How Outlander became a convention staple (even without a cast presence)

Later this month, San Diego Comic-Con will be bringing countless people all over the world together in one place, and it’s a celebration of all things fandom. In the early days, it was mostly about the comic medium itself, but since then it’s become one of the largest pop-culture institutions the entertainment industry has. There are countless panels, signings, exclusives, and getting badges to attend feels sometimes like winning the lottery.

Over the past several years, SDCC has also become a chance for Outlander fans to commemorate the series and Diana Gabaldon’s books — and it’s been that way regardless of if the cast is in attendance or not. This marks the second straight Comic-Con without Sam Heughan, Caitriona Balfe, or any other series regular in attendance, and the reasoning for the absence is ultimately quite simple: They’re working on season 5! Also, with it not set to premiere on Starz until (most likely) 2020, there’s no reason for the promotional tour to begin too early.

Even without the show’s two stars, Outlander still finds a way to sustain enthusiasm at SDCC, and a lot of that stems from the sheer devotion of its fanbase and a desire to meet up and continue to build a community. It’s so rare in this world that you can encounter like-minded individuals in your day-to-day life in terms of entertainment preferences; this fandom enables you to do that and have conversations with warm, enthusiastic fans. It’s why there are so many meetups and in-person events compared to some other shows out there. Starz recognizes that, and it’s why there will be at least some sort of Outlander presence on the show floor — what that is remains to be seen.

Aside from Starz, fans are finding a way to keep things going for all things Outlander with a panel of their own. The annual fan panel is taking place on Friday, July 19 at 3 PM (Pacific time) in the Neil Morgan Auditorium at the San Diego Central Library. Ginger and Summer of The Outlander Podcast will be there alongside Heather of Outlander So Cal Edition and Sarah Ksiazek of Outlander TV News.

For those of you who are collectors, it also looks like Cryptozoic is bringing some exclusive cards over to the convention this year — it gives you another reason to stick around and hunt for some cool stuff!

No matter how you want to look at it, Outlander fans, Starz, and also companies producing fan content all collectively know that this is a show with an undying convention presence. Even without a panel, there’s still a lot to love in San Diego this year.

Photo: Starz