The Official Comic Con Thread

In 37 years of reading comics weekly, I've never been to a comic con.... :csad:
 
I've not either and, for some strange reason, I have no desire to. I enjoy hearing other people's stories but I just don't care to go myself. In fact, as part of a comic thing I do I can buy myself a spot as an attraction to some of these things but just don't want to.
 
The numbers can be annoying, especially in the day of Media Guests being so huge. This year, the big draw at Emerald City will be Shatner; but, thankfully, he's only there for Saturday. The best day to go, imo, is Sunday. The crowds aren't as huge, and the many sellers drop the price of their comics dramatically. (The past two years, I've bought comics at 70% off the asking price.) Plus, you have a ton of places selling comics for cheap, cheap, cheap...like 5 for a buck...and, sometimes cheaper. (I usually avoid those now. They're always filled with stuff I already have...or the comics are not in collectable condition.)

I alway want to try one of the panels; but, I end up having so many comics I want to have signed, that I never get to them. I'm thankful for the extra day this year, though. (Last year, I brought three small comic boxes full of books to sign. I don't see this year being any different.) I love meeting the writers and artists and getting my books signed by them. The big guys always have enormous lines, where you can wait for an hour (Brubaker and Bendis); but, most aren't that busy, and you can walk right up to them. (Most annoying are the artists who decide they'll draw the pictures right then and there for the people in line. It's rare nowadays; but, still happens.)

The price of admission is easily paid in freebees, I've found out; but, you have to get there early before they are all gone. Last year, the DC Comics Booth gave away about 20 free comics of various ones. (Plus, you can then get them signed by someone at the show.)
 
I love cons because the deals are great and I get to meet the creators behind my favorite comics.For Example I meet Shawn Crystal who's penciled several different Deadpool books.he signed all my Deadpool comics and we chatted for a good 8-10 minutes about his work and what characters we loved.Afterward he gave me a free mini sketchbook he was selling and on my Deadpool #900 did a mini sketch of Deadpool on the white space in the cover.He was the nicest guy and I hope to see him again.I'm planning on going to three cons this year.
 
My first full-blown comic con was NYC Comic Con in 2007..i paid a little extra for a one-on one meeting (actually me and about twenty other people) with Stan Lee.


oqg27m.jpg



Without a doubt, the greatest single moment of my life, as far as comic fandom goes. :yay:
 
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Stan is going to be at a Con I'm going to.If I gotta pay a little extra to get the same thing as you captain I will.
 
venom892 said:
Stan is going to be at a Con I'm going to.If I gotta pay a little extra to get the same thing as you captain I will.
Click to expand...

Yeah, just keep checking the convention's home page and see if they are offering something along those lines. It was cool because we got to hang out with him a bit and shoot the breeze, and he personalized two items each for all of us.

Otherwise, you can still meet him in his regular line, but he'll only have time to sign his name, and that's it because there's so many people waiting. We met him again last September at Dragon Con here in Atlanta, and that was the case. Also, some advice; if you are planning on meeting him in his regular line, i suggest you get there early. His crowd is insane, lol....
 
Yep, I got to meet Stan last year; but, it was in the long single line-up. The Con didn't have it well handled, and the whole thing was a bit of a mess...but, it was a definite highlight I wanted to experience before the day comes when the opportunity won't be availble to us any longer. I got my copy of Amazing Fantasy #14 signed by him. (I've heard you shouldn't get such classic copies signed; but, I'll never sell it, and the copy isn't in the best of condition, as the previous owner put tape around the spine.)
 
One year Robert Kirkman called me Captain Sissy because I told him after binge reading Walking Dead I had zombie nightmares. It was in jest and one of the most awesome things ever.

My younger brother had a twenty minute conversation with Matt Fraction about the Punisher one year as well. It would have gone on much longer but Fraction got called away.
 
Son Of A @&^#!!!!!

Dan Slott has already cancelled his appearance!!!!


I'm so bummed now.
 
I think I've got you all beat :woot:

I went to the Toronto Fan Expo the last two years in a row and, as a writer for comicsbulletin.com, I had a press pass each time. In 2009 I got a 1 on 1 interview with Joe Quesada. In 2010 I talked my way past security (with a lot of help from my press pass) and got into Stan Lee's VIP party claiming I was there as press coverage. Here's a pic of him and I

BillwithSTANLEE.jpg


I've also been able to talk with a bunch of other marvel/dc artists but those two people are the highlights for sure :woot:
 
Ugh...bad pun!!!

Guess I won't be getting that "I'm Not FarmerNudie" t-shirt made up!

