LOS ANGELES — David Glanzer has seen his fair share of Comic-Cons, and looking out from the San Diego Convention Center, he still sees evidence of the bustle that swirls around the gathering of comic book, animation and genre fans each summer: Vendors were unloading materials and craftspeople were erecting installations on the convention grounds in preparation for this year’s event, which starts Thursday.
But strikes by members of the Writers Guild of America and the actors’ union SAG-AFTRA, preventing both writers and actors from participating in what has become a Hollywood-heavy event, is unprecedented. Glanzer is Comic-Con’s chief communications and strategy officer, and the question he’s been asked most over the last few weeks is “What’s going to happen?”
Although the strikes mean this year’s convention program will differ dramatically from what attendees are used to, Glanzer is confident that Hall H panels with bold-faced names are not the event’s only draw.
