Issue: Has Comic-Con Lost Its Original Charm by Going Super-Hollywood?

Has Comic-Con abandoned its roots?  The 44th annual San Diego Comic Convention celebrated comic books in its early years but now attracts the biggest attention for its Sundance Festival-like focus on Hollywood blockbusters and TV shows.

KPBS reported how some comic-book artists mourn the change, with Brad Sloan saying: “The dealer consensus for vintage comic books and the real thing, is that we should have two different Comic-Cons.”

In fact, an alternative has popped up in the form of Gam3rCon—catering to gamers. As KPBS reported: “Gam3rCon prides itself on being small, intimate, and still with breathing space. …. A week-long pass is $50 with the gaming rooms open from 2pm to 2am at the Tenth Avenue Theater.

Has Comic-Con—the La Mesa-based nonprofit making $11 million a year—gotten too big for its britches and lost its original mojo? Or has it become better for morphing into a Hollywood happening, with bags full of swag for lucky badge-holders?  Share your thoughts in the comments.