• Starfleet International Conference 2022 (Star Trek), online

• TFNation (Transformers), Birmingham, UK

Weekend of August 19-21

• SchlossCon 3/SFCD-Con 2022 (German national sf convention), Schwerin, Germany

• Epic Nerd Camp, Darlington, Maryland, USA

• NecronomiCon Providence (weird sf), Providence, Rhode Island, USA

• Discworld Convention 2022, Birmingham, UK

• DenFur (anthropomorphic), Denver, Colorado, USA

• Game & Party Con, Jacksonville, Florida, USA

• MaricopaCon 9 (gaming), Phoenix, Arizona, USA

• Ragnarok XP (gaming), Kitchener, Ontario, Canada

• QuestCon Orlando (gaming), Orlando, Florida, USA

• Coulee Con 2022 (gaming), La Crosse, Wisconsin, USA

• HistoriKC Fest (miniatures gaming), Overland Park, Kansas, USA

• Nashcon 2022 (miniatures gaming), Nashville, Tennessee, USA

• SCG Con Baltimore (collectible card games), Baltimore, Maryland, USA

• MAGWest 2022 (video games), San Jose, California, USA

• Delta H Con (anime), Houston, Texas, USA

• Shikkaricon (anime), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

• Kitacon (anime), Warwick, UK

• Flame Con (diverse comics), New York City, New York, USA

• Nerd-Vana (media), Oxford, Mississippi, USA

• Soda City Comic Con, Columbia, South Carolina, USA

• Emerald City Comic Con, Seattle, Washington, USA

• Kelowna ComiCon, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada

• Hub City Comic Con, Lubbock, Texas, USA

Weekend of August 26-28

• F-Con (59th Japanese national sf convention), Fukushima, Japan

• Bubonicon 53, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

• Dni Fantastyki, Wrocław, Poland

• Asylum Steampunk Festival, Lincoln, UK

• Eurofurence 26 (anthropomorphic), Berlin, Germany

• Camp Feral! (anthropomorphic), Algonquin Park, Ontario

• Furrydelphia (anthropomorphic), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

• IndyFurCon 2022: Furries on Broadway (anthropomorphic), Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

• Dragonflight Gamecon 42, Bellevue, Washington, USA

• FallCon 35: Return to Analog (gaming), Calgary, Alberta, Canada

• Tacticon (gaming), Aurora, Colorado, USA

• Epic.LAN Tabletop Edition (gaming), Coventry, UK

• Tabletop Scotland (gaming), Perth, UK

• Great Escape on the Lake (gaming), Bradford, New York, USA

• Draconicon 2022 (gaming), Tel Aviv, Israel

• 2D Con (video games), Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

• Kokorokon (anime), St. Louis, Missouri, USA

• Kazokukon (anime), Toledo, Ohio, USA

• Kin-Yoobi Con (anime), Union City, California, USA

• PopCult Anime Con, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA

• AniNite 22 (anime), Vösendorf, Austria

• HanamiCon 2022 (anime), Graz, Austria

• Stars of Time (media), Weston-super-Mare, UK

• Fan Expo Canada (media), Toronto, Ontario, Canada

• East European Comic Con, Bucharest, Romania

• Comic Conroe, Conroe, Texas, USA

• Everfree NW (My Little Pony), Bellevue, Washington, USA

• Power Morphicon (Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers), Pasadena, California, USA

Coda

• Walrus figures out boats (BBC)

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