Wizard World Philadelphia 2017: Looking to Expand the Fanbase

Hall-of-Legends-WizardWorldPHL-2017-photo-by-Kendall-Whitehouse-1020x492

This past weekend, Wizard World Comic Con returned to Philadelphia with a show geared to expanding the audience beyond the usual comic book and superhero crowd. This year’s celebrity headliners were drawn from a wider array of fandom than the usual superhero and science fiction movies and TV shows. And, new this year, Wizard World partnered with Bloody Disgusting to present the Wizard World Horror Fest as an addition to the Philadelphia pop culture convention.

John-Maatta-WizardWorldPHL-2017-photo-by-Kendall-Whitehouse-600x400 — Wizard World CEO John Maatta.

At Wizard World Philadelphia 2016, newly-ensconced Wizard World CEO John Maatta stated his plan to “amp it up” with “better marketing and more content creation.” After expanding from 17 comic conventions in 2014 to 25 shows in 2015, Wizard World scaled back to 16 conventions in 2016. While originally announcing a slate of 16 shows for 2017, when I spoke with him at this year’s Philadelphia show, Maatta stated that announcements of additional dates — perhaps has many as ten — may be forthcoming.

While smaller markets may not have the audience of Wizard World’s largest shows in Chicago and Philadelphia, Maatta sees benefit in these venues “because the fans are so appreciative.” In his view there is less advantage in moving into a saturated market like Los Angeles.

Riverdale-Cast-WizardWorldPHL-2017-photo-by-Kendall-Whitehouse-600x400 — The cast of Riverdale.

Regardless of the number of cons, the content of the Philadelphia show seemed designed to appeal to a broad audience with appearances by performers outside the usual comic book and sci-fi realm. Jesse Eisenberg, who played Lex Luther in Batman v Superman (but is perhaps better remembered as portraying Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network) was a featured celebrity. A popular panel featured the cast of the CW’s Riverdale. And Wizard World regular Michael Rooker from Guardians of the Galaxy was also in attendance. However, many of the other featured celebrities were drawn from other realms of pop culture, including KISS front man Gene Simmons and actors Chuck Norris and John Cusack.

While casting a wider net for celebrity appearances, this year’s crop seemed to offer a bit less star wattage. The “stars aligned last year” to bring a slate of A-list talent Maatta told me. And, indeed, last year’s Wizard World Philadelphia included top flight talent including Civil War‘s “Team Cap” of Chris Evans, Sebastian Stan, and Anthony Mackie; Arrow’s Stephen Amell; Thor‘s Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston; the entire Back to the Future cast; David Duchovny, Mitch Pileggi, and William B. Davis from The X-Files; and Agent Carter actors Hayley Atwell and Dominic Cooper. That year’s headliners appeared in the Philadelphia Convention Center’s 4,300-seat Terrace Ballroom, which was packed for many of the events. This year, the largest panels were in the 2,500-seat Ballroom AB, which had ample seating available throughout the show.

While it’s tempting to view this year’s celebrity roster as an attempt to reduce booking fees for top tier talent, it may be more happenstance than intention. Maatta told me they company has offers out to major stars of current DC/Warner Bros. and other films this year. Maatta indicated his plan is to keep the show’s traditional core comic focus with artists and comics creators while expanding to a broader range of interests.

White-Wedding-WizardWorldPHL-2017-photo-by-Kendall-Whitehouse-600x400 — White Wedding performs hits from the 1980s on the Entertainment Stage.

Maatta also highlighted the company’s aim of adding more entertainment to the show. An Entertainment Stage on the floor of the exhibition hall featured an eclectic array of acts, including musicians, magicians, and a hypnotist. The stage’s master of ceremonies was Kato Kaelin who, despite his unusual rise to fame as the world’s best known house guest, did a deft job of entertaining the crowd throughout each day of the show.

John-Maatta-Rob-Liefeld-WizardWorldPHL-2017-photo-by-Kendall-Whitehouse-600x400 — John Maatta inducts Rob Liefeld into the Wizard World Hall of Legends.

In addition, Wizard World Philadelphia introduced a new initiative, the Wizard World Hall of Legends, to celebrate “the artists, writers, and insiders” who have contributed to the industry. The inaugural award went to writer/artist Rob Liefeld in a ceremony with CEO Maatta hosted by Aaron Sagers.

“We’re here to please the fans,” CEO Maatta told me at the show. Time will tell whether these format changes keep the core audience pleased while also expanding to bring in a broader range of fans.

Here are highlights from Philadelphia Wizard World Comic Con 2017, with links to more extensive photo galleries for each:

All four of the principal cast members in the CW’s Riverdale — KJ Apa (Archie), Lili Reinhart (Bettie), Camila Mendes (Veronica), and Cole Sprouse (Jughead) — interviewed by CBS 3 Philadelphia’s Meisha Johnson.

Jesse-Eisenberg-WizardWorldPHL-2017-photo-by-Kendall-Whitehouse-600x400 Jesse Eisenberg discussed his roles in Batman v Superman, The Social Network, and other films with Aaron Sagers.

Famke Janssen talked about her many popular portrayals — including Jean Grey in the X-Men movies; Xenia Onatopp in Goldeneye; and roles in Game of Thrones, all three Taken films, the Netflix original series Hemlock Grove, and ABC’s How to Get Away with Murder — with Aaron Sagers.

John Cusack spoke with Aaron Sagers about his many film roles from Say Anything…, and High Fidelity to Being John Malkovich, and 1408.

Wizard World favorite Michael Rooker regaled the audience with tales of his roles in Guardians of the Galaxy, The Walking Dead, and Henry, Portrait of a Serial Killer. To get through everyone on line waiting to ask a question, Rooker left the stage and went one–by–one down the line to spend a moment with each fan.

KISS front man Gene Simmons hosted an interactive session with the audience and offered his advice on achieving success and profit. “Being selfish is good,” Simmons stated. “Think: Me, first,” noting that airlines’ safety procedures require passengers to first apply their own oxygen mask before helping others. Simmons also demonstrated how to gain personal power when greeting others. When another audience member asked “Is it ever enough?” Simmons unabashedly replied “It’s never enough.”

Chuck Norris and wife Gena O’Kelley discussed the actor’s long career with Aaron Sagers.

Aaron Sagers also hosted a conversation with Doctor Who companions Billie Piper and Pearl Mackie.

