AHEAD OF THE PACK

By ZEV HURWICH

PROS AND CONS

How comic and entertainment conventions like C2E2 are changing a culture.

 Okay, so it’s a bad pun, I’ll be the first to admit that.  Still there is no denying the fact that comic book conventions are becoming a massive force in what is the nerd community, both culturally and financially.  Wizard World alone has in the last few years amassed thirteen conventions across the U.S. and even in Canada, with plans of expanding the number even further.  San Diego Comic-Con, which doesn’t happen until July, has been sold out for weeks now.  This past weekend marked a new chapter in the convention world, one which I was fortunately able to attend: the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo, also called C2E2.

Taking place at McCormick Place Convention Center, a venue which can only be described as gargantuan, was Chicago’s newest comic and entertainment convention.  For the past few years Wizard World, the entertainment arm of Wizard Magazine, has mostly dominated the convention scene with Chicago Comic-Con, though there are also a few sci-fi and anime conventions out there as well.  C2E2 however is the first real challenger, and it hit the Second City in a very big way.  From April 16^th thru the 18^th, over 25,000 fans attended the con with dozens of vendors and exhibitors representing print comics, web comics, video game companies, book publishers, and various collectible manufacturers. Somewhere off to the side of the convention floor, there was even a tattooing station.  The actual space was rather nice as well, the aisles were wide enough to let people through, and there were large windows as well letting in some much appreciated natural sunlight.  The panels, events and even the screening that I attended were all very well done, though, as cliché as it sounds, there really wasn’t enough time to see everything.  Some of the highlights, however, were a phenomenal panel with Kevin Conroy, the voice of Batman from the classic DC animated series, who was every bit as much of a hero as the character he voiced. There was a screening of the first two episodes of the new Dr. Who, both of which were fantastic.  Then there was one of, if not the highlight of the weekend: An Evening With Neil Gaiman, a fundraising event for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, where the superstar author read several poems and short stories as well as answering questions ranging from “What is the best way to get the attention of publishers?” to “Have you ever walked on the curb of the street and pretended that you’re on a tightrope?”  All in all it was an incredible weekend that simply cannot be summed up in a few short paragraphs. It really has to be experienced.

So what’s the big deal with these comic conventions, or rather what makes them so great?  Well, for starters, at a comic book convention, everybody wins.  The fans attending get a lot of free promo items from all kinds of publishers and other companies; great deals on comics, apparel, collectibles, exclusive news, and previews of upcoming material, and numerous chances to meet the creators and professionals whom they idolize and get to autograph their comics. Creators get a chance to showcase their latest work to thousands upon thousands of people who are eager to throw money at them to own a piece of their work. Indie publishing firms especially use this as a chance to show fans that there are more than two companies out there who are putting out quality comics. Then of course there are the business people who are running the event, who stand to gain an immense amount of money from the whole experience.

The other reason why conventions are such a big deal lies on a cultural level. Nerds have always strived to band together, whether it was in the ancient Greek forums where Socrates and some of the first recorded nerds invented modern thinking, the video arcades in the ‘80s where the first gamers gathered to play Pong, or even the chat-rooms and LAN parties of today. Nerds need other nerds. After all, we’re not known for being an outgoing bunch. More importantly, we prefer the company of our own kind more often than not. So to have a place that gathers thousands of nerds together in one location is a big deal.  My favorite part of Sunday was playing Magic: The Gathering with random people, and interacting with other nerds in a relaxed yet strangely intimate social setting. Then there are the people you talk to while waiting an hour on line for a signature, or a screening, and the people you just talk to because they have cool costumes. With the exception of one angry and offensive Geoff Johns fan (not to say that they all are like that, of course) I didn’t meet a single person who wasn’t nice, if not a little awkward and shy.

Though comic book conventions have been around for over four decades they’re just now realizing their full potential. In the coming years, with all the competition going on with comic conventions, it looks like they’re only going to get bigger, and better.  That means more opportunities for fans, which means that as attendance grows, so will vendor and exhibitor participation.  If there’s one thing economics (and biology, for that matter) teaches us, it’s that there’s nothing healthier than some good competition.  In the very near future many more independent publishers, including Blackline Comics, will start to attend these conventions, and you’ll start to experience the full benefits of just what they have to offer.