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Are Comic Book conventions really Comic Book conventions?
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302 posts in this topic

I believe there is a place for both type of cons - the *real* comic cons and the "fan-cons".  Personally, if I'm taking my kid, he's going to have a better time at the "fan-con", than sitting around while his dad rummages through yet another long box. 

 I don't mind the cosplayers too much at the big shows, as it's what one expects now. However, it's gotten steadily worse over time. Personally, I think it could be limited, if done correctly. Perhaps, if you want inside as a cosplayer, you have to register as such and a panel of judges gets to decide who is the best - just like a costume contest. Only a certain amount are allowed through at any time (which would prevent 62 Batmen and/or Harleys) with alternates who could rotate out during. Give the winners a discount/free admission, BUT they must follow certain rules, no blocking tables/aisles, or heck... even helping promote some of the dealers/artists. If the other freaks want to L.A.R.P., let them do it in the lobby and not in the hall.

Cut out the carp not related to the industry, (was anyone at WWChicago when they brought in the Governor at the time to sign autographs for like $50? :D ) this could be easily fixed by pre-screening applicants and rejecting those that want to sell fake weapons, or hippie-stuff.

I personally prefer the old-school "gentleman/lady" conventions. There are several reasons, but the two that stand out the most are mutual respect among attendees and the lack of noise. Too much noise is distracting and makes it hard for me to focus and I end up getting in a hurry rifling through stuff. Also, not having someone try to shove you when you're digging is nice. Actually being able to talk to dealers without having to shout, what a concept. Not having dealers distracted that someone is going to snatch something if they don't have 16 eyes watching everything is nice too.

There should be no issue telling someone they cannot bring their cosplay gear to a "gentleman/lady" con. They have their place elsewhere. I see it like this, one can go to a whiskey or wine tasting, or to a strip club, they both revolve around alcohol, but I don't wanna hear about "Coming to the main stage - Harley!" at the wine tasting.

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It really isn't sensible to set up a con and bar people based on their clothing choices.  I'm not even really sure what the problem is that that solves.  Cons morphed into multimedia events for simple reasons - comics became the source for other types of media, drawing in fans of those media, cons weren't making enough money for the effort when they were just longboxes of vendor stock, and there is natural display/organizational creep to compete and draw people through the door.

If a comic book trade show (which is probably what it would need to be called) were to be organized, it would need to make enough money to make it worthwhile.  Cons moved out of hotel banquet halls because they are poorly lit, part of a larger space making the con stick out, which creates kind of a sad atmosphere.  Who is going to that show compared to a modern con?  Probably a tenth or less of the people who go to a modern con.  You won't have panels and rows of creators because you can't afford their appearance fees.  So now you have no draw, at least compared to a modern con.  Cons make money through ticket sales, booth fees, and concessions.  You cut both the price of the ticket and slash the attendance, then there will be less sales meaning less vendors will return.  Less concessions.  That kind of show would be more about making the vendors happy, not the consumers.  The organizers would have to devise ways to force sales.

Edited by SteppinRazor
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 Here in the Minneapolis area, we have quite a few small one-day conventions that are mostly just comics.  We just had a two-day show by the MCBA this weekend that has some modest cosplay, but is also mostly comics.  It isn't the best convention for high-end books, but there are some great $2 boxes for lower grade, low demand SA.  Here is what I bought for $54 ( I splurged for the dinosaur issues at 3/$10).  Nothing is high grade, but there are a few decent books in there.

 

IMG_0475.JPG

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couldn't they at least do a better job organizing the shows so that all the comic dealers could be in one area that way I only have to concentrate on one are of the convention.  that way I don't have to compete with someone posing in front of a Jurassic park jeep to take pictures or some insufficiently_thoughtful_person spilling his wild bills soda in the aisles while I try to look at books.  basically have 5 smaller conventions under one large umbrella and I would find it more enjoyable.

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1 hour ago, classicaaron said:

couldn't they at least do a better job organizing the shows so that all the comic dealers could be in one area that way I only have to concentrate on one are of the convention.  that way I don't have to compete with someone posing in front of a Jurassic park jeep to take pictures or some insufficiently_thoughtful_person spilling his wild bills soda in the aisles while I try to look at books.  basically have 5 smaller conventions under one large umbrella and I would find it more enjoyable.

This is the best solution, I think.  And I'd direct all the cosplayers to one corner or room to maximize traffic flow.  I'm just not a fan of how cons are these days and it's just going to get worse as different types of fans clash when layouts aren't well-designed to help minimize friction.  Going to my first one in 8(?) years and I pretty much plan to make a beeline for the comics and stay there for most of my time like usual.

Good topic, Roy. :hi:

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5 hours ago, classicaaron said:

couldn't they at least do a better job organizing the shows so that all the comic dealers could be in one area that way I only have to concentrate on one are of the convention.  that way I don't have to compete with someone posing in front of a Jurassic park jeep to take pictures or some insufficiently_thoughtful_person spilling his wild bills soda in the aisles while I try to look at books.  basically have 5 smaller conventions under one large umbrella and I would find it more enjoyable.

Some shows do that. They're pro-active about grouping like minded dealers together. Some aren't. Why, I have no idea.

