What’s up, CHU fam? Finally recovering from the beautiful, exhausting chaos that was San Diego Comic-Con 2026. My feet are numb, wallet is crying, but feels good to be back on the other side with some stories to tell.
DC’s Absolute characters ruled this con, their presence was known across all manner of comic book dealers, artists, and even Funko.
The hype for the Absolute Batman bundle at the DC Booth was off the charts as it was limited to only 500. DC teamed up with Shoe Palace and Upper Deck for a premium bundle featuring a Nick Dragotta foil variant, an exclusive tee, and a numbered trading card.
Also big hype for Dungeon Crawler Carl, I had to look up what it is myself but now I need to read it. There were variant covers and Carl figures selling out across the floor.
Similar story with Funko’s Absolute Pops which were the only Pops I really wanted this year, but not happening when the 3-piece set is pushing $1,000 in secondary. On preview night, Funko awarded their Funatics with booth access using basic colored wristbands which were very easy to counterfeit. They sold out quickly and many legit lottery winners wasted their night in line.
Limited Run Games was slammed all weekend, dropping exclusive physical editions like the Marvel Maximum Collection. Honestly, seeing how busy they were makes me wonder: are they thriving right now because collectors know we might not be able to buy physical games for much longer?
Sideshow is back! While I don’t have much room for figures, it always felt like something was missing on the years they took away from SDCC post-covid.
Over at Mattel, they are leaning into Masters of the Universe, which I think is great. The movie didn’t bring in massive profits but it was overall liked by fans, as the figures still are. Gym Bro Skeletor was the one to get!
Pluto TV had a booth on the floor, and while I was initially surprised to see them there, it’s always good to see outside companies investing directly in the fans while Netflix, Hulu, Disney+ are taking a break.
Outside the convention center, the outdoor activations seemed more reserved this year. Maybe Hollywood is being more careful with their dollars right now. Hope that changes as I rely on activations to keep people out of the exhibit hall. That said, I absolutely loved the wrap for Marvel’s Wolverine on the PS5.
Despite the Preview Night drama, Funko Fundays was much improved this year. The prizes were great, and personally, I really enjoyed the removal of the tables. It made the whole event flow better and feel more like a party.
Speaking of parties, Thrilljoy was great. They hosted the “Rock the Block” party over at the InterContinental. It was a massive improvement over the prior year in getting people in the door. They had live entertainment headlining the night, and getting to see Bowling for Soup play live for a bunch of hyped-up collectors was a highlight of the weekend.
Debate over Hall H has returned this year. This was probably the first year since pre-COVID where the Saturday lineup started Friday morning. When it finally came time to load the hall, attendees reported rampant line-cutting and people waltzing into the chutes with allegedly fake wristbands.
At the Sunday Talkback Panel, SDCC officials stated they ordered less wristbands than seats and were investigating what happened. Every possible solution comes with its own pitfalls but I think SDCC is trying in earnest to make it fair.
Another year of our comics Superbowl is in the books! Anyone that thinks SDCC is dying off…I can confirm that’s not happening, so see you next year!!
Thanks to Louie M. for covering SDCC for us again this year.