When a San Diego comic book buff named Shel Dorf organized the first Comic-Con convention in 1970, it was a sparsely attended affair with about 25 booths for aficionados of Wonder Woman, the Incredible Hulk and Doc Savage to peruse between re-applications of tape to their Buddy Holly eyeglasses. Comic books mostly were an escapist pleasure of youth and adolescence, though, on the hipster fringe, "underground" artists such as R. Crumb and Vaughn Bode were daring to probe edgier, more provocative territory.
Forty years later, Comic-Con and the world of comics have shape-shifted as dramatically as Morph the Changeling (though without facing the risk of losing control over their protean powers and having to be confined in a jar as a result).
The comics industry has evolved from the lowbrow entertainment of boomers' elementary school years into a seemingly bottomless well of inspirations for summer blockbuster movies. Graphic novels and animated video games with intricate narratives have emerged as an alternative, if not a replacement, for the American novel and short story. Simultaneously, toy and game makers have intertwined themselves inextricably in the DNA of comic books, so that product placement and spin-off potential now inspire comics and movies, rather than the other way around. A humble industry that once based its business model on kids' allowances and ads for Charles Atlas bodybuilding courses and the infamous Sea Monkeys is now a startling, swirling, burgeoning multibillion-dollar mashup of media, art and commerce.
Comic-Con itself has evolved into what the Los Angeles Times has called "The Cannes of Capes, the World's Fair for Fanboys, the ultimate Bazaar of the Bizarre." It opens Thursday at the San Diego Convention Center. More than 100,000 people will jam into the sold-out event, which has become a required pilgrimage not just for comics fans but for Hollywood directors and stars promoting their comics-inspired movies and TV shows. Where else can you get a first peek at the upcoming animated would-be multiplex monster Megamind, which might do for Will Ferrell what Shrek did for Mike Myers? (Or then again, it might not.) And where else are you going to hear Jeff Bridges talk about the soon-to-be-released Tron: Legacy, the much-anticipated sequel to 1982's Tron. (The latter was the first movie not only to center its plot around video games, but also to make extensive use of computer-generated images.)
Additionally, Comic-Con is a wonderful place to people-watch, given fans' proclivity for playing dress-up. For example, you may well encounter a column of fake Star Wars imperial troops in gleaming white armor, a.k.a. the 501st Legion, whose website lists thousands of members (including 608 Sith Lords and 238 Clone Troopers).
Here's a guide to the featured attractions at Comic-Con, and a list of recommended survival tips for handling the fanboy onslaught. Enjoy.