Thankfully, as I've been getting my list together, I've noticed some other guests that are coming that I'm just as psyched about...most notably, Larry Hama! I think I have a list of 30+ comics I'd love for him to sign; but, maybe I'll spread it out over the three days, as not to overwhelm him all at once. I'll definitely get G.I. Joe: Real America Hero #1 signed! Plus, he did that Maverick series, the first Sabretooth mini, and a BUNCH of Venom minis. Plus, he did Wolverine from issues 31-118! (Ok...I might have more like 50 comics for him to sign when it's all said and done.)

I also can't wait to meet Cully Hamner (Blue Beetle), Tony Harris (Ex Machina), Hickman (Fantastic Four), J.G. Jones (Final Crisis and Marvel Boy), Dan Jurgens (Booster Gold), and Karl Kesel (tons of stuff, including the pretty darn good Cap minis, Cap: Patriot and Cap: 1940's Comic Strip).
 
This could take a while, since it's such a broad topic, so I'll divide it between past conventions and future ones, mostly based around Orlando:
Conventions Past:
I've had loads of fun experiences at conventions in the past, a couple headaches, but mostly awesome experiences.
I can think of a few favorite writers and artists I've met in the past:
1. Christos Gage. I had a LOT I wanted him to sign, but he patiently and cheerfully signed them all and we talked a bit. Seemed like a really nice guy.
2. Brian Pulido. I got him to sign all the 'Nightmare on Elm Street' comics he did, and we got into a very amusing conversation about the death of a particularly obnoxious character in one of them. Who would have guessed that a writer who does such grisly, terrifying comics (Some of the deaths in his 'Elm Street' comics are even more graphic and disturbing than the ones in the movies) could turn out to be such a nice, friendly guy in real life?
3. Ethan Van Sciver. I remember once going up to him with a comic that I thought he did but it turned out he didn't (He only did an alternate cover for it), but he signed it anyway with a patient smile. When a guy can remain so easygoing when fans make such stupid mistakes, it's definitely a good sign.
As for least favorite, here's one: Adam Hughes. I only had a limited time I could be at that convention, and I just wanted him to sign one single issue of 'Power Girl' that he did the cover for, but he rather rudely declined, saying he was doing requested sketches for the next several hours, and wouldn't be able to stop and do autographs again until later that afternoon, long after I had to leave. Would it have really thrown him off schedule so much to take like 5 seconds and sign my one measly little comic? Jerk.
Also, I'm not sure if this counts, as it wasn't his fault, but getting John Romita Jr.'s autograph was an absolute nightmare. The line was VERY poorly handled. It seemed like every guy way ahead of me wanted him to do a sketch (And I just had 2 comics I wanted him to sign), and it wasn't until WAAAAY later, when it was nearing my turn, that the convention guys FINALLY stepped in and divided the line between those who wanted a sketch and those like me who just wanted an autograph. Because of how poorly- handled the line was, getting my 2 comics autographed took me over 2 hours, causing me to miss a Q & A with Adrian Pasdar that I had been looking forward to. When I got to Romita, though, he seemed like a nice guy, so that was good.

Conventions future:
While I've been disappointed at the cancellation of the FX show, I can't wait for the Orlando Megacon in late March! The guest lineup is looking great already, and even Stan Lee will be there! It seems like every time they announce a new guest there and I look him up, I rejoice at the stuff already in my collection which he has done and which I can get signed! I can't wait!
 
Yeah, you mentioned two of my biggest gripes with conventions. One is the writer/artist who sits at their table, but won't sign anything until a specific time. (Liefeld was like that one year...and, Mike Grell, also.) Second is that conventions REALLY need to have two lines for those artists who decide to draw for fans on the spot. I hate having to wait 30 minutes per drawing...and, knowing if I get out of line, it will just be longer later.

Also, being a guy who sometimes wants 20+ comics signed by someone, like Brubaker or Hama, I wouldn't mind at all if they made a line for those with under five books to be signed.
 
Phaedrus45 said:
Yeah, you mentioned two of my biggest gripes with conventions. One is the writer/artist who sits at their table, but won't sign anything until a specific time. (Liefeld was like that one year...and, Mike Grell, also.) Second is that conventions REALLY need to have two lines for those artists who decide to draw for fans on the spot. I hate having to wait 30 minutes per drawing...and, knowing if I get out of line, it will just be longer later.

Also, being a guy who sometimes wants 20+ comics signed by someone, like Brubaker or Hama, I wouldn't mind at all if they made a line for those with under five books to be signed.
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Nice to see someone else who recognizes what a big annoyance those things can be!
Oh, and yeah, dividing the line for those with less than five books to be signed sounds like a good idea, too.
I'm debating what to have Stan Lee autograph should I be able to meet him (I'm operating under the assumption that, since he's a highlight celebrity guest who charges for autographs, there'll be a "One autograph apiece" policy). The comics I know that I have which he's personally contributed to are 'The Last Fantastic Four Story,' 'Fantastic 4 # 543,' Thor # 600' (Special variant cover, already signed by Olivier Coipel, Laura Martin, Chris Giarusso, and I can get it signed by Mark Morales too), 'Spider- Man: Origin of the Hunter' one- shot, and 'Who Wants to be a Superhero: Feedback' (Already signed by Feedback).
What do you guys think I should get him to sign, out of those?
 
