The 50-year-old Virgin (Please post first time comic con advice here!) 2 2

[jimbo_7071]

On 5/4/2023 at 11:52 AM, Black_Adam said:

It may seem incredible to some, but in 40+ years of collecting comics I have never been to a Comic Convention! 

Don't get me wrong, I've been to a handful of local shows here in Vancouver BC (where the only comic celebrity you are likely to see is Greggy), but I have never been to a true, south of the border, Made in USA comic con like SDCC, NYCC, etc. I've never even been to Emerald Comic Con in Seattle!

But I've been thinking that this is the year to finally cross attending a comic convention off my bucket list. So the point of this thread is: please post your best advice for a first timer!

Thanks in advance. 

I've been collecting for almost 40 years, and I have never been to a national convention, either. I always hear that the selection of GA material is weak, and I don't like crowds, so for me it wouldn't be worth the expense of a special trip. If I were in the area then sure, I'd go, but the selection of books in the online auctions empties my wallet quickly enough to suit me.

[L'Angelo Misterioso]

On 5/4/2023 at 10:54 AM, Black_Adam said:

Except for comics, right? I thought cons were where all the sweet deals were to be found...

So, I've also never been to a con, and I plan on going to NYCC this year. Are comics at cons notoriously highly marked up?

[skypinkblu]

On 5/4/2023 at 4:41 PM, *paull* said:

Count pages in books.

This, 10 times...and before you pay. I learned that the hard way.

[Funnybooks]

shower

 

[jjonahjameson11]

Try to review the dealer list/location (if available) in advance of the show.

look for dealers who do not do the con circuit frequently as their inventory probably hasn’t  been picked over (at shows and on their websites), and they are more likely to deal and work with you.

at least, that’s been my experience.

another point- if the show offers early admission for a fee, take it!  It’s totally worthwhile to be one of the first at the show with early access to the books, and less crowded

Edited May 4, 2023 by jjonahjameson11

[jimbo_7071]

On 5/4/2023 at 7:42 PM, jjonahjameson11 said:

Try to review the dealer list/location (if available) in advance of the show.

look for dealers who do not do the con circuit frequently as their inventory probably hasn’t  been picked over (at shows and on their websites), and they are more likely to deal and work with you.

at least, that’s been my experience.

another point- if the show offers early admission for a fee, take it!  It’s totally worthwhile to be one of the first at the show with early access to the books, and less crowded

Dealers like Jay Maybruck have access even before the early-admission people and scoop up the higher-quality material that's reasonably priced and then jack up the prices—or so I've heard. Many dealers are also collectors, so they probably scoop up the best stuff for their personal collections. So if you really want the inside track, I guess you have to pay the dealer fee and set up a table. 

[ttfitz]

On 5/4/2023 at 1:33 PM, F For Fake said:

Have a plan of attack- It's true that I'm probably more anal retentive than others, but I like to have a plan for my day. If there are certain creators I want to meet, I try to get a program or look at the website with a floor plan, and I sort of plan out my path for the day. Same for certain dealers I want to hit up.

I wanted to repeat this, as it's very good advice; but also because many of the tips here are about what I think is the lesser part of a show for me, the dealers room. I mean, there's nothing wrong with hitting up the booths and looking for those sweet deals we all love, but for me the attraction of a show is the opportunity to meet a favorite creator, attend a fun panel, check out the interesting stuff that you might never have run across in your typical comic shop.

I mean, yeah, it's fun to dig thru the boxes looking for things, but there's so much available these days just sitting in front of your computer, I tend to spend much less time on the floor than I do in the panel rooms. Heck, one show my daughter and I attend regularly (Awesome Con in Washington DC) we sometimes find ourselves spending most of the day in the Science Fair portion of the programming learning about the Artemis mission or what's in a black hole or any number of fun interesting topics. Now, granted, Awesome Con is less comic-centric than many shows.

So I'd say see what all the con has to offer, and figure out what your priorities are. Then you can figure out how to beat Greggy to the good stuff (you can't, but never stop trying).

[aardvark88]

Avoid SDCC, as u don't want to 'waste' 4.5 hours in line to get into a seminar u don't want to view just in order to move up closer to the stage for the next media /movie hype presentation in the same hall that u really wish to attend.

Just fly up to Calgary Expo where u usually can casually walk up to view any media guest stage presentation without a 1 hour line up.

