San Diego Comic-Con

[Drunk Monk]

I haven’t yet. I don’t think it’s strong enough. 

It’s kinda pointless if you can’t hit someone with it tho…

[Drunk Monk]

Comic-Con agrees to stay in San Diego another year, extending until 2027
The convention has been held annually in San Diego since 1970, but it staying in the city has never been a given.
By City News Service • Published January 14, 2025 • Updated on January 14, 2025 at 11:27 pm

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NBC Universal, Inc.

A San Diego summertime tradition is sticking around for at least a couple more years. Mayor Todd Gloria announced that Comic-Con has committed to staying in San Diego through 2027.

One of San Diego's largest events, [url=https://www.nbcsandiego.com/tag/comic-con/]Comic-Con International, will remain in the city through at least 2027 as organizers signed a new agreement Tuesday.
The convention has been held annually in San Diego since 1970.
"Comic-Con is part of San Diego's identity, and I couldn't be more thrilled to announce that it will remain here through 2027," Mayor Todd Gloria said. "This event is not just a celebration of creativity and fandom -- it's a major economic driver for our city, supporting local businesses and showcasing San Diego on a global stage. We're proud to continue this incredible partnership and look forward to welcoming fans from all over the world."
PHOTOS: San Diego Comic-con cosplayers 2024

Previous

Despite the connection to San Diego, the convention staying in the city has never been a given. Rumors circulate annually about moving it to other cities for a variety of reasons -- hotel room availability and affordability chief among them. Comic-Con had previously confirmed plans to stay in San Diego through 2026.
"We are excited to stay in San Diego for the next few years, which is made possible, in large part, to the many hotels who offer competitive rates and meeting space," Comic-Con spokesperson David Glanzer said. "It is vitally important to maintain affordable hotel rates for the tens of thousands who visit San Diego for Comic-Con each summer and, while it came down to the wire, we are grateful for the additional hotels who came on board to allow for this agreement to be signed."
The next Comic-Con will take place July 24-27, with a preview night on July 23.

It will be awkward if it ever leaves because there's a brick & mortar museum in SD now...

[Greg]

Money beats awkward.

[Drunk Monk]

KungFuMagazine.com is approved as an official press outlet for the third year. This is both for SDCC & WonderCon. WonderCon is tempting...

[Drunk Monk]

My proverbial ducks are lined up in a row. Room was challenging. I was hoping I'd find a sponsor to cover my hotel but it was not to be this year. A dear KF brother had to give up his hotel deposit because his schedule changed, and I took it over, a single room near the airport on the water (still on the shuttle route). But they were booked for Thursday. I put out a plea on my socials, and husband of the daughter of the CMO of JAH Med offered their place, which is near Balboa park. They have a 20 month old baby, but I'm getting them into a private Den of Geek party, and they're getting a nanny and looking forward to the respite. 

Now my email is being bombarded with press material for various promos - like a half dozen a day. 

I already have a schedule conflict - the Star Trek Hall H panel overlaps with a Kung Fu panel. But I'm trekkin it all the way. If someone else paid my way, I'd be motivated to work harder. But as it stands, I'm indulging myself - I'm sure there will be plenty to write.

[Drunk Monk]

As it turns out, that Anthropology of Kung Fu Cinema panel is being led by an old friend. I already apologized that I had a work commitment, which as a fellow professional there, he totally understands. We're going to try to get together on Friday, or perhaps after his panel before he leaves for the airport. 

I need to sort my schedule. The new SDCC scheduling app isn't working for me.

[Drunk Monk]

Plugo is back in! He thought he couldn't swing it but pulled off a Hail Mary and got it sorted. So we'll split the room at the Sheraton, cutting my costs in half. So grateful. The downside about that room is that it's 4 miles from the venue on the other side of the harbor, but still part of the official SDCC hotels being one of the premiere hotels in the area. That means a lot of shuttle & Lyft rides. 

In other news, Laidback Luke is bringing his Super You & Me show (endorsed by the late Stan Lee) to PARQ in the Gaslamp on Friday 10pm-2am. 

Man, I gotta sort my SDCC schedule this weekend. 

