DC FanDome: Do Virtual Conventions Really Work? Part 2

If you recognise this title before, you may or may not know that the second half of the DC FanDome premiered on 12th September, 21 days after the first half. Whilst the first half consisted of an 8 hour live stream which featured Film, TV and gaming announcements, panels with cast and crew, and discussions, the second half was advertised as a fully interactive map, with different sections. To read my first post on the first half of DC FanDome, click here.

The idea of having 6 sections is that there is something for everyone, but, ultimately, all fans can come together within the same space. Here is a brief description of each area:

Watchverse is an area full of DC videos, such as TV show panels, and the history of DC. You could literally spend all day here.

Insiderverse includes all behind the scenes content of comics, TV shows, director Q+A’s, and even panels surrounding the industry and jobs.

Youverse is specifically aimed at the fans itself, and ultimately is a celebration of these fans by showing cosplay outfits, fan art, DC pets, and even DC related tattoos. This area also includes all of the fan Q+A’s that were taken place over the convention.

Funverse is exactly what it sounds like. It is the area which includes all of the exclusive games, specifically built for DC FanDome, downloadable content, trivia, and the virtual roller coaster, and yes, I finally did get to go on it.

The Hall of Heroes is an area where you can catch up on everything that happened on 22nd August. All announcements and panels that were included on the live-stream are available to watch here, in case you missed anything, or wanted to relive that moment once again. Which is relatable if you just want to watch The Batman and Snyder’s Justice League trailer over and over.

Finally, the Kidverse which is where kids are too able to enjoy the DC FanDome. Everything from drawing/craft lessons, Teen Titans GO! Q+A, DC Super Hero Girls trailer, to Karaoke in included in this section, which will lead to hours of fun.

Each of the pages resemble this structure:

However, despite the amount of content that could have lasted you hours, it simply did not live up to the hype it received. The structure of both the interactive map and the live-stream is where the issue lies. For me personally, there was no in-between. On one hand, you had to sit at your computer/laptop for 8 hours straight and watch panel after panel (which if you are only there to watch specific panels, it’s a long wait). Whilst on the other hand, you had different pages that were absolutely bombarded with videos as far as the eye could see. There was no direction, you just watched whatever you wanted.

The first half proved successful. The idea of watching the live-stream with potentially millions of other fans around the world at the same time, was rather heartwarming, and it was a a place where everyone joined in on the conversation on platforms such as Twitter.

Yet, the second half felt somewhat of an afterthought. Whilst you knew there were other people accessing the website, there was no real indication that people were watching the same thing as you. Fans on Twitter were posting about different sections and it didn’t feel as united as the first half. More of them tweeted that the website had crashed and we ended up waiting for 30 mins before they fixed it.

For a majority of people, it was expected that the interactive map would go live on 22nd August, along with the live stream. Therefore to wait 21 days after the announcement part of the convention, it meant that the hype would slowly dwindle. Sort of like when you’re at a real convention and you’d walk aimlessly around, not knowing what to do.

However, despite the actual structure of the website, the content that was included on the day, made up for it. There were many new panels to choose from such as the I’m Latinex, What’s Your Superpower? panel, the Lucifer panel, and extended Q+A’s from directors such as James Wan and Patty Jenkins. If you wanted to look at the more interactive side of the website, there were plenty of activities to do such as games from Lego, and create your own custom Chevrolet. Here’s mine, which I super (get it?), proud of.

Another activity which I loved, was The Joker’s Escape Room. The game consisted of a 360 degree image of the Joker’s fun-house, and you have to escape by completing a series of mini-games. Now it’s safe to say that the amount of hard work and effort it took to create this game, for this one event, is amazing, and probably one of the highlights for the event. However, due to so many people being on the website at the same time, my PC had a hard time keeping up.

To conclude the whole event, it was a great way to get fans to interact with one another, especially during the pandemic, where they are limited to see and do certain things. The convention itself proved that it is possible to make it virtual, and even more so with the second half, with the added interactive activities and exclusive videos. The quality of the content showed the diversity surrounding DC Comics and promoted equality. Cast and crew showed their gratitude towards the event as it was a chance to interact with their fans and other cast mates. The panels, which used the Zoom platform in order to connect, added humour as it was such a weird situation to be in.

