RE: Comics! #4 [Conventions]

I regain the helm this week and with HeroesCon 2009 a scant 10 days away, I couldn't think of anything better to talk about than the beasts that are comic book conventions. While we start out with a pretty broad view, we quickly boil things down into need-to-know information about the biggest show in our own backyard.

Gregg will be guest at HeroesCon on June 19th-21st and as a result he and I will be taking a break from RE: Comics! until June 30th so we can both get prepped beforehand and decompress afterwards. Please stop by his table, say hey, let him know you're enjoying the column, and check out all of his wonderful comics!

Stephen Mayer: It’s hard to say when convention season starts nowadays with New York Comic Con in February (soon to be October), MegaCon in March, and Emerald City in April, but around these parts, nothing matters more than HeroesCon rolling around just in time for Father’s Day

This is pretty wide open. What shows have you been to? Which are your favorites? Which will you never do again? Crazy con stories? Favorite sketches you’ve done? Weirdest sketches you’ve done? How should people behave? Etc., etc., etc. Run wild.

Gregg Schigiel: Run wild. That’s a dangerous request, Stephen. I’ll start by addressing the clearer Q&A’s first.

I’ve been to a good handful of shows. Before I “went pro”, in high school and college in Florida, I went to a couple of shows in Miami/Ft. Lauderdale. I’d show samples and I got feedback, that sort of thing. When I was at Marvel, the first con I was sent to was HeroesCon, which was a thrill. I’d requested to go to that show and it was a highlight of my time at Marvel for all kinds of reasons. On my own, as a freelancer, I’ve set-up shop at Heroes, WonderCon in San Francisco, Emerald City in Seattle, the NY Comic-Con, Wizard World Philadelphia, Baltimore Comic-Con, and the granddaddy of ‘em all, Comic-Con in San Diego. And then I’ve attended Wizard’s Chicago show, and some smaller and small-press shows like SPX in Bethesda, the MoCCA Art Festival here in NY…things like that.

My favorites? I’ve enjoyed HeroesCon, Emerald City and WonderCon…and San Diego, though that one really is a different kind of animal.

It’s hard to say there’s a show I’d NEVER do again. Generally, what determines a show’s success for me, currently, is can I break even. Does the expense to go, set-up a table, rent a hotel (and car if needed), eat, etc., balance the money I might bring in selling sketches, mini-comics, sketchbooks, original art, etc. And then that’s balanced out by “was it a good time”; did I meet cool people, have laughs, eat good food, that sort of thing. So, for example, a show like Emerald City was tough one to break-even on because it’s a 2-day show (currently), and it’s a cross-country flight, there was a hotel and car rental, etc. BUT, on the flip side, the show that Jim Demonakos runs is terrific, Seattle was a really great town, I got to see old friends who I learned lived out there, and the food is fantastic, especially the doughnuts, so while I spent a lot of money, it was a great trip.

On the flip side, the NY Comic-Con, which is in theory my local show, was a tough one. The cost for a table was high, my traffic and sales were low, and it was tough to get together with people at the show and “do business” as it were. I got to see a lot of old faces I’d not seen in years and reconnect with people, but I think I could have done that without necessarily setting up in Artists’ Alley and piling on the stresses of that, if that makes sense.

Or Baltimore, for me, outside of the comics talk and stuff AFTER the show, didn’t knock my socks off (which is a shame because it’s spoken of so highly). Again, it’s a two-day show…and in this instance the weather was terrible…the bus ride to and from was rough…and our table location was right under a bum sprinkler or something, so we had to push our table out into the walkway so as to not get regularly splattered. Not a bad show, just not a great experience at the show, you follow?

As far as sketches go, I’ve actually been intending on writing an essay about this for my own site on this very subject. But the meat of this is that I most enjoy doing sketches of things I like to draw and characters I’m excited about. A lot of times folks are very interested in “challenging” someone with their sketch request. Those CAN be interesting, but in that case you might not get the BEST sketch possible out of me; it becomes more of a job at that point, if that makes sense. But those challenge sketches are among the weirdest. In fact, you posted one in the into to this series of conversations…the “Three Cosmic Stooges” piece…a weird morphing of the 3 Stooges with 3 Cosmic level Marvel characters. That’s a good example. Though, if I’m not mistaken, YOU have asked for some…odd requests, no?