Den asked me if I could interview Luke Lieberman (Red Sonja) but it's a half hour before I arrive at SAN. :-(

[Drunk Monk]

After a big Ballard binge, I spent the last few hours of tonight sorting my sdcc schedule. It’s wacky. But I got the app to work, so that’s good.
Thurs is just arrive, go to the Den of Geek party, and head over to my friend’s to crash for the night. 
Fri I’ll check my luggage at the hotel in the morning, then try to hit a few panels, the crunchyroll concert, and then get back to the hotel by 4 to check-in, then back to the venue, then to the gaslamp to catch Laidback Luke’s show which goes until 2.
Sat it’s getting in line for Hall H for the Star Trek panel, then maybe dash to see my friend’s Kung Fu talk, then the crunchyroll concert (these start at 1PM this year)
Sun I might try to see Lucas in Hall H. Then come home.

That’s the rough plan anyways… wish me luck.

[Greg]

Lucas always comes across as a dud at public speaking....

But you have to see him.

[Drunk Monk]

It's his first SDCC appearance. Hall H. Might have to spend the night in line to get in. We'll see what kind of shape I'm in by then...

[Drunk Monk]

I am getting inundated with emails and invites now. Like a handful every hour.

Life as a professional nerd is good.

[Drunk Monk]

Can San Diego Comic-Con 2025 Escape Uncertain Times?
by Heidi Macdonald | 
Jun 20, 2025

Photo: Meg Lemke

San Diego Comic-Con returns in July to a host of problems old and new.

San Diego Comic-Con returns to the San Diego Convention Center July 23–27, when visitors can expect the pop culture jamboree to provide a few days of costume-clad respite from an increasingly troubled outside world. While few comics publishers have announced programming plans as of press time, the guest list for this year’s event is shaping up to be as impressive as ever, with early entries including such industry luminaries as Alison Bechdel, Eddie Campbell, Michael Cho, Emil Ferris, Chip Kidd, Frank Miller, and others.
What new tricks does SDCC have up its sleeve? “I always like to say we’ll know on the Monday after the show,” says David Glanzer, the con’s chief communications and strategy officer. Despite what he calls “angst in different industries,” SDCC 2025 aims to provide something of a return to normalcy after years impacted by Covid and Hollywood strikes.
“I’m basking in being able to do a show like we used to do,” Glanzer adds. “We’re all hyped up for what’s going to happen.”
It’s true that no massive changes in conference rules or setup are expected at this year’s event. Nonetheless, attendees and exhibitors alike cite a myriad of concerns, including consolidation in the entertainment sector, immigration crackdowns, and uncertainty surrounding distribution, inflation, and tariffs.
The comics business continues to deal with the effects of the messy and protracted Diamond Comic Distributors bankruptcy proceedings, which prompted one longtime industry expert to note that he had “never seen such a fucked up Chapter 11.” While the situation is unlikely to affect the show directly, it should prove a hot topic at the post-convention barside gatherings referred to affectionately by old hands as Bar Con. Diamond—or its new owners, Ad Populum and Universal Distribution—will keep its usual booth in the front of the main hall, though what will be on display there remains a mystery.
Over at Warner Bros. Discovery, which announced plans earlier this month to split back up into two companies, the streaming and studios arm will get custody of the DC Comics Extended Universe. A new era for the studio kicks off on July 11 with the latest Superman film reboot, but director James Gunn insists that WBD won’t be coming to Hall H, which holds 6,000 seats and the con’s main stage, to spotlight its 10-year plan beyond Superman. That means fans who have waited for news of a cinematic reboot for DC’s other flagship properties will be left in the dark for at least a little longer.
Marvel, on the other hand, will skip its traditional Hall H presentation entirely, meaning at least one signature event will be missing from this year’s con. With the popularity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe waning—and with fewer films on the schedule as a result—Marvel is sitting 2025 out, at least in one respect. But all is not lost: insiders told the Hollywood Reporter that Marvel plans to roll out an immersive experience at a redesigned booth spotlighting this summer’s cinematic reboot of one of the comics giant’s tentpole properties, the Fantastic Four.

Political Problems

Photo: Meg Lemke

The largest comics and pop culture convention in the U.S. (if not the world) is coming close to outgrowing its longtime home, the San Diego Convention Center.

