Affective economies: prestige, access and emotional intensity from comic conventions in Abu Dhabi, Osaka, and Mexico City

Comic conventions have transformed from niche gatherings into large, multimodal events where fans converge around global media properties. As these events proliferate worldwide, they become sites of affective intensity, cultural negotiation, and commercial interaction. Fandom is therefore understood not simply as a globalized consumer identity, but as a situated, embodied, and often uneven experience shaped by regional infrastructures, cultural norms, and economic access. Based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted between 2024 and 2025 at Middle East Film & Comic Con in Abu Dhabi, Osaka Comic Con, and La Mole in Mexico City, this article examines how models of celebrity, cosplay, and collectible culture are reconfigured across distinct national settings. While each convention reflects shared logics of fan culture and celebrity encounter, they diverge significantly in tone, access, and cultural performance. These differences illuminate how fandom is differentially lived, regulated, and commodified across borders.