I managed to snag myself a free pass to Wizard World Philadelphia. It wasn’t the end of comic book conventions, but you can definitely see the end from there. That’s not to pick on Wizard World. I’ve have good and bad experiences with them. Certainly, I wouldn’t run a business as they do, but to each his own.
The problem with comic book conventions is that the big ones that have survived are not about comic books. There’s just not enough interest in print comic books in the US. There, I said it. In Japan comic books are a billion dollar industry, but that’s party because a big percentage of that is porn and what isn’t porn isn’t superheroes. There’s a wide swath of interest put in comic books in Japan and they’re really cheap, big comics.
U.S. print comics have become a loss leader for movie development or an adjunct to those of us who moved on to webcomics. The comic book conventions are supposed to be about catering to the fans of this medium, not just to major trademarks. That means the focus needs to be on the creators and the comics, not the product developed based on that. And if you are going to cover the other product, well there should be added respect show to the medium from which it originates. and especially the creators.
Wizard World has pretty much turned into an autograph convention and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s actually good they finally expanded into film because they had screenings to go see. Plus they now regularly invite fan clubs to these things. But the artist alley is shrinking. I don’t see it staying. I think within 2 years, it will just be absorbed into another section of the con. Quite frankly, I’d be surprised if Wizard kept the name “Comic Con”. It would probably be more appropriate to call it a “Pop Culture Con”.
But here’s What I’d Like to See Happen:
There is no going back to the “good ol’ days” of big comic book cons. (Not that they were all that “good” to begin with, but at least they focused on the medium.) Comic book conventions need to get away from these pop culture extravaganzas where creators and the comics don’t get attention. Better to be in a smaller, hotel con and have the focus than get lost in the maze on the convention floor. I also think Sci-Fi Fantasy Cons are a better fit, since they tend to focus on stories and characters and creators, rather than just popular trends. (Not that there isn’t some focus there.)
I’d like to see Wizard World get out of comics. I wish them well, but as I’ve always said, “If you want to make money, get out of comics.” There’s the door Wizard. Have a nice life selling autograph pictures. Not my thing, but hey, 2000 people lined up to see the actor that played Thor, so who am I to judge?
Webcomics are the future and comic book fans need to embrace that. If there’s anything you need to piggyback on, webcomics is the thing. First, webcomic fans like comic books. They’re certainly not against them. And since webcomic fans are only in it for the reading, art and story, there’s no collectible aspect to get in the way. Now, as a comic book dealer, you’d have to change up your sales pitch somewhat. You’d have to focus on your product being a good read, rather than a valuable collectible, but certainly there are some retailers that can do this. Webcomic conventions are still small and they would welcome the income that comic book dealers would bring. You couldn’t have very many, but downsizing is going to happen, no matter how you look at it. It’s about quality, not quantity.
Silver Age, Golden Age and big collectible guys, they’re already moving on to antique-type conventions or their own shows. That’s where they need to be. It’s an older crowd. Big ticket items. With the Internet, why would someone that’s going to spend five grand on one comic do it on the floor of a con? There’s noise, fans, not to mention food— These transactions should be in a much more subdued arena or ones strictly focused on antiques.
Let’s get back to our roots, comic book people. Small shows inside of hotel conference rooms, VFW halls or other places where you can spend time, relax, chat with creators and walk through the doors for free. Let’s slash our overhead so that comic book conventions will be free or really cheap to walk in the door. Let the big shows be about big things: movies, TV and celebrities. The webcomic world is building a great community of fans of the medium you love. Let’s build on that community and not get caught up in this collectible nonsense or, God forbid, Avengers cologne. And hey, I loved the Avengers movie. Make the comic that good and really cheap and I’ll read it.
But let’s not kill ourselves trying to prop up these characters out of some kind of misguided loyalty to “comics”. The comics community should be about the medium and the creators. And that’s what I would like to see emphasized.
Copyright 2012
