Through the efforts of The Nerd Machine and the volunteers and friends aligned with it, over $230k was raised to support Operation Smile, a nonprofit organization that corrects facial deformities suffered by children all over the world. This would not have been possible if not for the indomitable spirit of dedicated fans like these.
This is the key to the success of the San Diego Comic Convention held every year in, surprise surprise, San Diego. It is an opportunity for the fans and the faithful to come together and celebrate what we live for everyday. The characters we endear ourselves to. The stories we pass on to the next generations. The talented people that give life and breath to the creations we enjoy day after day and year after year. George Lucas, Joss Whedon, George R.R. Martin, Stan Lee... These names are iconic in our world and the creations they have fashioned live on in our hearts as well as our heads. We celebrate their work and their contributions through conventions. It gives us an opportunity to adorn ourselves in the garb of heroes and villains, interact with our brothers and sister from across the street and across the world, and most of all pay homage.
What makes San Diego especially special, you might ask? It has become the premier entertainment event in the entire world. Representatives from every continent travel to The Golden State each year because it is a hop, skip and a jump from Los Angeles, not-so-coincidentally the Entertainment Capital of the World, a major source of ideas and materials to our culture. Many of the stars and celebrities that contribute to our Fandom join in celebrating, simply be coming out to the event or going the extra mile to donate some of their time and meet the fans face-to-face through panels, signings and photo opportunities. People like Zachary Levi @ZacharyLevi , Nathan Fillion @NathanFillion , Alan Tudyk @alan_tudyk , and Aisha Tyler @aishatyler sacrifice time and sleep to give the fans an enriching and worthwhile experience, meeting us, answering questions, taking pictures, giving us money (that would be Tudyk; he signs the money too) and those are only a handful of people that commit themselves to that degree for Fandom. There are a variety of panels covering a variety of topics and people; a good rule is, if there's something that interests you, there's probably a panel for it.
Another eagerly anticipated spectacle acquainted with SDCC is the release of exclusive content by the creators of many of the properties associated with the themes of the convention. Comic book creators, game producers, and movie & television studios put together exciting and titillating media packages and information solely for attendees of the convention. Hollywood general takes the spotlight in this area, no pun intended. A coveted teaser trailer for Superman V. Batman: dawn of Justice premiered during a Superman/Batman panel and, after surfacing on select news and personal websites, disappeared just as quickly per requests by Warner Bros. Studio to take them down. Not to be outdone, Marvel Studios released new footage for Avengers: Age of Ultron, test footage from the Peyton Reed (not Edgar Wright)-helmed Ant-Man, AND a release date for Guardians of the Galaxy 2, despite Guardians of the Galaxy 1 not having released yet. Imagine the feeling of standing in a hall filled with energized friends, brothers and sisters and watching a huge screen light up with new exciting footage that only you lucky few are privy to.
The other trademark of any comic con is the employment of cosplay. Dedicated fans spend time, sweat, tears, and in some cases, A LOT of money on assembling costumes that either directly replicate a character or pay homage to them. These costumes are creative, original, ornate and sometimes functional. A notable segment of these cosplayers are The 501st Legion, a organization of volunteers loyal to the Star Wars franchise who also go out and support their local communities. They dress as garrisons of Imperial Stormtroopers; members have to abide by strict costume regulations to acquire and maintain membership in the organization.
San Diego Comic Con is a celebration of us as is every comic convention, just with more bells and whistles than most conventions. If you want an opportunity to celebrate fan literature and movies and televisions and games, I strongly recommend going to a convention near you and meeting the people and seeing the sites and embracing the essence of your nerdom. You're a geek. Be a proud geek and celebrate.
#imageek #sdcc #thenerdmachine #sethgreen
Resources
http://www.comic-con.org/
http://www.wizardworld.com/
http://www.cosplay.com/
http://www.thenerdmachine.com/
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