Cover Feature
It’s a geek fest.
We wear that as a
badg e of hono ur”
that there is something there for you.”
Another cultural change which has
impacted on the show is pop culture
and how it’s consumed and analysed
by fans. In particular, an explosion of
online blogs, publications and podcasts
has changed the event’s relationship with
press visitors.
“Early on one year there was a writer
from a very prestigious newspaper who
insisted on getting into a room which the
fire marshal had closed,” recalls Glazner.
“He said, ‘I’m mainstream press. I don’t
think you know who I am.’
“I don’t think he was trying to be…he
was very frustrated. I had to tell him, ‘I
do know who you are. I’m really sorry.
I can’t do anything. We appreciate you
being here, but there are other people
who’d like to get into this room who we
consider mainstream press. They may be
smaller outlets, but they write about us
throughout the year.
“We’re grateful that we still have
major publications and magazines that
highlight the show. But the rank and file
fans who do a lot of the podcasts and all
that – we’re taking note of them.”
Surprise and spectacle
Anyone remotely interested in pop
culture couldn’t fail to notice some
of the spectacular reveals that took
place at the 2019 event. From Marvel’s
grand unveiling of its ‘Phase Four’ of
content production, to the trailer for
Tom Cruise’s Top Gun sequel to a sneak
peek of Patrick Stewart in new Star Trek
property Picard – the event wasn’t short
of social media moments.
“There are often surprises at Comic
Con, and we love that,” says Glazner. “As
a fan myself, I remember going before I
22 — September
Photography: C. Flores
started volunteering and those surprises
are awesome. It’s a great thing for the
companies that make those things
happen and the fans love it.”
As a fan, Glazner has two memories
that stand out over his four decades of
involvement with San Diego Comic Con.
“Before I started working at Comic Con
I was at the show and ran into a comic
strip artist I really loved named Matt
Groening,” he recalls. “He had a strip in
one of the LA papers that I was always
reading, and he drew these funny rabbit
characters. He looked shocked that
someone was asking for his autograph
and knew who he was. He was really
nice and not only signed his name, but
he drew a wonderful picture. And, of
course, later on he would go on to create
The Simpsons.
“In 2012, I was able to present him with
our Icon Award, which was really moving
for me.
“One of the best experiences from a
working standpoint was William Shatner
was coming to promote some books that
he was affiliated with. He came in with
a camera crew from a popular morning
news programme. At one point he leaned
over to me and said, ‘is there anything we
can do for you to help you guys out?’
“I said, ‘if you can get our logo in there,
or our name, we’d really appreciate it’,
because we could never afford that.
He said, ‘no problem’, and at one point
the producer wanted to talk about his
product and he pushed himself over in
front of our logo and said, ‘I think this is
a good shot’.
“I couldn’t believe it! So that morning
went well. It wasn’t until he left that one
of the guys I was with said, ‘there goes
Captain Kirk’, and I thought, ‘oh, my
God, that was Captain Kirk.’”
The rise of the comic con show genre
has been astronomical, and its success
can only be attributed to a true sense of
understanding between organiser and
attendee. As with most events, it’s both
complex and very simple: know the fans,
know what they want, and deliver it. EN