LA Comic Con's In-Person Event Abruptly Cancelled

LOS ANGELES, CA —Reality came crashing down on L.A. Comic Con Tuesday as organizers officially canceled the 2020 event — the villain being the coronavirus.

The announcement comes just weeks after Comic Con organizers surprised fans and city leaders alike in announcing plans to hold the event at the Convention Center on Dec. 11-13. Health officials were caught off guard, and this week Gov. Newsom put a damper on immediate plans to allow theme park reopenings, conventions and other events that draw massive crowds.

On Tuesday, Comic Con organizers announced that the annual celebration of comics and pop culture would return on Sept. 24-26, 2021 -- one year from the original 2020 date.

"Last week on Oct. 7, Gov. Newsom finally gave an update on reopening plans for theme parks, which most people thought would precede event and convention guidelines," read a message on the L.A. Comic Con website.

"In his announcement, the governor said he had decided NOT to provide reopening guidelines yet for theme parks, and by extension, events. Without guidelines, there is no way for LA County, the city, or event organizers like us to know if the plans and changes we made to be safe will be right, or enough. So with that new direction from the state, we are rescheduling."

SEE ALSO:LA Comic Con Could Draw Thousands For In-Person Event In December

The announcement was an about-face from the last months's when Comic Con organizers wrote, "After planning over the last six months, working with the LA Convention Center and taking guidance from the State, LA County Health and the Mayor's Office – we believe our new plans and procedures allow us to do so safely, with full CV-19 safety precautions in place."

Fans who purchased tickets for the 2020 event are being offered their choice of a full refund or a rollover to the 2021 convention.

Comic Con organizers join a growing list in the theme park and live entertainment industries frustrated with the state's approach to reopening. After reopening theme parks in Asia and Florida Disney has criticized Newsom for setting up roadblocks to reopening in the form of demanding health safety measures.

San Diego held its popular Comic-Con event in a virtual format earlier this year, after cancelling the planned live gathering at the San Diego Comic Convention for the first time in its 50-year history. For more, see www.comicconla.com/.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.