Marvel characters entertained attendees of Comic Con '97 in San Diego. Characters © Marvel Entertainment. Photo courtesy of Comic Con International.

If you've never been to a comic book convention, I heartily recommend the experience. It's a singular adventure that everyone should have at least once. The faint-hearted may choose to start out with one of the smaller events, attended only by a few thousand folks and one or two pros to justify the ticket prices. Those who want to dive head-first into the experience, however, should start at the top: San Diego's Comic Con International, a staggering press of humanity that's affectionately referred to as the King of all Cons.

This year's event, the 28th annual, began when the first fan hit the Exhibit Hall at 10:00 a.m. Thursday, July 17th, and officially closed when the last dealer fled the room late the following Sunday. In between, San Diego's Convention Center hosted over 36,000 people, fans and professionals alike, who made the pilgrimage to comics' greatest spectacle from points around the globe. For four furious days, kids got to meet their heroes (or at least someone dressed as a passable replica), sci-fi fans got to see previews of upcoming releases, and collectors young and old got to rummage through back-issue bins to find that ever-elusive Al Capp's Schmoo #2, the one with the Superman cover. Amidst all the frenzy and chaos, editors heard hundreds of article proposals, dozens of comics were solicited as movies or animated projects, and a select handful of properties actually made significant headway into the land called "development."

DC Comics occupied a block of space on the `97 Comic Con showroom floor. Photo courtesy of Comic Con International.

So, What's Next?
More than anything else, people come to San Diego to discover what they can expect to see in the coming months; be it in comics, films, TV or gaming. Fans especially interested in animation were overwhelmed this year with upcoming releases, many based upon popular comic book titles. Spawn made a huge splash with two bases covered: a live-action film as well as the video release of HBO's animated series. Coming in at 147 minutes, the videotape, released August 5, contains the complete, uncut footage from the first six episodes and is soon to appear in WalMarts and Blockbusters everywhere. HBO also announced that six new Spawn episodes will air in the upcoming year. Said HBO's Marketing Manager, Preston Kevin Lewis, "Quite simply, the phenomenal success of Spawn's first six episodes mandated more."

Marvel Comics made a huge impression at this year's Con, showing why they're the biggest name in the industry. With several animated series already airing (Spider-Man and X-Men on the Fox Kids Network and The Incredible Hulk on UPN), Marvel will also debut Marvel Super Heroes, featuring Fantastic Four and Iron Man, in national syndication on the Saban Kids Network in September. And as if that weren't enough, a brand new weekly animated series based upon Marvel's venerable character, The Silver Surfer, will join the Fox Kids Network lineup for the '97-'98 season. Coinciding with the 30th anniversary of the Surfer's creation, the series will preview on Saturdays this fall.