Spider-Man: Beyond Amazing – The Exhibition
Gene Roddenberry: Sci-Fi Visionary
This unique exhibit, coinciding with Gene Roddenberry’s centennial anniversary, highlights the life, career, and far-reaching legacy of the Star Trek creator. Featuring historical memorabilia, costumes from across multiple iterations of Star Trek, including many newly installed outfits worn by Majel Barrett as part of March’s Women’s History Month, massive block construction portraits and scene re-creations, screen-used props from various episodes, rarely seen documents and letters, Captain’s chair photo-ops, and a few surprises, too! Through all of these pieces and an extensive timeline of his life and career, this special exhibit will inform visitors about Gene Roddenberry’s incredible life story and his lasting impact on popular culture.
Created in collaboration with Roddenberry Entertainment and CBS, this installation walks visitors through Gene’s life, providing a deeper understanding of the man, his philosophy, and the power of his vision. The six-month exhibit highlights the immense and lasting impact that both Roddenberry and Star Trek had on science fiction, the entertainment industry, and the world at large. Live Long and Prosper!
Eight Decades of Archie
The Comic-Con Museum is proud to premiere Eight Decades of Archie, a unique exhibition that explores the storied history of America’s typical teenagers through visual displays featuring hundreds of artifacts including vintage comic books, animation production materials, priceless pieces of original art, a plethora of foreign editions and a look at Archie around the world, and other unique merchandise and memorabilia. Newly added to this display for its final three months are props and pieces from the WB’s popular Riverdale series, including character costumes and pieces from Pop’s Choklit Shop.
This project celebrates both the vast cultural legacy of the Archie Comics company and the enduring appeal of its characters. The exhibit is built to appeal equally to devoted comic aficionados, audiences who grew up on The Archies animated series and records, and those who first encountered the characters through Riverdale and its spin-off programs, while also offering behind-the-scenes insights and context that will engage even the most casual fan. The full scope and scale of Archie's pop culture is reflected within this show, from Betty and Veronica to Kevin Keller and Cheryl Blossom, from Sabrina the Teenage Witch to Josie and the Pussycats, from digests in supermarket check-out lines to cutting-edge programs on today's most popular streaming platforms.
Exhibit Contact: Nicole Yavasile, (310) 694-3252
PAC-MAN Arcade
Born on May 22, 1980, PAC-MAN immediately rose to meteoric popularity, first in video game arcades, then on the pop culture stage, and later through an array of branding and entertainment appearances throughout the 1980s and 1990s. With a worldwide brand recognition rate of over 90%, PAC-MAN continues to be one of the most recognized images and brands on the planet. Featuring a simple pick-up-and-play yet challenging-to-master gameplay design, PAC-MAN was deliberately designed to buck the trend of arcade games that were commonly focused on attracting male players. Instead, PAC-MAN was created to appeal to both male and female players and to be appropriate for players of all ages. These core design principles contributed to making PAC-MAN the family-friendly character he is today and delivering on his goal of bringing more fun to everyone no matter their gender or age.
Having celebrated his 40th anniversary last year in 2020, PAC-MAN commemorated this milestone anniversary with an array of brand integrations and partnerships including an appearance in Minecraft® through a special DLC package, a new theme song composed by world-renowned Japanese techno artist Ken Ishii entitled “JOIN THE PAC”, and topping the 40th anniversary celebrations with his excited induction in the San Diego Comic-Con Museum Character Hall of Fame.
Today, PAC-MAN continues to entertain and delight his legions of fans, both young and old. He’s currently starring in an array of new games including PAC-MAN 99 and PAC-MAN MEGA TUNNEL BATTLE for home console systems and PC and in PAC-MAN for both iOS and Android mobile devices. PAC-MAN participated in the UN’s Green Game Jam 2021 via his PAC-MAN iOS and Android mobile app where he seeks to influence over 1 million players to be more aware of the environmental challenges we face and to support a petition urging world leaders to protect forests as a key line of defense against climate change.
The future for PAC-MAN is truly bright as he continues to deliver fun and entertainment to an ever growing number of fans of all ages through more games and products.
Exhibit Contact: Denny Chiu: dchiu@bnea.com
Director of Corporate Communications, BNEA
Cardboard Superheroes
Founded in 2019 by brothers Connor (17) and Bauer (14) Lee, Cardboard Superheroes is a non-profit that provides alternative and free arts education workshops for people of all ages. Connor and Bauer have been building life-sized cardboard models for the past 6 years and created Cardboard Superheroes as a way to share their passion for superheroes, popular arts and crafts with as many people as possible.
The Cardboard Superheroes exhibit at the Comic-Con Museum showcases some of Connor and Bauer’s finest work featuring pop-culture characters made into life-sized cardboard models including the Hulkbuster, Iron Man, C-3PO, Wonder Woman, Groot, Baby Yoda, and much more!
For more information on Cardboard Superheroes and to access their tutorials visit their website at: cardboardsuperheroes.com or the Comic-Con Museum YouTube channel.
Exhibit Contact: Conner, connor@cardboardsuperheroes.com and Lee Bauer, bauer@cardboardsuperheroes.com
Dave Stevens and the Rocketeer: Art For Arf’ Sake
Artist Dave Stevens’s greatest creation, The Rocketeer, has captivated generations of comic book and movie fans. But Stevens and his Bulldog Studios’s (E. Surplus Lickum) legacy of creating “art for arf ’sake” goes far beyond that series, as this exhibit reveals through glorious pages of original comic-book art, advertising pieces, animation storyboards, concept art from The Rocketeer film, and one-of-a-kind artifacts and prototypes from Stevenss’ personal collection.
Dave also had a long relationship with Comic-Con International, providing artwork and promo pieces for the convention for years, and we are overjoyed to be able to share work from across the breadth of his artistic life. In addition to over 40 original covers and pages from The Rocketeer, this one-of-a-kind exhibit will also feature Dave’s early works, his artwork for Comic-Con, animation storyboards, Rocketeer helmets, costumes, character busts and statues, his’ awards, his original drawing table, and other uniquely designed props and pieces. The Rocketeer is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2022, and you’re invited to share in the celebration!
