Nerds will get the chance to dip their, hopefully vaccinated, toes in the SDCC waters for the first time in nearly two year! This smaller scale convention will take place on November 26-28 and if it wasn't on Thanksgiving weekend I would be very tempted to check out a smaller SDCC. It is likely intended to keep attendance down by hosting it on the holiday weekend and for the first time in well over 10 years the entire convention, with one or two exceptions, will take place within the convention center walls.
Special Guests:
There are already quite a few notable special guests, but Comic Con notes that additional guests will be added as we get closer to the show. While I haven't seen any panels announced yet, it would not shock me for some light programming. There will be the annual cosplay Masquerade which is always a hit. Here are some of the guests I would check out if I were attending:
- Kevin Eastman - I believe the creator of the beloved Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is local to San Diego and is always a welcome presence at a convention
- Sam Mags - She has written some impressive graphic novels, including Marvel Action: Captain Marvel and has an extensive background in writing in games, notably Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart and Tiny Tina's Wonderlands.
- Jae Lee - Eisner award winning artist for The Inhumans and artist for Before Watchmen: Ozymandias, which say what you will about the Before Watchmen series, the art was fantastic.
Merch:
Like a lot of smaller, local conventions, SDCC Special Edition seems to revolve more around the Exhibition Hall and less around programming. While a full list of the hall hasn't been released, it is known that Funko will be setting up shop at the event. This is the first event that Funko has attended in well over a year as well. They were rumored to be at NYCC, but sold their merchandise virtually as they have been doing since the pandemic. It will be interesting to see what presence the big publishers have on the floor and if sales will meet expectations. In addition to the traditional exhibit hall, the tabletop gaming section will return with a full schedule TBD.
A lot remains up in the air, but it sounds like a nice test to see how to move forward safely in the convention space. I know Emerald City Comic Con and Gen Con seemed to go well, I am not sure when I will be comfortable attending a large scale show. This sounds like it would have been up my alley, but the holiday schedule was a deal breaker.
POSTED BY MIKE N. aka Victor Domashev -- comic guy, proudly raising nerdy kids, and Nerds of a Feather contributor since 2012.