TERRIFICON at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut 1 1

[AndyFish]

I do think these conventions that promote themselves as for comic collectors should put the same level of effort in getting CGC Witnesses as they do for celebrity photo ops, and by that I mean list on the website that they will be available.  Ignoring a large percentage of your attendees needs is never a good idea.   The problem is not just Terrificon's alone, if a promoter is happy to come on here and pitch his event, he should also make it a point to check what people are asking.

I've done about a half dozen shows since the end of the pandemic and so far every show as had them there.   Now where they come from or how you get them to come watch someone sign something I have no idea, but someone should here on the boards, so help a fella out!

Edited July 26, 2022 by AndyFish

[Bird]

On 7/24/2022 at 9:53 AM, jjonahjameson11 said:

Too bad…would like to meet you in person one of these days

Pete's Parking lot type of situation?

[RCheli]

I'll be there with my largest set-up at any show -- 50+ long boxes! I already am dreading packing up on Sunday...

[cms1]

There will be facilitators there that will be able to submit books to cgc for you.  Cgc seems to be very picky about the shows they attend after covid.

[Kevin76]

On 7/26/2022 at 4:20 PM, cms1 said:

There will be facilitators there that will be able to submit books to cgc for you.  Cgc seems to be very picky about the shows they attend after covid.

They're only going to the most popular ones

[Devilla06]

1st time going. Will be going today took a Half day off work I am about an hour away from the casino.

I have heard really good things and alot of top talent is going to be there. I was a little on the fence on the show because the Boston expo was so bad but all the local vendors say this King Kon are the best Comic shows in the area so pretty excited.

[Devilla06]

On 7/25/2022 at 10:47 PM, Revival_Hoarder said:

It would be great to know if there would be anyone from CGC to witness the sigs. Who can let us know? 

Captured collectibles are there and are CGC witness. I know they one of the last George Perez yellow labels facilitation. I am going to their booth to see if they can get me a Todd Mcfarlane Sig without having to go to NYC Comic con if he attends. Or any other the other ones he will go to once Spawn/ Batman 2 is released. 

[Cocomonkey]

I'll be going, gonna be my first time there as well. Looking forward to it! Talked the wife into making a little weekend getaway out of it...though she wasn't able to find anything to do while I'm at the con on Saturday (we aren't staying at Mohegan Sun, so she can't use the pool there; it's still restricted to guests only from covid), so maybe she'll end up joining me at the show, who knows.

[jjonahjameson11]

On 7/29/2022 at 9:49 AM, Cocomonkey said:

I'll be going, gonna be my first time there as well. Looking forward to it! Talked the wife into making a little weekend getaway out of it...though she wasn't able to find anything to do while I'm at the con on Saturday (we aren't staying at Mohegan Sun, so she can't use the pool there; it's still restricted to guests only from covid), so maybe she'll end up joining me at the show, who knows.

Yeah, the Spa is totally booked for the weekend, likewise any of the decent restaurants on site.  The pool is great and so are the other food options throughout the casino.  There are some outlet malls and beaches not too far away from the casino.

[Devilla06]

For those who are not familiar with CT. Mystic seaport is super nice especially if your wife/gf tagged along

as for my review.

i liked it a lot. Way better than the Boston fan expo. Lot of comic vendors and great artist + Batman/Superman voice actors. Got my venom lethal protector 1 signed, my spidey 238. 
 

tho if you don’t care about those artist or celebrities. You are better off going to Cliff con in CT when they do their show at the hotel. Basically same vendors for less money. 
 

 

[Hockeyflow33]

Always a great show but the artist's signature prices are through the roof. I'll be getting less sketches than I ever have at a show

[AndyFish]

On 7/29/2022 at 11:43 PM, Hockeyflow33 said:

Always a great show but the artist's signature prices are through the roof. I'll be getting less sketches than I ever have at a show

Do you mean prices artists are charging for signatures or the price they are charging for sketches/commissions?  With signatures, there is an active group of artists who encourage other artists to charge for signatures (Neal Adams was one of the first to push others to do it) arguing that those twenty books you just signed at that last show you did together all sold on eBay.    It puts the artists in a tough spot.    I've always seen it that if you as a fan bought copies of a book I worked on no matter what you're going to do with them then so be it.   We had one instance where a guy had a half a box full of Sabrina #1's that he was getting signed and I told him we'd have to charge for anything over 3 copies of the same book, but I never accepted the money when we were done, I just didn't feel right about it.

[Hockeyflow33]

On 7/30/2022 at 8:54 AM, AndyFish said:

Do you mean prices artists are charging for signatures or the price they are charging for sketches/commissions?  With signatures, there is an active group of artists who encourage other artists to charge for signatures (Neal Adams was one of the first to push others to do it) arguing that those twenty books you just signed at that last show you did together all sold on eBay.    It puts the artists in a tough spot.    I've always seen it that if you as a fan bought copies of a book I worked on no matter what you're going to do with them then so be it.   We had one instance where a guy had a half a box full of Sabrina #1's that he was getting signed and I told him we'd have to charge for anything over 3 copies of the same book, but I never accepted the money when we were done, I just didn't feel right about it.

