“I’m probably the biggest nerd in Congress.” That’s Rep. Robert Garcia’s self-assessment, at least when it comes to comic books (and the movies inspired by them). The Democrat and former mayor of Long Beach has been an avid comic book fan since he was a kid and says he’s seen every Marvel and DC movie multiple times.
Garcia made waves in the comics community in January when he swore off a rare 1939 copy. Superman No. 1. He continued to garner attention with tweets directed at DC Studios co-head James Gunn, including one in which he jokingly threatened a congressional investigation unless Gunn presented a report to DC by the end of January. (Gunn, who previously said the list would come this month, complied two days later.) He’s even ready to lead Wednesday’s public hearings on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (formerly known as UFOs).
Now, Garcia is using all of his nerdiness at work. Over the weekend at Comic-Con, Garcia revealed the Congress of Popular Arts. It drew 20 lawmakers from both sides of the aisle, lawmakers with an interest in movies, TV and gaming — and the issues affecting those spaces.
“I recognize that the popular arts dominate much of the American and local economy,” says Garcia The Hollywood Reporter. “Think about what the biggest movies are – it’s the Marvel blockbusters, it’s Star Wars, it’s DC.”
In particular, the faction will address copyright, piracy, artificial intelligence and labor issues in these areas.
The meeting comes at a tumultuous time as writer and actor strikes bring Hollywood to a standstill. This was felt acutely at Comic-Con, which for the first time in decades had very little Hollywood presence.
Garcia himself appeared on a panel at Comic-Con to introduce the assembly and participated in it as well SAG-AFTRA demonstration.
Asked if there’s anything lawmakers can do to bring the studios and unions together, Garcia says at this point he just wants to show support for the WGA and SAG-AFTRA.
“Right now, they’re trying to negotiate their deal,” Garcia says. “If ever in the future we as politicians need to step in and support this, we will. But right now I think they’re on the table.
Garcia has been attending Comic-Con since the 1990s and has fond memories of waiting in line in Hall H for some of its biggest reveals, including the first trailer for 2013. Man of Steeland a few years later and the first trailer for 2016 Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
At this year’s Comic-Con, he proved to be the one who grabbed the attention of the comic book faithful. After his panel, attendees mobbed him for photos.
But even if Garcia was now a minor celebrity at Comic Con, the big takeaway was that it felt like an old-timey convention.
Garcia says, “It takes me back to the days when it was focused on comics.”
Boris Kitt contributed to this report.