Why you should consider Salt Lake Comic Con

29 JULY 2014

I spend a fair amount of time talking about other Cons on here, namely because I think people get too rabid about doing San Diego and San Diego only. I've also talked about the growth of other Cons, which have accelerated at astounding rates. However, Salt Lake Comic Con (note the careful omission of the dash, CCI) is in a league of its own. I can't even say it grew fast - instead it exploded into the scene as a full contender less than a year ago, like the Alien chest-burster.

Here's why you should consider going to Salt Lake:

• It debuted last September 2013 with 70-80K attendance. That is a huge number for a first year.
• It then hosted an April 2014 event called "Salt Lake Comic Con Fan Experience" which had over 100K attendance.
• CCI has served them with a cease and desist order for using "Comic Con" in their name, despite so many other other Cons (New York Comic Con, Emerald City Comicon, Phoenix Comicon) doing the same. Why so spooked, CCI? 

They have far too many badge price options for me to address here, but I like that they have a VIP pass. I'll be curious to see if that stays feasible in the coming years. They also have a range of events and celebrities, which I'll let you be the judge of. But it's probably their corporate sponsorship and ambitious tagline -"One Event to Rule Them All" - that's making CCI nervous. This is clearly not a grassroots Con but a well-orchestrated event with media firepower behind it.

As for the SDCC vs SLCC battle, it's hovering somewhere between hilarious and pathetic. By serving SLCC with that letter during their own Con, CCI only guaranteed maximum publicity for Salt Lake and derision for themselves. (Between this and the media-illiterate handling of the harassment issue, they have got to get better leadership.) At any rate, SLCC has set up an entire page that includes the letter, media coverage, the trademark and a list of all other Cons with "Comic Con" in their name. Read it and judge.

Two days after SDCC ended, I know many of you feel left out of the fun. This is an option that you should consider. Emerald City isn't until next spring but Salt Lake is just a few weeks away. Take a look and think about ending your summer on a high note.