Big Apple Hits Bottom

[Ze-man]

Well then at the least put them in the back of the convention hall, or in an adults only area.

 

It is fine to have them there if that is your choice. As long as they are in the appropriate place. Those who wish to be around that sort of thing will seek it out.

 

 

Ze-

[rodan57]

Is having a porn star at a comic convention really an issue of balancing family and fandom? With due respect to all the issues involved in putting together a profitable convention, reducing the discussion to a matter of the propriety of the family experience vs. the expectations of the fan smacks of feigned helplessness.

 

Is there really a significant money-spending element of comic famdom that goes to a comic convention to meet porn stars? Is it necessary? If it is not necessary then it's a matter of choice.

 

Granted, there is a significant adult or mature element (if by adult and mature, we mean sex and violence) to some comic publications but it is still a comic-derived expression.

 

Let's keep our need to balance family and fandom within the world of comics and not the wider world of adult entertaiment.

 

2¢

Dennis

[mica]

You guys have to understand that it's a tough choice between family and fandom when putting on these shows. 95% of the attendees of the Big Apple Con are men 18-40

There's a reason for that end result.

However, we are concerned about young children and any exposure to adult materials,

Really?

We have taken steps

What steps?

in the past year to remove certain models who overstepped the boundaries of reason and we will continue to enforce these guidelines.

Do you have video them being escorted out of the facility?

 

Look guys, I'm available if you have any suggestions or want to discuss this. I really appreciate your comments and would love to have any direct input on how you feel we could balance family and fandom.

If things are in direct eyesight of "family' then there is no balance.

3¢

[adams]

Can't you just imagine some of NYC's finest coming in to bust the promoters for porn and then the newspaper headlines the next day linking comicbooks & porn...?

Wertham would be jumping for glee over this one....

 

BTW: is Asia related to Tia Carrera ?

 

If Car'boner'ero insists on having porn..there should be a special section where only those with proper ID can enter...

I'm all for free speech, but, with kids there, we're trying to grow the hobby, not destroy it with bad decisions like this one.

 

If you want porn...go to the monthly Los Angeles show or surf the Internet.

[MutantKeys]

Big Apple show sucks anyway. I go to waste some time thats about it.

[deathlok]

BTW: is Asia related to Tia Carrera ?

 

uhh....no.

 

 

If you want porn...go to the monthly Los Angeles show or surf the Internet.

 

The LA con has cleaned up quite a bit. Still has some vendors, but much less than there used to be.

[towards2112]

Brian,

Porn Queens do not belong at comic book conventions. If I were still doing

shows, I wouldn't do this show. Porn and comic books don't mix.

IF you are going to make sure that your table fee paying customers

are happy, spend bucks on celebs that will generate buyers for comic books.

IF you are only interested in butts through the door, then you are probably

doing the correct thing. In fact, you should be able to acquire several more

"hostesses", and "dancers", just to round out the "feel" for the event.

My advice is that the first time the little old ladies with the "anti-whatever"

signs show up in front of your event, the atmosphere will definitely need

an air freshner.

[alwaysbronze]

i dont see the problem

[Ringfinger]

Can't you just imagine some of NYC's finest coming in to bust the promoters for porn and then the newspaper headlines the next day linking comicbooks & porn...?

Wertham would be jumping for glee over this one....

 

BTW: is Asia related to Tia Carrera ?

 

If Car'boner'ero insists on having porn..there should be a special section where only those with proper ID can enter...

I'm all for free speech, but, with kids there, we're trying to grow the hobby, not destroy it with bad decisions like this one.

 

If you want porn...go to the monthly Los Angeles show or surf the Internet.

 

Tell me more about this LA show.

[Kevin76]

I really don't see what the problem is here.

[toro]

Hey Guys,

 

 

I understand some of you may be concerned about Asia and adult guests at comic book shows.

 

You guys have to understand that it's a tough choice between family and fandom when putting on these shows. 95% of the attendees of the Big Apple Con are men 18-40 and are are very vocal in their desire to see guests like Asia. If this were not true, then why do we repeatedly see guests like Traci Lords, Jasmine St. Claire, Seka, etc... at Comic Book Conventions throughout the the country? These girls are not coming there for fun. Simply put, there is a demand for these guests.

 

However, we are concerned about young children and any exposure to adult materials, including the many adult themed comics which are all over a comic show. We require that all guests, dealers and exhibitors refrain from openly displaying ANY graphic adult materials. We have taken steps in the past year to remove certain models who overstepped the boundaries of reason and we will continue to enforce these guidelines.

 

Look guys, I'm available if you have any suggestions or want to discuss this. I really appreciate your comments and would love to have any direct input on how you feel we could balance family and fandom.

 

Thanks,

Brian

bigapplecon@yahoo.com

 

Brian, if you took away the porn stars would the Big Apple Con, be affected? Is the porn crowd coming for the comics or just to meet porn stars? If you booked an American Idol castoff, wouldn't you get more younger kids with their parents who also might drop a dime or two on actual comics.

