The Problem with Comicon

[CharlieRock]

I just got back from my second Comicon for the year (so far) and I have to tell ya I am getting more and more disappointed with them as they go along.

Comicon started out, for me, as a place to meet and trade/buy comics. Also to look at local artists as well as a few industry professionals and hear panels of them talking about our favorite characters.

The autograph thing started for me when I started getting various issues and graphic novels signed by the creators that attended the cons. The celebrities came along and at first it seemed like they were going to be just another autograph that I could get while at the con. And at first it was like that. The celebrities seemed like they were enjoying meeting with us as much as we enjoyed meeting them.

But this lately I noticed something. As more and more celebrities attend the cons (thus driving the ticket prices soaring into the sky like a caped superhero) the more I notice that it's not meeting the fans that drives them to attend. Whereas we are all excited to see Sean Astin, or Nathan Fillion they are there just for another paycheck. Bruce Campbell even told me he only shows up to cons because it was written into his contract.  This coming from a guy who made his career off of having a few thousand hardcore fans and not much else.

Some celebrities seem like they are happy to be at the cons. Eddie McClintock, Milo Ventimiglia, Jon Bernthal. They actually create fond memories of meeting them. But the vast majority seem to have this attitude that they had to come into work on a weekend and they can't wait for it to end. Even them coming to their booths you can see it plain as day. The sign at the front of the booth proclaims they will be signing autographs at 11am-3:30pm. But they don't show up until well after Noon. Why? Because they were "eating breakfast" (as one manager told me at the con when I asked). Now I'm not saying they should starve just ot come meet us fans, but dammit wake up early. I did just so I could stand in line for hours to finally get a chance to see them for a few seconds and all I get is this look like I'm taking up their weekend/free time.

Phuque them!

I had so much more fun on the other side of the floor talking ot the artists, writers, and various other fans. Too bad my ticket price is now ten times as much as it used to be so we could accommodate Mr. Fillion's $100-per-autograph farce.

[crashryan]

Pardon my ignorance, but which Con was this? I thought it was a bit early for Con season.

I've attended the San Diego Con on and off for decades. There are still reasons to keep going, but it's kinda depressing to someone who likes comics but isn't interested in the broader media universe like computer games, TV, and movies. Today's San Diego Con is a ponderous combination of a trade show and a hard sell by media supercorporations to their consumers. Old school comics dealers have been shoved into a tiny corner. Only comics stars with their own corporations, like Alex Ross, have a visible presence. Which is all fine, really. Times change. The whole comic-collecting/trading/dealing thing is becoming an anachronism and Con attendees attend because they want what they'll find there. But to an old fogey whom time has passed by, it's a drag that person-to-person contact has been replaced by Big Events.

[CharlieRock]

St. Louis Comicon. Louiseville and Wisconsin, Portland, Sacramento, and Kansas City all had their Comicons already.

I did get to meet Mike Grell (Warlord) and some other great comic artists and writers. (Ethan Van Sciver, Greg Capullo, Brian Atkins, etc.)

[SuperScrounge]

Seattle also had the Emerald City Comicon at the end of March.

A friend of mine who lives in Seattle asked me to go, but we didn't since the con sold out all of it's tickets about 3 weeks before the con. (Wonder how many of those tickets went to scalpers?)

[Geo (RIP)]

Seattle also had the Emerald City Comicon at the end of March.

A friend of mine who lives in Seattle asked me to go, but we didn't since the con sold out all of it's tickets about 3 weeks before the con. (Wonder how many of those tickets went to scalpers?)

Another member here went and picked up some books cheap as he showed me some of them. Also he's asked me to go but personal items came up that prevented it, but I'm game to go one of these years. He also bought back a book he had sold years back.

Geo

[paw broon]

I don't pretend for a moment that the cons we have here in Scotland are in any way as big as the ones you mention - San Diego, etc._ but we do have them.  Traditionally, they were organised by aka, the comic shop and a couple of them were bigish affairs over a weekend with big name guests and no-one, as far as I remember (and I was one of the organisers), charged for  signatures and most guests were happy to chat away to fans/collectors.  Nowadays, one of the regular, nationally organised cons is more media, games, dressing up, dvd's than comics and has tables with guests, all charging for autographs and pictures, and comic dealers tables are few and far between.  I'm afraid that doesn't float my boat. 
There is a newish con on the block in Glasgow and the last couple of years it has been growing and there are some decent comic creators and a lot of small press folk showing up.
As with crash, I really want to find piles of comics I can look through to find something that I need or that sparks my interest.  I don't collect autographs or figures.  It was so much more fun years ago when you could wander into a local pub or restaurant with/or find already there, a comics creator or editor who was perfectly happy to have a chat and a drink. 
Not having attended an American con I can't comment on them but I have been at the Angouleme con in France more than once and it was a great experience.  Now, I might have been in a better position to meet industry people being, at the time, involved with the comics industry and D.C. and being on personal terms with a number of artists and writers but it seemed much more relaxed, less formal and less big business and all about money back then. And I hope and assume it was not that difficult for the average fan to meet their heroes. I know fine well that money was an important factor, it just wasn't as obviously the main item on the agenda.
Another old fogey's opinion with the past viewed through rose tinted specs.

Actually, I'll be meeting some friends at a small con in Edinburgh tomorrow.  Guests include Gary Erskine, Alan Grant and Norm Breyfogle plus a lot of small press folk.  Hopefully a good sprinkling of comic dealers. Looking forward to it.