An increasingly tumultuous economy is taking a toll on other traditions. Funko, maker of the once ubiquitous Pop figurines, will host its Funko Fun Days event at its retail store in Hollywood rather than at the con itself. While comics and books have escaped the storm of new tariffs thus far, toy makers—which rely heavily on Chinese production—have been hugely impacted. Companies that have long used cheap tchotchke giveaways as marketing stunts are unlikely to be as freehanded with the freebies this year.
The Trump administration’s immigration crackdowns are having an effect too—especially after British cartoonist R.E. Burke was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement for 19 days over visa issues during her vacation to the Pacific Northwest earlier this year. While SDCC representatives said none of its featured international guests have pulled out of the show yet, many cartoonists from overseas have taken to social media to declare that they won’t set up shop in Artist Alley this year amid fears of detention and deportation. As one foreign talent manager tells PW, “More creators are worried about their safety, saying, ‘I’m not doing it—not while Trump is president.’ ”
The issue is a matter of enforcement, not the law, says Comic Book Legal Defense Fund’s interim director Jeff Trexler, who has been monitoring the situation and informing the industry via a series of blog posts. The rules for foreign nationals coming to U.S. trade shows have been established for years, and are usually covered by a business visa or other legal precedents. But foreign artists who bring work with them—or do work on commission at their booths—might need to secure further paperwork ahead of time, just in case enforcement becomes an issue. At past cons, some artists were denied admittance to the U.S. after they arrived at customs packing paper and pencils.
“We’ve received so many questions about visas and tariffs,” says Trexler, who notes that the CBLDF has been involved in mediating such incidents before. “From the immigration services perspective, anybody who is here doing paid work, that’s a problem.” He adds that, while sketching on commission at the con could be covered by O visas, they are more expensive and harder to acquire than typical tourist visas.

Fixer-Upper

Photo: Meg Lemke

More mundane concerns also loom. After years in legal limbo, the expansion of the San Diego Convention Center is back on the table—a move the con would support, Glanzer says. With the number of exhibitors and attendees at the show long capped, the event has relied on price increases to keep revenue in line with inflation. But that strategy won’t be effective forever.
The expansion is controversial, with local groups arguing over how to fund it for more than a decade. A recent court decision struck down objections to a 2020 ballot measure that approved a tax hike to fund the project. In May, a hotel room tax will take effect in San Diego, and it seems the expansion—which will now cost much more than originally budgeted—is finally in the works.
On top of it all, the convention center needs major repairs: roof leaks and temperature control failures have plagued the facility, which was built in the late 1980s. Local officials say more than $200 million in work is required over the next five years, including replacing the power for the cooling and heating systems. (The AC has failed during SDCC in the past, with less than pleasant results.)
Glanzer calls choosing between immediate repairs and planned expansion an impossible decision. “It’s like saying your kids are drowning, and which one do you want to save first? I hope that there will be an expansion, and I hope they have the revenue to be able to fix the things that they need to fix at the convention center.”
Another perennial source of concern for organizers is the dearth of available hotel rooms in San Diego—and that was before some of the major hotels shrank their blocks for conference-goers this year. Hotel room rates during the con are $1,000 per night on average at desirable locations, so those who missed out on the harrowing hotel room lottery nicknamed Hotelpocalypse could very well be priced out.
While it’s understandable that hotels are trying to make money, Glanzer worries that this is a case of “killing the goose that laid the golden egg,” he says. “We have a huge group of attendees in our key demo of 17–34—can they afford $600–$800 a night? If attendees stop coming to our show and start going to other conventions, we could start losing programming, and the people the hotels are counting on could stop coming.

Beyond the Halls

Photo: Meg Lemke

Despite the center’s confines, SDCC continues to grow, especially through licensing. Comic-Con: The Cruise, featuring celebrities and a few cartoonists, landed well with passengers on its maiden voyage in January. And later this year, Comic-Con Málaga will come to the seaside Spanish town, marking the first international expansion for the con.
Comic-Con International, the nonprofit that runs both SDCC and WonderCon, has looked at licensed expansion in the past, and came close in one location about a decade ago before local politics made it unfeasible. But the Málaga event, which is supported by the local Andalusian government, is an exciting opportunity, Glazer says, adding that CCI is open to further opportunities but will wait for potential partners to come to them.
“It just has to make sense for any number of reasons,” Glazer says. “Will the community support it? Do they have the infrastructure to actually create something that the fans will enjoy?”
Despite all the potential risks, from broken air conditioning to potential ICE actions, SDCC remains committed to expanding the tent. “In the end, we do what we do because we have a mission to promote these areas of popular art,” Glanzer says. “We do this because we really love it.”

[Greg]

Don't tell me Comic-Con has gone Woke!

[Drunk Monk]

Fuck.

My hotel reservation got all fucked up.

[Greg]

Ruh roh!

Merc-in-Ret! Amirite?