San Diego Comic-Con is a wonder to behold. Anyone who's been to the convention can attest: dazzling cosplay, impressive collectibles and even the odd celebrity sighting are just a few of the things attendees might encounter. Not to mention more than 1,000 hours of programming that explores every niche corner of popular culture. Even more impressive are the traditions, joy and meaning attendees glean from Comic-Con. We asked our audience why Comic-Con matters to them, and to share some of their memories.
Scroll on for first time impressions, family traditions and moments that can only happen at SDCC, as submitted by KPBS audience members.
First times
"I was hooked."— N.Y. Helewa
"My first attempt at attending San Diego Comic Con depended on the kindness and initiative of my parents, who really didn't know what it was. After much pleading, on a Sunday when I was 14, and after my dad's football games were over at around 2 p.m., Dad drove the family downtown to the old convention center at Golden Hall and we arrived just as the show was closing up for the summer. I got barely a glimpse of an elaborate fantasy costume or two — a couple Klingons … a busty woman with the head of a horse — and saw people making their way out, slinging bags of goods with delirious delight. I was ridiculously disappointed, but made my folks vow to make the next year's show. It was a long wait, but I made it in with my brother the following summer. We were about 13 and 15, respectively. Mom dropped us off, made sure we had change for the pay phone to call for a pick-up at 5 (p.m.) sharp, told us to promise not to leave the premises and then drove off, letting us explore the comic nirvana on our own. It was awesome. We walked the publisher's hall, drooling and giddy. I'm positive I saw comic superstars I should have known but didn't recognize in my youthful ignorance. It didn't matter. The dealers’ floor was even better — this was back when folks could get away with selling VHS copies of ‘Heavy Metal’ they'd recorded off HBO. When toys from Japan were only available at a convention or a tiny specialty shop, like treasures excavated from the future. I could afford none of it. I loved all of it. My brother and I had a great time, and I was hooked." — N.Y. Helewa
Identity and cosplay
"I feel safe at Comic-Con."— Ollie Downs
"Comic-Con here in San Diego has been a fabulous place to explore my identities and try on (literally) different roles. As a trans person, and as someone who has been going for 15 years, I can confidently say that it's been a positive place to be myself. SDCC is the only place I cosplay as Pat (from SNL's 'It's Pat!'), which is always received well by certain demographics. I've embraced Pat, the gender-ambiguous butt of many jokes, because I myself am gender-ambiguous and the butt of many jokes. So cosplaying them and seeing the JOY it brings to folks is not just fun — it's affirming. SDCC even encouraged me in middle school to dress as the 'opposite' gender for Halloween — the first time I ever got misgendered! I look back on that with joy too. The queer world at SDCC is uplifting, encouraging and absolutely splendid. The PRISM Comics booth is a perennial favorite, too! I've got to meet some amazing trans authors and artists there. For me, SDCC matters because it gives EVERYONE an opportunity to explore their presentations and identities — whether that's superheroes or obscure fictional personalities. I feel SAFE at Comic-Con." — Ollie Downs
"A fun experience seeing the smiles we put on people's faces."— Kari Coulter
"We've been attending for 16 years, and it's such a wonderful time to be able to disconnect from the stresses of life and enjoy the experience with like-minded people. We started doing LEGO cosplay a few years ago, and it makes it such a fun experience seeing the smiles we put on people's faces." — Kari Coulter
Only-at-SDCC moments
"Hall H was my church."— Gretchen Griswold
"I started going to Comic-Con in 2006. I had recently moved downtown and thought it was time I checked it out — given that it was happening just a 10-minute walk from my home. Back then, you could just walk up and buy a single-day ticket … on a Saturday. After just a few hours, I learned more about the craft of storytelling than I had in my previous (at that point) 46 years. I was hooked.
I went every year and was drawn like a magnet to the absolutely unapologetic love and passion people felt for their particular genre and medium. Nothing was too narrow or too deep for a fandom. It was just refreshing to let people fly their fan flag without fear or judgement. I loved it.
