Comic Conventions...the Changing Years

Comic book conventions or Comic Cons are the "norm" now a days when it comes to getting noticed or trying to get noticed and sell some of your artwork.  Everyone and anyone can set up at a convention.  There may be different spots for you to choose from such as the artists will be in artist alley, the vendors (the guys who sell merchandise and....OH WOW..COMICS at a comic convention) will be in the vendor area and the guests of the shows will be in their own area.  But things have changed.

I've been attending comic conventions since 1991 as a fan at the Chicago Comic Con.  Years later, a company called Wizard World bought them out and it became Wizard World Chicago which is still around today setting up in the same location.
For years, approximately 15 years, I've wanted to set up at a convention and promote myself as an artist and work for either Marvel or DC Comics.  It's every artists dream to work for either of those companies.  But I couldn't even set up at any convention.  I wasn't published.

The first time I wanted to set up at a convention I was told by numerous promoters, "I have to have published work in a COMIC in order to set up".  Even in Artist Alley.  So in other words, you needed to be credited in a comic before you can even be considered to set up at a show and you had to prove you're credited. 

I was very honored in 2007 when my first comic hit the shelves.  It was a GREAT feeling.  For years, I've been trying to break into the industry (I think at that point, it was about 10 years).  The comic wasn't a huge book, it wasn't like Batman or Spider-man, but it was published work with a comic company.  When the book was being released, I was asked to set up at Chicago Comic Con with the creative team of the book.  Of course, I said yes.  This was my opportunity to be sitting on the other side of the table, as an artist/creator...and start my career.

Things have changed since then.  Of course there are still artists, vendors and guests who attend the shows.  But, now you don't have to just be published in comics to set up at most shows.  Many of the conventions have moved over from being a "comic con" to "pop culture cons".  Meaning, there are TV and movie celebrities, animation guests, voice over guests and so on.  Which is good in a way.  It broadens a lot of people's horizons and may help that someone who wants to break into the "entertainment" industry (they can ask questions to the actual celebrities person to person).  But a lot of conventions/shows forget about the artist who've worked hard to break into the industry and make those comic characters that the celebrities play on TV or in the movies.

Some conventions have thought of this and created a "sub section" of Artist Alley called Small Press.  Which is where you go when you are published outside of the comic industry.

So even though it's only been a short 10 years since I've broken into the industry and you had to be published in comics to set up at a comic convention, there have been a lot of changes to the convention scene.  This only scratches the surface.  I will have more blogs about conventions, but, I don't want to have ALL the juicy stuff in one blog.

Photo below is from New York Comic Con (NYCC)

Photo: Fred R Conrad / New York Times