After San Diego Comic-Con announced that it would be holding another Comic-Con@Home event in 2021 due to the pandemic, comic book fans and creators assumed that this would be the extent for the pop culture event for the year (as everyone looked to 2022 for things to return to normal). So, it was a pretty big surprise when SDCC organizers announced on Saturday that it would be holding an in-person event over Thanksgiving weekend titled “Comic-Con: Special Edition.”
San Diego Comic-Con announces dates for their 2021 convention in November. It will be a three-day event over Thanksgiving weekend. @Comic_Con @10News pic.twitter.com/tAPLqdAdC9
— Jennifer Delacruz (@10NewsJen) March 28, 2021
Of course, that surprise was mostly shock as everyone from fans to creators to entertainment journalists criticized Comic-Con dropping an event during the first holiday weekend when a majority of Americans will (hopefully) be vaccinated and finally able to safely visit their families. Not to mention, overall concerns that the pandemic is still an ongoing health issue. Clearly, Comic-Con organizers saw the backlash because they’ve since issued a statement defending the “Special Edition” event:
Of the dates presented with the fewest restrictions, Friday through Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend seemed to be the best balance of available space and our envisioned event. As longtime fans ourselves, we have attended many conventions over that holiday weekend, opting to spend Thanksgiving day with family and the rest of the weekend with friends and our families of choice. While this is not unusual in the convention trade, we understand this choice is not optimal for everyone.
Despite defending the sub-optimal timing of the event, the organizers also revealed that Comic-Con Special Edition is still very tentative and might not even happen at all. “Currently we do not know whether having this event in November is even feasible as we are still in the midst of the pandemic and while we are optimistic about Q4, we have not been privy to any specific information on large gatherings” the organizers wrote. “However, it was our desire to have something in place for our fans who have longed for an in-person event.”
You can see some of the reactions from comics creators below:
So they scheduled #SDCC on the same weekend as the first chance most families will (hopefully) be fully able to celebrate Thanksgiving in two years.
See you in 2022! https://t.co/5TUS26rOsQ
— Charles Soule (@CharlesSoule) March 28, 2021
So many people go to Comic-Con for fun, but so many people also go for work. We all missed Thanksgiving with our families in 2020. Could we… not?
— carina adly mackenzie (@cadlymack) March 28, 2021
My family missed Thanksgiving last year because of the pandemic.
This year, we’ll all be vaccinated. There’s no way I’d be attending any event instead of spending that time with them. Even if everything were magically back to normal.
I can’t imagine others feeling differently.
— Dan Slott (@DanSlott) March 28, 2021