San Diego Comic-Con 2021 has been canceled once again. Sort of.
Comic-Con International is still hosting a virtual event as it did last year. And there’s a hint of an in-person event planned for November, where they might host a stripped-down event in the “spirit” of SDCC. Details are sparse at the moment, but even the most optimistic aren’t holding their breaths that something will actually happen. But if we’re good pandemic survivors, we might just find ourselves together again in 2022.
It’s sad, but not surprising. Either way, it is the right decision.
Admittedly, it was kind of easy to see this coming. WonderCon had already been canceled less than a month ago – at least as an in-person event anyway. E3, which takes place in June, also announced they wouldn’t be returning in 2021. Still no official word of rescheduling from the people hosting the 30th anniversary of Anime Expo in LA this summer, one of the other BIG conventions that packs in tens of thousands of attendees every year. Until we can get enough people properly vaccinated, there’s no good reason to allow thousands of people to cram themselves together in a massive building for 5 days.
Big or small, a show like SDCC is tough to manage when everything is going well.
Considering that the US government has yet to adequately roll out the COVID vaccine to enough people to make any kind of massive social impact at this point, going forward with SDCC would have led to a sticky situation, especially in July. When you have a convention that hosts more than 130,000 guests and turns at least as many people away when it’s at full capacity, organizing an event that allows even fewer people to attend isn’t going to go over well with the geeky masses. Imagine attempting to not just check badges, but verify who has been tested or vaccinated when it comes to allowing people to enter WITH badges they reserved months in advance when they were feeling healthy, yet still show up when they’re sick because they just gotta get that Funko Pop!
As we all know, even if the event were allowed to happen even at a quarter capacity, the surrounding city would still fill up with curious onlookers, wanting to see how Comic-Con dressed up San Diego this year, and to celebrate a sense of normalcy – in a tightly packed constantly roaming crowd, of course. And people would find a reason to stand in line for SOMETHING.
So here are the facts as we know them now:
- The virtual edition of San Diego Comic-Con 2021 will take place July 23-25 and it’s free to all, just like last year. Panels will be announced in the weeks before the event as usual.
- There will also be a virtual edition of WonderCon 2021 on March 26 & 27, also free of charge, just to get you in the mood for the one day longer virtual San Diego show in July.
- There’s talk of a San Diego Comic-Con REAL WORLD EVENT PLANNED FOR NOVEMBER! Details on capacity, programming, ticketing, and the whole hullabaloo will be made available later this year as everyone figures out what the world will be like by this fall.
- Socially distance, stay home when possible, don’t gather in large groups, especially indoors, wear a mask even if you aren’t a superhero (or villain), and when it’s your turn, GET VACCINATED! All of it improves our chances of having more cons sooner, not just in San Diego!
Stick to the facts, not the rumors.
Of course, the official Comic-Con International website has all the details and is the most reliable source for any news regarding the event(s) to come. Don’t believe all the rumors and clickbait you’ll be fed in the months to come over social media. The official site is the hub for anything regarding the conventions. Well, them and this site. I don’t post a lot, but when I do, it’s important, verified stuff. And if I end up just posting just to speculate, I’ll tell you. I’m not going to pretend that I know it all. I just go with my gut from the facts that I get from CCI.
Visiting San Diego – safely.
One thing I do know is that even though SDCC is virtual again this year, I still plan to spend at least one night in San Diego that week just for kicks, as I did last year (all of the pics in this post are from that trip). I miss the San Diego and I think I’m soul-bound to be there Comic-Con weekend every year, in-person event or not (masked, hopefully vaccinated, and safely distanced, of course).
In 2020, I had a nice time wandering the mostly empty streets dressed as the Winter Soldier’s not-nearly-as-cool-looking older brother. The most excitement I had was when I watched aghast as a bartender pulled his mask off just to spittle-scream what they had on tap at me, a few feet away on the sidewalk. Thanks, buddy. What was the point of the mask?! Won’t be going back there again, pandemic or not.
While there, I even got some cosplay pictures. Two pictures, but still more than I expected. By the way, if you’re missing the cosplayers and their endless parade of crafty costumes, you can always visit Cosplay a Day to get your daily dose of epic cosplay from all over North America, not just San Diego. If we ever get beyond this pandemic enough to fearlessly travel, my hope is to take all of this international.
Do we need another book?
No. Until we meet again, my plan is to post on here a bit more regularly throughout 2021. It would seem to be a good time to write a new book, what with all my “free time”, but honestly, it’s impossible to know what the big cons will look and feel like when we geekily gather again. The old editions of book still contain relevant information on how to handle yourself and others while roaming the floors of almost any massive convention, but it’s not like I’m going to make such an obvious plug (I still have a few for sale) here in the middle of yet another Comic-Con-less pandemic year. So gauche.
Connecting even without the cons
Should you have questions about Comic-Con culture or have ideas about what you’d like me to pontificate on in the months to come, drop me a line and I’ll think about it, then blow a night writing about it, whether I post it or not.
Of course, if you live far away from the Gaslamp, do NOT travel needlessly. If there’s anything you’d like to see in San Diego, even without a convention, let me know and maybe I’ll check it out next time I’m there. I don’t have to drive far and I’m pretty much a loner. And it’s always good to go home.
