One long Friday at WW Chicago

[oldmilwaukee6er]

WW Chicago Underground Comix Report & More (2013 Edition)

Well, those of you who know me know how excited I was for this year’s Wizard World Chicago Comic Con show. There is a sentiment on other boards that this show and Baltimore can be more fruitful for pure comic books versus San Diego, but of course it cannot compare for San Diego for underground comix. This year also marks a new floor plan, with the majority of the comic book and pop culture dealers being placed on the second floor away from artist’s alley and the lines for signatures (first floor). Works great from me! I did not make it to the first floor until late into the evening. To the con!

Again, my advice for anyone from 190 eastbound and exiting at River Road, use the "left" right turn lane. Most everyone exits using the right turn lane, but that lane backs up into the intersection and only 1 or 2 cars will clear the intersection at any one time. We zipped down from Milwaukee without any issue and arrived at the Intercontinental Hotel to park (24). That means walking back to the Con 2 short blocks, but it was easy in by avoiding the masses and easy out for us back to interstate later that night. Probably the best extra few dollars one can spend all day IMHO.

 

Again the wife joined me for the con; she was cosplaying steampunk, I was sporting my usual Milwookie tee. We worked through the entrance line in nothing flat and scored our first comics of the day- the Walking Dead #1 Chicago exclusive, along with a Legend of Oz exclusive as well. I had actually brought bags and boards with me, so I was prepared! We queued up in the staging area and I checked my phone at it was about 5 minutes to noon. Not bad! We waited about 20min or so in the staging area until we could enter, split up, and do our thing.

 

Con exclusives

 

 

Many spots were buying your WD #1 comic for $5, but if you paid attention you could garner $10 or more. This was a little disappointing because I sold my Wizard World St. Louis copies for $20 each, but there are so many levels to the con exclusive hustle. In the end, I kept my top copy and traded my under copy for a Wizard World Philadelphia version at the Slab-Pro booth.

 

 

Slab-Pro!

 

My first real purchase of the day, courtesy of John Hauser (5)…

Usagi Yojimbo #13, 14 & Millennium edition Mad #1

 

I found 3 high grade Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers at Black Cat Comics. I left the FFFB #5 in CGC 9.8 lying (150) because it would not have been an upgrade for me and the book itself did not present as a 9.8 for me. However, I worked a package deal for these two books (220), which are upgrades over even my Suscha News copies that I picked up last year (7 in 9.2 & 9 in 9.6).

Upgraded Freak Brothers #7 CGC 9.6 white

Upgraded Freak Brothers #9 CGC 9.8 white

 

Last year I drooled over Moondog’s Bijou Funnies #1 1st in FN. As you can see from the scans below it is a lovely book. Last year this would have zeroed me out completely and we could not slip over to Gibson’s and enjoy a nice dinner as with previous years. So, this year I had made a point of contacting him in advance of the show and asked him to bring the book. I had hoped for a possible trade and cash deal for my under copy, Moondog is at the point in his life where he is not acquiring comics, he is selling them. After much to do, the trade/cash deal was scrapped and I bought the book outright.

 

Upgraded Bijou Funnies #1 1st (overlap edition)

 

 

Undercopy Bijou Funnies #1 1st (overlap edition; FOR SALE)

 

 

 

 

Big purchase of show = Justice League of America #1 (Oct. 1960)

 

My impulse purchase of the night = X-Men #2

[oldmilwaukee6er]

Con Observations From The Other (wife/grrl)

*The split-level promise was somewhat disingenuous and most vendors were on the same level as the comics, but some were shoehorned into the artists’ alley portion, and there were 2 comic dealers who ended up on the first floor. One of the guys on the first floor was pretty hot because he was getting no traffic as he was set up by one of the concession stands and set apart from Artists’ Alley.

 

*I’m directionally challenged and I admit that the first floor was easy to navigate, but the second floor had me constantly turned around if I couldn’t readily see the aisle number sign.

