Tag Archives: san diego

Positive Cynicism EP 50: Comic Con 2018 Preview

@chadsmart is joined by new monthly co-host Eric Bennett to discuss the hype surrounding this year’s annual San Diego Comic-Con. With the largest gathering of pop culture fans preparing to descend on San Diego for five days, Chad and Eric breakdown who, or what, will be showcased with panels and displays. The bigger factor though is who won’t be soaking up the sun this year. With no major Disney, meaning no Marvel and no Star Wars presence will this year’s Con be a let down for fans who bought tickets months in advance. Or does this open the door for other properties to step and create their own hype?

How does this year’s exclusives stack up to year’s past? What about offsite experiences? Lastly, is San Diego Comic-Con too crowded? Eric offers his thoughts on all these topics.

Whether your a Comic-Con newbie or seasoned attendee, there’s plenty of information in this episode to either get you excited or make you dread long lines and close quarters.

Positive Cynicism EP. 15: San Diego Comic Con Recap

The largest Popular Culture convention of the year, San Diego Comic Convention recently wrapped up it’s 2017 edition. Host @chadsmart is joined by a panel of Comic Con attendees to discuss how this year’s Con compared to previous years and why people spend up to 16 hours in line to see presentations they could have watched on YouTube . In addition to panels, the discussion touches on topics ranging from all the non-convention center attractions, collectibles and a run-in with Andy Serkis.

*Editor’s note…this is till my favorite moment from Hall H a few years ago. – GM

Fresh Content Day 14: Comic Cons Go BOOM!

Imagine it’s 1970 (I can’t, I’m not old enough) in San Diego. You’re at the U.S. Grant Hotel in the first days of August. Among the guests there is the King, Jack Kirby. And welcome to San Diego’s Golden State Comic-Con.

It was a different era.

I honestly didn’t even hear about “comic con” until about ten-ish years ago. Maybe it was before that. I don’t know. I was a late bloomer. But the San Diego Comic Con has seen steady growth since its beginning, when it had 300 guests. It eclipsed the hundred-thousand visitor mark in 2005 with 103,000 visitors. That was a year after the “meager palace of Midgard,” Hall H opened. In 2015, 167,000 of you crazy bastards were there.

As far as information goes, we nerds anxiously, if not patiently, await the goodies that come from San Diego each summer.

Since San Diego’s International Comic Con became such a big hit, other cities have begun holding similar events. New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Denver, Kansas City, and Seattle are just a few places to host their own. And there are promotion companies like Wizard World who bring their Cons to various cities. And it has branched out beyond that. Smaller markets have smaller Cons, but still provide a great atmosphere and bring good names to regions and areas that may not ever have the opportunity to meet these creators or actors again.

It’s why I think very highly of these Cons. I was asked to give my opinion on the rise of the numerous comic cons. There’s my answer. I love ’em.

Now, my social calendar for the year includes a comic con trip. For the last three years, I’ve made the short drive to Cape Girardeau, MO for the Cape Comic Con. I’ve been able to meet writers and artists, actors and cosplayers, wrestlers, and a promoter who truly cares about the product he puts out there for his guests. Everything about this is top-notch, and Ken’s a helluva guy who has been doing this in Cape for over a decade.

I get to go down there, get some audio, hopefully put together an episode or two of the podcast. But I also get to spend some time with some of my best friends. And I’m hoping my schedule allows for that again this year. Ken has Cape Girardeau ready for another amazing weekend at the end of April. I just hope to be there to be a part of it.