For the first time in the Comic-Con 50-year history, we won’t be able to meet in person, but the news isn’t all bad because as you should already know, we WILL be able to meet virtually. Go to www.comic-con.org for all the fun of Comic-Con at the first ever Comic-Con@Home, starting today, Wednesday July 22 at 9:00am PDT.
Whether you’ve been attending for years or haven’t been in a while, do your best to take in all there is to offer in this new Online experience. That includes other outlets beside the Comic-Con site. YouTube will host over 350 panels programs, as well as the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards on Friday. GoExpo by Community Brands will host the Online Exhibit Hall, with approximately 700 exhibitors offering a variety of cool fan-centric merchandise. And Gaming will live on the Discord platform featuring a number of interactive gems, including Wyvern Gaming/Stargate and Legion M/Joe Manganiello’s DEATH SAVES.
Since Amazon and Prime Video are official sponsors of Comic-Con@Home you know there will be additional activities from a variety of Amazon-owned platforms through the Amazon Virtual-Con portal. Prime Video is also the official sponsor of the Comic-Con 2020 print-at-home badge, which is a big deal to collectors. Having new and unique items to collect does take a bit of the sting out of isolation. If this should be a one-time event (and we hope it is) then the collector items from this year should become quite valuable over the years.
Not to be left out of the social media intensification, Tumblr will serve as the platform for both the Comic-Con Art Show and the always popular Comic-Con Masquerade. The 46th annual Masquerade will open for viewing Friday, July 24, and winners will be announced on Saturday, July 25. I suspect that this will be a particularly challenging tradition for the 2020 Comic-Con, but if they pull it off you may just see a virtual presence of the event added to future live ones. In fact, the success or failure of this year's entire festival will undoubtedly effect every aspect of the direction of institution from here on. It is a development long over due, and now its been given an unconditional push.
In support of this forced evolution roughly 34 Comic-Con@Home panels will stream on IGN whow will also be producing extensive hosted shoulder content, hosted interviews and more, all in support of the online initiative. The sudden and necessary pivot forced by the pandemic is a n unfortunate situation allowing Online organizers to show what they're capable of adding to an already spectacular event. Films and Anime will live on the Scener Watch Party platform this year. So why next year and the next. It's a browser plug-in that will allow fans the ability to simultaneously watch and discus movies and anime. Thay could be an ideal supplimental for fans live and otherwise at future Comic-Cons.
Most important to many atttendees is the accessibility to souvenirs from Comic-Con@Home. Now you can easily visit the Merch store for the official Comic-Con T shirt (art provided by DC Comics) as well as lots of Comic-Con and Comic-Con Museum related merchandise. Don’t forget to check out the online version of the 260-page Souvenir Book, which is available as a free, downloadable PDF.
You can have a lot of fun at the virtual convention, maybe even as much as ever, but in a whole new way. Don't sell it short before you give it a try, and I'm willing to bet many will return to the convention next year through Online access again for the ease, comfort and bonus material. The word "International" is no longer an adjective in the title, "San Diego International Comic-Con. Because of the world crisis, it's now an actual verb.