 

*Along with this, the map sucked. I miss the large paper map upon which you could write, and most importantly, read the vendors and the numbers. The program was small and you had to constantly flip back and forth. Additionally, the downloadable map onto your phone was not as efficient as it might have seemed because a) it was small and b) the data reception was not that great (I was not the only person to have issues with this. I had a great conversation with a guy whose iPhone 5 was failing him miserably and he was annoyed. My phone is Motorola Razr Droid and my functionality was really hit or miss depending on where I was I in the building.) I think a paper map shouldn’t be that difficult to hand out when one checks in (like they’ve done in the past).

 

*Despite the confusion, the aisles were larger and congestion was really kept to a minimum and that was quite nice. For once wearing a backpack didn’t turn you into a jerk because you had room to move around without knocking people upside the head. And even the people who insist on bringing wheeled luggage or carts were not as annoying as years prior due to the ample room.

 

*The amount of space was also nice for those in elaborate/large cosplay. Also, despite the massive amounts of children present, I was happy to note that there very few strollers on the floor, however, I did see about a dozen kids on Razor Scooters and at least 5 adults as well. Not only does that look ridiculous but it’s not exactly safe.

 

*I was happy to see one of my favorite artists (Nigel Sade) was present but he was not listed on the online map nor in the actual program so it was blind luck that I happened upon him.

 

*The way the autograph section was separated was really nice and I loved all the room for Artists’ Alley, but they weren’t as strictly designated as WW was advertising, I also am a big fan of people selling their own novelty hot sauces, that makes me insanely happy

 

*There were two video game areas and the Zombie Experience area which provided nice oases in the chaos (seeing X-Men the Arcade game for only a quarter was awesome)

 

*The general seating area on the second floor was overrun with the anime kids so it was hard to find a spot to rest

 

*As a matter of fact, there were very few opportunities to stop and take a breather; the concessions were very spread out and offered few tables (which were always full or so it seemed) so as a result, often people just stopped in the middle of the aisle to reorganize their stuff

 

*It felt like there were far more indulgent parents with kids (most of the kids there were under 10 then there was a large gap until the teenaged years and the teenagers were pretty damned awesome this year) and the kids were grabby of costumes, grabby with merchandise, and prone to melt downs (we saw a kid lose it on his way into the con at 12:15 when the doors opened). Not sure where this observation is going other than I think it will continue to be a trend that you will see younger and younger kids attend the con and demand attentiveness from everyone (because you don’t want to be the individual_without_enough_empathy who runs over a kid, knocks one down, etc)

 

*Seemed to be overall less variety in vendor wares, toys dominated and the toys were incredibly repetitive (I love me some Star Wars but does it have to be 60% of all things represented?)

 

*Firefly remains a collectible hotbed and a fan favorite in t-shirts despite there being no cosplay that I saw nor are there any movies/shows in the works. As a matter of fact, Jane Cobb hats and Firefly t-shirts were more prevalent this year than in previous years. Big Bang Theory, while still fairy ubiquitous seems to be on the wane.

 

*There were, oddly enough, more DVD vendors, more video game vendors (1 dedicated, 3 who had them for sale alongside comics or toys), and more table top game vendors (2).

 

*Some of the murmurings I heard (and I also saw) was that prices varied wildly throughout the con. One vendor may have an action figure for $80, another for $50, and a third for $25. This was annoying to some consumers because they felt like they couldn’t come up with an effective strategy (no returns so you either buy when you see it and accept you may have overpaid upwards of 70% or walk around to price everything and possibly miss out, first world problems I know)

 

*I only saw one book author selling his novel, but there were a couple of dead tree publishers present

 

*Kickstarter is becoming a huge marketing ploy. I find it irritating that when I go to an artist’s booth I’m then handed a flyer for their Kickstarter project. In some cases people were so into the Kickstarter that they didn’t really do a good job of selling or displaying what they were supposed to be selling on site. I get that this is the way of the future, but at the end of the day when emptying my bag I had seven different Kickstarter flyers or postcards. Thing is, I don’t remember who the artist/vendor might have been who even handed me the advert. Sometimes you pick them up at a booth, sometimes they’re thrust into your hands by anonymous floor walkers, and other times they’re inserted into a bag with your purchase.

