With the popularity of TV Shows like THE BIG BANG THEORY and the Blockbuster hits of Marvel Studios comic con fandom has grown by leaps and bounds and more and more people attend these shows, even though a good chunk of them don’t actually read comics, there are still many die hard fans of the medium or of collecting comics in general and they can be fun.
I’ve written many Convention Reports over the years and have some folks asking for more details of what it’s like to be a guest at one of these shows. So here is an attempt to open the curtain a bit more;
Everyone attends a comic con for their own reasons, but it’s not a fair and even playing field by any means. Fans buy tickets to attend the show, some opt to pay more for VIP passes which allow them to get into the show earlier than other fans (usually a half hour to an hour before the show opens) but the uber serious comic collectors manage to get exhibitor badges which allow them to get into the show SEVERAL hours before it opens and even the day before when everyone is just setting up. Exhibitors are, for the most part, vendors selling wares be they old comic books, collectibles, etc. When they buy a space at a show they are given X number of badges for their helpers and often times one of those super collectors will help the exhibitor set up in exchange for one of these highly valued badges.
Artists have it slightly different; you are either setting up in Artists Alley where you’ve likely paid a small amount for your table OR you’re an invited guest of the convention and you don’t pay for your table and in most cases you are also comped hotel and travel to and from the show, many cons offer a meal stipend during the event and some even pay the artist to attend the event. The show we did in Minneapolis at the end of August flew us out, put us up in the convention hotel, covered all our meal and bar tabs and then paid us a fee as well as provided our travel to and from the airport. That particular show was an Anime Show, which is trying to incorporate more comic guests, and that was quite an experience which I will eventually write about here, stay tuned.
Rose City treats us very well, they fly us out, they provide us a hotel room, they provide us meals all weekend and they set up a very nice “green room” off the show floor which is constantly stocked with healthy snacks, coffee, tea and other beverages. They bring us in the day before the show starts and they fly us out the day after so we aren’t rushing to or from the convention center at all.
When you arrive at the convention on the first day to get your badges it can be difficult to figure out your classification, a Guest Badge is the highest rank at the show— you get treated like royalty and as soon as the volunteers realize you are getting a Guest Badge rather than a Pro Badge (given out for free to industry professionals) or an Artists Alley Badge they make sure you’re well taken care of. You’re assigned a handler who will help you to get to and from your various signings and panel appearances and they will even run out and get something for you if you need it.
All right, back to some behind the scenes intel; You’ll need to set up your table before the show opens, although I know many artists who just show up midway through a con to setup— I think this is rude, especially if the con has paid to bring you out. I like to arrive about 90 mins before the show opens, it doesn’t take that long to get your table arranged.
During the show you’ll be looking for things to do, one option is to offer hand drawn original art commissions. At the Portland Show I was thrilled that each and every commission I took was something I was happy to draw. A lot of Batmen, almost as many Sabrina’s and an Old Man Logan here and there. I even had a Frankenstein commission which is my favorite character of all time.
I often sketch while waiting for commission orders to come in, and I did this and then put it for sale online and sold it within a few minutes.
Commissions can be simple sketches or they can be very complex. I like to do tiers; 10 min, 30 min and 90 min sketches. The longer the time spent the more detail that can be worked in.
In between you’ll be signing copies of comics people bring— some creators charge for their signature. I’m against it. I’m told at a convention in India you’ll be signing endlessly and they’ll be buying little else, so in that case I’d consider charging a $1 or $2 to make my time worthwhile. It’s not the worst thing because a lot of the fans take your signed book and just flip it for a profit.
Now for the folks that pay for tables at Artists Alley— I’ve never done that. I’ve only done shows that gave me a table in the days before they went a step further and covered all of my expenses. I don’t like the idea of paying and all I can offer for advice is offer to do a sketch or something for the con organizers or donate a piece to whatever charity auction they’re running (most of them do one) to avoid paying a table fee. You’d be surprised at how many are happy to comp your table.
Doing these shows you’re going to want to resist the temptation to do more of these commissions than you can handle— simply because the money is good. I restrict only to what I can get done over the course of the show, which means Sunday morning I’m usually closed for commissions and wrapping up the ones I have. This past RCCC I did pretty well and was able to knock off a quick couple on Sunday— you’re also going to want to make sure you get up and walk around every 60 mins or so— sitting too long is very bad.
Stay hydrated— drink plenty of water and get some rest. Resist the temptation to go to the all night parties that a lot of artists and publishers attend. I know one creator who stays out until dawn and then struggles through the show— and he looks it!