Did Sex Bob-omb Burst the SDCC Bubble?

The recent announcement that Joss Whedon would not lead his band of Avengers into the hallowed Hall H of San Diego Comic-Con has left many confused, angry and hurt.

Has Joss forsaken us? Has Hollywood finally decided to turn its back on the world of geeks and nerds?

For many this announcement is the “cherry on the top” to the most frustrating path to SDCC yet. A sell-out (without warning to fans via RSS, Twitter, or Facebook) of Preview Night at last year’s show seemed to be an omen of things to come. Months later thousands began to “enjoy” the experience of trying to give money to Comic-Con International for their passes.

Across the globe people took time off from work, only to find the system crashed and the sales re-scheduled on numerous occasions. In the end, tickets became a game of Who Can Refresh the Fastest? Then, just as some of the sting began to dull, those who fought and lucked their way into passes were told several movie studios are re-evaluating their presence (ie. no panels and free swag) at SDCC. With all of this swirling in my mind, I’m left with a few thoughts:

1. We should have (and many did) seen this coming:

 

With the box office collapse of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (if not sooner), it should have been obvious that studios would need to re-evaluate their position. Leading up to last year’s SDCC, many wrote about the lack of importance SDCC had on box office performance. Then, anyone that followed SDCC last year knew that Universal Pictures was putting on the full-court press…and that it worked. Simply, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World owned San Diego for that magical weekend.

The web was aflutter with tales of Edgar Wright leading fans through the streets of the Gaslamp to exclusive showings and everywhere you looked there were Garlic Bread and Sex Bob-omb shirts. Then, only a few weeks later, the only people that actually paid to see the movie turned out to be the same people that would have seen it if Universal never gave away a single piece of free bread.

2. Less SDHC might mean more SDCC:  

For years we’ve heard people complain about the many changes SDCC has undergone over the last dozen years. Overcrowding, scalping, and panels that have nothing to do with comics are just a few of the daily complaints about SDCC. This potentially less aggressive approach by Hollywood will mean less of those problems. Would SDCC have sold out in the same hysterical fashion it had if people knew that many studios were backing out? I know it doesn’t change my desire to be at SDCC, but I’m not sure that is the same for all. SDCC has had an identity crisis for several years and a peeling away of some of Hollywood might help them to define themselves more clearly.

Obviously, they must be careful with their handling of the next few years, but if they are able to strike a better equilibrium between their many masters, it might be more enjoyable for all.

3. There is nothing written that says SDCC has to remain #1:

For those of us that have attended SDCC for awhile, it has become obvious that customer service is decreasing each year. With attendance rising more quickly each year than the last, CCI has its hands full. While they are a well-meaning group of dedicated volunteers, their “little” show has had a growth spurt that is difficult for a non-profit to handle. While shows like New York Comic-Con, C2E2, and Star Wars Celebration have chosen to go with professional organizers, CCI has chosen to continue to handle things mostly in-house.

Many argue that if SDCC doesn’t bring in outside help, they’ll fall behind their competitors. While this may be true, I’ve never heard it said that SDCC wants to be the biggest and best. In fact, many of their decisions have communicated a different intent. They seem to want to put on a great show for the San Diego community…and they have been doing that before comic culture was cool again. So, for those who have fallen in love with the Hollywood-SDCC relationship, remember that it is not necessarily SDCC’s priority to maintain this relationship. They were built on a desire to share the appreciation of the comic form as a medium. In fact, here is Comic-Con International in their own words:

MISSION STATEMENT:
Comic-Con International is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to creating awareness of, and appreciation for, comics and related popular art forms, primarily through the presentation of conventions and events that celebrate the historic and ongoing contribution of comics to art and culture.

4. Correction doesn’t mean collapse:

Just like our national economy is experiencing a variety of corrections, SDCC might be beginning the same. Nothing can get bigger and “better” every year. With the growth they’ve seen in just the last five years, it was clear that something had to give.

That being said, this correction of the curve doesn’t mean SDCC is necessarily going to go into a multi-year decline. It also doesn’t mean that Hollywood is done with SDCC. The only thing that we know for sure is that this year will be different than the last. Maybe Avengers will still appear in Hall H, but it will be a total surprise.

Maybe there will be a Superman panel. Maybe, maybe, maybe… What we all know is SDCC is good for surprises and we won’t know the full story until the evening of July 24^th. That being said, even if this is the lightest year ever for movies at SDCC, we cannot assume that next year will be the same. Trends take years to develop, so one year is not enough of a sample to begin making predictions on the future of Hollywood and SDCC.

 So, what does all of this mean? Does it mean this will be the worst SDCC ever (as I’ve heard many say on Twitter)? Does it mean SDCC 2012 won’t sell out of Preview Night passes at this year’s show? Does it mean SDCC 2012 won’t be totally sold out in minutes on the first day of online sales?

I don’t know. All I do know for sure is that I’m still along for the ride. I’ll be buying my passes at this year’s show and hoping for the best. I’m a junkie when it comes to comic culture and its cons, so I’ll still be attending SDCC even if it drops down to a couple hundred attendees and moves back to the U.S. Grant Hotel. In the end, SDCC is still the best show on earth…and remember, every minute that we don’t spend in line for Hall H, we can spend in line for Ballroom 20. I promise that it will be even more frustrating…err…I…I mean enjoyable! Yeah, lots of fun!

Big thanks to Shawn again for this GREAT article! Follow him @the_con_influence