Batman Pop-Up to Give San Diego a Glimpse Into Comic-Con Museum's Future

On Thursay through Sunday, the pop-up Comic-Con Museum will be open to the public for free and will not require a ticket to San Diego Comic-Con

San Diego becomes the epicenter of pop culture for one week of every year but there will soon be a museum in Balboa Park that will allow fans and San Diegans alike to be inspired by comic book culture year-around. 

The Comic-Con Center for Popular Culture is still years away from officially opening to the public -- in May 2021, Museum director Adam Smith hopes -- but he sees San Diego Comic-Con 2019 as a sort of "dry run," a chance to test how a museum filled with comic art exhibits, classes, panels, movie screenings and more can operate. 

"The idea behind the museum is to extend the magic and the impact of Comic-Con beyond the four-day event that it is right now, to be a 365-day-a-year impact on the community of San Diego," Smith said. 

San Diego Comic Con 2019 The Batman Experience 1
Getty Images for DC
Various SDCC museum activities and displays during “The Gathering” ahead of the induction ceremony during The Batman Experience powered by AT&T and Comic-Con Museum character Hall Of Fame induction at Comic Con Museum on July 17, 2019 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images for DC)

A full lineup of events is planned for this week, starting with the museum's first major fundraising event on Wednesday. "The Gathering," is a Batman-themed night that will induct the Dark Night as the inaugural member into the Character Hall of Fame, plus give the public access to one of the biggest Batman memorabilia exhibits ever created by DC. 

On Thursay through Sunday, the museum will be open to the public for free and will not require a ticket to San Diego Comic-Con, though once the museum reaches capacity, a line will form on a first-come-first-served basis.

Guests can experience "The Dark Knight Dive," which will combine skydiving with virtual reality for a unique experience; "The Batcave," which will give guests a chance to experience generations of Batman video games; plus, hundreds of pieces of DC memorabilia will be on display.

President Donald Trump on Sunday again ripped into four Democratic congresswomen of color who've been the target of his sustained attacks, calling them "weak" and "insecure" minutes after blasting a Washington Post story on the fallout over his initial comments about the members a week earlier, NBC News reports. "I don't believe the four Congresswomen are capable of loving our Country," Trump tweeted. "They should apologize to America (and Israel) for the horrible (hateful) things they have said. They are destroying the Democrat Party, but are weak & insecure people who can never destroy our great Nation!" The Washington Post reported Saturday that Trump's own top aides did not think he fully understood what he had done in posting racist rhetoric about the four congresswomen of color, nicknamed "The Squad," on Twitter before a golf outing last weekend. Last Sunday, Trump touched off an uproar when he tweeted that the four lawmakers — who are citizens and, except for one, were born in the United States — should "go back" and try to fix the "crime infested places" they "originally came from" before telling the U.S. government how to handle its problems.

But the center is meant to be more than a place for Batman lovers and hardcore comic book fans. Smith sees the center as a space to encourage creativity and fandom within the San Diego community. 

This week's lineup of other activities at the museum -- A "Paint Like Bob Ross" class and a Geek Couture exhibit, for example -- are a preview of what can be expected year-round when the museum officially opens. 

"I feel it’s worth doing because we can demonstrate to everyone, the fans of comic con and the community of San Diego just what the potential of the museum is," he said. 

San Diego Comic Con 2019 The Batman Experience 2
Getty Images for DC
Various SDCC museum activities and displays during “The Gathering” ahead of the induction ceremony during The Batman Experience powered by AT&T and Comic-Con Museum character Hall Of Fame induction at Comic Con Museum on July 17, 2019 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images for DC)

Comic-Con International, the non-profit organization behind one of the biggest pop culture conventions in the world, has invested about $11 million into the museum, about a third of what's needed to get the museum opened by 2021. 

The city has offered the 68,000-square-foot Federal Building in Balboa Park, which housed the San Diego Hall of Champions until 2016, as the museum's permanent home. 

Despite the contributions, there's still plenty of work to be done on the three-story facility. Smith said the building will need to be remodeled to better serve their needs for the next 20 to 30 years; that includes creating classrooms that can serve as youth education spaces and adding a theater where they can screen movies and host panels. 

[2019 G] San Diego Restaurants Whip Up Comic-Con-Themed Food u0026 Drinks

He hopes this week's events will give San Diego a glimpse of what's to come and encourage locals to support the endeavor. He has only been in San Diego for two years -- since he was hired on to work on the museum project -- but he already feels the city's warm welcome. 

"This is the first new museum in Balboa Park in a generation and I think people understand that will bring new audiences, it will bring some excitement and attention to Balboa Park," Smith said. "For such a big city, there’s almost a small community feel about it and I really appreciate that." 

The Comic-Con Museum sits at 2131 Pan American Plaza in Balboa Park, about a mile-and-a-half from the San Diego Convention Center, where the annual pop-culture convention is held.

It will open from 9:30 a.m. each day and close at 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 5 p.m. on Sunday. Shuttle service will not be available to the Comic-Con Museum during The Gathering. 

Here are some other events happening at the pop-up Comic-Con Center for Popular Culture this year: 

Cover Story: The Art of Comic-Con 50
The acclaimed original art exploring 50 years of Comic-Con program book covers will be displayed. First unveiled in March, the exhibit will have an exciting new addition: the original Jim Lee artwork that graces the milestone 50th anniversary cover.

Mondo Gallery: 80 Years of Batman
The first ever traveling exhibit from the Mondo Gallery in Austin, Texas, will stop in Balboa Park, celebrating the history of Batman through 19 iconic and fan-favorite comic book covers, reproduced as screen-printed posters.

Paint Like Bob Ross
In collaboration with Bob Ross, Inc., a make-and-take art class will be held where visitors can learn to paint like TV’s Bob Ross, under the supervision of a Certified Ross Instructor.

Geek Couture: Designs from the Her Universe Fashion Show
For the first time ever, an exhibition featuring more than a dozen designs that have graced the Her Universe Fashion Show runway over the past five years. The exhibit will be expanded following the conclusion of the 2019 Fashion Show on Thursday night to include this year’s winning designs and select gowns worn by Her Universe founder Ashley Eckstein.

Daily Panels in the Museum Theater
Four panels per day will give the broader community a taste of the great variety and depth of Comic-Con programming. Full details will be announced as we reveal the complete Comic-Con programming schedule.

San Diego Comic Con 2019 The Batman Experience 3
Getty Images for DC
Various SDCC museum activities and displays during “The Gathering” ahead of the induction ceremony during The Batman Experience powered by AT&T and Comic-Con Museum character Hall Of Fame induction at Comic Con Museum on July 17, 2019 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images for DC)
San Diego Comic Con 2019 The Batman Experience 4
Getty Images for DC
Various SDCC museum activities and displays during “The Gathering” ahead of the induction ceremony during The Batman Experience powered by AT&T and Comic-Con Museum character Hall Of Fame induction at Comic Con Museum on July 17, 2019 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images for DC)
San Diego Comic Con 2019 The Batman Experience 5
Getty Images for DC
DC fans pose at “The Gathering” ahead of the induction ceremony during The Batman Experience powered by AT&T and Comic-Con Museum character Hall Of Fame induction at Comic Con Museum on July 17, 2019 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images for DC)

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