 

*There were 3 corset vendors (I don’t remember any last year) but only one dedicated steampunk accessory vendor (her stuff was very high priced). I’m concerned that Steampunk may not survive at WW. The corset dealers weren’t really selling anything (when your product is $125 to 400$ it and it’s not a comic and your audience is predominately male, it’s going to be difficult)

 

*I’m not entirely sure, but it seemed like there were less technology/film companies/firms vending. I saw a few, but it didn’t seem like nearly as many as previous years.

 

*I also liked how the oranizations (Back to the Future, Ghost Busters, Zombie Orgs, etc) were set off from the vendors in a nice open area. Sadly, they didn’t seem to be getting as much traffic as two years ago when they were set up right at the entrance, but I thought the display allowed for better browsing and discussions with the orgs.

 

*Overall, there was less Steampunk than last year (even in Artists’ Alley there was less representation) The few Steampunkers present (I saw 5 + myself all day long) were all in, accessories, costume, the whole 9 yards.

 

*When it came to cosplay, there was hardly any cosplay light (half-assed costumes or token gestures at a fandom) if people were dressed, they were all in and that was awesome!

 

*Booth babes were a little haggard and rough looking this year. They also didn’t know who they were playing (due to conversations I heard in the restroom the idea that they were playing Mortal Combat characters was surprising)

 

*I’m going to sound all feminist here, but this con was fantastic for women of all ages and all sizes rocking the cosplay. Bigger girls who in the past may have just worn a fandom shirt were rocking all sorts of cosplay from Sailor Moon to Leia to Zelda and Link to Captain America. It was fantastic to see that. In the past cosplay has been the domain for the “hot” girls but this year was different and it was cool to see and cool to participate in.

 

*Punisher, Captain America, and Harley Quinn were byfar the most represented costumes; X-Men were hardly present outside of an awesome Cyclops and a Gambit & Rogue couple who were well-done; Deadpool was also incredibly popular, then Spider-Man (who remains a favorite with those under 12), Poison Ivy, Batman, Superman, Bane, the Joker, and Wolverine (but the Hugh Jackman flannel shirt Wolverine, not the classic Wolverine). There was one Spawn who was amazing. Compared to last year, though, superheroes were not the dominate cosplay. . .

 

*That honor goes to Doctor Who. There were more doctors than anything else that I saw and the majority of those doctors were women. I bet I saw 50+ variations of Doctor Who and 75% were female. Doctors of all ages were present, from toddler to elderly. Doctor Who was everywhere. Some of the most amazing corsets I saw were Doctor Who themed, including one gorgeous Starry Night inspired one and quite a few Tardis corsets.

 

*Harry Potter was also more popular than in previous years, perhaps due to the influx of kids.

 

*Tomb Raider, Legend of Zelda, and Assassin’s Creed cosplay saw an uptick this year, overtaking Bioshock, Half Life, and Mario Brothers. I saw no Portal cosplay for the first time in years.

 

*No Rorschach for the first time in forever and only one Gandalf (no hobbits or Legolas)

 

*Adventure Time cosplay was popular

 

*I’m not familiar enough with anime to say whether there was more or less or even what was represented outside of Sailor Moon

 

*I only saw three Stormtroopers, two Boba Fetts, one Obi Wan, and one killer Hoth Leia. But for all the merchandise devoted to SW, there was scant cosplay.

This was the first con where I saw people asking to take photos get outright rejected (in two instances because the person wasn’t actually in cosplay and a few instances where those in cosplay were trying to do other things and didn’t want to stop, block traffic, and pose). This highlights an interesting microcosm of cons. If you wear cosplay you should expect people to take your photo, however, how accommodating do you have to be?