And as for how people should behave…oh brother. Definitely don’t run wild, that’s for sure. Look, we can only hope folks have been raised right to behave like decent people, in or outside of a convention. I have no horror stories in this regard. In general, folks seem to be pleasant in my experience. And if there is someone who’s a little awkward or pushy or pompous or overeager or whatever, there’s the common denominator that in the end we all at the very least like comics, you know? Comics people, as riled up as they might get, don’t match a soccer hooligan or similarly manic thing. Or at least, that’s the theory.

Generally, I spend most of my time at shows behind the table, sketching, talking, and also talking. It’s been a long time since I’ve walked a show floor or had that experience. Now you go to shows as a retailer, but as I understand it you don’t set-up as a retailer, so what’s a con experience like for you and what are you noticing?

Stephen: In addition to small local shows like the Parts Unknown convention here in Greensboro, I've been to HeroesCon for the last...five years, as well as MegaCon in Orlando and the Big Apple Con in NYC. The only shows that I've run a table for were the Greensboro Toy Show (which I'm actually doing this weekend).

The best show that I've been to, and the last one I attended purely as a fan, was MegaCon 2008. It's right in the middle of a beautiful (commercial) center of Orlando, just down the street from Universal Studios. To address your cost vs. satisfaction ratio, because it's in Florida in February/early March and Carly's grandparents live just a few hours away, it was incredibly easy to justify it as a vacation as well as a comic road trip. My favorite part was that even though it sported an incredible roster of comic creators, the whole place was completely overrun with anime kids, who in turned seemed to scare away a lot of the other comic fans. This proved doubly beneficial: a) at a very comic oriented show like Heroes or Baltimore, a big name guest is likely to have a line every day, all weekend long, whereas at MegaCon, because of the low comic traffic, I was able to walk by several times throughout the day and find high profile professionals with no lines, just waiting to be chatted up. b) anime kids are nuts and provided no lack of entertainment between the Rock Band tournament, costume contest, sparring ring, etc., etc. Just looking at the guest lists this year, it seemed like FX International Con a month later in the very same room really blew up and siphoned off some of MegaCon's comic presence.

I wouldn't say that I've ever been to a show that I wouldn't go back to. When I went to Big Apple Con in June 2007, it was a different dynamic than I'd ever seen at a show (meaning more porn stars, celebrity guests, and bootlegs than anything else). A lot of the comic creators weren't at the tables they were labeled at in the program and it was pretty cramped. I ended up leaving after an hour or so. I think that one is going to change a lot for the better now that it has new organizers (correct me if I'm wrong on that) and I think it's going to be a larger holdover for New York Comic Con now (and also if I'm wrong about that).

Also, Baltimore was soooo much more crowded last year than the year before that it would be hard to justify going back (aside from the after-hours company, as you said) if it wasn't the location for the Diamond Retailer Summit again this year.

When you say that I've asked for some odd requests I'm not sure if you're referring to my obsessive Kitty Pryde collection, my new quest to get all of the Umbrella Academy characters...or that sketch that I mentioned to Chris at Baltimore last year that we shall never talk about again...

I do enjoy getting sketches at shows, and I usually dig just getting a head sketch here or there whenever I can. With creators on guard for eBay becoming more and more alert over the last few years, I've had to jump through some pretty crazy hoops (arrive at the show 4 hours before the doors open to ensure I'm one of the first people in line) and pay some exorbitant fees (you don't even want to know how much) to get any full body sketches done from high profile creators. I hear some of our older customers talking about getting John Byrne splash page commissions in the early 80s for under $100 and it blows my mind.

As a retailer that doesn't set up an actual booth at conventions, shows are mainly about getting to know creators and building relationships with them. Of the guests that we've had at the store over the last year, we'd previously met Chris, Sean McKeever, Jim McCann, Jen Grunwald, Chris Samnee (through a friend), and Mark Morales at cons and, through talking to them, built up the credibility to get them to come all the way out to the store and see how we do things. Last year at Heroes, almost on a whim, I, with the help of my friends, did a series of interviews that we carried over to last year's Baltimore Comic Con and the signings that we've had. My Bryan Lee O'Malley (Scott Pilgrim) and Nicholas Gurewitch (Perry Bible Fellowship) videos from Heroes each have over 1,300 views, which is nothing in the YouTube world of Rick Rollin' and $1,000,000 Conan O'Brien drawings (I'm watching the Tonight Show right now), but I'm pretty proud.