Kristy Swanson hosted a Q&A session following a screening of her 1992 film, Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

The “Indie Comics Creators Power Hour” panel hosted by Danny Fingeroth initially featured Fabrice Sapolsky, Dean Haspiel, and Josh O’Neill, but became an interactive session with comics creators from the audience Kathleen Kralowec, Christine Cassano, and CS Jones joining the panel.

Danny Fingeroth also gave an overview of the entire history of Marvel Comics in the panel, “From the Golden Age to Guardians of the Galaxy: Marvel at 75.”

The Exhibition Hall included the expected assortment of vendors offering comic books and pop culture collectibles. The show floor also included a number of surprising booths, including live tarantulas and large insects at the Philadelphia Insectarium & Butterfly Pavilion booth, snake skeletons and mounted creatures from Darwin and Wallace, and both real and reproduction human skulls from RealHumanSkull.com. As has now become common, there was also the usual array of non-pop culture vendors. In addition to the usual booths by Geico insurance and an array of telecom providers including Verizon, T-Mobile, and Comcast/Xfinity, the show floor included a surprising number of health related booths, aimed as easing aches and pains which, given the rigors of a long day on the con floor, could be viewed as relevant to the event. The relevance of the booth from Risqué Boutiques with more intimate personal products was less clear.

Comics artists and writers and were also available to chat with fans, autograph their works, or create original artwork.

And, of course, there was cosplay in evidence throughout the show, from both fans and featured performers like Britt Bliss.

For 300+ photos from Wizard World Philadelphia 2017, see the Flickr photo album “Wizard World Philadelphia Comic Con 2017“:

New York Comic Con 2016: Recap and Photo Highlights

The major comic cons — such as Comic-Con International’s San Diego event in the summer and ReedPOP’s New York Comic Con in the fall — feature a large assortment of pop culture events and activities. That presents a challenge for people who are interested in multiple aspects of popular media — movies, television shows, comic books, and more. There’s a great deal to see and, given the scale of these events, a great deal will be missed.

With that caveat, here is an overview of highlights from New York Comic Con 2016 from my perspective, with links to additional photos.

Still Expanding

This year New York Comic Con announced a record high in ticket sales, reporting sales of “at least 185,000 unique tickets,” up from 167,000 the previous year.

Javits Center at Dusk - New York Comic Con 2016. Photo by Kendal — The Javits Center is still aglow as dusk falls on New York City.

As discussed last year [see “New York Comic Con 2015: Recap and Photo Highlights“], because of the different ways in which attendance is tallied, these numbers do not provide a meaningful basis of comparison with events run by other organizations. San Diego Comic-Con’s attendance numbers (reported as around 130,000), tallies unique attendees, many of which hold more than one ticket for different days, making head-to-head comparisons with New York’s “tickets” count infeasible. Nonetheless, New York Comic Con’s ticket number does provide an indicator of the relative increase in the size of this festival year over year.

Another indicator of the growing scale of the event is the increase in venue space. Last year, New York Comic Con grew beyond the confines of the Javits Center to include panels in the 2,200-seat Hammerstein Ballroom. This year, the expansion continued further into midtown Manhattan with the addition of events at the Theater at Madison Square Garden and, for BookCon (a companion event run by New York Comic Con’s ReedPOP), the Hudson Marcantile venue.

Television Highlights: Marvel/Netflix, Mr. Robot, Hulu, and Amazon Prime

In recent years, New York Comic Con has become a major event for television programming including broadcast, cable, and streaming platforms.

While fans were thrilled that San Diego Comic-Con this year included material from Marvel’s Netflix series, New York Comic Con has featured panels on Marvel’s Netflix shows for several years, introducing the full cast of Marvel’s Daredevil at New York Comic Con 2014 and bringing the casts of both Daredevil season 2 and Marvel’s Jessica Jones to the 2015 con (along with a surprise showing of the entire first episode of Marvel’s Jessica Jones). This year, Marvel’s Head of Television Jeph Loeb again brought a powerhouse presentation to New York Comic Con featuring upcoming Marvel Netflix features.

Marvel's Iron Fist - New York Comic Con. Photo by Kendall Whitehouse. — The cast of Marvel’s Iron Fist.

First on stage were the cast members of Marvel’s Iron Fist: Finn Jones, Jessica Henwick, David Wenham, Rosario Dawson, Tom Pelphrey, Jessica Stroup, and showrunner Scott Buck.

Following the Iron Fist panel, Loeb welcomed The Punisher‘s Jon Bernthal to the stage. Bernthal was then joined by Deborah Ann Woll, who plays Karen Page in Marvel’s Daredevil the forthcoming series The Punisher and The Defenders.

Marvel's The Defenders - New York Comic Con 2016. Photo by Kendall Whitehouse. — The Defenders: Charlie Cox, Krysten Ritter, Mike Colter, and Finn Jones.

Loeb then assembled on stage for the first time the central cast of Marvel’s The Defenders: Charlie Cox, Krysten Ritter, Mike Colter, and Finn Jones. The crowd, as you might expect, went crazy. As a final surprise, it was announced that the role of Alexandra, the villain in The Defenders, would be played by Sigourney Weaver, who then joined the other cast members on stage.

While the Marvel panel was a highlight of the con, other new television and streaming series were also well represented.

Sam Esmail and Courtney Looney - New York Comic Con 2016. Photo — Mr. Robot’s Sam Esmail and Courtney Looney.

A launch event for the publication of the book Mr. Robot: Red Wheelbarrow included a Q&A with Mr. Robot showrunner Sam Esmail and writer Courtney Looney, followed by a book signing by both.

Marc-Tyler-Nobleman-and-Athena-Finger-NYCC-2016-photo-by-Kendall-Whitehouse-600x400 — Marc Tyler Nobleman and Athena Finger discuss Batman & Bill.

The session on Hulu’s Batman & Bill showed the first part of the forthcoming documentary about Marc Tyler Nobleman’s quest to get Batman writer and co-creator Bill Finger the credit he was long denied for his contribution to the character. The panel included Nobleman, longtime Batman fan and movie producer Michael Uslan, attorney Alethia Mariotta, the documentary’s directors Don Argott and Sheena M. Joyce, and Bill Finger’s granddaughter Athena Finger. [For more on Nobleman’s quest for acknowledgement for Finger, see Knowledge@Wharton, “The Dark Knight’s Dark Secret: Bill Finger’s Uncredited Role in the Story of Batman.”