However, there are minor tweaks to be made if DC or any company want to do virtual conventions again. In my opinion, it would’ve been better to put both halves of the convention in the same weekend. The live-stream on Saturday, and then the interactive map on Sunday, therefore, you are not dragging out the hype too much, as opposed to leaving it for 21 days, and risking people become disappointed.

Overall, the event was extremely enjoyable. The idea of being able to be apart of a convention whilst in the comfort of your own home, with access to free content, is always appealing. However, the ability to produce a diverse range of content for all is a great achievement, as everyone had the freedom to choose what they wanted to see. Following the events of the pandemic, it proves that anything is possible, even successfully creating a virtual convention.

DC FanDome: Do Virtual Conventions Really Work?

On 22nd August, DC Comics launched their free virtual convention for fans all over the world, called the DC FanDome. With the ongoing restrictions due to the pandemic, being able to hold a physical convention is merely impossible. For DC, this was a chance to interact with fans, by giving them a chance to see exclusive trailers, celebrity panels, and gaming news, right in the comfort of their own homes. However, it really begs the question: is it possible for conventions to be virtual in the future?

Before the event, DC released a map on what the convention would hold. The vast range of events went from hall of heroes, kids section, an area where fans could show of their creations, an area to watch videos from the day, and even an interactive section where you could even ride a virtual rollercoaster.

However, prior to the event, it was announced that the 22nd August would only be the hall of heroes and everything else would take place later in September. There went my dreams of going on that rollercoaster.

Therefore, on the 22nd August, DC FanDome created a continuous livestream, with it’s own scheduling starting at 6PM to 2AM (for us Brits). The show had a variety of international hosts, based on an interactive platform to really set the scene. Jim Lee, who created the set design, said in one of the DC segments, that his inspiration came from the Justice League Watchtower.

The stream kicked off with the Wonder Woman 1984 panel. The panel consisted of an interview with the cast and director, fan questions and then an exclusive trailer, which revealed Cheetah in all of her CGI-ness. Which in fact, was really cool to see for the first time.

The set up for most of the panels within the convention were based on video call (duh). So getting to see all the cast interact with each other, made it so much more enjoyable, than if I were to see it in person. Considering we were all in our own rooms, it felt personal, that we were there face to face. Some of the panels made it feel more like you were in a friendly group chat. My personal favourites were The Suicide Squad panel, purely for the amount of chaos it caused, and the Shazam! panel, which was renamed Shazoom.

Throughout the evening, fans were bombarded with new information. Concept art for the upcoming The Flash film were released, Zack Snyder popped in to release the teaser trailer for his Justice League, and Matt Reeves gave everyone the trailer for the much anticipated The Batman. Even the Rock had his own panel to promote the Black Adam film, to which he announced what characters would be appearing alongside him. (Very hyped for Dr. Fate).

However, it wasn’t just films that were being released at the FanDome. Video games such as Gotham Knights, which follows the Bat-Family, and The Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, were announced for all the gaming fans. There were even panels to celebrate the diversity within DC comics such as the Females of Colour panel, and the surprise comic panel which featured Static.

The convention itself, proved successful. It allowed fans to be within the moment all at the same time, and it allowed them to interact with their favourite actors with fan questions. Having the likes of Gal Gadot, Robert Pattison and Matt Reeves look directly at you as they’re talking, makes the connection so personal and more like a one-to-one conversation. Something you couldn’t get anywhere else. However, one disadvantage was that the website did keep crashing because there were so many people online, but considering it was DC’s first try, you can’t really blame them. Also, staring at a screen for 8 hours straight really does drain you. Towards the end of the night, I was feeling it.

The succession of DC FanDome proves that conventions can be done online. The simplicity of just turning on your computer, sitting back and relaxing in the comfort of your own home, really is appealing. Especially when physical conventions are limited to certain countries, it gives fans the opportunity to get in on the action as well. With a few tweaks here and there, I wouldn’t be surprised if they become more common in the future.