Founded in 1970 from San Diego fan activity centered on Ken Krueger’s Alert Books, San Diego Comic-Con grew from a small comics, science fiction, and fantasy gathering into a nonprofit-run convention of global influence. After an early one-day trial and a first three-day event that drew 300 people, it expanded through multiple venues before settling at the San Diego Convention Center in 1991. Its broad program of panels, screenings, gaming, exhibits, and major presentations helped make it one of popular culture’s best-known events, while traditions like the Eisner Awards, Masquerade, and Artists’ Alley reflect its continued roots in comics even as television and streaming promotion became increasingly important.