Both but I meant signatures. A surprising number of artists, unprompted, apologized for charging and said either their agent or other artists were pressuring them to charge more money. I saw Glenn Fabry a couple months ago and he said he didn't like charging but other artists get mad at him if he doesn't. I usually get anywhere from 6-10 sketches at a show and I got two plus a couple 5 min sketches. 

Some artists went from $10 to $20 per signature from a con in April to now and I saw one artist who I got a full figure sketch from in 2021 for $170 was now $400 for the same sketch. Artists/writers should definitely be getting paid for their signature but there should also be consideration for fans. 

[AndyFish]

Yeah this backs up what I was saying.   At a show last year we decided to try doing sketches based on how much time we spent on a piece, one option was a fifteen minute sketch for $40 on 9x12 bristol-- these were pretty simple sketches.   We had other artists come over and tell us we were undercharging.  I don't want to make it sound like it's like 1930s gangsters coming by and shaking us down, it's all done in a friendly way, but the pressure is there.

In terms of commission prices, market dictates price.   We did a TON of $500 commissions in Chicago and we had a waiting list.  We offered cheaper options with less detail but when someone would order one they'd point to the $500 ones waiting to get picked up and they'd say "I want that level of detail."   So as an artist you can't win sometimes and you hate to price someone out or disappoint them.

Spent the day at Terrificon Saturday as a fan and I picked up a few books and some art-- full report to follow.

Edited July 31, 2022 by AndyFish

[AndyFish]

TERRIFICON REPORT JULY 2022. (My reports are long, apologies in advance!)

The line to get in looked pretty long.   Full disclosure I've not waited in line or bought tickets to a show in twenty years-- and I tell you this not in bragging but because like doing a review of something you were given a free sample of said review is going to be affected somewhat.   I don't know if I'd feel so good about a show if I waited in line for three hours like people did at Heroes Con one year.

A quick note to anyone coming to the show with a wife, girlfriend or a SO who isn't into comics-- there is a TON to do here.  There is a connected Mall and a boat load of restaurants with bars and TVs, so even if they don't have any interest in gambling you can find ways to entertain yourself for several hours without much effort.   I'd been here 2-3 times before since it opened, it's about an hour from home for us, and I've done some blackjack and poker in the past but it's not something I really enjoy all that much even though I usually do pretty well.  It's also worth noting that unlike regular hotel bars drinks are fairly cheap down here.

Comics wise there were many dealers there; my favorites and the ones I bought something from were SUPERWORLD (of course), MOVING PICTURES, HIGH GRADE COMICS (Bob!), and 3 KEYS along with couple of dealers whose names I didn't catch.   Primarily a Golden Age collector I managed to find some gems including BLACK CAT WESTERN and AMERICA'S GREATEST COMICS #6 as well as WHIZ COMICS #93 (although the Hobo Whiz Cover is a purchase from Dale via his website that arrived yesterday so it ended up in the loot pile).   There was a small amount of pre-code horror kicking around but nothing I either didn't already have or it was not quite in the condition or price range I wanted to play in.

I went back and forth on a BATMAN #7 which had minor restoration.   It was a nice copy but purple label of death thing and all if it were graded.  I didn't want to pay market non-resto value for it because let's be honest you have to downgrade it at least a full number grade.  Still.... I had no intention of getting it graded so thanks to #2 son Joe (who is a manager for Superworld) he was able to secure a deal for me the following day at a substantial savings off the asking price.

It is a BATMAN #7 after all ;).

I didn't notice much in the way of nonsense crafty type sellers that take up so much space at some of these shows, there were some sculptors selling work, there was a woman selling stick on masks one of which looked like it'd work if you wanted to do your Denny Colt SPIRIT costume next year.

I only saw a few tables of original art, Spencer Beck's THE ARTIST CHOICE was setup and it's been a number of years since I've seen him.  I managed to find a John Romita Jr page which I really liked-- I've got a history with JJ going back to the 90s when I was working as Paul Ryan's assistant-- and I'd hoped to reconnect with him at the show but every time I swung by he was off doing something.  Not only is he my favorite modern comics artist-- his work channels Kirby to me-- plus he (and his Dad) is/are one of the nicest guys on the planet.   

I chatted with Paul Kupperberg, Joe Staton and Alex Saviuk who contininued our conversation from the green room in Chicago, had a quick meet with CB Celuski who currently edits Marvel Comics and said hello to Dan Didio whose tenure as DC Editor wasn't my favorite but you can't argue he wasn't enthusiastic in his role and didn't deserved the exit he got.   Everyone was asking me why I wasn't setup at the show and I told them we don't get invited to local shows for some reason and that it was nice to just be there as a fan for a change with no commissions or panels to contend with.