Gale Anne Hurd and Aaron Mahnke - New York Comic Con 2016. Photo — Gale Anne Hurd and Aaron Mahnke.

The “Amazon Prime Video Presents” panel included the cast and creators of The Tick, Sneaky Pete, and Lore, including Producers Gale Anne Hurd and Barry Josephson, Lore podcast creator Aaron Mahnke, screenwriter Graham Yost, The Tick creator Ben Edlund, actor Giovanni Ribisi, and moderator Jamie Hector.

Additional Panels: Comic Books, Industry, and Culture

Marvel’s presence at New York Comic Con extended beyond the company’s large booth on the show floor and the celebrity-filled Netflix series panel to include its comic book properties as well.

Ta-Nehisi Coates and Don McGregor - New York Comic Con 2016. Pho — Black Panther writers Ta-Nehisi Coates and Don McGregor.

On Friday morning, Marvel celebrated “50 years of the Black Panther,” with a panel featuring an impressive array of creators from different eras of the groundbreaking character. Byron Pitts moderated the session with current Black Panther writer Ta-Nehisi Coates and former writers Christopher Priest and Don McGregor, artists Brian Stelfreeze and Alitha Martinez, Run–D.M.C.’s Darryl McDaniels, stage actor James Monroe Iglehart (best known for the role of Genie in Aladdin), and Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso.

Celebrating Will Eisner and Jack Kirby - New York Comic Con 2016 — Charles Kochman, Rand Hoppe, Paul Levitz, and Danny Fingeroth.

In the session “Celebrating Will Eisner and Jack Kirby: Two Centuries of Genius,” panelists Charles Kochman, Rand Hoppe, Paul Levitz, and Danny Fingeroth discussed the enduring contributions of two of the seminal creators of sequential art and narrative.

Joe Pruett and Mike Marts - New York Comic Con 2016. Photo by Ke — Joe Pruett and Mike Marts talk AfterShock Comics.

The panel on “AfterShock Comics: Past, Present and Future” included AfterShock Publisher and CCO Joe Pruett; Editor-in-Chief Mike Marts; SVP for Digital-Creative Mike Zagari; writers Brian Azzarello, Frank Tieri, and Adam Glass; and artist Juan Doe.

Vivek Tiwary - New York Comic Con 2016. Photo by Kendall Whitehouse. — Vivek Tiwary at the ICv2 Insider Talks.

A session by industry trends and analysis firm ICv2 included Vivek Tiwary‘s inspiring talk about his graphic novel The Fifth Beatle, followed by ICv2 CEO Milton Griepp‘s discussion of the future of retail in the comic book industry. Heidi MacDonald then introduced revered industry veteran Karen Berger who gave an insightful discussion of the current state of the industry.

End-Bullying-NYCC-2016-photo-by-Kendall-Whitehouse-600x-400 — Carrie Goldman and Chase Masterson lead the End Bullying panel.

Carrie Goldman and Chase Masterson hosted the “End Bullying: Be a SuperheroIRL!” panel which featured moving personal stories by Batman Executive Producer Michael Uslan and others.

Marketing Events

The large pop culture events like New York Comic Con and San Diego Comic-Con have become showplaces for large scale — and highly entertaining — marketing activities by major media companies.

As in past years, New York Comic Con was peppered with marketing booths by several brands unrelated to popular culture. Chevrolet was once again a featured sponsor. Geico‘s ubiquitous advertising has become a staple at several large cons, including New York Comic Con.

westworld-entrance-nycc-2016-photo-by-kendall-whitehouse-600x400 — Welcome to Westworld.

Many of the major marketing installations, however, were for popular television programs. Interactive environments set up just outside the Javits Center included the South Park 20 Experience, with life-sized standups of many of the South Park characters, and an Ash vs. the Evil Dead walk-though installation.

As we’ve seen in recent years, virtual reality was a major component of many of the marketing installations. [See Knowledge@Wharton, “Marketing at Comic-Con: Virtual Reality Gets Real” and “Marketing at Comic-Con: Virtual Reality Melds with the Real World“] A room in the lower level of the Javits Center, dubbed the Experiential Zone, was dedicated to immersive interactive environments.

Amazon’s The Man in the High Castle Virtual Experience, which was on display at San Diego Comic-Con over the summer, made a return appearance at New York Comic Con, although it didn’t include the large museum component seen at San Diego.

westworld-host-nycc-2016-photo-by-kendall-whitehouse-600x400 — A Westworld host greets you.

One of the most compelling marketing events combined an interactive virtual experience with an impressive physical reconstruction of the world of HBO’s Westworld. A short distance from the Javits Center a staid, corporate-looking building was marked with the Westworld logo. Inside, the white-clad “hosts” — playing the role of the show’s lifelike automatons — take you down a corridor that leads to a virtual reality experience that places you in universe of Westworld. This combination of a physical, constructed environment melded with a virtual experience is the high point of the marketing experiences at the con. [For a more detailed description of the Westworld VR experience, see Knowledge@Wharton, “Entering Westworld: VR Marketing at New York Comic Con“]

Comic Book Creators

Jean-Claude Mézières and Luc Besson - New York Comic Con 2016. — Jean-Claude Mézières and Luc Besson.

A primary focus for me at Comic Con is photographing portraits of the men and women who create comic books. This year’s New York Comic Con featured a number of storied creators. I was pleased to have the opportunity this year to take a portrait of the great Frank Miller. And, in a moment of serendipitous Comic Con magic, I stumbled across a signing event with filmmaker Luc Besson, promoting his forthcoming film Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, and artist Jean-Claude Mézières, who illustrated the original Valérian comics.

For a photo gallery of comics creators at this year’s show, see the Flickr album, “Comic Book Creators: New York Comic Con 2016“:

And… Cosplay

Cosplay - New York Comic Con 2016. Photo by Kendall Whitehouse. — Cosplay at New York Comic Con.

While I don’t typically focus on cosplay photography, it’s always fun to capture some of the creative costumes roaming the convention center. I’m particularly fond of seeing early Steve Ditko creations, like the Mac Gargan version of the Scorpion I spotted this year. Another favorite was the WW I version of the Red Skull.

For a full visual recap of New York Comic Con 2016 in 300-plus photos, see the Flickr album, “New York Comic Con 2016“:

From the Real World to the Virtual: Westworld at New York Comic Con

Virtual reality (VR) had a significant presence at ReedPop’s New York Comic Con this year. A dedicated exhibition space on the lower level of the Javits Center, dubbed the Experiential Zone, demonstrated a number of approaches to virtual reality and immersive cinema for both entertainment and marketing.

