California Comic Book Conventions

Writer and comic book fan Kevin Sharp of Palo Alto regularly attends such comic book conventions as San Diego Comic Convention, also known as Comic-Con International: San Diego. The show, which began life as the Golden State Comic Book Convention in 1970, takes place over four days each summer at the San Diego Convention Center. Attendance regularly exceeds 120,000; in 2017 the convention drew over 130,000. Comic Con originally started as a gathering of comic book fans, dealers, and creators, but its scope has grown along with is attendance; comic books are now only one aspect of the show, along with videogames, television, movies, toys, and animation. The convention’s annual cosplay Masquerade contest includes such awards as Best in Show, Most Humorous, Best Young Fan, and Best Re-Creation.

Comic-Con’s organizers are also responsible for two smaller conventions: WonderCon and APE (Alternative Press Expo). WonderCon was originally held in Oakland, CA, before moving to San Francisco. Construction at the city’s Moscone Center led to the convention moving to Southern California in 2012. APE is a convention for independent and self-published comics and cartoons; it has been held in both San Jose and San Francisco since its inception in 1994.

In 2016, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and his partners started the Silicon Valley Comic Con in San Jose. The convention is a blending of comic books, genre media, and technology. Fans at the show might meet a star from a Marvel movie, along with an esteemed AI programmer; an artist at the show might find themselves signing comic books across the aisle from NASA’s booth. The show’s theme for 2018 is “What Does It Mean to Be Human?”