In 1970, roughly 145 young people gathered at the US Grant Hotel in San Diego to celebrate their love for comic books. Now, 50 years later, more than 130,000 fans consistently meet up in downtown San Diego for Comic Con: International, a massive nerdy event that has become a linchpin of pop culture.
As the birthplace of franchises like Hellboy and massively influential marketing spaces for everything from Star Wars to the Avengers to The Lord of the Rings to Twilight, Comic Con brings together cosplayers, comic-readers, and fans of all types to attend panels, get autographs from guests, and celebrate their favorite fandoms.
Now, it’s frequented by celebrities, like in 2010 when the real-life Avengers of the Marvel Cinematic Universe hosted a panel. But it wasn’t always a space for Hollywood to show their stripes. For roughly twenty years, the small event stayed under 10,000. It’s amazing how far the little con has come, and how many wonderful things it’s introduced to the world!
infographic by: www.highrises.com