 

It seems almost insulting that the 18-40 year olds who collect comics are assumed to be big into porn. Take someone in the middle of that age range, their monly budget is either first a the mortgage/rent check, utilities, car loan, college loan, then way down on the list is comics. Do most 28-30 year olds have a monthly budget item for porn?

[KingOfRulers]

I don't see this as a big deal. My only problem, is they could have got a better looking pornstar then Asia Carrera That aside, it is not unusual to have porn stars at conventions. It is the "norm" from what I see. There is usually at least one at a show. I haven't really got into it, because I don't really want to meet them or buy any stupid prints. I just go about my comic business at comic shows. But either way, it doesn't really bother me. I would think that if parents don't want their kids to get involved they would just avoid that booth...

[towards2112]

My view is that if you want a FUTURE crowd, one of the demographic

young males, then by all means provide an enviornment where fathers

and mothers don't have to worry about the additional exposure to

people that are hailed for their sexual performances. I have no problems

with the 15-16 year old up crowd being freely able to meet a porn queen.

It's OLD funks like me, that want to take my grandsons out into the

wonderful world of comicons. I am certainly not a prude, not by any

stretch of the imagination, but I would NOT be a very good grandparent

by taking my boys to a venue that touted sex performers as celebs !

WWE/WWF whatevers, I could care less. TV personalities, I could

care less. But, I draw the line at porn and the younger crowd.

Just imagine if Linda Lovelace[sp?] were alive[?] and appeared,

and Danny asked me what she was famous for ? " Oh son, she

did a porn flic 40 years ago, and was famous for bobbing the sausage

and not spitting !" Some of the younger crowd here will hopefully

have their own families someday, and can experience the joy of having

their children running around the floor of a convention annoying the

other dealers. AND hopefully the other dealers will treat their children

the same way mine were treated, and I treated theirs, and the kids will

grow up loving porn free conventions.

It also goes to show the trade convention as a whole has slipped. I used

to hear the term COMIC CONVENTION as a great place to buy comic

books, now it tends to mean a freak show where we can see porn queens...

[Jagull]

I walked right behind Peter North (better than infront with an umbrella) at the CES Porn Convention once, oh what. Porn stars are supposed to be at that one. You Canadians give birth to all the greats, from Pamela to Peter.

 

that was AEE, not CES

 

 

odd that this year's show was right after CES

[Pirate]

I don't see this as a big deal. My only problem, is they could have got a better looking pornstar then Asia Carrera That aside, it is not unusual to have porn stars at conventions. It is the "norm" from what I see. There is usually at least one at a show. I haven't really got into it, because I don't really want to meet them or buy any stupid prints. I just go about my comic business at comic shows. But either way, it doesn't really bother me. I would think that if parents don't want their kids to get involved they would just avoid that booth...

 

I saw king sitting on cleopatra's lap at megacon last year

[oldmilwaukee6er]

i really don't see the problem and i am little curious why we do not complain as loudly when many of the Con Reports posted on these exact boards contain numerous scantily clad women (in some case probably minors) dressed as our favorite heroines?

 

comics and sex (or porn... choose your term) don't mix? what about the hundreds of titles and multiple companies that have been publishing porn comics for the better part of two decades (but see Fogel's Underground Comix Price Guide)? do comics and violence mix (e.g. EC)? comics and torture? comics and bondage? comics and politics?

 

part of what is at the heart of this is the assumption that comics are for kids. true... that is how they began (but even that is only partially true... but see also GIs and WWII)... but that is no longer true and hasn't been entirely true since the underground comix movement of the 60s and 70s. or since Spiegelman won the Pulitzer in '92 for Maus.

 

if comics and sex/porn (violence, bondage, politics, etc) DIDN'T mix... we'd all collect funny animal books (but not Robert Crumb).

[oldmilwaukee6er]

everything but funny animal books deleted by WERTHAM

[Shadow]

I highly doubt attendance is drastically affected whether a porn star attends or not.

 

Does anyone know what someone like Asia is paid to attend? Because that mixes in with the above statement. I've heard the bigger names (Like Adam West, George Takei, Peter North ) get something in line of $10000 to attend. Am I wrong?

[towards2112]

i really don't see the problem and i am little curious why we do not complain as loudly when many of the Con Reports posted on these exact boards contain numerous scantily clad women (in some case probably minors) dressed as our favorite heroines?

 

'cause we're adults ??

And kids shouldn't be exposed to porn, or what could even wildly considered porn?

[topofthetotem]

i really don't see the problem and i am little curious why we do not complain as loudly when many of the Con Reports posted on these exact boards contain numerous scantily clad women (in some case probably minors) dressed as our favorite heroines?

 

'cause we're adults ??

And kids shouldn't be exposed to porn, or what could even wildly considered porn?

I see a lot of board members con reports and it looks like they are taking the family along. Trying to share something they enjoyed as children with their children and maybe foster new collectors with a love of comics that sounds pretty straight forward to me and should not have to be defended.

 

Also dressing in skimpy clothing and taking a watermelon up the *spoon* for a few bucks should be pretty self explanatory as to the diffrences between a con girl and porn star and why people find it offensive.