Entrance to the Westworld VR Experience.

One of the most compelling examples of using virtual reality for a marketing experience didn’t take place inside the Javits Center, however. A half block away on West 37th Street, HBO’s Westworld VR Experience presented a combination physical environment and virtual experience to promote the network’s sci-fi series.

The Westworld VR Experience debuted a month earlier at TechCrunch Disrupt SF. At New York Comic Con, the virtual simulation was enhanced by a physical space that set the stage for the immersive experience.

Hybrid Physical/Virtual Environment

This type of hybrid physical/virtual environment has been featured in a number of recent high profile marketing “activations” (as the industry terms them). At this past summer’s San Diego Comic-Con, Amazon’s The Man in the High Castle VR Experience combined a virtual simulation with a constructed environment designed to recreate the world of the program. (The Man in the High Castle VR Experience was also present in New York Comic Con’s Experiential Zone, but without the physical installation preceding the VR experience.) The most notable recent blending of real world and virtual environments as part of a marketing activation was the Mr. Robot Virtual Reality Experience at San Diego Comic-Con. After entering a detailed reconstruction of the bedroom of the show’s protagonist, Elliot Alderson, you then enter a VR simulation that begins in the very room in which you’re sitting. It’s an uncanny sensation.

Westworld entrance. — Welcome to Westworld.

New York Comic Con’s Westworld activation presents a similar experience that transitions from the real world to the virtual.

A short distance from the Javits Center, a sleek facade with frosted glass doors displays the logo: “Westworld: A Delos Destination.” Inside you enter a lustrous black and glass corridor and are greeted by performers playing the role of Westworld’s “hosts,” the program’s synthetic humans. Dressed in white and speaking in eerily measured tones, the hosts welcome you to Westworld.

After a few introductory comments — and warnings about violence and nudity in the virtual experience — you stand in the center of a black room, empty except for a chair in the corner. An assistant helps you don your HTC Vive VR headset and audio headphones, and you grasp your Vive controller. You’re also told that should you feel uncomfortable during the experience you can raise your hand and the assistant will help you end the experience (advice that’s both comforting yet somehow unnerving).

In many of these interactive simulations, including The Man in the High Castle Experience and the Mr. Robot VR Experience, the participant remains seated at the center of a 360-degree virtual environment. In the Westworld Experience, by contrast, you can move around to a limited degree within the environment. This can be disconcerting, since you’re moving through a physical space you can’t see. To avoid accidentally running into the walls, the simulation displays a series of bars floating in space if you move too close to the edge.

Entering Westworld

The Westworld simulation plays out over three brief tableaux. It begins with you entering a room where you select your weapon and decide whether you want to wear a white or a black hat. The simulation closely follows the scene in episode 2 of the program where new Westworld guest William (Jimmi Simpson) is presented with a similar set of choices. (When I went through the virtual experience, I hadn’t yet seen this episode. When I finally watched it, it gave me an eerie sense of déjà vu.)

westworld-vr-600x334 — Inside the Westworld simulation, the sheriff approaches.

After making these choices, you enter the western setting familiar from the show. A row of wooden buildings stands beside sandstone cliffs under a wide, blue sky. After picking up ammunition and loading your revolver, you engage in target practice by shooting bottles.

A sheriff then ambles over to recruit you to join a posse. But before that gets underway, the sheriff starts to glitch. Something’s not right here.

You’re instructed to move over to the chair in the corner. (This is one of the more bizarre aspects of the simulation. Contacting a physical object in a space that you perceive through a virtual simulation is an odd experience.)

Once seated, the setting changes to the Delos lab where simulated humans are being created and repaired. With the ability to look in any direction, you can survey the entire scene. Things are glitching here as well. Your vision falters and lights flash. There’s a commotion in the lab. A synthetic human is out of control. Things are clearly breaking down in Westworld.

The Throughput Conundrum: Does It Scale?

As impressive as the simulation is, it has one constraint as a marketing tool: throughput. The interactive experience lasts 11 minutes. Allowing time for a brief introduction and exit, sessions are scheduled in 15 minute blocks. At New York Comic Con, there were two rooms that ran simultaneously. Thus, eight people per hour can participate in the experience, which runs for nine hours each day for a total of 72 people per day, or 288 participants throughout the four days of the convention.

This is obviously a small fraction of the attendees at the con. (Because New York Comic Con reports the number of tickets sold, rather than the number of unique individuals, it’s difficult to know exactly how many people attend the event.)

As I previously discussed in Knowledge@Wharton [“Marketing at Comic-Con: Virtual Reality Melds with the Real World“] the approach taken by the Mr. Robot VR Experience may offer a more effective model for this type of marketing event. The 13-minute Mr. Robot simulation was launched at San Diego Comic-Con through a similar hybrid physical/virtual environment. [For more on the Mr. Robot Experience, see “The Mr. Robot VR Experience, Storytelling, and the Future of Immersive Media.”] The video was also available during an online simulcast for users with home VR systems such as Google Cardboard. Subsequently, it has been made available online in multiple formats for VR gear, mobile devices, and desktop systems.

This approach leverages the buzz generated by the hardcore fans who attend Comic Con, while also gaining a larger audience through the simulcast, and then further expands the piece’s reach through the on-demand offerings.

As VR plays an expanding role in marketing, expect to see more of this layered approach to reach a broadest possible audience for these rich, interactive experiences.

A version of this article also appears in Knowledge@Wharton: “Entering Westworld: VR Marketing at New York Comic Con.”

Image from the Westworld VR Experience is from a copyrighted work, the copyright for which is most likely owned by the production company and/or distributor. It is believed that the use of a web-resolution screenshot for identification and critical commentary on the film and its contents qualifies as fair use under United States copyright law. All other images © 2016 Kendall Whitehouse

San Diego Comic-Con 2016: Recap and Photo Highlights

Reports on San Diego Comic-Con always read like the story of the blind men describing an elephant. The scope of the event is so broad, its scale so large, that each attendee can only experience a small sliver of the long weekend’s activities.

This was Comic-Con International: San Diego 2016 from my perspective.

Because of my interest in the media marketing that accompanies Comic-Con, Wednesday afternoon before Preview Night provided a good opportunity to explore the branding and the media installations around the Convention Center and throughout San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter.

