Old Comic Shows - Before the Days of the Mega Conventions

[techvoodoo]

I'm not that old, only 35, so I didn't get to go to comic book shows in the "good old days". But, back when I was a kid, down here in SW Florida we had comic shows pretty often. They were held at the local mall, with tables setup in the middle of the mall. We had shows at local community centers. We had shows at the Elks and Moose lodges.

 

I really miss these types of comic book shows. They were nothing like the mega conventions going on now a days. There were no cosplayers. No celebrity guests. No artist alley. No fanfare at all. It was just a bunch of dealers and collectors setting up tables and selling their stuff.

 

I don't care for the mega convention. I've only gone to a couple, but I'd rather go to a small simple pre-internet pre-comic movie hype hometown comic show like we used to have when I was a kid collecting comics any day.

 

I guess the moral of the story is, it's 1:42am and I can't sleep, and I miss my "good old days" and was just thinking about it.

[CAHokie]

I grew up a town so small I was lucky there was a comic book store at all, so I didnt know what a convention was. My first comic convention was SDCC two years ago and since then, I have been to quite a few of them. I wish it was just comic books and artist alley. I think it is nice to actually get to meet the writers and artists behind the comics. As far as the newest exclusive toy or panel? Not really my thing.

[scooter99]

I'm not that old, only 35, so I didn't get to go to comic book shows in the "good old days". But, back when I was a kid, down here in SW Florida we had comic shows pretty often. They were held at the local mall, with tables setup in the middle of the mall. We had shows at local community centers. We had shows at the Elks and Moose lodges.

 

I really miss these types of comic book shows. They were nothing like the mega conventions going on now a days. There were no cosplayers. No celebrity guests. No artist alley. No fanfare at all. It was just a bunch of dealers and collectors setting up tables and selling their stuff.

 

I don't care for the mega convention. I've only gone to a couple, but I'd rather go to a small simple pre-internet pre-comic movie hype hometown comic show like we used to have when I was a kid collecting comics any day.

 

I guess the moral of the story is, it's 1:42am and I can't sleep, and I miss my "good old days" and was just thinking about it.

 

You aren't the only one. I went to a few old school cons back in the late 70's/80's and they were all "books only". A far cry from the megacons of today. I went to Wondercon 3 or 4 years ago when it was in SF. It was actually more dealer and book friendly than some of its counterparts. Big Wow in San Jose is actually closer to the old school shows, but it lacks the quantity of big time dealers.

 

 

 

 

[stanley1883]

I'm not that old, only 35, so I didn't get to go to comic book shows in the "good old days". But, back when I was a kid, down here in SW Florida we had comic shows pretty often. They were held at the local mall, with tables setup in the middle of the mall. We had shows at local community centers. We had shows at the Elks and Moose lodges.

 

I really miss these types of comic book shows. They were nothing like the mega conventions going on now a days. There were no cosplayers. No celebrity guests. No artist alley. No fanfare at all. It was just a bunch of dealers and collectors setting up tables and selling their stuff.

 

I don't care for the mega convention. I've only gone to a couple, but I'd rather go to a small simple pre-internet pre-comic movie hype hometown comic show like we used to have when I was a kid collecting comics any day.

 

I guess the moral of the story is, it's 1:42am and I can't sleep, and I miss my "good old days" and was just thinking about it.

 

I'd welcome conventions like that. The Mega-Cons are getting out of hand. SDCC is like the ComicCon Mecca but honestly it's getting to the point where I wouldn't go even if I had free tickets. It's focusing on too many things other than comics, a few is fine but I think it's excessive. I'm fine with creators, celebrities are hit an miss. Nothing against Thor but you know he makes at least 5 figure just to appear, and then $150 per signature, ridiculous.? Show a little love to the fans who are the reason your so in demand. Add that to SOME flippers who clog up lines with hundreds of items for signatures....your left with something that used to be fun but turned into.......gosh I don't even know what it is, but Fun is rarely the first word that comes to mind.

[Prince Namor]

I like both.

[ttfitz]

I'm not that old, only 35, so I didn't get to go to comic book shows in the "good old days". But, back when I was a kid, down here in SW Florida we had comic shows pretty often. They were held at the local mall, with tables setup in the middle of the mall. We had shows at local community centers. We had shows at the Elks and Moose lodges.

 

I really miss these types of comic book shows. They were nothing like the mega conventions going on now a days. There were no cosplayers. No celebrity guests. No artist alley. No fanfare at all. It was just a bunch of dealers and collectors setting up tables and selling their stuff.

 

I don't care for the mega convention. I've only gone to a couple, but I'd rather go to a small simple pre-internet pre-comic movie hype hometown comic show like we used to have when I was a kid collecting comics any day.

 

I guess the moral of the story is, it's 1:42am and I can't sleep, and I miss my "good old days" and was just thinking about it.

 

I don't know if there are any around you, but around here (Washington, DC area) there are local shows like this every few months. Usually in a hotel ballroom, just a bunch of dealers selling stuff.

