Comic-Con and the business of pop culture book review

A few weeks ago I got an email from the senior publicity manager at McGraw Hill asking if I would be interested in an advance copy of a book titled “Comic-Con and the Business of Pop Culture.” I immediately responded “yes” with a giant smile on my face. A few days later the book arrived and I jumped right into it.

This book is written by Rob Salkowitz  @robsalk who is the founder of a communications firm – MediaPlant, LLC and a long time comic book reader and collector. “Comic-Con and the Business of Pop Culture” offers readers a rare inside glimpse into the largest pop culture gathering of super hero geeks, comic collectors, and costume wearing cosplayers and how big business is tied to the event known my millions as SDCC.

The book is broken into chapters that any SDCC fan can appreciate. It starts off with Wednesday – known as preview night and ends with the day that hundreds of thousands of people dread – Sunday. Overall this is a great book that blends the creativeness of comics with the realistic aspect of business in a very thorough way.

The book is a must read for anyone who has been to SDCC (San Diego Comic Con) or wants  to attend SDCC. Rob breaks each chapter into a corresponding day at Comic-Con.  The very first sentence is “You’re a futurist, and you love comics – why don’t you write a book about the future of comics?” This is exactly what Rob did throughout the book. It starts off with “Hotelaween – Day 0” which gives readers a truly realistic preview of the few minutes just after the hotel registration lines open. Trust me – if you think getting a ticket to this con is hard, just try getting a hotel close to the convention!

As the book progresses through the chapters (days) the reader gets exposed to how SDCC is not just a comic convention but has evolved into a mass media social event that draws people from all over the world who may or may not have ever truly read a comic. SDCC has gone “hollywood” and all the glitz and glamor that comes with it. There are companies who spent millions of dollars creating elaborate and flashy displays in hopes of created a buzz about the product – which can then translate to $$ ideally. What started as a small convention has grown into an empire of 150,000+ attendees who spend days camping outside various convention halls in hopes of being able to snag a seat in the latest Hollywood movie panel. The truly remarkable thing is that tickets today sell out extremely quickly. All of the 2012 SDCC tickets sold out in a few hours after going live.

Rob also does a great job discussing digital comics and if “digital” truly is the wave of the future. I personally believe that digital comics will never replace printed comics simply because there is no substitute for the feeling that one gets by touching an actual comic and of course that “new comic book smell!”

Plus one very important question to ask if this: If comics go 100% digital, what happens to the value of printed comics? Does the value go up? Does the value decrease? What about the hundreds of thousands of graded comics? If we live in a society where digital is everything, would people still care to collect CGC graded comics?

The last chapter in Rob’s book is my absolute favorite. He discusses 4 very different approaches to the future of comics and asks many “what if” questions – questions that many ask but only a few (if any) can answer. So I will bring this review to a conclusion and state that this is a must buy. It is an easy book to read and paints a very clear picture for anyone has gone (or will go) to comic-con.

Make sure to follow @robsalk on twitter and why not follow us @ComicConBlog. We will be at 2012 SDCC blogging, taking pictures, doing interviews and making sure that we provide the best and most complete coverage of the 2012 San Diego Comic Con!