Rank the Comic Cons

[LVCE-migration]

I've been going to more conventions lately nationwide as a collector. Want to try some new ones, but would like to know more before shelling out a lot of money for travelling. So far I've been to WizardWorld Chicago and LA, San Diego Comic Con, Wonder Con, the monthly LA conventions near USC, Las Vegas, Motor City Comic Con, the former Greenberg/Creation Comic conventions in NYC, and the small Ithaca conventions. Wondering what comic conventions have been good for:

 

1) Meeting celebrities (artists, writers, actors, etc...)?

 

2) Getting great deals?

 

3) Finding the rare and pristine mint Golden/Silver/Bronze age comics?

 

4) Finding the rare CGC 9.8 copies?

 

5) An overall good time?

 

[FlyingDonut]

I've been going to more conventions lately nationwide as a collector. Want to try some new ones, but would like to know more before shelling out a lot of money for travelling. So far I've been to WizardWorld Chicago and LA, San Diego Comic Con, Wonder Con, the monthly LA conventions near USC, Las Vegas, Motor City Comic Con, the former Greenberg/Creation Comic conventions in NYC, and the small Ithaca conventions. Wondering what comic conventions have been good for:

 

1) Meeting celebrities (artists, writers, actors, etc...)?

 

1. Baltimore

all others pale

 

2) Getting great deals?

1. WizardWorld Chicago

2. Minneapolis

3. Mid-Ohio Con

 

3) Finding the rare and pristine mint Golden/Silver/Bronze age comics?

1. San Diego

2. Chicago

3. National/NYC

4) Finding the rare CGC 9.8 copies?

1. Any show where CGC is slabbing

 

5) An overall good time?

1. Baltimore

1a. Chicago

[Forbush-Man]

I've been going to more conventions lately nationwide as a collector. Want to try some new ones, but would like to know more before shelling out a lot of money for travelling. So far I've been to WizardWorld Chicago and LA, San Diego Comic Con, Wonder Con, the monthly LA conventions near USC, Las Vegas, Motor City Comic Con, the former Greenberg/Creation Comic conventions in NYC, and the small Ithaca conventions. Wondering what comic conventions have been good for:

 

1) Meeting celebrities (artists, writers, actors, etc...)?

 

2) Getting great deals?

 

3) Finding the rare and pristine mint Golden/Silver/Bronze age comics?

 

4) Finding the rare CGC 9.8 copies?

 

5) An overall good time?

 

 

San Diego Con!

 

Wonder Con is very well run and organized, so two

[LVCE-migration]

Interesting that you said San Diego Comic Con. Everyone that I have talked to from Los Angeles agreed with me in that the convention was:

 

1) overcrowded . In fact this past con did not have the air conditioning working. Also one of the escalaltors was not working. Both a medical and fire safety hazard. I was in fact debating whether to report the Comic-Con organizers to the Better Business Bureau and to the local Health Organization, but I figured all the organizers would do is send a form letter to improve on conditions without actually doing anything.

 

2) overpriced . The Star Wars booth was asking too much for autographs. The dealers were asking too much for their modern age comics. The CGC comics were also overpriced above eBay prices.

 

3) inaccessible . Seeing some of the more popular celebrities required a lottery system. Therefore, even if you got to the convention early (like I did), you could potentially not see any big time celebrities (like I didn't). I actually have had an easier time seeing some of the same celebrities at the Tonight Show tapings in Burbank, at work (I live in LA), or at the local LA shops and restaurants. Likewise the lottery system used for obtaining exclusives also made things more inaccessible. The exclusives I was able to get at WizardWorld Chicago (Galactus/Silver Surfer/Invisible Woman Heroclix and the Batman/She-Ra Mattel figures), I was unable to get during any of the days of the Comic-Con.

 

Maybe if I was 10-20 years younger (when I didn't care about my personal health or finances as much ) I would agree with you. BUT as someone who doesn't tolerate consumer abuse , I would have to in general disagree with you, unless you can make an argument comparing Comic-Con to some other convention (okay, maybe it was better than last year's Las Vegas Comic Convention ).