In the first time in its 50-year history, San Diego Comic Con has been canceled. The move is not surprising given the current climate of the COVID-19 virus sweeping the globe.

What is surprising is that it took SDCC so long to make the announcement. In the interim, late March saw the postponement of July’s 2020 Summer Olympics (around the same time as Comic Con) and the closure of the Las Vegas stripe, home of casinos the size of small towns. In that same time period, life as we know it had been radically altered for most people across the globe, including the closure of most non-essential stores (down to grocery and restaurant delivery here). Major studio movies have been pushed back, live sports are nonexistent, and while 2nd quarter delivery toys are still on track for delivery, the future of the collectibles industry is on hold as the world recoups from the pandemic.

Yes, San Diego is losing hundreds of millions of dollars, however it pales in comparison to those that have already lost their job during this crisis. Human life has NO price. SDCC is a global event which requires attendees to plan months in advance. I dunno about the rest of you, but I certainly wasn’t keen on traveling on a stuffed airplane to a stuffed convention hall packed with 167,000+ people during a viral pandemic. Sorry, but whether SDCC 2020 continued or not wasn’t even an issue with me, common sense had already made up my mind that I wasn’t going.

Here is the statement made on the offical San Diego Comic Con Facebook page (oddly, I have yet to receive an official email notice):

The last few weeks have been an unprecedented time. Since it is becoming apparent that COVID-19 restrictions will not be a short-term matter, we have made the sad decision to cancel Comic-Con for the first time in its 50-year history. Continuous monitoring of health advisories and recent statements by the Governor of California have made it clear that it would not be safe to move forward. The event will instead return to the San Diego Convention Center July 22-25, 2021. Individuals who purchased badges for Comic-Con 2020 will have the option to request a refund or roll-over their badges to Comic-Con 2021. All 2020 badge holders and Exhibitors will receive an email within the next week with instructions on how to request a refund or transfer their payments for Comic-Con 2021. We thank our friends for your continued support, and we are exploring the possibility of an online presence that should give us all an opportunity to share in the community for which Comic-Con is famous.

Sorry readers, but these are crazy times. We’ll let you know if SDCC has any plans for online coverage. As for our continuing daily toy coverage, we aren’t going anywhere. Stay glued.