San Diego Comic-Con Special Edition 2021 Downsizes the Biggest Con of the Year

San Diego Comic-Con Special Edition 2021 downsizes the biggest con of the year, but it expands in new ways, making it more accessible than ever.

There’s nothing like going home for the holidays. But in this case, the holiday is Thanksgiving weekend and home is San Diego Comic-Con Special Edition. After 50 years of hosting the most iconic comic and pop culture convention in the world through 2019, San Diego had been put on hold, at least in person, during the pandemic. The San Diego Comic-Con Special Edition was Comic-Con International’s first attempt to bring its people together again, not in its usual July slot, but like most other re-scheduled geek events, late in 2021. CCI chose the controversial Thanksgiving weekend to open its doors, requiring masks and proof of vaccination to enter. The show was busy if it was any other con, but the lower attendance in many people’s eyes, gave the show a throwback feel, when the con wasn’t dominated by major media companies and Hollywood studios. It was quieter, but brighter, less square feet, but with so much more room to move around. I was able to meet friends old and new without getting swept up in a crowd or accidentally blocking a line or a cosplay photo shoot if I stood in one place too long. And I got to see things I would have normally missed on any other summer day in mid-July, sharing a hall with 100,000 other people. Don’t get me wrong; I’m all about the bombastic spectacle of San Diego Comic-Con and I want it back as soon as possible. But this was an opportunity to slip back into one of my favorite cities and mingle with some of my favorite geeks in a new way that felt very familiar.

While many stayed away due to it being one of the core holidays that isn’t linked to a specific religion or national event, the show took on a very different look. The wide aisles allowed me to walk freely from one end of the now truncated exhibit hall to the other with arms stretched wide (I didn’t but I could have), with no fear of touching another person along the way. I don’t think I’ve been able to do that since a desolate preview night back in 2004. With fewer panels and just a handful of high profile exhibitors filling the floor, this gave greater visibility to more regional creators and vendors, who didn’t have to travel far to set up shop and sell their wares. Of the bigger exhibitors, they all seemed to focus on anime and video games, but that’s okay. Comic-Con is all about the diversity in the geeky things we love.

Outside the con, there were still a few “activations” to experience, even if you didn’t have a badge, including one for the NBC series “La Brea” and the James Gunn “Suicide Squad” spinoff “Peacemaker”, starring John Cena. Even further outside the con, shuttles were taking fans to the Comic-Con Museum for its opening weekend launch. Set up permanently in Balboa Park, the Comic-Con Museum is a year ’round tribute to the history, the culture, and the people that make San Diego Comic-Con what it is. Inside, I got to enjoy a few games of Pac-Man and its many offshoots, as this iconic dot muncher was one of the first Comic-Con Museum Hall of Fame inductees while we were all stuck at home over the past year or two. Beyond that, the many exhibits included the history of Gene Roddenberry and Star Trek, told through props, audio, and a walkable timeline on the floor; a display of high quality fan-made cosplay costumes; a row of movie and comic characters completely sculpted out of cardboard; and an exploration of Archie comics and its relationship to Comic-Con and beyond through countless different media. And that was just the first floor.

Upstairs, the “Out of the Darkness: Comic Art in the Times of COVID” exhibit featured a display of artwork created by kids expressing their reflections on these (hopefully) unique time in our modern history. In another room, displays on how to create costumes and craft props for cosplay showed how this fully fan created subculture is an integral part of what makes San Diego Comic-Con and shows like it not just about merchandising pop culture to the masses, but also about how fans reflect their love of such things back at the culture at large. While there, kids were encouraged to contruct their own Captain America style shields from carboard made available at the museum. After exploring all of that (and grabbing a few limited souvenirs in the gift shop), a quick shuttle ride took me back into the bosom of the con.

I had a great time at San Diego Comic-Con Special Edition, but to be honest, I missed the long lines, the intense crowds, the after hours parties, and the one-of-a-kind experiences that your average July San Diego Comic-Con provides fans of all ages and interests. No other show has the same feel, though some come close. The Special Edition felt like a gentle reminder that the Comic-Con folk are still there and this was just a hold over until they could get fully back into swing with the main event, when everyone would be safer to interact as we did before the pandemic. It was good to be back, but I kind of hope another one of these is never necessary again. I’m ready to head back to the Big Show, the insanity of it all, good and bad, where it’s a struggle to realize you just can’t see or do it all, but that doesn’t stop you from trying. I think part of the true San Diego Comic-Con experience is the struggle to touch all the bases of your fandom(s) all in one week, sometimes failing, but still enjoying it all.

I know I sound a bit obsessive, but I’m one of the few dozen people who showed up in San Diego for a few days this past summer during San Diego Comic-Con week, even though there was no in-person con. I got to pal around with a few cosplayers, take pictures, and explore the city in a new way, without all of the convention wrappings. But it still felt like home. Here’s hoping we get back to the classic San Diego Comic-Con (and WonderCon Anaheim!) in the coming year! You’ll find me in the Gaslamp Quarter either way come next July. I’m ready for 150,000 other geeks to join me next time.