 

*Overall, I saw no one acting like a . No one was being skeevy toward cosplayers, there was no attempts to take upskirt photos of women (I guess this was a serious problem at SDCC). In general it was the most upbeat con I’ve been to (outside of St. Louis which was just such great energy since it was the inaugural).

[oldmilwaukee6er]

Closed out the show at Gibson's steak house... a table triangulated between Lou Ferrigno, Verne Troyer, & a buncha stripper booth babes. HA! Awesome.

 

We had our waiter in such stiches he comp’d us a round of drinks and dessert.

[oldmilwaukee6er]

Quick shout-out to Toon Tumblers too(!)... I bought 3 glasses from them for a nice deal (they take care of boardies). Thanks much!

[Moondog]

Thanks for the business, Justin. It was nice meeting your wife too. See you next year.

 

Gary

[roulette44]

good thread, nice pickups too.

[lhcomics]

WW Chicago Underground Comix Report & More (2013 Edition)

 

 

My impulse purchase of the night = X-Men #2

 

Did you get this comic from a dealer that had his small wall display marked 1/2 off because if it is I was standing next to you waiting for you to put the comic back so I could buy it. If so you were agonizing over the comic to the point I almost blurted out [font:Arial Black]buy the comic or I will[/font]

 

He had a low grade Famous Monsters #1 that I was sorta looking at that was half off but would still have been $225. I was so distracted with the X-men 2 that when I went to put the Famous Monsters back in the bag I could not find the piece of tape I had removed and stuck on a box edge. Finally I found it as I had somehow managed to partially attach the tape to the back cover. Being as discreet as possible I was thinking to myself I will have to buy this comic if tape will not remove cleanly.

Using all my ninja skills I was lucky enough to remove the tape cleanly while going undetected in doing so.

[n2wdw]

Great report, thanks. You attended Sunday? It's great you walked right in, on Saturday the lines seemed to go forever (I attended Thur-Sat).

 

I agree there was wide range of prices for the same comics. My strategy was to spend Thursday walking around getting prices, and then Friday and Saturday making offers. Some but certainly not all were willing to deal, and I was really happy with what I picked up. My biggest regret was a 8.5 Cap 100. He had it for $390 (or $395), I offered something lower (can't remember) and he didn't budge. But it was a fun conversation. He brought up GPA on his phone and convinced me his price was low (which it was, the comic is running around $450 now). So I agreed to buy it at his price. But he didn't take credit cards! (As an aside -- who displays a Detective 27 and doesn't take credit cards? -- but I'm not bitter And I had maxed out my ATM limit for the day. He said he'd honor the price on Sunday (looking at GPA convinced him he needed to raise his price), but I went home Sunday morning. Ugh! I'm still hurting over it.

 

I thought the layout was okay, but then I was there for 3 days. If only there for 1 day I can see how that could be a challenge. But being on 2 floors helped thin the crowds. (great for attendees, maybe not so much for dealers).

 

I have some interest in steam punk -- mostly because my daughter is into it -- and noticed the same thing, not much interest. But alot of cos-playing. My daughter is still mad at me for not taking her to Chicago. She is 14 and just started going to anime/manga cons, and now she's got the bug. Maybe next year ...

 

 

[Moondog]

WW Chicago Underground Comix Report & More (2013 Edition)

 

 

My impulse purchase of the night = X-Men #2

 

Did you get this comic from a dealer that had his small wall display marked 1/2 off because if it is I was standing next to you waiting for you to put the comic back so I could buy it. If so you were agonizing over the comic to the point I almost blurted out [font:Arial Black]buy the comic or I will[/font]

 

He had a low grade Famous Monsters #1 that I was sorta looking at that was half off but would still have been $225. I was so distracted with the X-men 2 that when I went to put the Famous Monsters back in the bag I could not find the piece of tape I had removed and stuck on a box edge. Finally I found it as I had somehow managed to partially attach the tape to the back cover. Being as discreet as possible I was thinking to myself I will have to buy this comic if tape will not remove cleanly.

Using all my ninja skills I was lucky enough to remove the tape cleanly while going undetected in doing so.

 

He bought it from me...