Action! Excitement! Transmedia! Step inside Comic-Con to discover
the cultural trends that will shape our world
“I’ve been in comics so long I sometimes think I invented ’em!
But I just read Rob Salkowitz’s terrific new book and, y’know
what? Even I learned new stuff! If you’re a comic book nut like
me, miss it at your own risk!”
―Stan Lee, Legendary Comic Creator and Publisher
“Salkowitz tells it pretty much like it is: the good, the bad,
and the ugly of the commercialization of one of America’s
greatest art forms, as well as the indeigable artistry of its
creators. He is at once informative, inful, sobering, and
inspiring.”
―Douglas Rushkoff, pop culture analyst and author of Program or
Be Programmed: Ten Commands for a Digital Age
“If you care at all about comics, this is an essential read
(and if you don’t, Salkowitz just might win you over). But it’s
also grab-worthy for anyone interested in the fascinating,
conflicted, unfolding future of digital publishing and
transmedia entertainment.”
―Booklist (Starred Review)
“What began more than four decades ago as an gathering
of comic book creators, fans and legends has become a packed
entertainment event. Although it doesn’t have the same ring to
it, Comic-Con could more appropriately be called the Transmedia
Pop Culture Con where buzz for a year’s worth of projects is
created, prolonged or squelched. Yet, despite the awareness that
the con is a giant marketplace where producers sell directly to
customers, there has been shockingly little analysis of the
business of the event before Rob Salkowitz’s new book, “Comic-Con
and the Business of Pop Culture.”
―CNN Geekout
“The true gift in Rob’s book is how very hard it becomes for you
to decide, whether you’re a business reader reading a pop culture
book, or a comics fan reading a business book.”
―PopMatters
“The book explores the business aspects of the show and how it
is a microcosm of the growing transmedia aspects of both comic
books and their connection to things such as film, TV, and video
games. All the while, acting as a travelogue by a long-time fan
of comics and Comic-Con.”
―Technorati
“Salkowitz’s first hand observation makes us feel like we are
walking the convention floor with him. In some chapters you sense
his thrill as he meets a few of his fan favorites. Comic-Con and
the Business of Pop Culture should be a great book for comic book
fans, moviegoers, pop culture followers, and marketing gurus.”
―Twire
Welcome to Comic-Con: where the future of pop culture comes to
life
Every summer, more than 130,000 comic fans, gamers, cosplay
enthusiasts, and nerds of all stripes descend on San Diego to
mingle with the top entertainment celebrities and creative
industry professionals in an unprecedented celebration of popular
culture in all its forms.
From humble beginnings, Comic-Con has mutated into an
electrifying, exhausting galaxy of movies, TV, video games, art,
fashion, toys, merchandise, and buzz. It’s where the future of
entertainment unspools in real time, and everyone wants to be
there.
In Comic-Con and the Business of Pop Culture, author Rob
Salkowitz, a recognized expert in digital media and the global
digital generation (and unabashed comics enthusiast), explores
how the humble art form of comics ended up at the center of the
21st-century media universe. From Comic-Con’s massive exhibit
hall and panels to its exclusive parties and business suites,
Salkowitz peels back the layers to show how comics culture is
influencing communications, entertainment, digital technology,
marketing, education, and storytelling.
What can the world’s most approachable and adaptable art form
tell us about the importance of individual talent and personal
engagement in the era of the new global audience, the iPad, and
the quarter-billion-dollar summer blockbuster? Here are some of
the issues Salkowitz explores:
How do you succeed in the transmedia maelstrom? Comics have
hopscotched across the media landscape for decades. What can we
learn from their successes and failures as we careen toward a
converged digital future?
Have comics cracked the digital code? Everyone is scrambling to
deal with the business disruptions of digital distribution. Does
the recent success of comics on s demonstrate a new model
for other industries, or do dangers lie ahead?
What’s next for “peak geek”? Will the ascendant nerd culture of
the early 2010s keep its new audience engaged or burn out from
overexposure?
Comic-Con and the Business of Pop Culture combines the ins
business leaders need with the details fans crave about the
future ofthe world’s most dynamic industry. Even if you can’t be
in San Diego in July, this book brings the excitement into focus
. . . no costumes required!