The Comic-Con dilemma

UPDATED: NBC "Kings" panel video is below.

Earlier today I chatted with Chip Franklin of San Diego's news-talk powerhouse, KOGO, about this year's Comic-Con. Which is kind of funny, because I'm in Kansas City. After a brief stopover in the Bay Area to see my sister and take in a Giants game, I've returned home to unpack two weeks' worth of clothes and notes from the TV critics' summer press tour.

Still, there is so much freakin' journalism coming out of Comic-Con compared to just two years ago — when I last went — that it's easy to keep up on at least the TV-related developments. Well, maybe not "developments" so much as appearances: panels for "Fringe" and "Dexter" and "True Blood" and "Kings" on Thursday — all of these shows also presented at TCA. Friday's TV highlights include a screening of the spectacular high-definition animated episode, "Star Wars: Clone Wars," by Cartoon Network. It was screened for TV critics two weeks ago.

But other panels, like one for the DVD release of Robert Smigel's "TV Funhouse," bypassed TCA completely. "Doctor Who" (see photo) has a large presence at Comic-Con, but not at critics' tour.

And that got me to wondering: At what point does TV critics' tour become unnecessary to the people promoting TV shows?

As James Hibberd observed on Thursday, even less-than-cult figures like Alan Ball are showered with love from ginormous rooms full of people at Comic-Con. At TCA they get 200 people staring at them. Ian McShane didn't call anyone "ignorant" at the "Kings" panel like he did at TCA.

Furthermore, because of the linear format of TCA, there's room for only so much material. At Comic-Con, multiple TV shows can have panels presenting simultaneously. Which is probably why some TV shows skipped TCA to do Comic-Con. Meanwhile, down on the main floor, shows can have a continual presence throughout Comic-Con in their huge exhibit spaces.

Just because it's a fanfest doesn't mean the media are unwelcome. Far from it: I've gotten access to producers and executives aplenty in my prior visits. Celebrities are a trickier proposition just because of the crush of onlookers.

I guess what I'm saying is I can't wait for Comic-Con to move to Los Angeles so I won't have this yearly dilemma of whether to cover it or not.

Also on TV Barn: Comic-Con Podcast: Why do we need superheroes?

Comments

[Jerry]

How about leaving Comic-Con in San Diego, and taking all of the Hollywood entertainment out of it? The con used to be about comic books, but studios have taken over the show. Comic dealers cannot afford to set up at the con anymore, which used to be the best show each year. I think the studios should work together to create their own fan show in LA or elsewhere, where they can promote their products and make the actors and directors accessible to the fans like Comic-Con does.

[Greg in San Diego]

I was able to attend for only one day this year (Thursday), but was able to attend all of the panels I wanted to see (Stan Lee, Dr. Who, Torchwood, 'How to pitch', 'Star Trek w/o paramount' and TV Funhouse. And still got a chance to meet Naoko Mori (Tosh from Torchwood).

A full day, but not much of it on the show floor, which is kind of a shame. When I did hit the floor (to wait in another long line), it was really overcrowded. Maybe I'm used to Interop and NAB size crowds, but this was too much. The 'con needs to slim down and spin-off the TCA-ness (Hype-Con?), or reduce ticket sales.

Still, I'll probably go next year dressed up in a monkey (simian, not business) suit carrying my year recording gear....