This year, I'll also have a new role at Heroes as Carly's professional support team. She'll be setting up with her portfolio and selling prints (and sketching if I can talk her into it) for the first time. While that means I'll get to be at the show all three days for the first time ever, I'll probably also be more busy than ever before. But I suppose winding down is what the bar in the Westin lobby is for (in a completely non-alcoholic sense).

Since Heroes is almost right around the corner, what are your favorite spots to hit up in the Queen City? Do you just pop across the street to Fuel Pizza or do you have some hidden treats that you can share with us?

Gregg: I’ve heard good things about MegaCon, and I’d like to go some time, but I know next year it’s the same weekend as Emerald City, so I’m a little torn. I’m still thinking about what I might do. But I’ll put your endorsement in the hopper.

I’ve not seen those interviews; I’ll have to check ‘em out.

I’m still feeling my way around Charlotte insofar as post-con activity. I went in 2004 with a mission to find great barbecue and that was an all-accounts fail. Turns out (a) not a lot of pure ‘cue joints there…and (b) those that are all close at about 3 in the afternoon, making it difficult to coordinate an outing. But usually in the weeks leading up to a con I do a bit of research online and scope out what might be new or interesting. Whether I actually go to those places or not…that’s another story.

Last year we hit up some of the well-known places like Lupie’s…Zada Jane’s…those places. Haven’t hit up The Penguin yet, but might this year. I know the one place I’ll be going back to, likely right from the airport, is Price’s Chicken Coop, which has excellent fried chicken. Also on the fried chicken tip, I like going to Bojangles, as they’re pretty regional and when in Rome and all that. I like, if possible, to find places specific to a region or the food of that region. I spend a lot of time at cons talking to people and asking for suggestions of where to eat, so who knows, maybe I’ll learn about something new. So if anyone has a good suggestion for some good southern food: biscuits, corn bread, pie…and I still plan to eat barbecue though, even if it’s a regional chain like a Sonny’s or Smokey Bones, or Jim ‘n Nick’s, which I’ve heard good things about (at least other locations).

I’ve not been to Fuel Pizza. Usually, during the workday I stick to trail mix or granola bars or fruit or a packed sandwich or whatever…just stuff keep me alive and working. And water…a lot of water.

And yes, everyone seems to end their nights in the hotel lobbies, which can be quite a scene. That’s a nice chance to catch up with other creators and folks I’ve kept in touch with since I worked with when I was at Marvel many moons ago. And HeroesCon is a good show for that, especially as I know a good handful of guys who attend regularly. It’s a good show. This will actually be, not consecutively, by my 4^th time going to Heroes, I think.

As for this years show, I’m interested to see if the economic downturn might be a factor. It hasn’t appeared to be the case at cons earlier this year by all reports, and wasn’t a factor last year, but Charlotte’s also a banking hub…and banking…yeah. So that’s something I’ll be paying mind to on some level.

I’ve seen and heard about some of the rates people charge and pay for sketches. It’s pretty remarkable. But part of that, yeah, is that name cache…if you’re a name you can charge more. It’s that simple. I’ve seen some really beautiful sketches though. At last year’s show I made it a habit, when I was taking a break, to walk purposely past Cliff Chiang, who was sitting in the row of tables behind me, just to see what he was working on. You couldn’t even call them sketches; they were full-on illustrations, really beautiful. Doing work that’s that involved and labor/time intensive is a whole other beast. I’m much more inclined to doing sketches…not that they’re rushed or less than, they’re just a different approach to “drawing on demand” at cons.

All of that said, and in response to you talking about the entertainment value of watching anime kids, during show time, it really, at least in my experience, is all about the work and being in it. I really rarely stroll down the aisles or take in the sights. Sometimes I think it’s a shame I don’t (i.e. I’ve been to Comic-Con now 6 or more years and have still never been to that zoo everyone talks about), but one of the main reasons I’m there is to be there and show work and sell sketches and mini comics and original art…and it’s hard to do that if you’re not doing that, you know? Usually, when I do take a break, it’s to say hello to someone or meet someone or something like that. Oh, and last year I went to the Kingdom Comics panel; that’s right.

This year should be a good one though, or at least interesting. I’ve got a few things cooking and it’ll be fun to talk about them and be “in the mix” a bit more than I have at past shows (in a lot of ways, some by choice or design, some by happenstance, I might be a bit of a comics-proper outlier, if that makes sense). We’ll see.

