San Diego Comic-Con Fans Erect a Shrine For Canceled Event
With the annual San Diego Comic-Con shut down for the first time its 51 year history due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, some fans have erected a shrine near the site of the canceled convention.
Comic-Con@home curator Chris Morrow shared pictures of the shrine — which is located in front of the Tin Fish restaurant across the street from the San Diego Convention Center — on her Twitter account Tuesday. In any other year, the streets would be filled with convention attendees.
San Diego Street Photo
#SanDiegoLovesComicCon tribute at the Gaslamp Trolley is getting bigger!!! #ComicConAtHome pic.twitter.com/qaA0wxBT4Y
— Chris Morrow #ComicConAtHome Curator (@morrowchris) July 19, 2020
As of Tuesday morning, the shrine has grown and now has a Will Eisner Hall of Fame tribute. Eisner was one of the pioneers in comic book illustrations.
The shrine also includes illustrations of heroes including Wonder Woman and Ant-Man, as well as a San Diego Comic-Con swag bag — used to carry all the merchandise accrued during the event from vendors, publishers and local retailers.
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San Diego Love @Comic_Con morning photos. It's growing! Love the @WillEisner Hall of Fame tribute!! #ComicConAtHome #SDCC2020 pic.twitter.com/DZMRgZ5EXN
— Chris Morrow #ComicConAtHome Curator (@morrowchris) July 21, 2020
The San Diego Convention Center even tweeted this positive message of encouragement.
A message to the @Comic_Con community, with love pic.twitter.com/3otI5LmKYr
— San Diego Convention Center (@SDConventionCtr) July 21, 2020
This year’s Comic-Con was originally scheduled to take place between July 23-26. The event will instead return to the San Diego Convention Center from July 22-25, 2021.
“For the first time in its 50-year history San Diego Comic Convention (SDCC), the organizers behind the annual pop-culture celebration, announced today with deep regret, that there will be no Comic-Con in 2020,” organizers said in a statement to TheWrap.
The cancellation will serious economic impact on the city of San Diego. In 2019, more than 135,000 people attended the event, a figure that doesn’t include participants in numerous unofficial, offsite events who did not secure badges to the actual convention. According to the San Diego tourism board, the weeklong event annually generates about $90 million for the city and $150 million regionally.
Instead of a physical convention, Comic-Con at Home — a virtual event — will be held this week.
*Related stories from TheWrap:*
How the Coronavirus Pandemic Cost Comic-Con 2020 Millions of Dollars
Comic-Con@Home: Inside the First-Ever Virtual – and Free – San Diego Comic-Con
Virtual San Diego Comic-Con 2020 Will Be Almost Entirely Prerecorded (Exclusive)
