• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

WA State Summer Con w/ Jim Lee
1 1

37 posts in this topic

Albert Moy had some incredible original art eye candy near front gate:

YcnNgxY.jpg

Took at least 45 mins to exit the free parking lot as they closed off 2 of the 3 potential exits to control in/out flow of car traffic. Then took another 15 mins to crawl to freeway on ramp due to volume of cars exiting. Locals who new the area avoided these problems by parking on the residential streets or toward the far back of the free parking lot so easier to exit.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

'I Love Comics' from Vancouver, WA had Naomi #1 1st prints at $200, Batman Beyond #1 $200 and some 1st app. manga movie female character comic at raw $200 #1. They also brought some choice issues over and above their $1 blow out back issues:

GNB7SCU.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

More affordable Cgc 0.5 SA key booth also had a fresh collection of Ditko Charltons in nice shape plus some LB Cole romance cover issues at reasonable prices. I believe ASM #1 0.5 had decent front cover appeal but missing back cover:

aCkYUXt.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The show was quite good, with good selection of comics. I was in a panel where Jim Steranko gave his speech, a great time in knowing about his beginning of how he become the artist. With good laughs. He rumble overtime which the staff was threatening to throw him out the room. All in good spirits. I chatted with him a bit and found out he will be in Baltimore this year. 

Brought some comics to fill out some gaps in my collection at good deals. I get like between 50-70 % off retail, few small keys as well included. 

A good decent show. 

2EB0BBCC-E55F-4CD4-A0BF-2501EC7509DA.jpeg

FCB00643-6835-4F1C-8854-2257BE209984.jpeg

333C7395-D2A1-4E15-8BF5-09EE5CACE65D.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In generally I really did enjoy this con. I was able to also close up gaps in books and runs I am going after. Which is great. I would do this con again. It was the first con I brought my daughter to. She was four. I had talked to her a lot about the con before we went. Talking about the things Daddy wanted to do and the things she would be able to but she had to be good and help me out. Which she did. And then she totally enjoyed all the bouncy castles and face paintings.

I guess I saw some stuff I wasn't too thrilled with personally. Perhaps those of you who have more experience then I can shed some light on the things I saw that I was not thrilled with.

I collected two signatures from this con. Jim Shooter's and Jim Lee's. I collected Shooter's early Saturday and had the option to get a cert of authenticity. Sunday, I had the cheep pass for a Jim Lee autograph. The event/staff were not prepared for the number of us waiting and waiting to wait for his autograph. They were very much eager to sell us additional autographs. They offered no cert of authenticity at all.

For me, this was the first time I paid for a big name like Lee's. It was interesting to me how they handled books so that the only person who touched them where you and the end of Lee's Sharpie. Then you could go right to the CGC table to have your item mailed off or go next to the CGC table to be given a moment to properly put your comic away. The experience was pretty damn fast and I had one question I would have loved to ask Lee. He was polite and kind, but it was a line of motion to get in and get out.

Later I walked by Shooter's booth again and asked his handler what happened to all of the certs here I saw the day before. "We ran out and no place in town was open where we could print off more."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My apologies for those who had responded to this thread with questions, I have been out of the loop on here. I attended Summer Con on Sunday only, I rarely get to enjoy a convention from a fan perspective since I am usually set up as an exhibitor. I wanted to check out the show from both sides. I was pretty shocked at how low the turn out was on Sunday, which was the day Jim Lee was there. From a fan perspective, the lower turn out meant virtually no line for signatures or commissions from the very impressive comic guest list they had with it only being it's second year as "Summer Con". A great mixture of legendary and A-list comic creators of today but where were the fans? I realize that weekend fell on Father's Day, lots of graduations going on for high school and college students, and in downtown Puyallup there was some sort of big street fair going on. The organizer did a great job setting the show up for people to enjoy of all ages. It was held at a portion of the Fairgrounds, plenty of free parking, easy in/out procedure, lots of food vendors, and play areas for younger kids. I had opted for the Gold VIP for Jim Lee mainly to get my Absolute Batman Hush signed, since he was only there for four hours of the day. Jim was his usual cordial self to fans. I didn't see many people looking through Moy's offerings, but I had heard Saturday was a busier day with regards to fan turn out which as most people will agree, generally tends to be the case.

