By: Nick Gambino
Comic-Con has been the go-to for Hollywood geekdom and other properties that appeal to the nerds of the world, from Marvel to DC and Stars Wars to Walking Dead. If there’s a rabid fanbase, there is representation at Comic-Con.
With the pandemic in full swing, the premier San Diego event moved to an online presence in 2020, rightly so. Over 100,000 people typically descend upon the Californian city to get their glimpse of the stars both in front and behind the camera. This usually entails long lines and large groups of humans packed into spaces like Hall H. It’s not a very pandemic-friendly event.
Now as vaccines roll out and things begin to open up, however slowly, many of us wondered whether we’d see some version of the in-person Comic-Con in San Diego this year. It seemed unlikely but not completely out of the question. Well, now we have our answer.
No, Comic-Con won’t hold a physical days-long event replete with all of Hollywood’s biggest reveals. They will remain online with the free-to-access Comic-Con@Home which proved popular last year (because there was no other option).
While the health of the attendees plays a large part in the decision to hold the event online, it seems there’s also a financial strain that makes it hard for them to even put on a physical, in-person event of that magnitude this year.
“Unfortunately, the challenges of this past year and the multiple postponements of our two largest events have left us with limited financial resources, so this year the online experience will be reduced to a three-day event, spanning July 23-25, 2021,” San Diego Comic-Con said in a released statement.
— San Diego Comic-Con (@Comic_Con) March 1, 2021
That being said, they are looking to hold a smaller event in San Diego some time in November. So whip out that WandaVision cosplay. You’re going to need it later this year as long as this panDAMNic is under control. More information will be forthcoming.
In the meantime, the free ComicCon@Home will be held July 23-25. If you can’t wait and need your fix sooner, there is an online version of the Anaheim event, WonderCon@Home, being held on March 26 and 27.
