Title: Comic Con: Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope

Featuring: Stan Lee, Kevin Smith, Joss Whedon, Eli Roth and Harry Knowles

San Diego Comic Con is the biggest pop culture event of the year. Every year people who are considered geeks and nerds make the pilgrimage to San Diego for this four-day event. Not only do they come to celebrate all things geeks, they spend the year to shine for a short period of time. In Morgan Spurlock’s new film, he explores all facets of people trying to break into the comic book industry, sellers and collectors of comic books and action figures and people who feel like the only place they fit in is in San Diego during Comic Con. As it stands, it is the best representation of what it feels like being at Comic Con without actually being there. It gives an audience the best sense of what makes this event so special.

The film gives a brief history of the convention itself, starting over 40 years ago in 1970. Once the yearly convention for a very, very small section of comic book nerds, it has grown to the media and pop culture event of thousands. Comic Con has grown to the point where actual comic books are not the reason why people show up in San Diego. In the past 10 years, Comic Con has grown to movies, TV and video game geekdom, making comic books a minority. The film shows the position of old school Comic Con-goers vs. new school Comic Con newbies.

Interestingly, the film follows different people making up the geek universe, whether they be artists, designers, comic book dealers and collectors. By following people who have ambition to not only enjoy the convention but use it as a way to break into the industry, the film serves as either encouragement to the hopeful and talented or a violent wakeup call to the delusional. But still there’s this underlining hope that contributing to what you love is the most important part about being a geek. That it’s not enough to love something but you have to share that love with others. In this way, “Comic Con: Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope” truly captures the spirit of the convention. Everything here is for the fans.

By taking this approach, the film doesn’t dive in to the actual industry itself but rather shows the big names in the industry like Stan Lee, Kevin Smith and Joss Whedon becoming fans themselves and geeking out over comic books. Through this, the film is an inspiration to geeks and nerds everywhere.

It is interesting to me that this film is set in 2010, although I’m aware the filmmakers couldn’t see the future but, for me, Comic Con 2010 serves as a tipping point for Comic Con’s history. It was the last year where the the big movie studios had a presence and involvement, and how this lack of presence shifted to more TV participation. Without question, one of the biggest movies at Comic Con was “Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World.” Universal pushed that movie really hard and was “rewarded” with a weak box office, opening at a disappointing $10 million. The following year in 2011, Disney didn’t participate in Comic Con at all but opting to have a bigger presence at the annual Disney fan convention, D23. One of the most notable occurrences at Comic Con 2011 was the mismanaging of movie and TV panels. Traditionally, movie studios reserve the biggest space at the San Diego Convention Center, Hall H, while TV networks set up shop in Ballroom 23. In 2011, lines were longer to Ballroom 23 than Hall H, irritating fans of popular TV shows like “Game of Thrones” and “The Walking Dead” who couldn’t get into the panel, after waiting many, many hours in line. So in a way, Comic Con 2010 was the perfect time to film this documentary.

But the way the film follows a select group of Comic Con attendees and hopefuls is completely riveting and honest. Morgan Spurlock gives each story the attention it needs to serve their narrative arc. It really does show that Comic Con is not only a yearly event to honor geek obsession but it’s a place where real life drama can take place. Throughout the film we see the subjects hopes and dreams being put on the line while they strive to become part of the comic book or film industry.

“Comic Con: Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope” is a wonderful experience and really does capture the true spirit of San Diego Comic Con. There are many comic book conventions scattered across the US but there’s only one Comic Con and this film shows why this event is so special. This is a real achievement in Morgan Spurlock’s career as a filmmaker as it serves as his first film that doesn’t feature himself. He let’s the subjects tell the story while he just captures their moments and puts it together for an audience. This film will have a lasting effect on its audience much like San Diego Comic Con has on its attendees.

Technical: B+

Overall: B+

by @Rudie_Obias