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Of that list, I think The Last Fantastic Four Story is the best. (That was the "missing one" that they finally printed recently, right?) If it's the one I'm thinking of, then it's the one that I instantly associate with Stan. (I'm not sure about those others, and figure he might have minor contributions.)

You are right. You get one signature per payment. (I think I shelled out 40 bucks; but, it could have been 60. Just make sure you get your payment in quickly, so your spot in line is set up earlier than other people.)

EDIT: Also, another option for a signature if you bought it recently is What If #200. Stan wrote a pretty good story in that one...but, I'd probably still go for The Last Fantastic Four Story, if it's the one I'm thinking of.
 
My first comic con was actually this past NYC Comic Con and despite being almost overwhelmed by the sheer amount of people, I really enjoyed myself. I didn't really have any bad encounters though. I did go with a friend of mine who doesn't really appreciate comics though, and he was kind of annoying the entire time, but he got burned later on and my day was made.

I think the only downside of my day was getting the Neal Adams variant cover of All-Star Batman & Robin #9 signed by Mr. Adams. He charged ten bucks and he used one of those metallic ink pens to sign it. He told me to wait about 15 minutes to let the ink dry before putting it back in it's bag and I waited 30. The ink still came off. Kinda bummed about that, but whatever.

I also made an attempt with my friend to meet Stan Lee, first thing. Big mistake as the line cut the room in half and trailed along the side of the room. I actually jumped ship because Garth Ennis was signing in 15 minutes. The thing about Ennis, and I got lucky with this, was that to get his autograph, you needed a ticket and they started going down the line handing them out. There were only 50 tickets. I was 47. I got PunisherMAX #60 signed(his last issue) and we chatted about that awesome fight between Barracuda and The Punisher in that last issue of Long Cold Dark. He was a cool guy. Very funny.

Best experience ever though was talking to Jim Steranko who I officially deem the coolest man on the planet. I got my copy of Captain America 111 signed and for my dad, i bought this gnarly Shadow print that Steranko did of The Shadow gunning down this mad scientist who has a half-naked woman in a test-tube and it was upon purchasing this that Steranko said this to me:

"Every time I come to one of these things, there's always a group of young men standing in front of my table with their mouths dropped open, staring. I say to them 'What are you guys doing?' and they'd say 'Nothing. Just looking at your work', to which I'd say "No. No you're not. You're standing there, looking at this here painting[the Shadow one I bought] thinking 'Man, I sure would like to have a half-naked woman in a test tube!"

And we laugh, and then he leans in close to me and whispers "Hell, I'D like to have a half-naked woman in a test tube!" and he erupted in laughter, taking me with him.

His policy was First two items free, everything else 5 bucks, and had I really wanted to be a jerk and bring along my Shadow paperbacks and his Red Tide graphic novel, I would have gladly spent all of my money on this guy. Just an incredibly nice guy who gave a damn about whoever stopped by his table.

Meeting Darwyn Cooke was a nice experience, too. We chatted for a bit about The Spirit and how awesome Richard Stark's Parker novels are. He signed both of his Parker adaptations(in which he drew two little doodles of Parker), my copy of The Man With The Getaway Face and The Spirit #13. He seemed a little ticked off about something, but he kept his spirits up and was courteous to everyone.

I went over the Dark Horse booth, because my main reason for coming to Comic Con was because I signed up to be a member of the BPRD on their website. I was told to say a secret word to one of their staff in which I'd be given an envelope full of stuff. I got my badge, a Baltimore: Plague Ships #1 book, and a list of objectives to complete(all of which had to be done on Saturday at the con. Which sucked because I was there friday), but I got into a nice conversation with their event coordinator or something like that about what they had planned for this BPRD membership stuff, along with some other comics related stuff.

The day ended with meeting Jason Aaron and the line was pretty mishandled. I was 5 on line until the staff handling it said that the line started somewhere else and everyone in front of that point had to move BEHIND the people behind that point, so I was 15th instead. It was stupid. But I was in line in front of these two other guys and we started talking about The Punisher and made fun of the Captain America game Marvel was promoting. Cool guys. Then I finally got to meet Jason Aaron. He signed a few things for me and we laughed at violence in the bible when I said it woulda been cool if Frank Castle was the protector of baby Jesus(because Aaron's PunisherMAX Christmas special was essentially the story of the birth of Christ. Only with Frank Castle in it.) That was cool.