I am a TV/Film devotee, and Hall H was my church. I have camped out in line overnight several times to see panels, and made a new family of other fans around me — we trusted each other to mind our things while going on a food or bathroom run. We were all in it together. I met dozens of stars and had the most amazing only-at-Comic-Con experiences — from the time J.J. Abrams marched everyone attending his ‘The Force Awakens’ panel, led by a volunteer group of stormtroopers over to the Marina to see the San Diego Symphony give a private concert of John Williams' scores — to the time the band Kansas came to play just one song ("Carry on My Wayward Son") to open the ‘Supernatural’ panel, celebrating its 13th season.
I went every year up until 2024 — even when it was online during COVID, and even when studios pulled out due to the writers strike — when, at the age of 64, I decided it was someone else's turn for the magic. No regrets, and so, so grateful for the many, many memories." — Gretchen Griswold
"Things that happened at the Con that seemed only possible at the Con."— N.Y. Helewa
“Because of the size, there were things that happened at the Con that seemed only possible at the Con. The year before ‘Lord of the Rings’ came out, I saw Elijah Wood browsing the floor on preview night. I approached, and we chatted. I asked for a picture, and he obliged … but the camera was an old digital — with no screen — and my friend had a hard time with it. I stood far too long with my arm around Frodo's shoulder, feeling more and more awkward, but not willing to let go of the moment, until my pal said, "Got it!" I told him I thought my eyes were closed. He insisted they were not, so I released the actor from my embrace and we went our separate ways. Quickly.” — N.Y. Helewa
Family traditions and passing it down
"An annual summer highlight."— Doug Crooks
"I've been attending SDCC since 2000, the summer after I first moved here. At first, the vast coolness of celebration of comics, movies, TV, etc., that I enjoy blew me away, and I was excited to share the experience with a friend. By 2006 or so, I started taking my then-4 year-old kid every year on Sunday — 'Family Day' — and let them pick what we did, what we stopped and looked at, etc. As they got older and started going every day with me, we had fun at Hall H panels, offsite events, etc. After hours, I've attended some great Marvel parties and other events from networks or studios or comic publishers and hung out with icons casually. By 2015, my wife and I had another child, and he went to his first Con before he turned 1 — hasn't missed one yet! Nowadays, my wife and I are both Educator Pros, and we love to support artists, especially local ones in Artist Alley. SDCC is a family event: an annual summer highlight of ours!" — Doug Crooks
"I love it."— Dafne Alcaraz
"I started going to Comic-Con back in 2005. I was still a teenager and a friend took me, and I've been going ever since. From being an attendee to now being a volunteer for many years, going has left me with so many memories, lots of celebrity encounters and overall a great feeling of friendship. You get to be your geeky self with the cosplay community that just keeps growing. The exclusives and the freebies you get from different companies — even if the same vendors are on the floor every time — it's always a different experience. San Diego Comic-Con just keeps growing and I love it." — Dafne Alcaraz
"Meetups on Friday evening at Bucca di Beppo, where we'd discuss who and what we'd seen, share pictures and laughs and more pasta ... "— N.Y. Helewa
"My group of friends that went to the Con had some traditions we kept for a few good years, back when buying tickets for the next show was as easy as a Sunday-afternoon trip to the Sails Pavilion rather than a lottery filled with tension and bad feelings: Preview Night dinners at Spaghetti Factory, perusing the souvenir book and program schedule to plan our four-day adventures. Meetups on Friday evening at Bucca di Beppo, where we'd discuss who and what we'd seen, share pictures and laughs and more pasta, and maybe spot famous convention guests in the dining room. Lunch breaks downtown, getting to see the show outside the show. Walks along the Bayfront in the evenings, enjoying the cool air after sweltering days. The annual Kung Fu Extravaganza! Over the years, I met friends I only saw at the show, who are still friends today. I casually chatted with artists and actors, and writers I sometimes literally bumped into. (Or accosted — sorry, Elijah!) It was a great time, and the much-anticipated event of our shared summers." — N.Y. Helewa