Mr-Robot-VR-SDCC-2016-photo-by-Kendall-Whitehouse-480x270 — Virtually entering the world of ‘Mr. Robot’.

Virtual reality was a major presence at Comic-Con this year, both at promotional events and at a separate mini-conference dubbed VR Con at the Con. A number of the large-scale marketing “activations” (as industry insiders like to call them) featured a virtual reality experience in combination with an impressive physical environment. Amazon’s The Man in the High Castle experience included a museum of set pieces from the program and an interactive VR experience using the HTC Vive. To promote USA Network’s cult favorite Mr. Robot, the network created a detailed reconstruction of the Mr. Robot repair shop and the apartment of the show’s main character, Elliot Alderson. Inside the apartment you could enter a 13-minute virtual reality experience written and directed by Mr. Robot creator Sam Email. [For more on the Mr. Robot Virtual Reality Experience, see “The Mr. Robot VR Experience, Storytelling, and the Future of Immersive Media.”]

Preview-Night-SDCC-2016-photo-by-Kendall-Whitehouse-480x240 — Crowds fill the exhibition hall floor on Preview Night.

Back in the real world, it was time to head to the Convention Center for the official opening of the con with Preview Night. For many, Preview Night is a mad rush to get first dibs on exclusive collectible items. I use it as an opportunity to visit the comic book creators in Artist Alley and elsewhere before the crush of the crowds in the subsequent days of the con. [See, “Be a Con-trarian: Go Against the Flow at Comic-Con.”] While San Diego Comic-Con attracts numerous high-profile movie and TV celebrities, I always enjoy the opportunity to meet the men and women who write, draw, and publish the comic books that form the basis of so much of our popular culture.

After Preview Night, it was off to Analog Bar for the annual Enchantment Under the SDCC party hosted by the SDCC Unofficial Blog.

MR-Robot-VR-SDCC-2016-photo-by-Kendall-Whitehouse-480x240 — The show’s cast immersed in the Mr. Robot Virtual Reality Experience.

Thursday began with a second opportunity to experience Sam Email’s immersive Mr. Robot 360-degree film. Rather than taking place in the reconstruction of Elliot’s apartment, this second viewing was in Petco Park with cast members Rami Malek, Christian Slater, Portia Doubleday, Carly Chaikin, and Grace Gummer viewing the virtual experience along with the audience. At one point, while the audience members were still in the virtual world, Malek left the stage and sat in the crowd, surprising the adjacent audience members once the simulation ended.

First Timers and Old Regulars

Given the 47-year history of San Diego Comic-Con, it’s surprising to discover major popular culture icons who have never attended the event. This year a number of notable artists made their first appearances at San Diego Comic-Con.

Oliver-Stone-SDCC-2016-photo-by-Kendall-Whitehouse-480x240 — Oliver Stone and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Oliver Stone made his inaugural appearance at Comic-Con to promote his forthcoming film, Snowden, along with cast members Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley, and Zachary Quinto.

Luc-Besson-SDCC-2016-photo-by-Kendall-Whitehouse-480x240 — Luc Besson.

Similarly new to Comic-Con this year was Luc Besson, who brought producer Virginie Besson-Silla and actors Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne to present concept artwork and early footage from his film Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. Comic-Con International Senior Director of Programming Eddie Ibrahim presented Besson with an Inkpot award for his contributions to popular culture.

William-Gibson-SDCC-2016-photo-by-Kendall-Whitehouse-480x240 — William Gibson.

Also appearing at Comic-Con for the first time was famed cyberpunk writer William Gibson. Gibson also received a Comic-Con International Inkpot award for his contributions to science fiction.

Joss-Whedon-SDCC-2016-photo-by-Kendall-Whitehouse-480x240 — Dark Horse Presents: Conversations with Joss Whedon.

In contrast to these Comic-Con newcomers, Friday brought back to Hall H longtime fan favorite, writer/director Joss Whedon, who answered audience questions and hinted at future projects. He gave scant details about his current project, other than to say it was something new — neither a sequel nor a franchise piece. In response to an audience question, he reiterated his intention to eventually produce a follow-up to Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, stating it would not be a prequel but, rather, focus on events following the original series. Work on this project isn’t imminent, however, since other members of the creative team (like Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancheron) are currently busy with other projects.

Trey-Parker-Matt-Stone-SDCC-2016-photo-by-Kendall-Whitehouse-480x240 — Trey Parker and Matt Stone discuss ‘South Park’.

Following Whedon, South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone discussed their 20 years of working on the animated series, moderated by host Chris Hardwick.

Eisner-Awards-SDCC-2016-photo-by-Kendall-Whitehouse-480x240 — The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards.

Friday evening always brings the annual Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards ceremony, honoring the work of comic book writers, artists, and publishers. With industry notables and surprise guests, the event is always a high point of Comic-Con for me each year.

Big Shows in Hall H on Saturday

While each day in Hall H brings panels with notable celebrity appearances and exclusive content, Saturday is the day coveted by the major studios for their showpiece events.

With a number of major movie studios, including 20th Century Fox, Paramount Studios, and Sony Pictures, skipping Hall H this year, on Saturday the room was dominated by two studios: Warner Bros. at the start of the day and Marvel Studios at day’s end (before the annual Kevin Smith panel). It’s worth noting that although they skipped Hall H, Paramount made a big splash in San Diego this year with the world premiere of Star Trek Beyond, Sony brought a Sausage Party screening and cast appearance to the Horton Grand Theatre, and Fox television programming had a significant presence at Comic-Con.

Eddie-Redmayne-SDCC-2016-photo-by-Kendall-Whitehouse--480x240 — Eddie Redmayne distributes magic wands in Hall H.

Arriving late in Hall H that day, I missed most of the Warner Bros. panel. As I entered the cavernous room near the end of the WB presentation, I almost ran into Eddie Redmayne as he raced around the floor handing out magic wands to fans to promote Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

Star-Trek-SDCC-2016-photo-by-Kendall-Whitehouse-480x240 — Cast member celebrate the 50th anniversary of ‘Star Trek’.

After Warner Bros., the panel celebrating the 50th anniversary of the original Star Trek television series brought together cast members from several generations of the TV series: William Shatner, Brent Spiner, Michael Dorn, Jeri Ryan, and Scott Bakula in a session moderated by Bryan Fuller, showrunner and co-creator of CBS’ new forthcoming Star Trek series.

