Jackson Crutcher: Comic-Con Feeds Pop Culture

NEW YORK, NY, July 27, 2012 (Press-News.org) Every year in San Diego, thousands of Comic-Con attendees gather to celebrate their favorite comics, characters, and the people who have created them. Many of these attendees adorn costumes, some do not, but they all contribute to the development of today's popular culture. CNN reports that, although Comic-Con began as a small gathering of comic book enthusiasts, it is one of the foremost creators of popular culture in the country. Jackson Crutcher, a lover of science fiction who has attended the Denver version of the conference, agrees that the true value of Comic-Con lies deeper than the snapshots taken of its most enthusiastic guests.

The article asserts that, while Comic-Con is a catchy moniker, a more appropriate name for the event is the "Transmedia Pop Culture Con," due to its role in creating the hype that new ideas and products need to become successful in the future. As such, Jackson Crutcher believes that the booths that catch attention at Comic-Con--and the products and ideas that they promote--may have more of a chance of generating wider interest.

"Comic-Con is no longer a meeting of comic book enthusiasts only," states Jackson Crutcher. "This globally recognized event, which is in fact called San Diego Comic-Con International, provides attendees with the opportunity to choose tomorrow's popular culture. Booth after booth provides pop culture offerings and those that catch the attention of event guests are the ones that have the potential to fuel the products that the general public enjoys a year from now."

Jackson Crutcher notes that an influence on pop culture is not the only effect that Comic-Con has, and he agrees with the article that the event is, ultimately, an incredibly important indicator of future business opportunities.

"At the highest level, this is a book about this industry that started out at the fringes of culture and of business, and over 25 years, it came to inhabit the center of both of them," remarks Rob Salkowitz, author of Comic-Con and the Business of Pop Culture.

Salkowitz understands that, like all things pop culture, the appeal of Comic-Con may fade. For this reason, he notes that the event has "decided to embrace brands like 'Twilight.'" The goal, he asserts, is to help today's youth create memories surrounding Comic-Con brands that will keep the event relevant in the future.

ABOUT:

Jackson Crutcher is a science-fiction enthusiast who attends annual conventions, including NDK and Starfest. He is also interested in space, space exploration, film, literature, and music. Jackson Crutcher's favorite authors are Alastair Reynolds, J. K. Rowling, Frank Herbert, Eoin Colfer, and Charles Dickens, and he particularly enjoys the cinematic offerings of Marjane Satrapi, Katsuhiro Otomo, and Hayao Miyazaki. While Jackson Crutcher looks up to many individuals, his top three heroes are Alberto Santos Dumont, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and Captain America.

Website: http://jacksoncrutcher.net