SAN DIEGO — Hollywood's strikes are changing the way San Diego Comic-Con looks this year.
Rendezvousing at San Diego Comic-Con is the highlight of the year for Stevie Khaira and Iain MacKinnon.
The friends travelled to California from England, despite several of Hollywood’s biggest companies skipping panels because of the concurrent strikes.
“I’m a little disappointed, but I’m going to make the most of it because I’m here. I’ve paid my flights and my hotels, so you just go with the flow, really,” Khaira said.
Both say they never considered canceling their trip when they learned about the strike. MacKinnon says the vibe of the convention is quieter this year and the line for the first panel of the day at Hall H is considerably shorter than in years past.
“I woke up this morning, had a leisurely shower, got dressed, came down pretty near the front of the line,” MacKinnon said. “Whereas last year for Saturday, we were up all night, taking shifts, trying to get a shower in when you can, try and get food when you can. It’s going to be much easier to get into things this year, which I’m taking as a good thing.”
Jessica Tseang is an international comics historian and pop culture expert. She says the biggest impact the current labor strikes have on the convention this year is a lack of actors, actresses and writers in official attendance.
“A lot of people here are actually quite supportive, despite the fact that there are two strikes going on,” Tseang said. “We appreciate what they give us, but we also want them to have a living wage.”
Several of the iconic Hall H panels, which draw thousands of people every year, have been canceled or pared down. Tseang says while that iconic part will be missing this year, fans are still showing up in force to enjoy a more old school event.
“It actually is going back to its roots,” she said. “It is called ‘Comic-Con’ so a lot of people get to be able to have a little bit more time with their writers, their pencilers, the letterers, the colorers, the inkers of Comic-Con and able to wait in line, get their signature, go to their panels.”
Tseang also believes the strike and the lack of big-name Hollywood panels might shift the convention’s foot traffic down to the exhibit hall. She also predicts a change in shows available to watch unless the strike is resolved soon.
“There’s going to be a boom of reality shows and unscripted shows,” Tseang said. “‘The Walking Dead, Interview with the Vampire,’ name any scripted show that has a fandom here in pop culture, and this is our form of not only self-reflection but also escape from reality.”
Elaine Scott is a proud San Diego cosplayer, bringing her version of the 1989 Disney villain Ursula to life this year.
She says the cosplay community is coming out in force this year to make sure everyone gets that touch of movie magic, while also supporting the actors and writers who are on strike.
“The stars are the ones that brought all these characters to life, and we’re just kind of reimagining them,” Scott said. “My cosplay is the 1989 version of Ursula from the original animated version, so I’m not promoting anything. It has nothing to do with the live action remake, so I’m walking that line.”
Scott says one of the biggest things she enjoys every year at Comic-Con is people stopping her to take photos with her cosplay outfits.
“The smiles that I get from people are really why I do it,” she said. “Those are just some major hits of dopamine and it’s so much fun.”
Khaira and MacKinnon believe every Comic-Con has its own unique feel and even without the big screen stars, there’s a lot to be excited about this year.
“Hall H is 7,000 people, but over 100,000 people come,” MacKinnon said. “The other 93,000 people aren’t wrong. There’s loads of stuff to do.”
“I’ve always sort of come for the Hall H panels, TV shows, movies and comics as well, a little,” Khaira said. “It will give you more opportunity to do other things because you’re not having to wait in line all day.”
Fans can expect panels with sneak peeks of new episodes, video games and discussions with industry professionals like filmmakers and creative directors.
Several well-known authors and artists will also be at the convention for autographs.