Aliens-SDCC-2016-photo-by-Kendall-Whitehouse-480x240 — Cast and crew celebrate the 30th anniversary of ‘Aliens’.

The panel following Star Trek marked another anniversary of a popular science fiction franchise: the 30th anniversary of Aliens. On stage for the event were Aliens writer/director James Cameron, producer Gale Anne Hurd, and cast members Sigourney Weaver, Bill Paxton, Lance Henriksen, Paul Reiser, Michael Biehn, and Carrie Henn (who portrayed Newt in the film).

Melissa-Benoist-Morena-Baccarin-SDCC-2016-photo-by-Kendall-Whitehouse-480x240 — Melissa Benoist and Morena Baccarin on the Entertainment Weekly: Women Who Kick Ass panel.

Next up in Hall H was the annual Entertainment Weekly: Women Who Kick Ass panel moderated by EW’s Nicole Sperling, featuring an array of women who portray strong female roles on television and the movies: Morena Baccarin, Melissa Benoist, Nathalie Emmanuel, Lucy Lawless, Tatian Maslany, Connie Nielsen, and Ming-Na Wen.

Marvel Studios then capped the day with a session that featured cast members and exclusive clips from several of the company’s upcoming feature films introduced by Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and moderated by the ever-present Chris Hardwick.

Black-Panther-SDCC-2016-photo-by-Kendall-Whitehouse-480x240 — The director and cast of ‘Black Panther’.

Appearing first was the director and cast of Black Panther: director Ryan Coogler and actors Lupita Nyong’o, Michael B. Jordan, Danai Gurira, and Chadwick Boseman.

Benedict-Cumberbatch-Tilda-Swinton-Rachel-McAdams-SDCC-2016-photo-by-Kendall-Whitehouse-480x240 — ‘Doctor Strange’ cast members Benedict Cumberbatch, Tilda Swinton, and Rachel McAdams.

Smoke then filled the stage and sides of the auditorium along with abstract patterns of projected light. The smoke cleared to reveal Doctor Strange actor Benedict Cumberbatch at center stage. Joining Cumberbatch was Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson and cast members Tilda Swinton, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, Mads Mikkelsen, Clyde Kusatsu. The Doctor Strange presentation included new footage and the debut of a new trailer.

Spider-Man-Homecoming-SDCC-2016-photo-by-Kendall-Whitehouse-480x240 — The cast of ‘Spider-Man Homecoming’.

Next up was Spider-Man Homecoming actor Tom Holland, joined by director Jon Watts and cast members Laura Harrier, Tony Revolori, Jacob Batalon, and Zendaya. A brief comedic video segment showed scenes of Peter Parker trying to balance his daily life at school with his responsibilities as a superhero.

Guardians-of-the-Galaxy-Vol-2-SDCC-2016-photo-by-Kendall-Whitehouse-480x240 — The cast of ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’.

Director James Gunn next took the stage — along a cadre of fully-costumed Ravengers — for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Gunn then introduced cast members Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Karen Gillan, Dave Bautista, Elizabeth Debicki, and Kurt Russell (who was revealed to be playing Peter Quill’s father). Gunn also announced that Disney would be opening a theme park attraction based on the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. The Hall H crowd also saw a clip from the film and a new trailer.

Brie-Larson-SDCC-2016-photo-by-Kendall-Whitehouse-480x240 — Brie Larson joins the Marvel family as Captain Marvel.

Finally, Feige confirmed the long-held rumor that Brie Larson would play Captain Marvel in the movie slated for Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe films. Larson joined the cast members from all the films for a Marvel family portrait.

Wrapping Up on Sunday

Sunday provided the opportunity to visit some of the marketing activations I hadn’t yet seen, including the Timeless time travel ride (built around that old amusement park classic, the Gravitron), Adult Swim on the Green, and the Son of Zorn rock climb and giant leap into an air bag (the latter pair of which I merely observed rather than participating in). After the virtual reality experiences of Mr. Robot and The Man in the High Castle, these decidedly non-virtual activities were an interesting change of pace.

Pokemon-GO-SDCC-2016-photo-by-Kendall-Whitehouse-480x240 — Moved from its original 480-seat room, the Pokémon GO panel fills the 6,500-seat Hall H.

Sunday’s final Hall H panel was originally slated for a much smaller room. Back in April 2016, Comic-Con International was coordinating with gaming company Niantic to present a panel on their augmented reality game Ingress. When the programming schedule for Comic-Con 2016 was released — as usual, just two weeks before the event — Niantic was scheduled to speak about Ingress and a new game they planned to launch, Pokémon GO. Shortly afterwards, Pokémon GO debuted and quickly became the hottest thing on Internet. Comic-Con International quickly changed the schedule to move the panel from its Thursday time slot in a modest 480-seat room to the last available spot on Sunday in the 6,500-seat Hall H. While this initially seemed like overkill, it proved otherwise. The enormous auditorium was packed on Sunday afternoon.

John-Hanke-SDCC-2016-photo-by-Kendall-Whitehouse-480x240 — Niantic CEO John Hanke addresses the Hall H crowd.

Host Chris Hardwick interviewed Niantic’s CEO, John Hanke for the session. Fans’ expectations that Hall H events bring big surprises caused many to assume that a special, rare Pokémon creature would appear in the hall for attendees to capture. But, alas, CEO Hanke seemed somewhat taken aback by the amped up expectations of the Hall H crowd, and no special creatures were to be found.

John-Rogers-Talk-Back-SDCC-2016-photo-by-Kendall-Whitehouse-480x240 — Comic-Con International President John Rogers ready to respond to fans at the Talk Back session.

As in past years, my final session at Comic-Con was the Talk Back session in which Comic-Con International president John Rogers responds to questions and complaints from attendees. This year, Rogers and Comic-Con International Director of Programming Eddie Ibrahim made a valiant effort to keep the session on schedule, only running roughly 15 minutes over the allotted one hour time slot in contrast to the two-plus hour sessions in past years. While the Talk Back can be a rather dour way to end the con, it offers insights into the choices made by Comic-Con International in running the complex event. For a good recap of the key points from this year’s Talk Back session, see the report from ConShark.

SDCC-2016-Last-Look-photo-by-Kendall-Whitehouse-480x240 — One final look before saying farewell to Comic-Con 2016.

After the Talk Back, one final glance at the crowds streaming out of the Convention Center and it was a wrap for San Diego Comic-Con 2016.

