Plans
I’ve got a question for The Secret Knots readers, a call for suggestions. Eventually I really would like to go to some comics or indie/alternative press/online comics event in North America probably, where most you are. It would be great to get to meet up with some of you and hang around in some comics convention. This would be probably at some point next year. There’s a lot of planning involved of course but I suppose a good starting point is asking WHERE. Do you recommend a specific Con?
Thanks.
I’m near San Francisco. I don’t really know what conventions are near here, but there must be some! And with 7.4mil people in the immediate vicinity, I’m sure I’m not the only Secret Knots reader.
I would recommend Emerald City Comic Con, but that’s because that’s the only con I’ve ever been to. However, it was a blast. If you go to that one I’ll be there for suresies and I’ll make sure to bring as many of my friends as possible. I know at least one of them would leap at the idea.
C2E2 in Chicago is pretty nice. It’s also the only one that is close enough for me to drive to.
I, too, am near C2E2, but I am most jealous of the MOCCA and Stumptown conventions. If I could justify a plane ticket and hotel room to get a handful of comics, I would. TCAF also seems pretty cool.
http://www.stumptowncomics.com/
http://www.moccany.org/content/mocca-festival
http://torontocomics.com/
TCAF- Toronto Comic Arts Festival, which is going on this weekend in Toronto. I’ll be the one dressed as Valerie for one of the days. And I try my best to go to this every year since Toronto is my favourite city in the world, and the con is free.
I guess your question is best answered with another question–are you looking to connect with people who are already fans of your work, are you looking to make new fans, or are you looking to go as a spectator yourself to see other peoples’ comics? In the first case, you should just go to a convention that your fans already go to, or one near where most of your IP address traffic comes from. If the 2nd case, you want a con more suited to indie publishers. In the 3rd case, a bigger con is probably better. like Comic Con is probably better.
The relevant ones in the San Francisco Bay Area are:
San Diego Comic Con – this is probably the biggest comics con in the USA. I don’t know how good it is for indie authors.
WonderCon – this comic book convention is sort of large and is held in San Francisco
Alternative Press Expo – In San Francisco, this is all about indie publications. You’d be in good company with lots of webcomics people having tables there.
I think MOCCA in NY is pretty huge and has lots of indie presence.
I think Emerald City or Stumptown would be good ones on the West Coast, on the East Coast, maybe SPX?
The question is really just how big are you in the US.
Do you want to be a really big deal at a small con? Go to SPACE in Colombus, OH or let the folks at Pittsburgh or Philadelphia’s cons know you’re interested in coming. There’s also the Brooklyn Comic-Con, which is tough to get into but you could try.
Do you want to rub elbows with the comix literati? MOCCA, SPX or APE.
Do you want a mainstream show that is nice to indies? Emerald City or Baltimore.
Do you want to be surrounded by idiots? Anything starting with “Wizard.”
Thanks, this is interesting (and helpful), there are definitely some common notions in your comments.
I’ll be paying attention to further advice on this.
I second APE, or Stumptown in Portland.
i third c2e2, since its closest to me, though it probably isnt the best fit for you 🙁 tcaf sounds great, and i’ve wanted to make the trip for years but havent got around to it.
I’m in agreement about Emerald City Comic-Con. I can speak for no others.
Just got word from a person with more experience.
Her advice: Go big (San Diego Comic-Con), or go indie (APE). Nowhere in between. Emerald City is still such a small con compared to others, it may not be worth it.
APE might be the best starting place for the independents market. But I suggest you attend San Diego Comic-Con. It’s huge and often sells out months before the event. It’s a great Comic convention and I’d go every year if I could. People come from all over the US to attend, so I highly recommend that one for the experience and exposure.
TCAF is where you belong — hands down!
I live in Az, so… I feel like you should go to the Phoenix Comic Convention.
A relevant question no one seems to have asked, is how comfortable are you with large crowds? Personally, I’ve found that any convention of more than 25,000-30,000 people drives me insane, even if it’s filled with people who share the exact same interests as me. If you feel uncomfortable at a major sporting event, or have never been in a crowd larger than 30,000 people, I would advise against San Diego Comic Con, which now consistently gets more than 100,000.
I would agree that Emerald City and Stumptown are both pretty positive for indie artists like yourself, and if you can manage an extended vacation, they have the advantage of being at the beginning and ending of April, next year, and are only 175 miles (280 km) apart.