Comic-Con No-Go, Reubens Really Iffy
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Like the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists Convention and the Herblock Prize Lecture, the San Diego Comic Convention has been cancelled.
For the first time in its 50 year history, the show will not go on. Comic-Con International announced that there will be no San Diego Comic-Con in 2020 — and the next planned event will be July 22-25, 2021.
While the June 6 National Cartoonists Society Reuben Awards Dinner remains in flux.
As of today [March 20, 2020], the Kansas City authorities have issued an eight-week ban on all gatherings of more than 10 people. We assume, given the news reports we are all seeing, that this ban will probably be extended into the period when our event is scheduled. Airline travel is restricted and maybe even more severely restricted going forward.
However, our contracted obligations with the hotel mean that we have to wait for the authorities to confirm that our event cannot be staged, which will then trigger Force Majeure clauses that allow our contract to be cancelled without incurring financial penalties. Given the extent of the crisis, we fear that this probably going to be the case.
Beginning March 24, 2020, residents have been directed to stay at home unless traveling for essential needs. This directive is expected to run through May 15, with the potential for an extension depending on public health considerations available at the time.
That is another month before the city has to decide whether or not to extend the stay;
and that deadline is three weeks before the June 6 NCS Convention.
The Governor of Missouri has a more laissez faire attitude toward sheltering,
eventually issuing an order lasting until April 26 and recently extending that to May 4.
So the status of Missouri is being decided by small increments, while Kansas City itself still has a while to decide on extensions. This is leaving the National Cartoonist Society, and us, in a sort of limbo.
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