For the complete photo gallery from Comic-Con International 2016, see the Flickr photo album: San Diego Comic-Con 2016:

SDCC-2016-photo-montage-by-Kendall-Whitehouse — [Click to view photo gallery]

The Mr. Robot VR Experience, Storytelling, and the Future of Immersive Media

Virtual reality was a significant presence in the marketing experiences at Comic-Con International: San Diego this year. Both at the booths inside the Convention Center and the offsite events throughout downtown San Diego, a number of movie studios, television networks, and video game companies presented VR experiences designed to generate buzzworthy excitement in attendees. From Amazon’s The Man in the High Castle to Adult Swim’s Rick and Morty to Rocksteady’s Batman Arkham VR, fans throughout Comic-Con were donning virtual reality headsets.

Among the most impressive of these was the Mr. Robot Virtual Reality Experience written and directed by Mr. Robot creator and showrunner Sam Esmail, and developed for USA Network by Here Be Dragons and Within.

Mr-Robot-VR-Petco-SDCC-2016-photo-by-Kendall-Whitehouse-480x240 — Rows of fans immersed in the Mr. Robot VR experience in Petco Park.

For an advertising piece, the VR experience ran a surprisingly long 13 minutes. One of the constraints of this type of marketing event is throughput — the number of people who can cycle through the event each hour. Of course, Sam Esmail is famous for turning in episodes of the Mr. Robot television program that run longer than their intended time slot, even going so far as to apologize on Twitter recently for doing so.

Mr-Robot-VR-Cast-SDCC-2016-photo-by-Kendall-Whitehouse-480x240 — Cast members view the Mr. Robot VR experience at Petco Park.

The Mr. Robot VR Experience was available from several locations during San Diego Comic-Con, including in white Uber vans designed to resemble Mr. Robot repair vehicles driving around the Gaslamp Quarter and at an event with the show’s cast at Petco Park. It was also broadcast live during the Petco Park event, allowing fans not attending Comic-Con to share the experience (in what an NBC/Universal press release described as “largest-ever co-viewing virtual reality simulcast event”). Subsequently, the VR segment has been made available for on-demand viewing on home devices, mobile phones, and desktop systems.

The most effective venue for the virtual reality experience, however, was a pop-up installation constructed in downtown San Diego that featured a physical, real-world environment that cleverly blended with the virtual content.

Mr-Robot-Repair-Shop-SDCC-2016-photo-by-Kendall-Whitehouse-480x240 — The sign above the Mr. Robot repair shop in downtown San Diego for Comic-Con.

USA Network converted the exterior of a downtown San Diego building into a recreation of the Mr. Robot repair shop run by Elliot’s late father in the show. On entering the building, circa mid-1990s era computers, parts, and advertisements continue the illusion. A corridor at the rear of the shop leads to another room, a reconstruction of Elliot’s apartment as seen in the show. While waiting for a VR headset to free up, you can explore the details of Elliot’s life scattered around the room: his desktop computer, circuit boards, and even bills from New York City utility companies. This is familiar territory, a place we’ve seen many times in the television show.

After taking a seat and putting on a Samsung Gear headset and a pair of headphones, the real world is replaced by the virtual. The virtual environment you initially enter is, somewhat surprisingly, Elliot’s apartment — essentially identical to the physical location in which you’re actually sitting. There’s a noteworthy exception, however: As you turn your head, Elliot (played by Rami Malek) is sitting beside you.

While narratively working as a flashback — the video covers events that occurred before the time frame of show’s first season — it is, in fact, a contemporary memory. We’re experiencing Elliot’s current recollections of a much earlier event.

Mr-Robot-VR-Elliots-apartment-480x270 — …the virtual world of Elliot’s apartment with Elliot sitting next to you.

The voice we hear, Rami Malek’s Elliot, is the voice inside his head. As he does in the TV show, Elliot is simultaneously thinking to himself and narrating his inner thoughts to us, his ever-present, but unseen, companion.

Elliot is about to go on a first date with Shayla, a character we know from the first season of the show. In those TV episodes, Shayla is Elliot’s friend, drug supplier, and occasional lover. In the VR experience, Elliot is recalling their first encounter and how deeply he wants to avoid seeing her, how painful he finds these artificially-constructed social situations.

As Elliot smokes a joint, the camera floats upward toward the ceiling and we now view the scene from this more disengaged perspective. We follow Elliot and Shayla on their date to Coney Island and join them as they ride on a Ferris wheel, the VR simulation providing a dramatic 360-degree view of the surroundings. As their relationship grows closer, the scene melds into an abstract sequence with the two characters dancing in silhouette against a color-shifting background. Finally we return back to the “reality” of the apartment in the virtual world — and, again, in the real world when we remove the Samsung Gear headsets.

In its 13 minutes, Esmail’s piece runs the gamut from realistically grounded to surrealistically untethered and back again. As the locations change throughout the piece, the mood swings from reticence to euphoria to tragic loss.

The Mr. Robot VR video assumes we’re familiar with season 1 of the show, and uses that information as a backstory to make an immediate emotional connection. (Spoiler alert if you haven’t seen the first season of Mr. Robot.) Because of what we know of the series, Shayla’s plea for Elliot to remember her gains a profoundly melancholy dimension. We, like Elliot, feel sorrow and desperation as he struggles to hold on to his recollection of her as his memory falters and fades. It’s an emotionally powerful moment.

Aside from being a compelling VR experience, Email’s piece also an example of the power of transmedia storytelling. While based on what we know about the television series, it expands the narrative into new territory. It offers new details on the relationship between Elliot and Shayla and adds emotional depth to his feelings of loss and guilt. It’s a powerful work that both stands on its own as a self-contained 13-minute vignette and adds additional depth to television episodes.

Whatever it may indicate about the possibilities of VR for media marketing, the Mr. Robot Virtual Reality Experience may also point to the future of rich, multi-threaded storytelling across different media.

The image from the Mr. Robot Virtual Reality Experience is from a copyrighted film, the copyright for which is most likely owned by the film’s production company and/or distributor and possibly also by any actors appearing in the image. It is believed that the use of a web-resolution screenshot for identification and critical commentary on the film and its contents qualifies as fair use under United States copyright law.

Comic-Con: Glimpse the Future in the Smaller Rooms

There’s a joyful nostalgia in looking back at photos from previous comic cons, recalling the clever cosplay, the rousing panel sessions and celebrity appearances, and the encounters with friends old and new. I’m also struck by how often the creators of hugely popular movies, TV shows, and comic books — people who now fill the largest rooms at the con — were, just a few years ago, appearing in modestly attended panels in small, intimate rooms.

