Fans still came in droves to Comic Book Convention in San Diego despite looming strike

Transcript

00:00 Comic books have fascinated and fed our imagination on the time-honored tradition of simple people in masks and capes

00:06 protecting the weak and voiceless against powerful and oppressive individuals and institutions.

00:11 But in this year's comic book convention in San Diego,

00:14 fans still continued to flock despite movie studios pulling out because of the ongoing actors and writers strike,

00:20 eager to see a variety of creators and costume players showcase their creations over more socially relevant issues.

00:28 VUA's Henia Dula tells us more from inside the convention.

00:31 Big crowds and diverse voices joined the International Comic-Con 2023 convention

00:40 that closed in San Diego on Sunday. While major movie studios and celebrities pulled out of the event,

00:47 because of the writers and actors strike, some still took part.

00:52 Oscar-winning actress Jamie Lee Curtis promoted an upcoming novel about climate change called Mother Nature.

01:00 It's a horror story, but it's real. It's happening.

01:05 Open the door, open the paper, open a magazine, turn on your TV. It's happening everywhere.

01:12 None of us are safe. None of us. Not one human being. And so it feels important to me and

01:19 timely that we are here with you today. Comic books historically have been a platform for creators to address real-world

01:26 social issues. Joe Phillips, known for his work for DC Comics and Marvel, shows his new book about a gay couple,

01:35 I Married a Superhero, and says comic books are also a great medium to express one's identity.

01:42 It was always about

01:44 someone protecting the little guy, you know, and

01:48 that was something that I really liked. And also there was,

01:52 you know, this

01:55 confidence of, you know, putting on an outfit and being better than just normal, than your normal self.

02:02 Tongva and Scottish book artist Wesha Yor Alvitra says Native Americans, like the Tongva, have been

02:10 portrayed as savages in comics over the years, and she's trying to change that.

02:15 We're trying to break those stereotypes and provide real human beings and provide real situations and backgrounds to these characters

02:22 so people get a better idea of, you know, what it means to be Native. Another Comic-Con participant, Michi Kayo,

02:28 incorporates her electric mobility scooter in her cosplay, a blend of the words "costume play."

02:35 I don't know, it just makes me feel like people aren't looking at me because I have a disability.

02:40 They aren't sort of going, "Oh, is she just in a scooter because she's lazy?" Because I don't see a disability,

02:46 so maybe there isn't one, which is a stigma that a lot of us face.

02:50 So when I incorporate everything together and when I am cosplaying in the chair,

02:56 I don't feel like people are judging me. I feel like people are going, "Oh, wow, look at that cool costumes!"

03:02 Wonder Woman was created in DC Comics in

03:06 1941. Since then, she became a symbol of female empowerment around the world. Today, when Comic-Con 2023 is over,

03:14 I am taking this character to my real life.

03:17 Jania Dulo for VOA News, San Diego.

03:21 (whooshing)