However, my friend here got annoying quickly. He isn't a comics guy outside of liking Spider-Man(and not the books, the character) and thinking Jim Lee is the be all end all of comic artists. He went under the belief that DC was gonna have a panel about DCU Online and was pissed when he found out it was Saturday(I didn't care about the game so that panel wasn't important to me). But what he would do was go around the tables with me and if artists or writers were selling stuff for cheap, he'd buy them and get them signed, despite having no prior knowledge of their work. I actually yelled at him into buying the American Vampire hardcover from Rafael Albuquerque because my friend was acting like a cheap-ass right in front of the guy when I got some stuff signed.

And when it came time to get online for Jason Aaron, he was with me initially, because there was a guy, second on line, who had this mammoth stack of books for Aaron to sign. My friend thought the stack of books were freebies that Jason Aaron had brought with him to sign and hand out. He got pissed when I told him this wasn't the case and he got off line.

And actually, when I was hanging around the Marvel booths, we actually split up for a bit. Apparently, Jim Lee made an unannounced appearance and started signing stuff. So my friend gets in line, but he got cut off last second. So he pissed about that. Then to add more insult to injury, while we were on line for Jason Aaron, I bumped into my friend Jack who I didn't know was there. We chatted for a bit and he said that he got to meet Jim Lee and got a sketch and that he was like the last person on the line before it got closed. It was hilarious.

Kinda happy I went Friday. Crowded as it was, I managed to stay cool most of the time. Had I gone Saturday, i probably would have lost it. I'd do it again.
 
Phaedrus45 said:
Of that list, I think The Last Fantastic Four Story is the best. (That was the "missing one" that they finally printed recently, right?) If it's the one I'm thinking of, then it's the one that I instantly associate with Stan. (I'm not sure about those others, and figure he might have minor contributions.)

You are right. You get one signature per payment. (I think I shelled out 40 bucks; but, it could have been 60. Just make sure you get your payment in quickly, so your spot in line is set up earlier than other people.)

EDIT: Also, another option for a signature if you bought it recently is What If #200. Stan wrote a pretty good story in that one...but, I'd probably still go for The Last Fantastic Four Story, if it's the one I'm thinking of.
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Hey, is this the "Missing" Fantastic 4 story you're referring to:
http://www.comicbookdb.com/issue.php?ID=119305

'cuz, I don't have that one. The 'Last Fantastic 4 Story' comic I have that I was referring to was this one:
http://www.comicbookdb.com/issue.php?ID=103892

Is that the one that you said seems most like his work?
Right now, I think I'm leaning towards my 'Thor' #600 (It includes reprints of some of Lee's older Thor stories, and as I said earlier, the one I have is a very rare variant cover which I've already gotten signed by 3 other people involved in it, and I'll be able to get it signed by a 4th person in addition to Lee at the same convention, so getting Lee to sign it would make it like the crown jewel of my collection).
 
sideburnking said:
Hey, is this the "Missing" Fantastic 4 story you're referring to:
http://www.comicbookdb.com/issue.php?ID=119305

'cuz, I don't have that one. The 'Last Fantastic 4 Story' comic I have that I was referring to was this one:
http://www.comicbookdb.com/issue.php?ID=103892

Is that the one that you said seems most like his work?
Right now, I think I'm leaning towards my 'Thor' #600 (It includes reprints of some of Lee's older Thor stories, and as I said earlier, the one I have is a very rare variant cover which I've already gotten signed by 3 other people involved in it, and I'll be able to get it signed by a 4th person in addition to Lee at the same convention, so getting Lee to sign it would make it like the crown jewel of my collection).
Click to expand...

Ah, yes. It's that other one, the "Lost Adventure." (So many comics I read, I get them mixed up in my head.)

Thor #600 sounds like a good one, especially since you have those other artists who signed the book. (I LOVE getting multiple signatures.) Too bad his signature isn't just a bit cheaper. If it was 20 bucks, I would probably grab 3 or 4; because it's so hard to choose just one...especially being at a Comic Con, where you might even find a good deal on one of his classic comics from the 60's or 70's.
 
I'm going to the wonder con in april here in SF. I'm trying to go to san diego in july
 
I'm going to the wonder con in april here in SF. I'm trying to go to san diego in july
 
I am trying to go to San Diego in July but I have been unable to purchase the 4 day passes as the sale is currently closed. I have however already booked my flight from Switzerland and a hotel room at the Hilton where I stayed last year.
 
Wow! You're coming a long way for a Comic Con, Ahura. Do they ever have anything like that where you're from?

I've thought about San Diego some year; but, hearing people talk about the crowds makes me want to skip it. Emerald City was always nice, because while it was big, it was never that big. Now, with us getting all the Star Trek personalities and Buffy people, it's starting to get larger; and, I'm not sure I really like that direction. (Thankfully, Shatner is only Saturday.)
 
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