San Diego Comic-Con – Cool, Conflicting…..
Just back with the C2E2/NYCC team from a few chaotic days in San Diego and I’m not sure whether to applaud or just shake my head over what I saw in San Diego. What an insanely impressive gathering of all things that are pop culture. My buddy Chris Carle at IGN.com was telling my Friday night how that day he had interviewed 30 people, almost all of which he never though he’d get to talk to, ever, let alone all in one day in one place. The show is amazing.
We sit back at NYCC/NYAF/C2E2 global headquarters throughout the year and feel like we’ve done a good job with our shows. A good job pleasing our fans and customers. A good job growing the events. Then you head to Mecca and see just how far we have to go! So it is cool, don’t get me wrong. Amazingly cool. But conflicting and ultimately inspiring.
Peter asked a good question – isn’t it odd there are no comic shops in San Diego?
While there I had about 25 various meetings and we are working on some fairly big things for both NYCC and C2E2. Nothing I can say just yet, but trust me, Chicago, you will not be disappointed come April and New York, we may have something even bigger in store for you fans come 2010…..
Talked with Alex Ross’s main man Sal and got some updates on how the official C2E2 posters are coming along. Alex is working on two different versions and already has them sketched (and if you’ve seen his sketches, that’s pretty far a long!) they both sounds awesome and feature the city of Chicago prominently in them.
In other C2E2 guest related news from San Diego, Jeff Smith got signed up for additional projects with his publisher Scholastic, nice that he’ll have some cool new stuff to talk about as our Guest of Honor in April.
Lastly in show updates, has anyone noted the release date of Iron Man 2? Think about it, that’s all I’m saying.
Glad San Diego is behind me, now it’s all eyes on NYAF and C2E2 and speaking of C2E2, check the next post for an update on ticket sales.
-L
5 comments:
125K in San Diego? Howabout 500K at Tokyo Komiket, a show built around amateur self-publishing?
Hmmm... what is the capacity of Javits? Think you'll hit capacity just before the expansion opens?
And did you only pay $1000 to use the LA convention center for Book Expo?!
Too long didn't read version: Business means shows like this will progress away from their roots (comics in this case) to content more ripe for mainstream consumption. For purists unhappy about that, there is always an opportunity to start a show by purists, for purists, and I think it could succeed.
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I should preface this by saying that I'm not into comics as I was when I was a kid (though Watchmen did rekindle some of my interest in graphic novels.) By anyways, to someone like me, SDCC isn't really about comics. I don't think I'm alone in that perception- I often read comments from individuals who lament the fact that it's not the comic show it was 10 years ago.
Now it's a mainstream media show that features entertainment that appeals predominantly to 15-40 year old males. That same market consumes the vast majority of comics (at least in the US, Japan is a different story.) I can understand the progression- if you max out your growth focusing only on comics, where do you go next? Other forms of entertainment fans of comic books would like. These include video games & table top games, movies (especially ones based on comic IP), TV shows (people waited in line more than 15 hours for the Lost panel!) and more. What's SDCC really about now? Iron Man 2, hands-ons with video games, Lost, and ummm... Twilight. The comics are still there, I know, but at least for someone who reads about the show (as opposed to attending) that's what I hear about.
I can't say what direction NYCC/C2E2 is going, but it would seem like it's going in the direction of embracing more than just comics. I think that's good for not only your company and the show, but the attendee and exhibitor too. But at the same time, I totally get the purist position. It used to be about the comics, now it seems like comics are an after-thought... something just there because of tradition.
This happens as anything approaches mainstream status. Take rap for example. It used to be a bunch of people gathered in a public place beat-boxing and rhyming. Then it was groups with DJs who would sample other music, or producers with a drum machine who would go to small clubs and rap in front of 200 people. Now rappers like Souljah Boy or 50 Cent sell out Madison Square Garden in a few hours. Rap songs that used to be relegated to being passed around from person to person on mix tapes went to being played on a few radio stations in the country... to nowadays dominating top 40 radio stations. Purists complain, don't like it, or wish things were the way they used to be. But alas, such is progress. It's not always in the best interest of everyone, but it's usually in the best interest of most people.
From a "what can we do?" perspective, you could make a show solely about comics and other mediums that tie directly to comics. It's completely feasible. It would probably be best as a smaller show because it's going to be hard to break attendance records year after year with only comics- there just aren't as many "comic book nerds" as there are people interested in Twilight. It would probably be a ton of fun for someone who LOVES comics to have a more intimate show focusing solely on comics. Are the economics there? Probably not like they are for SDCC... or NYCC, C2E2, or PAX.
But it could work, it could be great for purists who would rather get a chance to meet an illustrator rather than wait outside a conference room for 12 hours to get seats for the uber-popular panel, it could make money for someone. At the end of the day though, the Black Eyed Peas are making a lot more money with "I Got a Feeling" than the Sugar Hill Gang did with "Rapper's Delight." And that will always shape how things progress.
Well put
L
///M
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Welcome to the blog Susan, have fun and thanks for stopping by!
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