On the other hand, Rosario Dawson and Nicolas Cage both get it. They are both at the Con to promote their own comics and they know that Comic-Con is where you find the most devoted of comics fans. They will reach the core audience they want.
Part of what the studios don't get is that Comic-Con is a non-profit organization. They don't charge studios for panel time nor do they don't pay celebrities to attend. The event is essentially run by people who are fans and who are trying to create an event that will make fans like themselves happy. The staff is relatively small and they receive help from more than a thousand volunteers. That's a dynamic that Hollywood doesn't understand. The money that does come in from booth sales and ticket sales goes into running what has become a huge event. The Comic-Con rents the entire Convention Center, pays for security, arranges for the shuttles and disabled services, works with the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and hosts the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards. The Eisners (given out at the Comic-Con on Friday) are the Oscars of the comics industry. So most of what comes in goes right back out again, and it shows. The event runs remarkably smoothly considering how big it is and how many moving parts are involved.
Every year the Con grows and changes but I have never been disappointed. Whether it's attending a panel where Hugh Jackman serenaded the audience; seeing Guillermo Del Toro carefully putting away his "treasures" (the DVDs that aspiring filmmakers constantly hand him); standing next to Quentin Tarantino as he went through a stack of classic movie posters and spewed massive amounts of trivia about each film; or scoring a three-foot tall Godzilla for my home--the Comic-Con is always full of great fun and surprises. It's also a place where my teenage son and I can bond as we search for anime, manga, McFarlane Toys and Godzilla.
So check back here each day of the convention for preview highlights, photos of the Con, cool booths to check out and more. Plus I encourage any Con-goers to post your own comments. What do you think is worth checking out? Did you see any celebrities? Did you make a great purchase or pick up a Con exclusive? Let me know.
And if you are a first time Con-goer, here are some tips: get your passes early and register online; get a program schedule and make a plan so you don't miss out on a panel or event; make sure you have food and water in case you get stranded somewhere; write down the number of any booth you plan to return to or you'll never find it again; put aside some time to explore the dealers room that is like a swap meet of pop culture; and most importantly just relax and have fun. There will be lines, it will be crowded and sometimes you can't feel the air conditioning but where else can you see Clive Barker, George A. Romero, Ridley Scott, Ray Harryhausen and a hundred stormtroopers.
If you want to visit me at the Con, I'm at booth 4017 (you can't miss me I'm right next to G4, IFC and the Killer Tomatoes) for Film School Confidential, raising money for the student film festival I run.
Check out the searchable Comic-Con Program Schedule .
