On a sunny Saturday afternoon, Screenopolis headed to downtown San Diego to observe this year’s Comic-Con International.
Without an access pass, there’s still plenty to see and do in the immediate vicinity of the San Diego Convention Center. The adjacent hotels have their own presentation halls, and the outdoor Bayfront areas have numerous presentation tents and displays. There are additional display zones to the north, surrounding the downtown Gaslamp District just across the street. Thanks to throngs of participants wearing the costumes, makeup, and props of their favorite fictional characters, the entire area turns into the equivalent of Halloween in July.
Though every year’s Comic-Con runs from Wednesday evening through Sunday afternoon, and people are often in full costume throughout, the biggest day to to see costumes is Saturday. That is in part due to the competitive Masquerade, traditionally on Saturday evening. The following video attempted to capture some of the amazing regalia, but even after a couple hours of roaming and clicking, the photos here represent a tiny proportion of Comic-Con participants. The convention, which has been at sold-out capacity since 2010, draws 130,000 attendees every year.
Photos barely do the costumes justice, too. Many participants work on their outfits for months beforehand, and often you’ll see somebody whose costume creates a striking silhouette from a distance (whether due to wings, tentacles, armature, or other elements) and then as you walk closer, you see the most refined details, whether from accessories or fancy lighting, or involving professional-level facial prosthetics and makeup. A lot of the costumes can only be fully appreciated from multiple angles. Also, many duos, groups, clubs, and families coordinate their costumes together, so you don’t get the full effect unless you see them out ‘n’ about, in their collective element.
From a shutterbug standpoint, it’s quite fun to approach Comic-Con attendees and ask to take their photo. In almost any other circumstance, approaching total strangers and begging them to pose would be awkward at best. At Comic-Con, however, many people are there to be seen, show off fantastic versions of themselves, and jump into action posing and playing out their roles. As you’ll see in the video below.
We would have loved to venture inside the sardine-packed convention halls and get pictures there, or better yet, attend panels and parties featuring the likes of Harrison Ford, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Groening (of Simpsons fame), Kevin Smith, Alex Borstein, Seth Green, Florence Pugh, Christian Slater, Jennifer Tilly, Pedro Pascal, Erin Moriarty, and hundreds more. Not to mention visiting the stacks and displays of actual comic books and comic book artists, such as Daniel Clowes, or Mad Magazine’s Tom Richmond. Maybe next year — and if so, see you there!