As I noted, the celebrity area was pretty quiet.   Unlike most celeb heavy shows this one had actors I've actually heard of, although that's not normally a great thing as I just don't watch modern superhero movies or sci fi.  No wrestlers either which I know even less of.  They had Tim Daly and Kevin Conroy-- Superman and Batman from the respective Animated Series.   It was interesting to see Michael Gray and John Davey-- Billy Batson and Captain Marvel from that absolutely terrible 70s SHAZAM! show where Billy drove around in a Winnebago (how come nobody ever asked Billy why he constantly wore that red sweater, drove around with a strange old guy, or had the Captain Marvel symbol on the front of his Winnebago?) with Mentor saving the day and giving us a morality lesson.   The show was bad but I tuned in faithfully with my bowl of Cocoa Puffs every Saturday morning because in the 70s we were desperate for anything comic related.   Both of them look good for guys pushing their 70s and 80s but it makes you realize how quickly time goes by.

My wife arrived at 5pm - she wanted to say hello to Dave Foley and Kristy Swanson.   She also really enjoyed talking to Alex Saviuk in Chicago and wanted to catch up with him.   She'd never met John Romita Jr but had heard my ridiculous stories of one of our adventures together and as we walked to dinner we ran into him and he CONFIRMED the event to her-- she'll never doubt me again.

Pic of me with John, please note my expression is because my wife nearly dropped my phone before she snapped the pic and I was running numbers through my head as to how much the weekend was going to cost me with the comics, original art and now a new phone! ;)

Pro's & Cons

Pro's -

Wide range of dealers and a lot of comics in the show.

Security was present, metal detectors, bag searches, police and a bomb sniffing dog, but they kept it moving quickly.   Not so at SDCC and Chicago Comic Con this year where security really slowed things down.

Venue offered a LOT of food options with a good range of price options.  There was a concession stand where a lot of show folk were eating, no idea how that was but those who were eating there seemed happy.

Big selection of comics, heavy on the Copper and Modern stuff, but a decent amount of Gold, Silver and Bronze.

Show was organized pretty well, I felt like in Chicago earlier this month that dealers were spread out among nonsense sellers. 

Cons-

The comic area was very crowded and I'm sure the hall's AC was solid before the venue opened, but once it filled up it got very warm in there.   I'll never understand some folks aversion to showers and deodorant before going out in public.

The trivia game they played somewhere in the area was "broadcast" for all of us to hear, but it was so loud you couldn't talk at some booths, tough thing if you're trying to buy or sell.   I get trying to expand the "fun" to the whole show but if I'm negotiating a $2k book and I have to shout that's not much fun.

If you're not overly mobile the parking lot to the show seemed like a pretty good walk to me.   I personally see this as a pro because I am always trying to get my daily steps in which is hard to do when most of your day is spent at a drawing table, but it might be a negative to someone else.

If you're SO wants to shop after the show they're going to have a lot of options, between Sephora, Yankee Candle and another lady store I don't remember my wife was able to occupy herself for some time.   I spent about five minutes in the Tommy Bahama store, and then spent the rest of my waiting time taking pictures of tourists in front of the water fall and making friends with many of the dogs in the casino.   One Irish Setter got so excited he wanted to sit on my lap while I was standing up.

The aisles in the comic area were a little tight.   Artist Alley had HUGE wide aisles, I suppose the idea is to fit more dealers in, but maybe cut a row and extend the show down-- too much space in one ⅓ of the show, not enough in the other ⅓.

Overall - A good show, if I have the time I'll be back for next years offering.

Edited July 31, 2022 by AndyFish

[RSFoster]

This was a terrific report!  I wish they were all this long and detailed!  Captured it perfectly!   I thought that was you in the blue sport jacket but I didn't want to bother you.

[Cocomonkey]

On 7/29/2022 at 10:16 AM, jjonahjameson11 said:

Yeah, the Spa is totally booked for the weekend, likewise any of the decent restaurants on site.  The pool is great and so are the other food options throughout the casino.  There are some outlet malls and beaches not too far away from the casino.

Yeah, apparently they still had Covid protocols in effect (which we knew coming into the weekend, I'd been checking regularly all summer). The pools were for guests only, and no pool day passes were being sold at this time (which pre-Covid would have been an option). We stayed at an Airbnb, not the hotel, so that meant the pool was out. My wife thought about just paying for a pass and coming in with me, decided against it, ended up just wandering around the hotel in circles while I was in the show (so ~4 hours), and basically regretted just not coming in with me, lol.

