Ooops, so I’m a little late in getting the rest of the con report done. Pardon me. But here it is at last.
I got rolling in good time Sunday morning and had an easy drive down from Hollywood to the Long Beach Convention Center. I got a good parking spot at the Convention Center. When I got up to the entrance level, there wre some custom cars parked on the Promenade. The one that caught my attention was someone’s Back to the Future DeLorean.
So I snapped the pictures of the DeLorean, and then turned to head into the lobby.
And the first person I saw was Dan DiDio, recently elevated to Co-Publisher for DC Comics. I did not expect to see him there! So, of course, that was the first thing I said to him as we shook hands in greeting. He said he was out to the West Coast for some meetings starting Monday, and so decided to come out a day early and check out the con. After that friendly encounter, we headed in.
Attendence was a bit lighter on Sonday, sort of expected. But it was very amiable. During the day, I chatted with friends in Artists Alley and they were a bit disappointed by the lower attendence and thus lower sales, but they felt the con was pleasant and well-run. Except for the noise from the wrestling ring in the far back corner which made conversation difficult for the artists at that end of Artists Alley.
Another slight problem was that late additions to the program were not well publicized. It had been a problem on Saturday regarding the Chaykin interview. On Sunday, a DC Comics Town Hall was added to the schedule. On the room activity listing outside the meting room. I don’t know if it was announced in the Exhibit Hall.
Anyway, at noon the DC Comics Town Hall began, with Jimmy Palmiotti and Dan DiDio coming in to “run” it. No sooner had Dan appeared at Registration (just after I’d parted from him) than they popped him into the schedule.
The gathering wasn’t large because not many knew of it. It made the conversation cozier and very informal. Dan and Jimmy began by talking about their longstanding friendship – and how they came to be writing Superboy just before Dan was first hired by DC Comics for the head editorial position. The conversation roamed over topics, including a discussion on the importance of cover art in selling readers on a particular issue.
After that “panel” wound down, I moved on to a presentation by Dawn & Clint Wolf about starting out as an imdependant comic book creator and publisher. They didn’t speak to anything new to me, but it was well organized for new creators. And they had a goodly sized audience of attentive aspiring creators.
Over all, a very pleasant convention, well-run and relaxed. The attendance wasn’t huge, but it is only their second year. It was very friendly toward aspiring creators, and I think that is a factor they should continue to encourage. I was pleased that in many of the panels I attended, the questions asked were well thought and good. They were starting at a couple of steps above the questions that get asked at similar creator panels at the San Diego convention. These attendees, aspiring to get into the comics business, were serious and prepared. From the artists I watch taking advantage of Barbara Randall Kesel’s portfolio review to the aspiring comic book writers at the Wolf’s presentation, they were working at grounding themselves on the basics.
I liked the con and enjoyed myself. I’m looking forward to the next one.
