Okay how to fix Comic Con is a little extreme of a title. As I don't feel that San Diego Comic Con International really needs fixing. It is by far the most well organized Convention that I've ever been to. But having Just come back from my ninth Con (which I thought was wonderful) I figured there are some little bits that could be addressed.
First, Growth can no longer be Comic Con Internationals' Business plan if they want to run a fun show. The convention is just too damn crowded. It has become largely unmanageable, It's already outgrown one of the biggest convention centers in the state, and even if it moves (I hear you Anaheim) it will outgrow that too, and while the crowding has not created a bad atmosphere, yet, I can't help but see it on the horizon. Every year I experience more pushing and bad attitudes. While Comic Con has put a cap on the amount of admission sold, I think they need to decrease the amount sold (I hear you in the back yes I realize that this may mean I might not get in too, but that's fine if it means it'll be good when I do) . I know many people want to go and in recent years Comic Con has amazingly become the thing to do. But what good is a really popular con if no one can enjoy it or get into anything. Which leads me to...
Clear the panel and viewing rooms after panels. Panels and viewings create huge lines many of which do not all make it into the panel. Now I feel First come first serve is fair, however I believe that when people are waiting up to three hours to go to a panel they deserve a proper chance to actually get in. The people inside the room have already enjoyed a panel and they need to move on for the next group. I know someone's saying “but, but what if they want to see both.” Well to that I have to say too bad. Comic Con programming is all about tough choices. Many interesting panels are at the same time as well as following each other. And one has to decide just what is important to them. It's just not right for someone who has spent long amounts of time in a line to not get at least an honest chance. Which leads me to my next point...
Have a knowledgeable staff maintaining the queues. Most of these points that I'm making are from a more observational point of view. But This one is personal. My brother and I were trying to get into the screening of the season finale of Doctor Who. We where following the line to it's logical end getting directions from the very helpful, usually friendly staff to where the end of the queue was. At least until the end of the line when we asked a staffer where the line to the panel was. Now we didn't ask “where's the Doctor Who panel” that would be absurd and unfair to the staff to expect them to know the minutia of the Convention. No we asked “is this the line for room 6E” as that's how the staff refers to the events. The staffer said this is the line. Looking around nothing was wrong. Everyone had sonic screwdrivers and costumes etc. Now when the line lets in where does our part of the line go. A showing of the highly un-re watchable JJ Abrams Star Trek movie, in room 5A. I guess all that mattered to this Woman was keeping people in lines and fire code at bay. Because she either didn't listen to the people she was hired to help or she didn't know what was going on or worst yet... Didn't care. Needless to say We didn't make the panel. I'm actually surprised we were only Ten people away from getting in. We may not have gotten in if we were in the right line but We'll never know. This cannot have happened to only my brother and I. Especially since there were people with Sonics in our line. So I felt I needed to add it. I do have to say that every other staffer I encountered over the week was a pleasure. Speaking of staff though.
Ease up on the badge checks. This is the basic Setup. You need a badge to get into the convention center (unless your in the pre reg line). And you need a badge to get into any of the con's venues. So in other words you can't get in without one. You can't enjoy anything without one. Why then do they need four badge checkpoints in the entry foyer?
Next not really a fault but an observation promote comics at Comic Con. All anyone hears about in the run up to Comic Con is what movies and TV shows are being promoted there. Movies and TV are fine by me as long as their one of the Genres that fans care about (sci fi Fantasy), everyone forgets that Genre film has always been a part of Comic Con . However I've noticed more and more of the film and television companies other slates are getting in. I'm not talking about Twilight as most con gripers like to, as much as everyone likes to hate on it Twilight is Genre. I'm talking about stuff like Glee and Hawaii 5.0 fun shows but where do they fit? Conversely the Comics have Done it to themselves. The comic companies barley even promote their panels. My brother and I walked into the great Jeff Smith's (Bone RASL) panel. No one who wasn't there seemed to know about it. How many people reading this know about “the Comic Arts Conference”. Didn't think so. It's a series of panels at Comic Con that are about all of the interesting topics in Comics today. Such as gender in comics, comics as art and literature and other such things. But it barley gets promoted. I only learned of it because it has a cool T shirt. On the bright side the Eisner awards were full as usual, but how many people there weren't industry? I don't know While I love genre film and some TV (I did try to get into a Doctor Who panel after all) Comic Con is the biggest Comic Convention in the United Stated shouldn't they, and we, be using to, say, promote comics?
Now by this point I'm probably sounding like a bit of a curmudgeon, But I really do love Comic Con. Where else are people wearing costumes, talking about comics Sci-fi and fantasy, and people offering free hugs to everyone in sight normal. I meet a lot of people and have a great time whenever I go. And none of these things that I have mentioned are complaints except for my panel experience. These are just ideas that can make this already great con even greater
Next in my series on San Diego Comic Con International: Why Comic Con shouldn't go to Anaheim.
