Innovation with Comic Art Shows/LA Ultimate 0

[comiconxion]

I’ve always been supportive of creating new forums for comic art collectors to get together to buy, trade, and talk about the hobby.  It’s been great to see the continued growth in local get togethers like the old Cherry Blossom Spectacular, the evolution of the Comic Art Cons in the East, and foray into the digital realm with podcasts and YouTube videos like what Felix has done.  It’s also been interesting to see shows like the Lake Como show push the boundaries of what a comic art show can be.

For years, many of the dealers and collectors who go to San Diego have talked about doing a show the weekend before so that all comic art collectors could get in.  This year we’re doing that “preview show” the weekend before San Diego in Los Angeles on Sunday, July 15^th.  It’s called the LA Ultimate Comic Art & Collectibles Show.  I won’t list the details as they can be found here: https://www.cgccomics.com/boards/topic/430699-la-ultimate-comic-art-collectibles-show-july-15-2018-los-angeles-ca/.

But, I wanted to use this forum to talk about some of the “different things” we’re trying out with this first West Coast Comic Art show and get your feedback on other things that you’d like to see.    

I think what is core to a comic art show is to ensure that you have a mix of established dealers and some dealers/collectors that don’t make public appearances as often.  Additionally, I think it’s great to have some artists in the house who you can interact with in a more intimate setting.  We’ll have both of those elements at our show.  But we’ll also introduce some things that you don’t typically see at a comic art show: 

1.        Movie/Television Props & Art Books – We recognize that comic art collectors’ interests continue to expand and we wanted to include some additional content that might be of interest to the “Ultimate Collector.”  As the world of comics and movies continue to merge, I know my own collection has also started to include examples of authentic movie props in it.  Props and costumes are an artform of their own.  We figured LA is the best place to find authentic movie/TV props so we’ve included some trusted dealers and collectors who specialize in those.  Similarly, we find most art collectors also appreciate specialized art books so we’ve included dealers and publishers who specialize in those.  These won’t be the focus of the show, but you’ll also find a selection of them alongside the comic art to add some variety.
2.       Two Shows in One – We also felt that comic art collectors might still want to peruse a selection of collectible comics so we paired up with John Dolmayan/Torpedo Comics who will be hosting a higher-end comic in the next ballroom over.  It’s part of the same admission – so if you care to go to it, you can.  Otherwise, you can stay on the “LA Ultimate” side of the show.
3.       Digital Videos – One of the things I felt passionate about was trying to find ways to use “digital” technology to enhance what we’re providing with the show.  In this case, we’ll be creating digital videos to give those who couldn’t attend an opportunity to see and hear what was there.  More than just pictures, we’ll be creating professional videos with the different dealers in attendance and will try our best to edit those and get them out later in the week.  And, as time goes by, they'll become references for those who did attend and an archive of the hobby. 

This is our first show like this.  Hopefully there will be more and a chance to continue to try out some other new ideas.  I’d love to hear from you… What innovations have you liked at other shows and what other things could we do to create the best show for comic art collectors?

[BCarter27]

Can someone take really bad photos with a 12-year-old flip phone of art that nobody is interested in but me? 'cause I can't make it.

[Michaeld]

In the beginning the LA Ultimate Comic Art & Collectibles Show will attract a lot of convention veterans like myself who have seen it all on multiple occasions. We'll be seeing all the familiar collectors, dealers, and artists that we have seen in hundreds of other conventions. My hope is that  the LUCACS show will not become just another cookie cutter comic-con. I haven't missed a SDCC in over 20 years but my favorite con was Big Wow. It was so comic oriented and very focused on comic art. That is what I would like to see happen with LA Ultimate Comic Art & Collectibles Show. A show that brings in comic artists from around the world just as Big Wow had done. I want a show that introduces me to artists to which I normally wouldn't have access. Big Wow also had some really fun and creative panels. One was having some of their guests do a  comic reading of familiar classic issues and it was hilarious. Short answer for me is turn LUCACS into Big Wow and I'm a happy camper.       

[comiconxion]

45 minutes ago, Michaeld said:

In the beginning the LA Ultimate Comic Art & Collectibles Show will attract a lot of convention veterans like myself who have seen it all on multiple occasions. We'll be seeing all the familiar collectors, dealers, and artists that we have seen in hundreds of other conventions. My hope is that  the LUCACS show will not become just another cookie cutter comic-con. I haven't missed a SDCC in over 20 years but my favorite con was Big Wow. It was so comic oriented and very focused on comic art. That is what I would like to see happen with LA Ultimate Comic Art & Collectibles Show. A show that brings in comic artists from around the world just as Big Wow had done. I want a show that introduces me to artists to which I normally wouldn't have access. Big Wow also had some really fun and creative panels. One was having some of their guests do a  comic reading of familiar classic issues and it was hilarious. Short answer for me is turn LUCACS into Big Wow and I'm a happy camper.       

Glad that the Big Wow show is so fondly remembered.  I agree it was a great show and had a different feel to it because of the interaction between the artists and the fans.  Well, the good news is that both Steve Morger and Steve Wyatt are partners in bringing the LA Ultimate Comic Art & Collectibles Show to fans.  Having run the Big Wow show in the past, it'll be natural for some of their experience in growing the Big Wow show to impact this show.