Posted by Brian on Thursday, Jan 3, 2013
I’m a huge geek and comic book fan, but I’ve never gone to a comic book convention, let alone the granddaddy of them all: The San Diego Comic-Con. That’s why I was excited to watch “Comic-Con: Episode IV - A Fan's Hope,” a documentary by Morgan Spurlock about the famous nerd gathering. Spurlock follows the story of seven attendees of the 2010 SDCC while intercutting interviews with the upper-echelon of geek-culture such as Joss Whedon, Kevin Smith and Stan “The Man” Lee.
A few of the con-goers come off more obnoxious than endearing (I’m thinking specifically of Anthony, the toy collector), but the overall theme of belonging and the passion that each individual displays is tremendously and unexpectedly affecting. I would recommend this documentary to both die-hard con-survivors and to those with only a casual interest.
Ted Chiang is a master of writing short stories--usually Sci-Fi or Fantasy leaning--with an eye towards the scientific and academic. His stories stay with you. He often presents an idea, shows you the various sides of it, and then leaves it with you to come to your own conclusion. My favorite in this collection was "Hell is the absence of God." -Brian