Comic-con and the business of pop culture: what the world's wildest trade show can tell us about the future of entertainment

Five days in July

Note for business readers

Day Zero : Hoteloween

Wednesday : preview. Backing into the future ; Setup ; Welcome to Comic-Con

Thursday : liftoff. Larger than life : superheroes and the future of the man of tomorrow ; Camp breaking dawn and the twilight of the boys club ; Strange synergies : what do sitcoms, buddy cops, and talking dogs have to do with comics? ; After hours : the twenty-first-century comics publishing business

Friday : escape velocity. Hall H : transmedia overdrive ; Artists at the circus ; are alt.comics part of pop culture? ; The future of nostalgia : how fans co-create their media experience ; After hours : the Eisner Awards

Saturday : peak geek. Gaming the system : comics, video games, and the mass marketing of geek culture ; The golden age : life in the dealer's room ; Casual fans : Mic and Emily's day ; After hours : trickster and the backlash

Sunday : to infinity and beyond. Storming the gates : comics in schools, libraries, and museums ; Transcultural transmedia : the new global face of comics ; Digital destiny : atoms, bits, and dollars ; After hours : dead dogs and Englishmen

Just wait till next year. Four paths to the future ; Endless summer ; Ghost world ; Infinite crisis ; Expanding multiverse ; Strategies for success.