Felicia-Day-SDCC-2011-photo-by-Kendall-Whitehouse-480x320 — Felicia Day at San Diego Comic-Con 2011

At Comic-Con International: San Diego in 2011, Felicia Day headlined the panel on “The Evolution of Web Series: The Guild to Dragon Age” in a moderately sized 480-seat room. Seated in the audience with the fans were Kim Evey, the producer of Day’s popular web series The Guild, and The Guild actors Jeff Lewis and Sandeep Parikh. After the panel session, Lewis and Parikh lingered in the hallway posing for photos with fans.

Felicia Day has returned to San Diego Comic-Con in subsequent years, hosting panels in progressively larger venues. This year, as with last year, Day along with friends and colleagues from her production company Geek and Sundry will hold court in the 2663-seat Indigo Ballroom and host offset events in Petco Park.

Gareth-Edwards-NYCC-2010-photo-by-Kendall-Whitehouse-480x320 — Gareth Edwards talks ‘Monsters’ at New York Comic Con 2010.

At ReedPop’s New York Comic Con 2010 , director Gareth Edwards played clips from his first feature film, Monsters, in a small room, sparsely filled with attendees. Following the presentation, Edwards hung around the Magnet Releasing booth, chatting with anyone who stopped by. With a minimal production budget, the film grossed $4,242,978 worldwide and catapulted Edwards to Hollywood, where he directed the 2014 blockbuster Godzilla, which amassed a worldwide gross of $529,076,069. Edwards is currently directing the next installment in the Star Wars franchise, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

Rainn-Wilson-and-James-Gunn-01-WonderCon-2011-photo-by-Kendall-Whitehouse-480x320 — Rainn Wilson and James Gunn discuss ‘Super’ at WonderCon 2011.

At WonderCon 2011 (San Diego Comic-Con’s sister event in San Francisco), director James Gunn was joined by Rainn Wilson in a medium-sized panel room to discuss their upcoming film, Super.

Later than evening, Gunn introduced a free screening of the film. Plenty of seats were available for last-minute, walk-in attendees. The film grossed a modest $327,716 on a budget of $2.5 million. Yet Gunn’s quirky directorial style effectively navigated the film’s shifts in tone from broad comedy to fierce action-drama, and led to his next major project: helming Marvel’s summer mega-hit Guardians of the Galaxy, which pulled in a worldwide gross of $773,312,399.

At this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, Gunn is expected to be back again, introducing the cast of Guardians of the Galaxy 2 in the event’s largest venue, the 6,500-seat Hall H. Unlike at WonderCon five years earlier, when walking in at the beginning of the session was sufficient to secure a seat, gaining access to Hall H on Saturday this year — which includes major presentations by Warner Bros. and Marvel Studios, among others — will likely require camping out in line starting Friday Night.

Each year’s Comic-Con includes pop culture creators poised to shake up the world with their forthcoming projects. My advice: Rather than camping out for hours in hopes of entering Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con, check out some of the events in the smaller rooms. You might gain an early glimpse of the future.

Wall Writers: Graffiti in its Innocence

The Writing on the Wall: New York and Philly in the Early 1970s

Before the politically adroit stencils of Banksy, the beautiful calligraphic designs of Retna, and the clever humanoid figures of stikman, most graffiti consisted of simple tagging. Writing your name — or, more commonly, your nickname — on as many locations as possible was the obsession of many urban teenagers in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Graffiti had not yet acquired the aesthetic characteristics that would later cause it to be dubbed “street art.” It was then simply about getting your name seen as widely as possible.

Roger Gastman’s documentary Wall Writers recounts this era when, as the film’s subtitle states, graffiti was in its innocence. Combining contemporary interviews with period photographs and film clips, the movie focuses on the men and women in New York and Philadelphia who were graffiti’s early proponents. Narrated by John Waters, the movie provides a lively account of the personalities and activities at the dawn of modern graffiti.

Wall Writers at International House Philadelphia. — Q&A following ‘Wall Writers’ at International House Philadelphia.

The film’s debut Philadelphia screening at International House this past Saturday featured appearances by director Gastman and a number of the graffiti writers profiled in the movie, including Philadelphia’s Cool Earl, Cornbread, Kool Klepto Kid, Karate, and Lewis, and New York’s Wicked Gary.

In addition to covering the personalities involved in the early graffiti movement, Gastman’s documentary shows how the practice evolved from simple tagging — just getting your name up around the city — to become the foundation of today’s more elaborate graffiti artwork. Ironically, many of the early wall writers didn’t pursue this trend, eventually abandoning their work on the street to move on to other pursuits.

An amusing sequence in Wall Writers shows a series of graffiti writers all claiming to be the first to embellish their signature by adding a crown, marking a key historical moment when the practice began to morph from simply writing a name to embracing aesthetic flourishes. But claims of originality are impossible to verify for a medium with scant documentation and diverse local practices that evolved independently.

Whether the honor of being the birthplace of modern graffiti goes to New York or Philadelphia remains equally ambiguous — although the loyalties of the Philadelphia crowd at Saturday’s screening were apparent from the audience’s response.

Gastman’s film laments a certain loss of purity as graffiti became more widely recognized as an aesthetic activity. Art dealers moved in and co-opted the works of many young writers, in some cases providing them with free access to the tools to perform their craft, but without letting them share in the profits from their efforts.

By the mid-1980s, when Taki 183 sees his moniker echoed in the mainstream Hollywood film Turk 182, it was clear that while graffiti’s public profile was rising, its role as an underground cult movement was changing.

Following the screening at International House, Gastman moderated a question and answer session with several of the individuals portrayed in the film, now looking older and more reflective than the impetuous youth seen in the movie. Following the Q&A, long lines formed for a signing with these participants and others featured in Gastman’s companion book about the film.

Gastman’s film and book provide lively insights into the personalities and practices of the early days of the modern graffiti movement. Now, many decades after their activity on the streets, these men and women are receiving recognition far beyond their youthful dreams of being known around the neighborhood.

The top image from Wall Writers is from a copyrighted film and book, the copyright for which is most likely owned by the film’s production company and/or distributor and/or the book’s publisher and possibly also by any people appearing in the image. It is believed that the use of a web-resolution screenshot for identification and critical commentary qualifies as fair use under United States copyright law.