We've been covering the news coming out of the San Diego Comic-Con International (see 'San Diego Comic-Con a Hot Time,' among many others) for the last two weeks, and have some stories still to run, but we needed this potpourri article to make room for more stories, and these unconnected photos, than would otherwise fit.
Naruto
If there was a cross-category hit at the show, it would have to be Naruto. With the manga and anime both selling well for Viz, the trading cards moving for Inkworks, the CCG from Bandai sold out nationwide, the response to the Tomy videogame strong, Mattel previewing its next series of toys, and the headbands selling from the booths that had them, Naruto is starting to look like a juggernaut property.
their take over of the Mattel
Hyperscan display.
Games Were Digital Too
We wrote about the growing importance of various forms of digitally delivered comics at the show (see 'Digital Comics a Growing Comic-Con Presence'), but we didn't mention the growing phenomenon on the games side of the street -- card games with Web or other electronic elements. Upper Deck was promoting Gross Out at the show (see 'Upper Deck's Gross Out Game') and GTS Distribution had a booth promoting
On a larger scale, Mattel was previewing Hyperscan, which the announcement said 'combines card collecting and video gaming to create all new category of play.' Re-writable smart cards store characters, along with alterations due to game play, and the cards 'will be available based on a rarity scheme.' Cards are read by a console, and CD-ROMs provide the game. Among the properties for which Hyperscan games will be available at launch in October are Marvel X-Men and Ben 10. Marvel Heroes will be added in November.
music, part of the
Videogames Live tour,
at their booth.
Make a Wish
Tokyopop brought their newest manga-ka, Tessa Victoria Weyh, to the show. Weyh was introduced to Tokyopop by the Make a Wish Foundation; it was her wish to create and publish her own manga. Tokyopop is publishing her manga, Reign Over Destiny, and had her at the show at a creators panel and other events. We didn't really know what to expect, but when Tokyopop CEO Stu Levy introduced her to the assembled at the Tokyopop party on Saturday night, she received a long, enthusiastic ovation, and it was all good.
Parties
And speaking of parties, there were more this year, and more money was being spent on them, always a good thing for the assembled conventioneers. We don't usually work that hard at it, but were able to make five parties on Thursday night alone (the Kocca reception and dinner, Diamond Select, Scholastic, Conan, and CBLDF), and know there were some that night that we didn't make (for example the 40 Hour Man Publishing Party at the Casbah).
the exhibit floor had a
The Hollywood Reporter saw the growing party scene as 'a sign of the Con's growing social clout;' we saw it as the continuation of a longstanding San Diego tradition, turbocharged by the growth in the show over the last few years. It's also a way for companies to brand themselves off the show floor, where it's becoming increasingly difficult to make a splash.
Regardless of the reason, it's another sign that the San Diego Comic-Con is becoming a cultural phenomenon in a new way that's more connected to the broader popular culture than ever before.
