Plus, it’s hard to make money at SDCC, he says, because the convention has so much going on and attendees already spend quite a bit on tickets, travel, food, and so forth. For San Diego, flights, hotel rooms, eats, and space add up to thousands of dollars. Matt Hawkins, president of Top Cow Productions, a partner studio of Image Comics, understands the concerns of small publishers, including his own, while planning for Comic-Con. (Nantier himself is still attending SDCC and appearing on a PW-sponsored panel on Friday.) “Those shows are focused more on the type of books NBM publishes, and we can get better attention,” Nantier says. NBM publisher Terry Nantier says that “shows evolve, and of those growing fastest in number and attendance” the indie ones are best for NBM, including the Small Press Expo (SPX), held in Bethesda, Md., and New York’s MOCCA Arts Festival, which had a record 7,500 attendees this year. NBM publishes literary, mystery, and horror graphic novels, among other nonsuperhero genres. Independent graphic novel publisher NBM Publishing, which has been attending SDCC since the 1980s, declined to attend this year. Yet smaller publishers have to assess their plans year to year and get creative about affording SDCC. Heavyweights Marvel Entertainment and DC Entertainment––which are backed by Disney and Warner Bros., respectively––have resources to make an impact at the event, as evidenced by their large booths and numerous panels with comics creators and celebrities, teasing forthcoming movies and occasionally comics. Meanwhile, comics publishers are still grappling with questions of whether to attend SDCC now that it has changed from a small comics-focused event to the biggest pop culture extravaganza of the year. “If we can overcome this hurdle, I am hoping we can be in San Diego for at least the near future.” “I want to stress that a majority of the hotels are working with us to offer discounted rates and room blocks, as they have in the past,” he says. Glanzer says some hotels would like to reduce their room blocks and increase room rates. Like badges, these sell out faster than the Flash. A pressing matter, Glanzer says, is the availability of hotel rooms in downtown San Diego and the surrounding area. After that, however, its location is up in the air. Glanzer confirms, as he has for months, that SDCC will remain in San Diego through 2016. David Glanzer, director of marketing and public relations for Comic-Con International, says it’s unlikely that the organization will find a sponsor for Artists’ Alley just weeks before the convention, but that it worked well in years past without a sponsor.Īrtists’ Alley aside, Comic-Con International has been fielding recurring questions about SDCC moving to another city-Comic-Con International also organizes WonderCon, which is moving from Anaheim to Los Angeles in 2016, and both cities have been frequently mentioned as potential locations for SDCC itself. In a statement to the press about the company’s withdrawal, DA advisor-in-chief Josh Wattles noted that the company is focusing on mobile app development and “a comprehensive site redesign that will benefit all of our 34 million registered members.” The news has invited speculation about what no sponsorship would mean for Artists’ Alley, where tables are provided to artists at no charge, a holdover from the days when the show drew a mere 5,000 people. DeviantArt, the social network for artists, withdrew its sponsorship suddenly in June, despite offering panels, signage, electronic art displays, and comfortable chairs to the artists for the last two years. Though that record time serves as a measure of interest in the convention-bustling with exclusive previews and products from many comics publishers-this year’s event, like past installments, tweaks the winning formula.Īt press time, SDCC’s internal staff was seeking a sponsor for Artists’ Alley, the area of the convention’s exhibit hall where individual artists draw commissioned works for visitors, sell comics, and more. In February, badges for SDCC sold out in about an hour, reportedly the fastest sell-out time yet.

Run by the nonprofit Comic-Con International (CCI), SDCC is expected to draw more than 130,000 attendees to downtown San Diego and the San Diego Convention Center from Thursday, July 9, to Sunday, July 12. With Comic-Con International: San Diego (informally known as SDCC) a week away, its staff and comics publishers are grappling with critical questions about the value and location of the country’s largest comics and pop culture convention.

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