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Soooo, WONDERCON 2009.
I have to say if I had known
ahead of time
I was going to debut my comic in one of the worst economies
in U.S. History, I would have tried MUCH harder to get it
done in time for WonderCon 2008 instead.
With that said here's how
WonderCon 2009 went for me ( your results may vary ). Remember
for me this is my FIRST Comic Convention as a Vendor and my
FIRST Comic book and a few other first as well.
FIRST, I have to thank:
Keith
Knight ( the K-Chronicles )
Brian
Kolm ( Atomic Bear Press )
Jason
Martin (Super Real Graphics )
and this great book
"How
to Make Web Comics"
I want to thank all of them
for tons of tips, help and information that really helped
my first Comic Con go much smoother than it might have gone.
OK, so...
Thursday, Setup Day:
I had gotten all
my paper work for my Artist Alley Table in order online, at
least I was pretty sure everything was set, but to be sure
I went in early ( 8:00 am ) to register and get my badge.
Getting the badge went smooth
as there where no lines yet, and Table Setup starts at 9:00
am ... or so I was told. So I run back over to the expensive
parking garage to get my cart load of stuff. Upon arriving
on the show floor I discover that the Artist alley area isn't
setup with tables yet, all the other booths are there, but
Artist Alley is just a big open hole.
OK, back up stairs to find
out what up. "Oh, there's been a miscommunication, Artist
Alley won't be setup till after 12:00 noon".
Great, the parking garage will cost me a fortune by then.
So I ask the Head Guy at the Registration Table if there's
a place I can put my cart while I get rid of my truck so the
garage doesn't cost me my life's income.
My carts reasonable small
so he let's me stash it in a secret place where he can keep
an eye on it for me till I get back ( thanks Sam ! )
OK, so now I'm back at 1:30
after dropping off the truck at home, a shower and quick lunch.
I grab the cart from Sam's Secret Stash Place and head down
stairs to the Hall and my freshly setup Artist Alley Table!
....NOT!
Yes Fan, yet another "miscommunication", Artist
Alley is being used as a unloading area for everything but
Artist Alley, no tables, no nothing.
I'm told table should be ready by 3:00.
So I hang around, it's nearly
2:00 now, what's an hour right?
Now I try to understand these guys have a lot to do setting
up booths, carpets, tables, moving stuff and so forth ...
but Geez, some of these guys, I've NEVER seen anyone move
so slow in my life.
So now Two O'clock becomes Three O'clock, Three becomes Four
and still no tables ... around 5:30 they finally get the tables
setup but you have to guess which one is yours as they didn't
get around to putting names on them till much later.
I'm not Union, so I unload
my cart and setup my table in ten minutes, check the layout,
feels pretty good. OK, put a few thing back in the box and
head home for the night, Friday we open.
Friday, Day 1 :
Friday again I get in a
little early do some final adjustment to the table and settle
in for the show. Looking around Artist Alley I can see Brian
Klom's table not far off, Jason Martin is just across from
me and Keith Knight is just two lanes over, good to know there's
supportive friends close at hand.
I have the good fortune to have the amazing artist Camilla
d'Errico on one side of me and the very talented artist
and writer Amy Martin ( Amy
Martin Comics ) on the other side. So I feel pretty good
about my Artist Alley neighbors as they are both very talented
and have done many conventions before, I hope I won't be too
annoying to them.
A really nice moment for me
was when Nei
Ruffino came by my table to sign one of the Zenescope
covers she colored. She was in town for the show and to go
clubbing with some of her friends. Sadly I was a little star
struck and forgot to get a picture with here ..Duh. She was
very nice to have come by, I kinda wished I had, had more
to say at the time, but I was just so surprised to see her
even though she said she would come by.
The show opens and people
are looking at everything, overall it seems like a typical
WonderCon Friday, lots of looking and just a little buying
here and there. I'm feeling out my sales pitch and getting
the wording down, it's short, slightly amusing and seems to
get people interested, I'm sure it could be better, but so
far so good.
Friday, I'm mostly trying
to get a sense of what people are looking at, buying, like,
laugh at, whatever, making mental notes for tomorrow and whatever
show I do next. I don't expect huge sales.
Friday closes out on a pretty
low note for a lot of people given the grumbling I'm hearing
from other vendors and friends, but it's not a total shock
either, it's Friday. Off to the Cartoon Art Museum Fund Raiser
After Party.
Saturday,
Day 2:
The place is packed with
people, like any good WonderCon Saturday you can hardly move
in some places, people taking photos, people in costumes,
people finally starting to buy. As busy as it is, it's not
feeling right, it seems off, still lots of looking and a lot
less buying, people talking about how they just got laid off
or how little they have to spend.
As an attendee of past years
I know people come to have fun and buy things they love. This
year as a vendor standing in one place talking to so many
people I get the sense people are REALLY coming to escape
their normal daily grind lives and be entertained for a day
or two this year more than past years. Strangely I'm here
for the same reason, just on the other side of the table.
Saturday closes out for many
vendors on a pretty low note too sales wise. WonderCon has
done everything they can to make it a good show, TV Ads, Newspaper
Ads, all sorts of things.
I think most of us are having
a good time, but the thoughts of how am I going to pay my
bills are on everyone's mind. I talk to a few more people
and the over all feeling on sales isn't good.
Sunday, Day 3:
Sunday, the traditional
"Wheel-and-Deal" day at WonderCon, the floor is
busy but not nearly as much as Saturday, you can move around
without to much problem. Some vendors seem to be in panic
mode though, big discounts are happening at several booths.
Things are moving along OK
in Artist Alley, still making a very few sales though, but
I'm hooking up with some people that might help me along in
the future, so it's all good.
My sister and my Mom come
came to WonderCon to see how I was doing. Keep in mind my
Mom is almost literally 100 years old ! and enjoying WonderCon
for the people watching. Mom decides to buy one of my comics
to give to one of the NUNS! at the nursing home where she
lives ... great now I'm going to Hell as well as broke, oh
well.
So WonderCon closes out the
weekend, some people did pretty well others suffered the economies
effects pretty hard, I know I did.
In the end I have to say if
you where at WonderCon to have fun, meet people and future
clients it was a pretty good show. But if you where there
just to make money, you would be crying.
- gWebber
For
Info on WonderCon, APE and ComicCon visit Comic-Con.org
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