(Jewish Group) The very Jewish history of Comic-Con

Comic-Con International: San Diego, better known as San Diego Comic-Con, returns July 21–24 after a COVID-imposed three-year break.

An estimated 135,000 fans will be making a pilgrimage to the pop culture mecca to celebrate not just comics (to the chagrin of some purists), but movies, TV shows, video games, novels, animation, toys, collectibles and anything else even tangentially related.

Comic conventions have exploded in popularity over the last two decades, with nearly 500 in different sizes taking place across the U.S. each year. They’ve gone mainstream, and they’re big business. They’re also a Jewish invention, just like comic books and the superhero genre itself.

The birthplace: New York, 1964
The very first comic con took place in New York City on July 27, 1964. As with other historic firsts, there are earlier events that could lay claim to this distinction, like the Detroit Triple Fan Fair, a “swap meet” organized by teenagers Dave Szurek and Bob Brosch, that was held two months prior. But New York’s Comicon is widely recognized as the first official comic book convention.

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Attending this one day is on my bucket list!