So, for my first experience with this show...I enjoyed it. The aisles were definitely a bit tight and very packed, especially up in like the front third. There were groups of people who were just standing in the aisles between vendors talking--not looking at the vendors, not commenting on cosplay of other people they saw, just groups that came together, clogging the aisles. Heard others complaining about it as well while I was digging through boxes.

Lots of good selections at the vendors, definitely a better proportion of comic vendors to others than I've seen at other cons. Personally, I felt a lot of the wall books were pretty overpriced (like, they were reflecting prices of a few months ago, and not how some have been dropping quite a bit lately...and some just seem oddly higher than I'd seen/been tracking recently). For me, that just meant nixing my hopes of picking up one or both of the last two X-Men keys I needed and instead, I just focused on random X-related stuff I saw and knocked another 8 books off my list for completing my UXM v1 run (will post my pickups in a bit once I take some pictures).

[jjonahjameson11]

On 8/1/2022 at 10:21 AM, Cocomonkey said:

Yeah, apparently they still had Covid protocols in effect (which we knew coming into the weekend, I'd been checking regularly all summer). The pools were for guests only, and no pool day passes were being sold at this time (which pre-Covid would have been an option). We stayed at an Airbnb, not the hotel, so that meant the pool was out. My wife thought about just paying for a pass and coming in with me, decided against it, ended up just wandering around the hotel in circles while I was in the show (so ~4 hours), and basically regretted just not coming in with me, lol.

So, for my first experience with this show...I enjoyed it. The aisles were definitely a bit tight and very packed, especially up in like the front third. There were groups of people who were just standing in the aisles between vendors talking--not looking at the vendors, not commenting on cosplay of other people they saw, just groups that came together, clogging the aisles. Heard others complaining about it as well while I was digging through boxes.

Lots of good selections at the vendors, definitely a better proportion of comic vendors to others than I've seen at other cons. Personally, I felt a lot of the wall books were pretty overpriced (like, they were reflecting prices of a few months ago, and not how some have been dropping quite a bit lately...and some just seem oddly higher than I'd seen/been tracking recently). For me, that just meant nixing my hopes of picking up one or both of the last two X-Men keys I needed and instead, I just focused on random X-related stuff I saw and knocked another 8 books off my list for completing my UXM v1 run (will post my pickups in a bit once I take some pictures).

Agreed.  Great selection of comics to choose from, and some excellent wall books were on display with some 'ambitious' pricing held over from 2021 peak pricing (ie. ASM 129 cgc 9.8 ow/w pages - two copies at over $15K.  Last few sales are low to mid $9K), ASM 300 (all cgc graded copies were priced at peak pricing (ie. multiple copies of CGC 9.6 white pages at $2.4-2.6K)

However, some dealers also had $2/$3/$5 boxes, and if you had enough time to dig through them, you can find some good deals, such as Terminator #1 in NM+ (1st print), Ronin #6 Mint ($2), Detective 500, 526 & 572 in NM+ for $5 each, etc.  I won't even get into the out of print Manga books that my daughter found, but they were numerous and she paid a total of $20 for books worth nearly $1K on the secondary market.

It was a good show, and I will definitely go again

[Kevin76]

On 8/1/2022 at 10:30 AM, jjonahjameson11 said:

Agreed.  Great selection of comics to choose from, and some excellent wall books were on display with some 'ambitious' pricing held over from 2021 peak pricing (ie. ASM 129 cgc 9.8 ow/w pages - two copies at over $15K.  Last few sales are low to mid $9K), ASM 300 (all cgc graded copies were priced at peak pricing (ie. multiple copies of CGC 9.6 white pages at $2.4-2.6K)

However, some dealers also had $2/$3/$5 boxes, and if you had enough time to dig through them, you can find some good deals, such as Terminator #1 in NM+ (1st print), Ronin #6 Mint ($2), Detective 500, 526 & 572 in NM+ for $5 each, etc.  I won't even get into the out of print Manga books that my daughter found, but they were numerous and she paid a total of $20 for books worth nearly $1K on the secondary market.

It was a good show, and I will definitely go again

I know the dealer you're referring to, He said his margins are thin cause he paid a lot for them, If you pay a lot for something during a peak, you don't reprice down cause there is a dip, I'm sure he either took trade or went home with it, which most likely happened. He'll just have to hang onto it for awhile. Some people think dealers need to reprice everything to match current auction sales and take the loss for the buyer's benefit which isn't true at all. "last sale was 9K, you have 15k on it, now give it to me for 9K" mentality is just insane on some buyers.   

[Devilla06]

On 8/5/2022 at 6:25 PM, 40two30nine50six said:

I hope you're not comparing the airplane hangar at Mohegan Sun to the Plainville VFW  I do like that show but it's the same dealers over and over again.

I felt that 90% of the vendors were the same other than a few YouTubers that popped up for this one and some local stores.