Besides table-assisting Carly, what are your goals or what’s on your “want list” for this year’s show? Are there artists you’ll be bee lining to for sketches? Talent or publishers you’re looking to make contact with? Or would you rather not say in that you don’t want to jinx it or offend anyone by NOT mentioning them?

Stephen: Fuel Pizza isn’t the best place to eat in town, but it is authentically Charlotte and it is the closest place to the convention center to eat that’s open all weekend long (located right across the street from the front door). For a little finer dining, last year we went to a place called Rockbottom that was pretty close to the coliseum, but still within walking distance of the Westin. They did gourmet Southern cooking like a really lean country fried steak with mashed red potatoes and corn on the cob. INCREDIBLE strawberry lemonade that apparently has free re-fills. Beyond that, the only eateries I know are either directly around the Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find storefront on 7^th St. (just about two miles from downtown) or out near Manifest Records (another must-visit about 5 miles down South Blvd.).

As far as my own “to-do” list, I’d like to get a Gregg Schigiel original =) But scanning over things right now, I’d like to interview Ivan Brandon, Guy Davis, Jonathan Hickman (since we didn’t really get to lay anything down for Free Comic Book Day), Mark Waid, and Scott Wegener. I’d like to get a chance to talk to Fraction, who I’ve interviewed and talked to in years past, but I fear he might have blown up too big over the last year to make sustained conversation a reality. I can’t see standing in line for an hour and a half for Bendis like I did in Baltimore, and while I’d love to get my Captain America Omnibus signed by Brubaker and Steve Epting, I probably won’t wait in a really long line for them either.

Beyond that I want to have a great time hanging out with you and Chris, Chris and Laura Samnee, Jeremy and Kelly Dale, and all the other great people I’ve become friends with in years past and new great people I’m sure to become friends with while I’m down there.

Sorry, I’m trade showed out from making deals on Silver Ages books and lugging around long boxes all day. I’ll bounce it back to you for the last word, and everyone else, I’ll see you in Charlotte June 18th-21^st for HeroesCon 2009!

Gregg: Well, there’s your problem right there, man…you gotta think beyond walking distance. With wheels there is, as we’ve learned in song, a whole new world. Last year we drove out for breakfast and dinner nearly every day. And on the weekend proper, forget about it. I walked around for a good 15-20 minutes last year looking for somewhere, anywhere, where I could get some fruit in the morning. I ended up with a granola bar and a “smoothie” made from some bottled liquid fruit syrup. It was rough.

Of all the guys you’ve mentioned I know none of them in any real way to help your cause. I might have a roundabout way of getting you inches closer to Fraction; we’ll talk about that at the show. And while I’ve met and talked to Mark Waid in the past, I’m certain he doesn’t remember me. Point of fact, I’d like to re-meet him myself.

An hour and a half to talk to Bendis. Wow. I don’t know whether I’m more impressed or a’scared.

It fascinates me (maybe fascinate’s a bit of an overstatement) to hear your to-do list…just the list of names and priorities. Again, since my experience and goals are so different it’s kind of cool. I’m much more of the “it’ll be great to see Richard Case and Casey Jones and guys like that…talk to Roger Langridge…”. And another part of me’s psyched that this new project I’m writing (with the super-talented Jacob Chabot on art duties) for Marvel will be announced if not before than at the show, which makes it all the more real, which is awesome.

For now, however, I await my table assignment and work, work, work…because after Heroes it’s but a month until Comic-Con…oh goodness. But end of July I should be a perfectly liquid puddle of exhaustion.

But before THAT happens, Stephen, I’ll see you and the rest of the Acme crew at the show, which’ll be a good time. And something else to look forward to: it looks like the project I’m writing for Marvel’s gonna be announced at HeroesCon, at which point I’ll be able to discuss it more openly, which I’m looking forward to.

And if you’re at the show and you’re a reader of these here ramblings, stop by and say hello…it’ll be like an impromptu panel!

Gregg Schigiel is a cartoonist, illustrator, and writer. He's worked as a penciller and editor for Marvel Comics and an illustrator and cartoonist at Nickelodeon in addition to creating his own characters and books. He's currently packing his bags to head to Charlotte from the New York area. Check out his website at Hatter Entertainment.com.