Tuesdays, ANIMATED INSIGHTS BY SHANNON MUIR takes you inside Shannon’s latest reflections on writing, animation, and life in general. To catch up on all posts, check out the Animated Insights portion of the website! This installment discusses her thoughts on Comic-Con International: San Diego for 2017.
I’ve been going to Comic-Con International: San Diego for 21 years, 20 of those now as a professional. For personal reasons, this year I could only go Saturday and Sunday, but I believe it was one of the more exciting years I’ve had in some time. It’s not because of any particular panel, though the voiceover workshop I attended with Scott Brick and Townsend Coleman, the spotlight with Paul Dini, and the panel on Mental Health and Comics were all strong pieces of programming. Nothing amazing on the exhibit floor caught my eye as something I’d remember long after the weekend. Even the very delicious “Hunk’s Food Goo” from the food truck in Petco Park tied in with VOLTRON: LEGENDARY DEFENDER wasn’t the highlight of the weekend.
The greatest part came in connecting with people, other people who loved animation and comics. Some I saw there are other professionals like myself, but since they don’t live full-time in Los Angeles the chances to catch up are few and far between. Others folks I talked to work hard to cover the goings-on in detail, to help the rest of the world who can’t attend catch up on all the latest. Still others are just fans of everything that the professionals in this industry create.
This year, I think I did more personal connecting than in most years, and that’s what gave it the most memorable value. The biggest value is people needing people, and the memories that can be built together. I need to keep reminding myself not to let those chances slip on by.