 

If you haven't looked into it, you should see if there is anything like that in your area.

[Old Fashion PB and J]

I prefer local shows to conventions. I attend both (at least 20-30 shows a year), and much prefer local shows.

[fmaz]

I'm 48 and never been it a big con, but have been curious about checking them out. My son's 15 so we've talked about it before. I think it would be fun to experience. We were at MLB fan fest in NYC this past summer, and it was a blast. But I just assume that's what the big cons are - shows. Not like the "comic book conventions" I went to all the time as a kid where it was all about filling holes in my collection, looking those keys I wanted and all that fun stuff.

 

What's funny is, my son is really into baseball cards. So we still go to a local card show which is the equivalent of the comic shows of my youth. He does great there. But at fan fest they had "dealer alley" and he was psyched for it...but none of those guys were remotely interested in negotiating. It was all overpriced to trick the naive. I imagine the analogy extends to Comic Con as well.

 

Point is? Both kinds of this can be really fun... Just different kinds of fun! Either way is a good way to spend a day!

[Forbush-Man]

We still have smaller shows here in the San Diego area: The Yorba Linda show hosted by Terry of Terry's Comics is my favorite, we also have Comicfest which is an old school comic con put on by some of the guys who first put together what is SD COMIC CON now. Then there is Oceanside Comic Con. Today I'm driving with a buddy to go to a vintage paperback show in the LA area.

[techvoodoo]

I'm not that old, only 35, so I didn't get to go to comic book shows in the "good old days". But, back when I was a kid, down here in SW Florida we had comic shows pretty often. They were held at the local mall, with tables setup in the middle of the mall. We had shows at local community centers. We had shows at the Elks and Moose lodges.

 

I really miss these types of comic book shows. They were nothing like the mega conventions going on now a days. There were no cosplayers. No celebrity guests. No artist alley. No fanfare at all. It was just a bunch of dealers and collectors setting up tables and selling their stuff.

 

I don't care for the mega convention. I've only gone to a couple, but I'd rather go to a small simple pre-internet pre-comic movie hype hometown comic show like we used to have when I was a kid collecting comics any day.

 

I guess the moral of the story is, it's 1:42am and I can't sleep, and I miss my "good old days" and was just thinking about it.

 

I don't know if there are any around you, but around here (Washington, DC area) there are local shows like this every few months. Usually in a hotel ballroom, just a bunch of dealers selling stuff.

 

If you haven't looked into it, you should see if there is anything like that in your area.

 

I'm not aware of any small local shows having been held in my immediate area in the last decade, maybe more. I suppose there's a chance I've missed it but I haven't seen any in ages. It's interesting to hear that they still happen in other places, I just assumed that they were a thing of the past everywhere.

[oakman29]

We still have smaller shows here in the San Diego area: The Yorba Linda show hosted by Terry of Terry's Comics is my favorite, we also have Comicfest which is an old school comic con put on by some of the guys who first put together what is SD COMIC CON now. Then there is Oceanside Comic Con. Today I'm driving with a buddy to go to a vintage paperback show in the LA area.

 

Yet I have never met you,next time you're at Terry's show let me know who you are so I can shake your hand and finally meet you. (thumbs u

[catrick339]

Detroit offers both styles.

 

Motor City Comic Con in the spring three days. , Detroit Fanfare in the fall for two days plus Friday evening.

 

And the promoter for MC does a monthly one day show that is comic-centric. Next show is March 23rd. There are several other promoters doing smaller shows occasionally too.

 

Oh, there may be a toy dealer, there may be a vid dealer, but the push is comic books.

 

A quick google of either title will get you the details, with links to the one day show from Motor City.

 

Here in Michigan, It's All Good

 

 

[Pike's Comics]

If you are in Naples I know there are a few smaller shows coming up. There is a monthly show run at a Casino in South Miami. Also coming up in May we have GalaxyCon in Tampa. Both are definitely worth checking out.

[techvoodoo]

If you are in Naples I know there are a few smaller shows coming up. There is a monthly show run at a Casino in South Miami. Also coming up in May we have GalaxyCon in Tampa. Both are definitely worth checking out.

 

 

I don't get out of the Naples/SW FL area to often. It sounds like I need to get to some of the more populated cities to find these type of shows, but we used to have them in Naples and Ft. Myers all the time years and years ago.

[Jeffro.]

I prefer local shows to conventions. I attend both (at least 20-30 shows a year), and much prefer local shows.

 

These days I prefer the smaller local shows as well.

The big shows tend to be expensive, cramped, and inconvenient.

[joe_collector]

I really miss these types of comic book shows.

 

If you collect comics, these were the best, as the today's "Con" is really just a corporate-sponsored fanboy fest disguised as a "comc book" con. Soon, there won't even be any comic books at the bigger ones.

[KEY ISSUES Comics]

I for one dislike the large contemporary events.