If u prefer to buy vintage comics, drive down to Portland, OR smaller cons, Collector's Summitt (Bellevue), or ECCC, Seattle, WA, if u wish to line up for artist signatures or buy artwork. Fly to Torpedo  con near Hollywood, CA or Cal-comic con near Anaheim, CA, if u prefer to stay in the same Pacific time zone.

Add extra funds pre-loaded into your US $ PayPal account, as u will run out of cash.

[Sigur Ros]

Dress up as Harley Quinn.

Hardly anyone does that.

[1Cool]

My advice will really depend on why you are going.  If you want to get a bunch of books signed by artist then you will spend a lot of time standing in the hot artist’s lines so know that going in.  Is CGC going to be there and will you want to get SS books?  Stop in there first so you know the procedure to getting books signed with a rep there.  

Your feet will kill you so take some time to sit and have a lunch.  Try to talk with people especially if you have friends on the boards - cons are equally about meeting similar minded people and having fun.  Don’t forget to just soak it in and have a blast.  
 

My vote is always for Baltimore Con for a great Con experience.

[Cat]

Try and have a look at the map of the con beforehand, and mark the vendors first you want to check out. Stick to that plan, then go back for other places. That's served me well, and stopped me getting distracted. I'm very easily distracted. 

[Courageous Cat]

On 5/4/2023 at 7:18 PM, L'Angelo Misterioso said:

So, I've also never been to a con, and I plan on going to NYCC this year. Are comics at cons notoriously highly marked up?

your kidding right? Of course these land sharks jack up the price because they know you're gonna ask if they can do better. 

[Funnybooks]

On 5/5/2023 at 7:35 AM, Cat said:

Try and have a look at the map of the con beforehand, and mark the vendors first you want to check out. Stick to that plan, then go back for other places. That's served me well, and stopped me getting distracted. I'm very easily distracted. 

[Cman429]

I’d definitely start off at one of the mid sized cons like a Fan Expo or Galaxycon before jumping headfirst into one of the majors like SDCC or C2E2. Cons absolutely eat up newbies.

As far as advice, unless you are just going for the experience the best I can offer is prioritize 1-3 (max) things that are most important to you (meeting certain artists/celebs, photo ops, finding certain items/toys, getting a sketch, etc) and concentrate on them before anything else. The people I most often hear have disappointing experiences are the ones who go in wanting to meet an entire cast of a show, get 12 comics signed and buy some exclusive Pops and end up not even accomplishing 1/3 of that. 

Everything at cons takes way way longer than you can possibly expect.

 

[1Cool]

Side question - is there any cons over on the west coast that are similar to Heroes or Baltimore?  SDCC and NYCC sound like they are fairly similar (SDCC being the big brother) but I've not seen any pictures of west coast cons that rival those two great east coast cons but maybe I missed them.  

[Courageous Cat]

On 5/5/2023 at 8:44 AM, 1Cool said:

Side question - is there any cons over on the west coast that are similar to Heroes or Baltimore?  SDCC and NYCC sound like they are fairly similar (SDCC being the big brother) but I've not seen any pictures of west coast cons that rival those two great east coast cons but maybe I missed them.  

most of these cons nowadays are jokes for comics; Mostly modern pop culture garbage and cosplay. Oh sure u get the Reeces, dale, and the usual suspects, but other than that...

[1Cool]

On 5/5/2023 at 10:57 AM, Courageous Cat said:

most of these cons nowadays are jokes for comics; Mostly modern pop culture garbage and cosplay. Oh sure u get the Reeces, dale, and the usual suspects, but other than that...

I would agree with most Cons but I'm continually shocked how many dealers show up at Heroes and Baltimore each year - through the good years and the bad.  The minimal celebrities at both keeps people coming for the books which brings in the big and small dealers.  I normally lump Motor City (outside Detroit) into this group but it appears to be having a tougher time getting a bunch of dealers over the last couple years.

[Poutine]

Harley Yee

[ttfitz]

On 5/5/2023 at 7:35 AM, Cat said:

Try and have a look at the map of the con beforehand, and mark the vendors first you want to check out. Stick to that plan, then go back for other places. That's served me well, and stopped me getting distracted. I'm very easily distracted. 

[jjonahjameson11]

On 5/5/2023 at 8:44 AM, 1Cool said:

Side question - is there any cons over on the west coast that are similar to Heroes or Baltimore?  SDCC and NYCC sound like they are fairly similar (SDCC being the big brother) but I've not seen any pictures of west coast cons that rival those two great east coast cons but maybe I missed them.  

Terrificon is rapidly growing into a similar type of show as Heroes.