Are we in for a quiet Comic-Con?

 18 JUNE 2025

What are your favorite San Diego Comic-Con memories? If you're like a lot of attendees, some will probably be personal - finding a certain collectible, meeting a favorite artist - but many will probably involve the kind of bombast and spectacle that SDCC is famous for. Legendary Hall H panels, incredible offsites, that Star Wars concert that will live on forever - big, euphoric group experiences are part of what makes the Con the Con. Will we get them this year? 

I don't know. I mean, I'm sure we'll get something that feels special and quasi-magical. But it's hard not to notice a certain quiet in the air; a lack of buzz, a lack of momentum. Even the high anticipation of the Barbie Cafe dropped off after people realized it's a half hour walk from the convention center.

We've gotten some exclusives and events announced. The final wave of special guests was published. I'm dubious about a Fantastic 4 screening after the Deadpool Wolverine fiasco last year, but there are fan events around town. And of course, July will bring programming and panel announcements, more offsite details. 

But compared to years gone by, this SDCC season does seem a little quiet.

Someone reminded me today that June was quiet last year too, so this is probably my warped old-timer perspective leading me astray. I know a lot of us still remember Nerd HQ, Conan, and all the other special events that absorbed our attention for weeks on end before past Cons. SDCC was an embarrassment of riches then. 

There's nothing wrong with a lower-wattage Con, as long as there are enough magnet activities to draw people away from converging on the Exhibit Hall or certain panels all at once. Either way, we'll see what July brings. Hopefully I'm eating my words a month from now.

What are you looking forward to this year?