From an exhibitor perspective, I saw a number of them I knew and asked their opinions on the show. The majority of them had both positive but also negative to say. The consensus was too many celebrity/actors from years past (and what I saw on Sunday, most didn't have anyone at their booths but again I was only there on Sunday) and that the show really didn't need to put the resources into bringing them in, but rather should have had a few celebrity guests that have a larger fan following, and maybe a few more bigger name comic guests, but overall I liked the mixture of comic guests they had. So if you went for the comic guests alone, it was worth it with there not being much of a line for any of them, on Sunday that is, Jim Lee being the exception. I don't believe the Platinum or Silver level VIP tickets for Lee sold out, Gold did which was limited to 90 people. I was surprised that the organizer was even able to secure Lee, but I had heard Lee has some family this way so perhaps he was in town visiting them. Since I had heard Lee had announced he was only doing 100 more appearances starting last year, I figure this could be one of the few remaining opportunities I had to get my Absolute Hush signed by him doing so from the fan angle. Plus with Williams and Sinclair there it was a bonus added them to it as well.

Some I spoke to didn't care for the name Summer Con, I can understand why, there needs to be "Comic" in there somewhere. Also, unsure if Puyallup is the ideal location, while it worked, if it was closer to downtown Seattle, or even Bellevue which is across the water from Seattle, it may have attracted more people. I honestly didn't know about the show myself and I am pretty keen to the shows around the PNW until someone had mentioned it to me a few months ago, but beyond the Facebook marketing, I didn't see really anything in the stores up my way. But at the same time, the organizer wasn't charging an arm and a leg either, I think 10x10 booths were around $300 each, and with the line-up they had, I really was surprised the show wasn't packed both days. I will attend the 2020 show more than likely and depending on the dates may set up as well, as I was impressed with the organizer's communication and clearly a solid dedication to make the show a fun event for all, but there does appear to be some changes and perhaps they already will be addressing those things.

For those who went both days, how much more crowded was Saturday compared to Sunday?

Edited by Jugger Grimrod
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Jugger Grimrod said:

 

For those who went both days, how much more crowded was Saturday compared to Sunday?

My friend and I did went there for two days. I can tell you that Saturday is more busier than Sunday, it appears that Ron Thome (writer of Conan the Barbarian) was only there for Saturday, so that might be one of some reasons? With this show I seen around, of course it being my first time ... I was impressed a bit with what the show folks have worked in setting up. I do see a few things that could use some improvements but I am sure they have taken notes to what can do next year. 

I got three signatures I need for my books so I am happy with that. Didn’t get the chance to get some sketches from a couple of artists as they don’t have time for that. I see a few booths I’ve not seen before, some others which kinda didn’t fit with comic theme or pop culture. Overall, a few booths with comic book vendors does display a good selection of comics to appeal many collectors.  Most of them, I’m sure like me, are looking for good deals to fill up the gaps in our collections. 

I had a good time chatting with some vendors. However I don’t know how well they did with their sales at the show from start to end? 

All I know is that I hope to return for a good show with better improvements. Maybe a little better comic artist list? :wishluck:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 hours ago, Jugger Grimrod said:

Since I had heard Lee had announced he was only doing 100 more appearances starting last year

I have not heard this. Only 100 more appearances and then what? It's really hard to believe on face value but I do know that Lee is wealthy as a result of things from outside his comic book work. So he doesn't need to do this. Still, I haven't heard the 100 more appearances thing before. I would love for you to take a minute and elaborate on this for me.

21 hours ago, Jugger Grimrod said:

For those who went both days, how much more crowded was Saturday compared to Sunday?

I attended both days with my 4-year-old daughter. I could never take my daughter to Emerald City Comic Con (ECCC). Not yet anyway. There aren't any bouncy castles and things for her to blow off energy as they had available to us at Summer Con. I have attended ECCC for years and my local Bellingham Comic Con. Compared to ECCC, Summer Con was a breath of fresh Air. I saw a lot of the same comic book vendors (and some new ones), but they were not charging as much for key issues as they do at ECCC. If I had known that going in I would have set myself up to upgrade some key issues I have. But I was easily able to get through boxes of comics on both days. I close some gaps in my PUNISHER and Sleepwalker runs I am putting together. That alone was worth the drive and the cost of admission for me. I collected Jim Shooters autograph and Jim Lee's on one book each. I will say again that as a person who bought silver passes for Lee, I found it to be disorganized. They just were not prepared for people wanting to get in line as early as they did.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, Yoshi said:

I have not heard this. Only 100 more appearances and then what? It's really hard to believe on face value but I do know that Lee is wealthy as a result of things from outside his comic book work. So he doesn't need to do this. Still, I haven't heard the 100 more appearances thing before. I would love for you to take a minute and elaborate on this for me.

