The Life and Death of the Con - An Opinion Piece

Happy Wonder Con 2022! Where I and many others are going back to their first in-person comic book convention since 2020. So In case, you haven’t been back yet here’s what it’s like now.

FRIDAY: The first day of the convention was a little strange going to a large gathering for the first time in two years this being the first large event for many people. I had been to Disneyland this year so I’m now over the fear of large crowds but this was still a different kind of thing. There was a vaccination verification booth to even get onto the convention grounds with an open area outside of the building where previous anyone, not just ticket holders can go and see the cosplayers who like to pose for pictures and not eat at the food trucks. In previous years ,they would have some of the better studio-sponsored attractions outside. Like geeky statue gardens or interactive exhibits themed to whatever a studio is trying to promote. These things are usually what make comic cons stand out from other nerdy events because they are usually some of the most unique and memorable things to happen at a con. Sadly, this is something that I sorely missed this time around.

Then, as I walked around on Friday, I started to realize that very few people were there for a topical wonder con size, especially for the first day. It was less crowded than the last few hours on a Sunday at the usual cons. Which made me wonder are cons dead? If so few people show up to these things will they even keep happening? I checked online tickets were also still available for all days. Are these the dying breaths of comic conventions everywhere?

In 2020, when I tried to cover San Diego comic con online as a journalist it kind of broke me. If all the information I was passing on could be seen by anyone who cared at the same time or watched later if someone couldn’t make it to the broadcast, what was I really doing? It didn’t feel right; it didn’t have the magic of a con. I hoped the magic would come back with physical cons.

SATURDAY: Well to my happy surprise Saturday was extremely busy. Just like a normal con. Saturday is always the busiest day of any con. They have the best panels, most people don’t work, and people who warmed up on the first day and can really bring it with their best cosplays.

The food truck area was a swirling sea of bodies and lines. The conversation grounds just outside the building’s doors were thick with fantastic cosplayers. Inside on the floor, it was hard to walk up and down the isles. It felt like a con again! My fears for the longevity of cons disappeared in an instant. This time I was joined by a group of my friends and we slowly made our way through Artist Alley and through the different booths. But by lunchtime, we weren’t even halfway through. Compared to my previous day where I was able to walk every aisle casually and look at nearly every booth in 4 hours.

Well, we have one more day left of con and I’m still excited so I think cons are back and alive again. Now we just need the numbers to keep up so companies see it’s a good place to advertise in creative ways and create fun and memorable experiences for people. It might take some time to go back to normal and a few cons to do it, but I think we are on our way.

Large-scale corporations may be waiting to invest their money in conversations again until they see huge numbers of people going back to conventions again, But I’m ready to invest my heart in Cons again. Stay nerdy my friends. Looking forward to San Diego Comic-Con this summer! Hope to see you all there!

Greg Vander Velde

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I've been a life long nerd and video game junkie known to associate with the likes of Link, Nathan Drake, Batman, and Master Chief. I'm a filmmaker by profession, but spend lots of time behind a controller escaping the real world. @GregVelde on Instagram/Twitter/YouTube