Don't forget to visit the Comic-Con Museum

 23 JULY 2024

It's the easiest thing in the world to stick to the convention center and Gaslamp during Comic-Con. No cars, no cabs - it gives you a defined territory to work within. But if there's one place you'll want to visit - call it the ultimate offsite - it's the Comic-Con Museum.

I will say upfront that it's not for everyone, but if you appreciate nerd culture, you should hop on over to Balboa Park. The mix of exhibits is good, blending the super-famous with the more quietly lauded, and the tonal shifts between sections keeps your experience from feeling monotonous. So far, my favorite exhibits have featured my beloved Charles Addams, Gene Roddenberry (surprisingly deep dive and it even had his original computer!), and Gumby - reruns of which were the only English-voiced kid's show I could find living in Holland when I was little.

In other words, it's a great mix of nostalgia and comic books and high art and video games. They even have a little movie theatre.

If you live in San Diego, you've probably attended their other events. But if you don't, the museum may not be on your radar. Somehow, I just don't hear attendees talking much about it, which is a shame. Here's why you should go.

The Auction

I'll admit to being puzzled by this combination of players, but the museum, Turner Classic Movies, and Julien's Auction House have come together on an exhibit of "iconic props, production material, and memorabilia" from DC Comics, Marvel, and Harry Potter. I don't quite understand how TCM, which I associate with my favorite Vincent Price movies, is involved in this - but you can bid on items now, with the live and online auction happening this Sunday.

The Other Exhibits

Betty Boop has one, so does John Jennings and artists from Tijuana, and there's something called Popnology, an interactive exhibit "that demonstrates the connection between pop culture and real-world technology." I've never seen a bad exhibit here so I safely say without having seen these that they're probably pretty great.

If you didn't get a Saturday badge or you simply need a quiet break from SDCC, consider visiting the museum. You can find out all the details here.

You can visit the Comic-Con Museum for free during SDCC

2 JULY 2019

While we're anxiously awaiting the complete panel schedules to drop this week, CCI has given us another mental morsel to chew on: the much-awaited Comic-Con Museum will be open for free during SDCC.

Well, a pop-up version of it anyway. (Did you know the complete museum will feature 68,000 square feet of vintage and current nerdy treasures? I didn't and now I want to hide out there during the zombie apocalypse.) This smaller version will still offer some enticing attractions:

• An immersive VR Batman experience, where you turn into Batman swooping over Gotham City
• A gallery of 80 years of Batman art
• An exhibit of designs from the Her Universe fashion show 
• Art classes taught by a Certified Bob Ross Instructor (yes, capitalized)
• And daily panels in the Museum theatre*

Here's what available: staff to answer questions and chat with; a cafe with sandwiches and drinks. And doubtless some vintage comic book art.

Here's what's kind of available: parking, on a first come, first serve basis.

Here's what isn't available: merchandise! You can't buy anything, which may be the first time I've ever typed that in regard to an SDCC event.

What you also need to know: If you're a first-timer new to San Diego, Balboa Park is worth exploring. The world-famous zoo is there (though the pandas have gone back to China) and so are a lot of other museums and attractions, including the Fleet Science Center. You might be thinking, "I'm finally at San Diego Comic-Con - why would I want to go visit a park?" The answer is that either you don't have a full badge and have a day to fill, or you do have a full badge and will be able to use a break from the Con at some point.

Now, it's worth noting that this will be open to people without a badge, which means it could attract all those people who linger around the area to pretend they're at Comic-Con without actually going inside the convention center. It may even attract a few of the bible-quoting protesters. So how hard will it be to get in?

I don't know, is my unsatisfying answer. I think a lot of attendees would head over at night but it's not open then; still, I think a fair number will be interested. CCI plays coy in their blog post, saying, "If the building reaches its capacity, there will be a single entry line, organized on a first-come-first-served basis." Normally I'd roll my eyes at their tendency toward understatements, but it is a big building - so maybe getting in won't be terrible.

Anyhow, put this on your list - especially if you have a Thursday/Sunday badge.



* Since these seem to be part of the regular programming, make a note to build in travel time; this will be an entire excursion, not like getting from 6BCF to Ballroom 20.

CCI wants you to name their new attraction

6 MARCH 2018

I blinked in disbelief tonight when I saw a Comic-Con survey in my inbox. Naturally, I assumed it was from ECCC - who already sent out one survey invitation - and then I looked closer. "Comic-con.org" was in the return address. Color me astonished.

CCI typically does host Talkback panels at their Cons, but that feedback is obviously limited to a small percentage of their attendee base. And they just haven't solicited input and opinions from attendees as openly or frequently as other Cons have. So it's a nice feeling to have them reach out and actually ask us what we think.

In this case, we're not being asked just what we think about SDCC; rather they want to us to help "shape the vision" for the pop culture museum/attraction they're building in Balboa Park. (Hilariously, the survey does ask what SDCC "does really well" but doesn't ask for any criticism or development areas.)