I attended both days with my 4-year-old daughter. I could never take my daughter to Emerald City Comic Con (ECCC). Not yet anyway. There aren't any bouncy castles and things for her to blow off energy as they had available to us at Summer Con. I have attended ECCC for years and my local Bellingham Comic Con. Compared to ECCC, Summer Con was a breath of fresh Air. I saw a lot of the same comic book vendors (and some new ones), but they were not charging as much for key issues as they do at ECCC. If I had known that going in I would have set myself up to upgrade some key issues I have. But I was easily able to get through boxes of comics on both days. I close some gaps in my PUNISHER and Sleepwalker runs I am putting together. That alone was worth the drive and the cost of admission for me. I collected Jim Shooters autograph and Jim Lee's on one book each. I will say again that as a person who bought silver passes for Lee, I found it to be disorganized. They just were not prepared for people wanting to get in line as early as they did.

With regards to the 100 appearances there were people talking about it in the Jim Lee appreciation group on Facebook. I have seen several people talk about it and a guy I know who follows Lee quite well online and owns some of his work and is a big fan also had mentioned it. Apparently it was something Lee stated last year, where I am not sure as I had just heard about it a few months ago. What I was told was Lee wanted to do 100 appearances starting last year and then spend more time with his family. He figured it would take about 8-10 years maybe longer. But I don't know how many appearances he makes a year and if what constituents an "appearance" if its just conventions or store signings, etc. Again what I have heard, I will admit I don't follow Lee as much as most of his die hard fans do.

I would agree Summer Con did do a very good job at trying to appease fans of all ages and having things that keep kids entertained too. For a new show I was impressed with their comic guest list, they have plenty of room to grow, just was surprised at the lack of attendees on Sunday with such a stellar comic line up. Looking forward to the 2020 show though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My friend and I would come back again next year, if we can find a motel to stay overnight. And thought I would add one thing that I was surprised that the WA Summer Comic Con has so many Disability parking spaces! Available for anyone who is disabled and needs be close to entrance, the parking lot has THREE rows of parking spaces, easily up to 60 spaces!

I can’t think of any other location that can top what this place has. Nothing I know in Vancouver BC has that many number to match. 

So, they certainly do cater to appease the attendees. 

 

4147CA36-72AC-4146-A48B-AB3D51229D20.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, Fan Boy said:

My friend and I would come back again next year, if we can find a motel to stay overnight. And thought I would add one thing that I was surprised that the WA Summer Comic Con has so many Disability parking spaces! Available for anyone who is disabled and needs be close to entrance, the parking lot has THREE rows of parking spaces, easily up to 60 spaces!

I can’t think of any other location that can top what this place has. Nothing I know in Vancouver BC has that many number to match. 

So, they certainly do cater to appease the attendees.

For the record, the convention is held at the Puyallup Fair Grounds, and every summer the Puyallup Fair brings in several thousands of people every week that attend so they need large parking lots to accommodate everyone. The con itself is only a few years old, the Fairgrounds have been there for over 30 years so the large parking lots around the venue are mainly for the Fair. But it was a big plus on the organizers to allow people to park for free in the large lot closest to the entrance, a lot of cons would charge people to park, but the organizers of Summer Con went above the call of duty and allowed for people to park for free which was quite nice.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, this is true what you said about parking being free while I was attending this show. However my point is the fact of how many disabled parking spaces on that lot. I have not seen that many like that. It is quite rare, you know? Puyallup fair grounds has put the PNE fair grounds to shame, for sure. 

PNE is in Vancouver BC, is a much larger location... about three times, I think. To give you an idea. We do have to pay for parking through.:eyeroll:

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/21/2019 at 9:41 PM, Fan Boy said:

Yes, this is true what you said about parking being free while I was attending this show. However my point is the fact of how many disabled parking spaces on that lot. I have not seen that many like that. It is quite rare, you know? Puyallup fair grounds has put the PNE fair grounds to shame, for sure. 

PNE is in Vancouver BC, is a much larger location... about three times, I think. To give you an idea. We do have to pay for parking through.:eyeroll:

 

But remember you guys in Canada have much more nicer looking than money than we do. By the way on today's Jim Lee's Twitch stream a few people brought up the 100 appearances thing I mentioned I had read. He did talk about it and basically he said he has other things he wants to do with his time and that he figures if he does 8-10 appearances a year on average, he figures it will be around 2030 or possibly before when he has done 100 appearances and then it sounds like that will (possibly) be it for appearances but you never know, he may do one from time to time but that is speculation on my part, not what he said. He just mentioned that if he goes based on his current schedule that it would be around 2030. He said he already has his appearances mapped out for the next two years in advance.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
1 1