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Potential Wizard bankruptcy???

Started by Columbia Comics,

271 posts in this topic

Guardian Comics

Guardian Comics

Posted
Posted

It says they have stopped taking them "at" shows. I'm sure if you paid for your booth months in advance there wouldn't be an issue.

 

They've just brought Gene Simmons aboard and I'm sure that wasn't cheap.

 

Don't think we should be ringing the dinner bell quite yet,

 

Jim

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G.A.tor

G.A.tor

Posted
Posted
It says they have stopped taking them "at" shows. I'm sure if you paid for your booth months in advance there wouldn't be an issue.

 

They've just brought Gene Simmons aboard and I'm sure that wasn't cheap.

 

Don't think we should be ringing the dinner bell quite yet,

 

Jim

nope. Emails says no more cc at all.

IMG_4339_zpsebycwywp.png

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mysterio

mysterio

Posted
Posted
It says they have stopped taking them "at" shows. I'm sure if you paid for your booth months in advance there wouldn't be an issue.

 

They've just brought Gene Simmons aboard and I'm sure that wasn't cheap.

 

Don't think we should be ringing the dinner bell quite yet,

 

Jim

nope. Emails says no more cc at all.

 

IMG_4339_zpsebycwywp.png

 

That echoes what I had read. I agree that we aren't yet ringing the dinner bell, but this sort of change is at least noteworthy.

 

Gene Simmons and his band are also doing the June show in Knoxville, so it isn't like they are exclusive with Wizard (or apparently all that expensive).

 

The other thing I noticed is that many of their mid-year smaller shows (i.e. Des Moines, Minneapolis, etc.) don't have their guest lists fleshed out on the home page. If I were cynical, I might interpret that as keeping them easy to cancel.

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Goldeneye

Goldeneye

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Posted
"Not familiar with any of the others"

 

Which basically makes you an expert on them?

 

 

Bob you have more familiarity than most others. This is not a "is the comic book value bubble bursting question." This is solely a question about the shows.

 

Do you feel that between the various 'major' shows and the 'minor' shows that some markets have reached their saturation point for sustainable comic books shows?

 

I can't speak for any other markets, but in Arizona, the "comic" con market is saturated. There are three mid size shows (Amazing Arizona, Phoenix Comicon Fanfest and Tucson Comicon) and one large show (Phoenix Comicon). At all four, the booth prices are ever increasing, so I only set up at Phoenix Comicon. I've been much more successful buying at the other shows and taking a stack of books to sell/trade to dealers. I think the "comic" market can support the one large show, the other shows are supported by the pop culture market if they are turning a profit at all.

 

I feel you Mike, I am in the middle of setting up my own event and show for Phoenix area. The main thing is for me what can I do to separate myself from these big boys to deliver an experience that answer is an event or show that makes stuff hands on. My issue now is that between all these big shows we have essentially seen the majority of the guests multiple times a year and the guests have been overexposed for our market and to be honest even in a smaller market these guests are overexposed because they bring them year in and year out and are not thinking outside the box. Now make this nationwide most of these guests have been on a world tour nonstop for years. So the big box model is getting old and tiring with its best years behind it. What they should all be afraid since they are pop media conventions is what happens when the popularity of comic films and tv shows dies? The answer is simple their attendance will fall drastically and the cons will lose money. A lot of people domestically are already getting tired of the comic films and my guess is 2020 is going to be our last big year for comic films before the industry pulls out on the large level. Wizard is a recipe for disaster

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mysterio

mysterio

Posted
Posted
"Not familiar with any of the others"

 

Which basically makes you an expert on them?

 

 

Bob you have more familiarity than most others. This is not a "is the comic book value bubble bursting question." This is solely a question about the shows.

 

Do you feel that between the various 'major' shows and the 'minor' shows that some markets have reached their saturation point for sustainable comic books shows?

 

I can't speak for any other markets, but in Arizona, the "comic" con market is saturated. There are three mid size shows (Amazing Arizona, Phoenix Comicon Fanfest and Tucson Comicon) and one large show (Phoenix Comicon). At all four, the booth prices are ever increasing, so I only set up at Phoenix Comicon. I've been much more successful buying at the other shows and taking a stack of books to sell/trade to dealers. I think the "comic" market can support the one large show, the other shows are supported by the pop culture market if they are turning a profit at all.

 

I feel you Mike, I am in the middle of setting up my own event and show for Phoenix area. The main thing is for me what can I do to separate myself from these big boys to deliver an experience that answer is an event or show that makes stuff hands on. My issue now is that between all these big shows we have essentially seen the majority of the guests multiple times a year and the guests have been overexposed for our market and to be honest even in a smaller market these guests are overexposed because they bring them year in and year out and are not thinking outside the box. Now make this nationwide most of these guests have been on a world tour nonstop for years. So the big box model is getting old and tiring with its best years behind it. What they should all be afraid since they are pop media conventions is what happens when the popularity of comic films and tv shows dies? The answer is simple their attendance will fall drastically and the cons will lose money. A lot of people domestically are already getting tired of the comic films and my guess is 2020 is going to be our last big year for comic films before the industry pulls out on the large level. Wizard is a recipe for disaster

 

I'm not sure that the mega-shows are even going to have to wait for the movie cycle to wear out. The costs of the celeb model have been ballooning, and, as you've pointed out, most of these celebs have done that same market every year (if not more than once a year). Same old guest list, but with new higher costs! The current mega-show model is not sustainable.

 

It isn't even just celebs anymore, When you have A-list comic creator packages running $500-1000 that also drains money that could otherwise be spent with vendors. Too many costs, not enough income.

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