When Hannah asked the Blog staffers what Festivities they would like to attend after quarantine, Erik talked about how he and a close friend plan (again) to go to Comic-Con.

In a post-COVID-19 world, one place I would LOVE to attend is Comic-Con, which is usually held locally at the Convention Center here in Palm Springs. If you don’t know what Comic-Con is or are unfamiliar with what transpires at Comic-Con, let me explain its history.

Comic-Con’s origins began over 50 years ago in San Diego. A group of mostly teenage comic-book fans wanted to connect with other fans but had no efficient way of doing so (it is important to remember that being a comic book geek wasn’t cool like it is today). 

Shel Dorf was one of the only grown-ups in this group, along with Jacob Kurtzberg (aka Jack Kirby)–the co-creator of popular Marvel characters such as Captain America, Hulk, Thor, and the X-Men. Together they and the fan group formed the first national Comic-Con in San Diego. The convention would go on to grow and spread across the country–even all the way to Palm Springs!

I’ve gone to Palm Springs’s Comic-Con in the past but only with one of my moms. And, with all due respect, I’d really like to go with a close friend at least once. “Which friend?” you ask? Well, they’ve asked me to keep them anonymous, and I will respect their wishes.

We are both serious fans of pop-culture, so attending a convention where we can potentially meet our favorite writers, artists, and actors sounds like a promising experience. We’ve even discussed dressing up as our favorite characters. Though we are still debating which characters we’ll choose. At Comic-Con, you can purchase art and cool merchandise from your favorite shows and movies.  

One of my favorite things about Comic-Con, apart from the friendly and encouraging community, is Pikachu. For those of you who don’t know the culture of Comic-Con, there’s this person dressed as a giant Pikachu who wanders around the convention taking pictures with Pokémon fans. I’ve taken pictures with Pikachu before, but I always want to add one more to my collection.

My friend and I had originally planned to attend Comic-Con last summer, back when we thought quarantine would only last a few months. But we now realize that we probably won’t get to attend Comic-Con together before we go our separate ways for college. Maybe . . . there’ll be a Zoom Comic-Con . . . .

Festivities (in a post-Coronavirus time) Editor: Hannah Hall