San-Diego’s 51st edition of Comic Con was cancelled earlier this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and as cases continued to surge, organizers decided to make the entire event entirely online. All of the unique events, speakers, and celebrations can now be accessed from the safety of your own home!
The events will be taking place between July 22 and July 26 and can be accessed through their website, comic-con.org, and their YouTube channel. All of their speakers have been recorded and can be watched easily through these two routes. They’ve even planned some movie and anime watch parties! Many of these require a subscription to Disney+ or Amazon Prime, so be sure to check the schedule and see what you can attend.
Most convention-goers look forward to the merchandise sales, so the Comic Con organizers did their best to replicate the experience. They’ve created a virtual convention floor on their website that features more than 700 vendors, so be sure to check it out!
The majority of the at-home experience is completely free, unless you plan on buying merch or need a certain subscription in order to attend.
But what about the cosplayers? Comic Con is best known for its impressive costumes, competitions, and cosplays. For those who would still like to show off their cosplays, there will still be a costume competition with winners in the following categories: Best In Show, Judges’ Choice, Best Re-Creation, Best Original Design, Best Workmanship, Best Presentation, Best Group, and Most Humorous. Winners in all categories will receive a FREE four-day membership for Comic Con 2021.
To enhance the experience, some former event workers have recorded themselves saying some familiar phrases you’d hear during the onsite experience:
