Comic-Con is now cool

In the past, Comic-Con International, held in San Diego each summer, was known as sort of a geek haven. It was a place where the subject of mainstream’s disdain could feel safe because they were surrounded by their own. Generally, it was simply known as one of the larger conventions for a bunch of geeks to dress up in costumes and get their comics autographed by high-profile scribes.

But not anymore.

With the increasing success of comic-book films and other cult properties in recent years, major movie and TV studios and video game properties now look to the Con to make a huge splash each year. It’s become a cornerstone of the entertainment industry on an annual basis, with attendance numbers ballooning every year.
However, all the bright lights and Hollywood stars aren’t sitting very well with the true-blue geeks whom Comic-Con was created for. As usual, they’re crying foul and claiming that the Con has sold out, which has caused massive traffic jams on the floor and less access for everyone involved. The major attendance numbers even has the Con board thinking about moving out of classy San Diego.

Now, as a closet geek myself, I can understand the comic book crowd’s anger over this issue. It’s never fun to have your personal yearly holiday overrun by the supposed Hollywood machine. But in the end, this explosion of Comic-Con is really nothing but a good thing.

Crowds and long lines aside, the glamorizing of the Con has done a lot of good over the past few years. Think about it; now people in Iowa or New Hampshire know what Comic-Con is and possibly might have an interest in it. The convention gets loads of mainstream press coverage nowadays, with major pop culture outlets like Entertainment Weekly and TV Guide putting out frequent reports on the comings and goings throughout.

Moreover, before tent pole films and cult TV shows made it to the Con, there wasn’t any one place for those fans to gather and celebrate their favorites. There are such things as film geeks and TV geeks too, so it’s only fair that they get some love as well.

Bringing huge films and shows to the Con has become a win for both Hollywood and the fans. Diehards get to see footage of films to be released next year or hear spoilers for upcoming TV seasons, as well as meet some of their heroes. And the studio suits get to measure the hype behind certain projects with a great degree of accuracy. They’ve figured out that “geeks” make them lots of money and are more honest than run-of-the-mill fans; no one will give a project a more honest evaluation.

Sure, Comic-Con might be getting a bit too big for its britches, but aside from crazy “Twilight” fans and the lack of hotels surrounding the convention center, Hollywood’s presence has seemingly made it accessible to more people. Which sadly means more people in costumes.