Now - while I urge you to take the survey if you haven't already, you should be aware of 2 points:

• CCI asks you to actually name this attraction. So come up with something clever before you start the survey. I couldn't think of anything catchy under pressure.
• CCI also proposes having a membership for this attraction and asks what different perks would interest us - nonchalantly including, "Early access privileges for Comic-Con badge sales."

WHAT? I responded they would have more members than they can handle. Did some random market research manager throw that in, unaware of our raving hysterical mania? Because there is no alternate timeline where someone says, "Oh, yeah, and if you become a member, you get early access to a badge sale" and someone else says, "Eh, no thanks."

At any rate - I like the way they're thinking. Not only are they asking our advice, which makes me downright tingly, but they're clearly trying to create a year-round community that extends the excitement and engagement people feel each July. That's great news for everyone who likes Comic-Con but it's especially great for people who don't get a badge. They'll still have a way to be part of things.

So go ahead and name our future Balboa Park headquarters something cool - and take advantage of this chance to be candid with CCI.

ETA: I realize not everyone has gotten this survey. They may be conducting them in batches or picking people at random - there are a lot of us, after all. I'll see how many other people get them and update you.

And the CCI soap opera goes on

1 SEPTEMBER 2016





What would we do in the SDCC off-season without lawsuits, municipal battles and feisty debates to tide us over? It's only been just over a month since San Diego Comic-Con bid us farewell, but the snide and contentious debates over its future - and finances - continue. Let's examine.

There's the petition to stop Dean Spano's Measure C for a fancy new stadium. I love how people say "Comic-Con is against it!" to bolster any argument in San Diego, as if CCI is itself a city superhero whose opinions carry moral authority. In fact, the counter argument - which says the proposed "convadium" is a great idea - also quotes CCI as saying they won't leave San Diego if it happens.

Then there's Measure D (you can suss out the difference between the 2 measures here but neither is for a contiguous expansion) authored by the indefatigable attorney Cory Briggs. You know Mr. Briggs, he's been the thorn in our convention center expansion side since the beginning. Now he's come up with the ominous-sounding "Citizens' Plan" as a way of "making sure the rules of the game are fair."

Alas, a city councilman disagrees, calling the measure "poorly written and misguided" and a "recipe for disaster" that could force SDCC to leave town. (The essay doesn't name Briggs, other than to mention "a lawyer who makes his living suing taxpayers" but it apparently drew blood as Briggs left a salty rebuttal in the comments.)  And again, CCI's opinion was held up as the voice of reason: "Comic-Con has stated in the past, and continues to believe, a contiguous, expanded convention center is one that will benefit the city best. It appears this ballot initiative does not favor that scenario."

We know.

The Haus That CCI Built


But the convention center expansion isn't the only CCI news these days. That would be - I can't even type this without laughing - "Barriohaus LLC" which is NOT a Mexican-German fusion restaurant as you might think. It's owned by CCI and it bought 2 office buildings and a warehouse for 6.3 million dollars in April 2015. Good thing CCI didn't waste any extra cash by mailing all badges directly to their attendees!

Strangely, this purchase was not announced on the Toucan blog, but was instead revealed through their recent audit. If you want to delve into all the details of the tax filings and rules for non-profits, there's quite a bit of cynical subtext in this article. Like snidely mentioning that president John Rogers' salary jumped from 64K in 2014 to 208K last year. But hey, that's not what we care about, right? We're wondering...

• Is the new 32,000 square feet of space going to be used for the Comic-Con museum?
• Will it relate to Comic-Con HQ?
• Is SDCC more invested - beyond the literal - in San Diego now?
• Will we devoted attendees be invited to the hauswarming party?

Life as an SDCC loyalist: there's always something to spectate. If you're local, you know all about this - but even if you're not, these debates could affect your Comic-Con future. More will be revealed, I'm sure.

Comic-Con museum at Balboa Park? Why not.

8 JUNE 2016

Well, I guess we have to stay in San Diego now; CCI wants to install a Comic-Con museum at Balboa Park.

This would be in the San Diego Hall of Champions, which has apparently considered subleasing some or all of its location. Enter CCI, spotting an opportunity to make Comic-Con live year round.

It's not final yet by any means, but CCI sounds pretty stoked: David Glanzer said "Comic-Con has been working with the Hall of Champions as part of our continuing exploration of how best to ensure Comic-Con's legacy. Ar this time we are in talks and while no decision has been made, we are thrilled with the direction of those discussion."

That made me stop and think about if I've ever heard CCI use the word "thrilled." And that made me realize how many annoying battles they fight (granted, some are self-initiated, like the SLCC lawsuit) like the people against the contiguous expansion, or their negotiations with local hotels, or the group who slyly implied they were associated with CCI to promote their petition this winter. It's not like they ever get to settle back and just focus on the event itself.

Anyhow, this museum idea is still up in the air but I think we can agree it has compelling potential. I love SDCC history and give the drama of Con stories and the beauty of Comic-Con art, this museum could be masterful. But as with everything Con, it probably won't manifest for a while.