Culture, Pulp Media, Society
by Joe Wilcox

Red Shirts Mark My Comic-Con Blues

I won’t attend all, or even most, of San Diego Comic-Con as planned this week. SDCC is the only event I look forward to all year. But an opportunity came to undergo corrective surgery in one of my eyes (the other follows in a few weeks) sooner than expected. I will be at the Con Wednesday night but not Thursday (gonna be under the scalpel—or is it laser—that day) and probably not Friday (when is the post-op exam). Perhaps the surgeon will okay Sunday and hopefully even Saturday.

My eighth year of attendance is a bust, but I am super fortunate to get July 21st for the surgery. I had looked forward to Star Trek’s 50th year, which will get big celebration throughout the four days and Preview Night—starting with the “Star Trek Beyond” premiere. Given my truncated plans combined with my paying to attend (no press pass), I will go as a participant rather than a documentarian for the first time. 

I may take some photos, but plans to do podcasting interviews or aggressively post to social media are scrapped. I’ll enjoy the Con rather than work it, which is probably best for the healing process.

Today, I pulled out my entire-event badge, giving it a forlorn caress. I’ll cherish whatever time spent at the Con, because you never know when will be the last time. There is no guarantee getting a pass any year. They sell out fast.

I purposely picked the Featured Image, published for the first time, as a metaphor. I’ve got seven years worth of pics to pull from. Given this is Star Trek’s 50th, booth babes wearing red shirts seem coldly appropriate. Character wears the color, and you die. Hence the post’s title. I used Leica X1 to capture the photo on July 22, 2010. Vitals: f/4, ISO 500, 1/30 sec, 24mm. The camera shoots RAW as DNG, from which the JPG comes.

During SDCC 2015, I bought the Fujifilm X-T1, which would have been my main camera this year; maybe it will get a little last-day usage. Below are links to my Flickr sets for each year, listing primary shooter:

I have written lots about SDCC over the years, too, including ebook Comic-Con Heroes: The Fans Who Make the Greatest Show on Earth, in 2013.

Some select essays you might find interesting:

If you’re at the Con this week, and I actually make it there, let’s meet up!