 

Comic cons are about the comic books as far as I'm concerned, and I could care less abut corporate booths and guests. The crowds make for an unpleasant shopping experience so I therefore no longer attend as a shopper. And I dislike the large shows even more as a vendor. The overhead is ridiculously high.

 

Our local event has grown into one of the mega events, so kudos to the promoters, but I preferred it much more when they were transitioning from a small 1-day event to the current mega con. They struck a perfect balance for about 2 years IMHO when they had a handful of guests and drew about 2,000 attendees over 2 days. Manageable crowd, intimate, and profitable.

 

Now it's a chaotic mass of 30,000 people, high costs, and relatively few comic books....

 

The sad thing about it is that there are no small 1-day local comic book events anymore...

[oakman29]

Last year was the first year I didn't go to SDCC in 12 years.I just got disgusted with how they handled the sales of following years con by making us stand in line for two entire evenings.By the time the con opened the next day I was too tired to go,and wasted my six hundred dollar a night hotel room I never got to sleep in.

Right then and there I decided I had enough of this place.I now only go to smaller shows,like Terry's Yorba Linda show,just feels like the old school shows of long ago.

[MedicAR]

I was just about to start a thread asking if we, comic fans, are victims of our own success.

 

I just got in from Planet Comicon last night and having rested a bit, was mulling the whole experience over. I have to say, it was not a good one.

 

For the show itself, I am not impressed. I had to pay $45 to get $10 worth of comic show. I heard this show being compared to Wizard shows and if that is truly the case, then the whole convention scene is doomed. However, if you like steampunk, toys, costuming supplies, fantasy artists, t-shirts, or artists who are really good at pinups but can't tell a story then this show is for you.

 

NONE of the typical good dealers in older books were there. Dale Roberts, Harley Yee, Motor CIty Comics, and Graham Crackers were AWOL. For the first time I can remember, I never once saw Chuck roaming around. I guess the word is out that this isn't a comic show anymore. Warp 9 was there but for the first time I can remember, I didn't get anything from them. I don't know if that is an indictment of their selection or my lack of knowledge on what new booksto look for.

 

I acted as a CAW too, and that took so much time that I think I missed pretty much everything I had any interest in. I tried to remember who I wanted to go back and see, but my damaged brain didn't remember any of them until about 0700 this morning. That would be fine but I am home now, 4 hours away from the show.

 

On a lighter note, I did get to spend some time with Neal Adams without a gaggle of fans or his wife around. I got a sweet companion piece to my Green Arrow sketch from last year as well as a really nice Deadman sketch. I also enjoyed spending time with Tony Moore and Skottie Young, but those were cut short before I could make any purchases. I sincerely hope to catch them at another show someday. JJ had a nice booth and I'll have to hit him up to see if any of the interesting pieces are still available once he gets home, I just wanted out of the show too bad to think straight. Matt Kindt, Brian Hurtt, and Cullen Bunn were fun to talk to, as always, but I forgot to go back and get a page from Mr. Kindt. I hate to say it, but when we left Saturday at 3-ish, I didn't want anything but that convention center shrinking in my rearview mirror.

 

It was cool that I had a friend of mine come with me that has not been to a show in 20+ years. He has a passing interest in comics at best, but enjoys the spectacle of it all. He commented on how different it was from what he remembered. He said that he didn't remember so many elaborate costumes. He thought that in the past, it seemed more like people wanted to dress like their heroes than to get any real attention. He also thought it was weird that a "comicon" had so few comics available in it and that so much of the stuff for sale was less comic than geek culture. I mention his opinions both because he is out of the loop and his opinions are mine as well. I was just concerned because I am on the inside of comics all the time and maybe I remember the "good ole days" as being brighter than they really were.

 

To those of you from the boards, it was nice to meet you! Don't take any of this as a reflection of you, it is the show itself that I am critical of as well as the type of fans that type of show is bringing in. It feels like comic fans wanted a wider acceptance and now that others are seeking the same, we want to retract back into out holes and revel in our outsider status. I don't think that we are more widely accepted now so much as it is that others are just glomming on and making us feel alienated in what was our own world for so many years.

[divad]

Good thread, good thoughts. I went to my first "big" ComicCon in 1973 in NYC. I think it was at the Waldorf Astoria ballroom. I dragged along my brother and best friend at the time, and we took the train into the city from Hartford. That was so long ago. It looked like there were nothing but tables and comics, but there were also a lot of comics industry people present. It felt like a "convention" for writers, artists, and production and distribution people, with the comic fans invited to fund the whole thing. I'd have to dig my "badge" out to confirm, but I think admission was a whopping $2.50 (or something on that order). I don't recall buying anything in particular, just amazed to see that there were so many enthusiasts. By so many, I seriously think there were under 1,000 attendees on the Saturday we went.

 

I've been to Wondercon a few times (several years ago), and my only interest in attending was to meet up with people I had "met" here on the boards. It was more about the CGC dinner than anything else.