Why Comic Con Shouldn't Move to Anaheim.

Another Comic Con International has come and gone. And now in the wake of that enormous show comes the topic that has been on many people's minds for about the last three years. “will Comic Con be moving after 2012”. It's been big news up here with the OC register almost acting like it's a fact. But is it a good thing? True the Anaheim Convention Center (A.C.C.)is supposedly larger, but I've been to conventions in Anaheim and I believe it unsuitable to Comic Con International. Here are some reasons I believe that Comic con Shouldn't move to Anaheim.
First, it's the San Diego Comic Con International. Sounds silly, but Comic Con has a regional identity. The convention began in 1970 as the Golden State Comic Con but quickly took on the name San Diego Comic Con, The international came around 1990. As such it is part of the fabric of San Diego and San Diego part of the fabric of it. It would be like moving the Rose Parade from Pasadena, true there are towns with wider streets, without that overpass, but Pasadena is part of it's identity.
Next, it's much hotter in Anaheim. A big part of my love of going to Comic Con is to get out of the Hellish 106 Degree summer temperatures I live in. It's a little cooler than that in Anaheim in July but not much. Speaking of July. There is this little thing right next door to the A.C.C. called Disneyland. And I bet you can guess what month is their peak season, you guessed it July. You think it's crowded in the Gaslamp district, Just wait until you mix the Comic Con crowd with a Disneyland crowd. Which leads me to.
Hotels will be harder to get because many of the nearby and some of the distant rooms will already be booked by Disneyland guests, trust me I've had the problem with Anime Expo, and Comic Con would be much larger. Also as there is no public transit on the level of the trolley system so everyone at a distant hotel will have to drive to the convention Center, and thus pay Southern California Parking prices leaving less money for the con. Another Problem I have with Anaheim, is I find that other than Disneyland there is considerably less to do in Anaheim after con Hours. There is enough eateries though so score one for Anaheim. Also, the city of Anaheim, I think would be far less willing to let stuff spill into it like it does at the Gaslamp district. I can't see Cafe Diem setting up in Downtown Disney. Or the Hornetmobile parked outside of The Disneyland hotel. I can't even see it happening in the new mall just down Katella as everything there is a corporate shop.
But finally, the toughest thing is I believe that Comic Con will outgrow The A.C.C. as well. While the A.C.C. Is larger, Having Been there I can't believe that it has more actual open floor space (this is just conjecture correct me if I'm wrong) The size may solve crowding but it won't change the line situation, as long as admissions are up this won't change, there will always be huge lines when a large number of people all want to do the same thing. Also if Comic Con ups registration numbers the crowding will return. So from an operational standpoint I don't think the Change of convention centers will really make a difference, and if there is no difference, why make the change.
Now I love Anaheim I go to Disneyland often and I have family in Orange so I know and enjoy the area and I don't believe that Anaheim will make a good home for Comic Con international. I also believe that the only way the crowding issues will change is if Comic Con sells less tickets, No matter where it's held. Which leaves me with the conclusion that changing where Comic Con is held won't make a very big difference in it's problems therefore they should stay in San Diego and solve it's problems there (see my previous post). Comic Con is a part of San Diego, and San Diego a Part of it.

How to Fix Comic Con

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.