 

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7 hours ago, VintageComics said:

For people who love and want comics alone (or whatever your collectible of choice is) but not the rest of what cons have morphed into the priority is not always to sell tickets or fill spaces. It's to have access to the products.

If I was running a show that's exactly how I'd run it. My return on investment would come from having clear and direct access to books.

Many of today's shows are run for profitability alone, which is why you have car companies, department stores, gutter salesmen etc at shows. And there is nothing wrong with trying to run a profitable show. But there is also nothing wrong with a comic con being run like an old school comic con either.

A smart promoter will hit the bullseye with their target audience.

 

I certainly understand the collector side of wanting to have a narrowed focus. I also agree that there's nothing wrong with an old school comic con.  Modern cons didn't happen in a vacuum, and they didn't happen because of greed, either (necessarily).  ROI has to be sufficient to make it worthwhile though.  Hitting your target audience is great, but if your target audience is a bullseye within a bullseye within a bullseye, even hitting it may not result in a worthwhile ROI.  One irrefutable thing that can be said for modern cons is they aren't marginalized like the older cons were.

If one were to try an older style con, incentivizing buying would be absolutely necessary.  One unsuccessful show and vendors could/would depart.

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1 hour ago, SteppinRazor said:

If one were to try an older style con, incentivizing buying would be absolutely necessary.  One unsuccessful show and vendors could/would depart.

The show that made me start this entire thread was an old style show.

Apparently it was very successful.

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Very late to the topic but here are my thoughts

 

The current state of comic cons, it seems is to invite as many current and former tv/movie stars of comic and sci fi shows & movies to appeal to the millions who watch those shows/movies rather than the thousands who read comics every month. Which is smart but at the same time isn't about comics rather than just geek/nerd culture. So I can understand if dealers want to have a show targeted just to them where a guy in a Transformers Cosplay isn't knocking over ther merch or blocking the aisle for 5-10 minutes while people take pictures and chat with him.

 

But at the same time I didn't consider EliteCon a comic con either as it featured no comic guest, no writers, artist, inkers or even local creators it was strictly a dealer show. There are quite a few published Marvel and DC creators who live in the Tampa area and this con couldn't one person to show? I don't think you need cosplayers to be a con but you definitely need comic book guest to be considered a con. It was a nice dealer event but I couldn't consider it a true comic con.

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6 minutes ago, AC813 said:

Very late to the topic but here are my thoughts

 

The current state of comic cons, it seems is to invite as many current and former tv/movie stars of comic and sci fi shows & movies to appeal to the millions who watch those shows/movies rather than the thousands who read comics every month. Which is smart but at the same time isn't about comics rather than just geek/nerd culture. So I can understand if dealers want to have a show targeted just to them where a guy in a Transformers Cosplay isn't knocking over ther merch or blocking the aisle for 5-10 minutes while people take pictures and chat with him.

 

But at the same time I didn't consider EliteCon a comic con either as it featured no comic guest, no writers, artist, inkers or even local creators it was strictly a dealer show. There are quite a few published Marvel and DC creators who live in the Tampa area and this con couldn't one person to show? I don't think you need cosplayers to be a con but you definitely need comic book guest to be considered a con. It was a nice dealer event but I couldn't consider it a true comic con.

I think all you need for a comic convention is people and comics.  All the rest are filler and ways to get non-comic book people in the door.

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1 minute ago, 1Cool said:

I think all you need for a comic convention is people and comics.  All the rest are filler and ways to get non-comic book people in the door.

I look at comic conventions as a way to celebrate the medium and fans passion for the medium. I enjoy walking the dealer area and trying to find issues but I also like to meet creators and chat with them in regards to the books I've enjoyed. People and just comics to me seems more like a flea market or sales floor than an actual con.

 

Did anyone here go to Elite Con? If so how was it?

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8 hours ago, AC813 said:

Did anyone here go to Elite Con? If so how was it?

I didn't go but as I understand it several board members did.

I heard both on Facebook and on here that there was high praise for the show as everyone new about the purpose of the show before attending.

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I can say from experience that sometimes the cosplayers do interfere with customer access to my booth. 

I can also say that less than 5% of my customers are cosplay attired (might be 1%)

 

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On 3/17/2017 at 2:07 PM, VintageComics said:

They even resorted to name calling saying it wasn't a "Con" (as in convention) and that it was a con (as in from the Latin word 'contra', meaning against, or used in the phrase 'con artist').

FYI, "con" is short for "confidence," not "contra." Con(fidence) artists take advantage of someone by first gaining their confidence.

To contribute to the conversation: I like the cosplayers as part of a whole. The best conventions have a good mix of them, artists/creators, celebrities, and vendors of all stripes - especially comic vendors. Personally, I probably wouldn't even attend a comics-only convention because I'm not serious enough about collecting, and my family certainly isn't - but I totally understand those that would love that.

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38 minutes ago, G.A.tor said:

I can say from experience that sometimes the cosplayers do interfere with customer access to my booth. 

I can also say that less than 5% of my customers are cosplay attired (might be 1%)

 

Agreed, cosplayers rarely buy comics, at least while costumed up.  

But, at these large media comic cons I sell tons of cheap books to kids and young adults.  Now that retail comic sales are essentially limited to specialty comic stores these large comic shows are a great way to introduce floppies to peripheral fans of the characters.

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