Posted in: Comics | Tagged: COVID, san diego comic con, sdcc

San Diego Comic-Con 2022 – A Super Spreader For Comic Creators?

San Diego Comic-Con 2022 saw the likes of John Layman, Jonathan Hickman, Jamal Igle, Amy Chu, Ben Templesmith, Mark Waid, Ed Brisson, Joe Harris, Tom King, Joe Benitez… all major comic book creators, come down with COVID-19 at, or just after San Diego Comic-Con last week.

John Layman:Turned out I am an SDCC Covid casualty. If we hung out –and I feel like I hung out with everyone– please get tested, and watch out for loved ones and little ones. I am 4x vaxxed and tried to be smart about masking and hanging out outdoors. Wasn't enough, clearly. FYI: I feel fine. Actually I feel better than I USUALLY do after five days of no sleep and nonstop abuse to my body. Roommate made me test out of abundance of caution and turns out she was right to do so. Now I am locked in a room and not even allowed to pet the cats!

Kevin Maguire: I woke up this morning with a runny nose and a slight sinus infection. I'm going out to get tests now and if I test positive, I'll have a pretty decent idea where I got it. Yet another delight convention gift from John Layman.

John Layman: Two cab rides and a restaurant together… what could go wrong?

Kevin Maguire:  Well, I took the test. It's official. I'm diseased. Looks like the Inkpot award is the second most memorable thing I got from SDCC.

Ben Templesmith: Is there anyone who was at SDCC who *hasn't* gotten Covid yet? It obviously wasn't the show itself, but the social stuff outside the show that got us all. Rest up & get well everybody.

Jamal Igle: Covid got me. So far, it's very mild besides a slight fever and fatigue… there were so many places in San Diego where no one was wearing masks that it could have been anywhere.

Kevin Maguire: So far, the people I know who got it were at the Hilton Saturday night.

Amy Chu:29 months and 19 cons later it finally caught up with me. I usually do two hr stints on the floor masked and always eat outdoors but I got sloppy this time. Grateful the con was as strict as it was. Anyway, I'm fully boosted so it's mild. Sorry Tampa, I'll see you next year! Look, any time you have that many people together it's a risk. The vast majority of con goers didn't get sick because of the safety measures put in place and enforced. SDCC, ALA and PAXEast were really top notch in this regard.

Mark Waid: Of course I shouldn't have gone to San Diego. No one should have gone to San Diego. Double-boosted as of the Sunday beforehand, mask on, and yet just tested positive. Congestion and a little fatigue and headache since last night, so nothing serious so far. For all of you who've gone through Covid with just mild symptoms, now would be a good time to mention it. For those who've gone through hell, I sympathize, but now would, and I'm not kidding, *not* be a good time to weigh in.

Ed Brisson: Shit. We knew that as soon as my daughter got it, I would too. My immune system managed to hold out until we got back into Canada, but the second we checked into the place we're staying (contactless check-in), I knew. Nothing I can do but rest and keep away from people. Will need to look at the dates on the back half of this trip and adjust. At least Kelowna and Regina will have to be delayed. Not sure about Chicago. Oshawa and Montreal should remain the same. Very glad I cancelled the Portland and Vancouver signings.

Joe Harris: I have COVID (again), post-SDCC despite precautions and two boosters. The big takeaway for me as I look at the bright purple lines on these tests is I can't travel to cons anymore. Because if this is what "endemic COVID" looks like, I can't afford it. This shouldn't be normalized

Tom King:Been absent from social for a while. Was hit hard by post SDCC COVID and con crud. Not shocking, not fun. Watched way too much Curb and Star Trek. Finally feeling better and ready to comic book again.

By all accounts, more comic book creators got the coronavirus at San Diego Comic-Con than at any other show, despite having vaccination checks, social distancing and mask mandates. However, as has been pointed out a) lots of people had to fly into the show from all over and b), but the after-parties had none of the above preventative measures. A little informal polling discovers that those who just stayed in their rooms exhausted, writing the show up and not going to the Hard Rock Cafe, The Westgate Hotel or the various boat cruises, seemed to be COVID-free. But then they weren't at San Diego Comic-Con tables for five days with scores of people coming past breathing down on them…

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