LOS ANGELES — At first glance, it has all the trappings of San Diego Comic-Con.
There’s a cavernous convention center devoid of daylight. Inside, it’s stuffed with thousands of fans lining up for everything from an autograph and a selfie to a slice of pizza and a soda. Upstairs, they’re camping out for Q&A sessions.
But there’s not a superhero in sight. Instead, nearly 23,000 RuPaul’s DragCon attendees are here for men glammed-up as women.
“We have people from all over the world coming for DragCon because this is more than just a convention of drag queens,” the gender-bending host of the TV reality show “RuPaul’s Drag Race” told the crowd Sunday at the second annual extravaganza at the Los Angeles Convention Center. “It is a movement.”
The rows of more than 230 DragCon vendors hawking merchandise — from $20 T-shirts to $2,000 gowns — is the latest example of the proliferation of fan conventions, the once geeky get-togethers that have morphed into a big business.
The organizer of San Diego Comic-Con makes about $15 million in revenue each year from its events.
“I think cons are the new black,” said DragCon co-creator Randy Barbato. “As our existence has become more digital, the ability to reach out and touch someone — especially a drag queen — is amazing. I think social media is great, but there’s nothing quite like the actual experience of meeting your favorite drag queen up close, well, not too close.”
Besides female impersonators, there are now annual cons for such left-of-center subjects as Lego toys, mermaids, Power Rangers and anthropomorphic characters, just to name a few.
The History Channel and the organizers of Cosmic-Con recently announced plans to hold the inaugural Alien Con at the Santa Clara Convention Center in October. And ComplexCon, billed as a cultural world’s fair, was recently announced for November in Long Beach, Calif., with Pharrell Williams as the host committee chair.
Cons aren’t just for comic lovers or Trekkies anymore.
Rob Salkowitz, author of “Comic-Con and the Business of Pop Culture,” said the popularity of San Diego Comic-Con has blazed the trail for other events.
He said he thinks the growth of similar gatherings is as much about promoting new endeavors and making money as it is about fans’ desire to prove their appreciation and congregate with like-minded audiences.
“I think people are craving community,” Salkowitz said. “At every fan convention, there are self-selected groups that identify with their enthusiasm for a subject. They’re diverse when it comes to demographics and ideologies, but all that’s checked at the door and people just want a good time. There are few places in American public life like that anymore.”
For over a decade, Wizard World has found success with a roving pop-culture con model that this year includes stops in cities like Columbus, Ohio, and Austin, Texas. And for the first time, the company will host a con on a cruise ship in December, featuring appearances by “Thor” star Chris Hemsworth and “The Walking Dead” actor Norman Reedus.
“It seems like a natural extension of what we’ve already been doing on land across the country,” said Wizard World CEO John Maatta. “It’s already great just traveling to the Bahamas, but for an audience that’s affinity-based and has an interest in pop culture and celebrities such as Chris Hemsworth and Norman Reedus, it’s going to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
At this point, fan cons have no bounds.
