Zachary Delya Informative Article December 3, 2012

The Relationship Between Fandom and Conventions It may be a single property or a multitude of them, but plenty of people are fans of some area of popular culture, whether it be a movie franchise, a comic book series, a certain video game, or what-have-you. With that kind of devotion, something interesting to wonder about is the big craze of conventions. A young man explores online and wonders about his schedule in the coming weeks; when he feels that he can deal with the event, he registers to be noted as an attendee once those days begin. He also registers a friend of his, so they can both have an enjoyable weekend. As the days narrow down, he wonders about going in costume, and despite his limited resources, he finds an interesting idea a comedy web show character and quickly puts the outfit together. The destination is actually only a few miles away from home, but he and his friend prepare for staying at the connected hotel overnight. On the afternoon that the event begins, the young man rushes to get his things in the car, pick up his friend, and arrive at the convention center. The two arrive there within an hour of check-in starting time, and have made it: attending the second year of a local anime convention. Popular culture properties with devoted followings have existed for several decades, from classic literature and radio shows to modern television series, movie franchises, and more. The concept of fan-attended conventions is not much younger, in fact. An essay by Francesca Coppa included in Fan Fiction and Fan Communities in the Age of the Internet notes that science fiction was the first area of pop culture (outside of sports and theatre) that in fact adopted the word

fandom, as avid sci-fi readers in the 1920s and 1930s began publishing fan magazines, writing their own material, and assembling in public settings to express their shared interest. The very first science fiction convention is under some debate, but during the July 4, 1939, weekend in New York City, the first World Science Fiction Convention was held, and it has survived to this day as Worldconi. Analyzing conventions is of course much more than seeing them from a historical point of view; it is about the people who go to such events. Several media outlets interested in fandoms such as those of movies and video games have also shown great interest in conventions, with the people behind websites like SuperHeroHypeii and IGNiii often going to both get direct looks at the events and provide updates to other fans. In addition, many individuals who consider themselves to be part of a fandom can be very eager to express their pride. Pop culture fans/convention attendees Ashley Mason and Juston Teach provided similar descriptions in the appeal of conventions, as meeting people with similar interests and having access to things that one would not experience otherwise. Unique encounters can be recalled, such as Mason having seen three guys dressed up as the scantily clad [female] characters from Final Fantasy X-2 at Anime Central (ACen) in Rosemont, Illinois,iv and Teachs fond memories of artists, movie celebrities, and costumed fans while at C2E2 (Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo)v. A topic that is not exactly written in stone, though, is whether or not one fan could have more credibility than another by attending a convention. Mason stated Its like, be there, or be square, while Teach believed that it doesnt seem right to be designated as more or less under that standard. One thing that is for certain is the growing strength and scope of conventions over the years. Although it began in the 1970s as a showcase for comic books, San Diego Comic-Con

International has grown to be the pinnacle of pop culture conventions to many people, as shown in its variety of featured media, ever-increasing attendance numbers, and influence on the creation of unaffiliated Comic Cons in other cities like New Yorkvi. Both interviewees thought positively of expansion overall, but had differing views of San Diego Comic-Cons massively expanded focus. Mason said that anything not even closely related [to comics] needs to get its own convention, while Teach made the analogy of most conventions comparison to SDCC as going to a pro football game and then the Super Bowl. Also, a good area of agreement between the two people was that several kinds of popular culture are deserving of having conventions, with media as diverse as video games, TV shows, or manga. Ever since their original approach of simple fan gatherings and experimentation toward promoting media long ago, the realm of pop culture conventions has practically become its own entity as San Diego Comic-Con and others have served as enjoyable escapes for fans to interact and learn up-close about the properties that they care about. Whether or not a person is able to find and attend such a get-together, it is something to keep in mind when one has a great interest in something. And as long something in popular culture has a following, there is probably a convention out there for it.
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Kristina Busse, Karen Hellekson. Fan Fiction and Fan Communities in the Age of the Internet, p. 42-43 http://www.superherohype.com/heroes/comic-con iii http://www.ign.com/events/e3 iv http://www.acen.org v http://www.c2e2.com vi http://www.comic-con.org
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