What is a Convention?

What is a Comic Con?

Due to its massive popularity, conventions have popped up across the United States, and in fact the world.  From major cities to small towns, everyone is joining in on the cultural phenomenon.  But why?  Why are so many people interested in the comic conventions?

Many people have heard of the famous Comic Con.  This Comic Con is a convention held annually in San Diego, California.  It is attended by nearly 130,000 people in just 4 days.  This convention is attended by major movie, television, game, and comic studios to unveil new projects, teasers, trailers, and more.  Actors of the projects are there to hype up the thousands of fans clamoring to get a peek at them and the newest projects.  It has become THE place to promote your new project in the industry.  The hype surrounding the event is always huge, and the popularity continues to grow as do the crowds in attendance.  Celebrities enjoy going to get instant feedback from the fans and have even been spotted in costumes as to not get noticed by the legions of fans.  Bryan Cranston wearing his famous Breaking Bad character Walter White mask and greeting unknowing fans was a great example of this.

So, it makes sense why the San Diego Comic Con (SDCC) is so popular.  It also makes sense that other cities would want to imitate San Diego and host their own conventions.  However, there are no announcements at Megacon Orlando, or Fan Expo Dallas.  No movie studios presenting trailers at Planet Comic Con, or Emerald con.  As you can see by the names, not every city is Comic Con.  In fact, they are not even associated with the SDCC.  So, what are these other conventions?  What are the similarities and differences? What is the best way to enjoy one?  What should you avoid, and what are realistic expectations?

What do comic conventions offer?

Costumes/Cosplay:

Most people think a comic con is a festival for nerds where everyone dresses up (Cosplay) as a superhero.  Those people are only partially right.  Yes, some people cosplay as their favorite superhero, while others cosplay as characters from their favorite movie, video game, anime, or other tv show.  Other people don’t cosplay at all.  While I don’t consider myself a nerd, (I wouldn’t be offended if I was called one), I do enjoy movies, and tv. 

Dressing up is a part of any of the “comic” conventions.  Fans dress up as a way of sharing their love for the character, but also to share their love with other fans.  I have never dressed up but was lucky enough to be joined by my child Lee at Planet Comic Con in Kansas City.  Lee loves to dress up and do cosplay at home.  So, when I invited them to attend, with the complete permission to cosplay as they wanted without rules, they couldn’t say yes fast enough.  Not 5 seconds upon entering the convention floor, Lee was approached by other fans of their cosplay character asking to take pictures with them.  This continued every 30-60 seconds or so for the next hour.  The smile and happiness on Lee’s face is something I will never forget.  That day gave me insight as to why people dress up and why they don’t care what anyone says about it.

Some of the costumes at conventions are generic, store-bought costumes.  Others are home-made, detailed, extreme costumes.  I have seen things from a man on stilts cosplaying as Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy, to a home-made dementor from Harry Potter hovering 4 feet above and behind a girl and many, many more.  Whether you enjoy it yourself, or just enjoy seeing costumes, cosplay is just one aspect of comic conventions.  I do not know the exact number, but I would say about 25-35% of attendees actually cosplay.

Comics:

Of course, it is in the name, comics.  There are many comic book vendors at all of the comic conventions.  From graded to raw, golden & silver age to modern, there are comics everywhere.  Whether you enjoy the books for their stories and art, or for investment purposes, you can find what you are looking for at comic conventions.  If your budget is $1, there are vendors for you.  If you are investing tens of thousands of dollars, there are vendors for you. There are even artists there promoting their own books and art.

Art:

Some of the many vendors you will find at comic conventions are artists.  Some have worked on major comic book titles, and others are working on book illustrations, comics, paintings, sculptures and more.  Art prints of movies, characters, tv shows are all available for purchase.  If that isn’t good enough, there are many that can be hired for custom work, paintings, etc.  And don’t forget the tattoo artists.  As conventions get tens of thousands of visitors each day, the tattoo artists are some of the best in the business.  Many of them travel from convention to convention.  My wife joined me at a convention many years ago and decided to get her second tattoo.  While she loves her first one that was done in a tradition tattoo parlor, it cannot compare to her second.  Till this day she encourages anyone wanting to get one to go to a convention because the quality of the artists is like no other single location.

Vendors:

Aside from comic book vendors, there are vendors of other items.  Toys, books, apparel, pins, magnets, leather bound journals and bags, and so much more are all usually plentiful at conventions.  There are collectibles including autographs, vintage toys, statues, props and so much more.  Sprinkled in are vendors of fudge, chocolates, and many other food items.  Novelty items, video games, authors, costumes, a little bit of everything can be found at a comic conventions for sale.

Celebrities:

Comic conventions across the country are trying to recreate the SDCC experience.  So, they try their best to gather up as many celebrities as they can.  You can usually find celebrities from all aspects of entertainment including actors of television and movies, voice actors, wrestling entertainment, comic creators, artists, and writers.  These celebrities are available for autographs, pictures, and fan admiration.  But be warned, the biggest surprise to many attendees is that the celebrities are not free.  Each celebrity charges their own fee (not included in your admission ticket although some conventions do include some for a very hefty price tag ticket), and it can range from $40 to over $1,000.  Most celebrities will fall in the under $100 price range, but some of the bigger names, or more popular celebrities are several hundred.  And to be clear, this price is not determined by the convention, but by the celebrity and their management.  And to be clear again, this price is usually for 1 service…so an autograph, or a selfie at the table, or a professional photo op (which I will discuss later). 

I cannot begin to tell you how often I hear the disappointment from a fan that the celebrity costs $60 for an autograph.  I can completely understand that.  If you are not prepared, or have never attended one, that price tag can take you by surprise.  But you must remember, this is how they make money for their attendance.  While most of them are amazing people, we, the fans, cannot expect them to give up their weekends for free.  That would be great…. but when the celebrities do not get paid, you end up with a defunct convention (yes, I am talking to you Walker Stalker Con).  Now many celebrities will do combo deals at their tables.  So, if an autograph is $40 and a selfie is $40, they may charge $60 for both and give you a break on the price.  But not all of them do this, so do not expect it and be happy when they do it.

Photo Ops

Photo ops are professionally taken photos.  They are at a scheduled time and location.  See my Photo Ops blog for more a breakdown of what it is, how they work, and what the pros and cons are.

Selfies

Many, but not all, celebrities will take selfies at their tables.  I will have more on Selfies in another post.