Wizard World Chicago 2007
Everytime I read Neil Gaiman's blog I become inspired to write something to my site. Most of the time this does not turn into actual content as I'm busy at work and by the time I leave, the inspiration is somewhat diminished ... But here goes one while I'm still inspired:
One of the things that I put on my list of "things to do this year" was to go to the Chicago Comic-Con, offically know as Wizard World Chicago.
I really couldn't see spending a full day there so I jumped out of work early on Friday, figuring that that would give me a good four hours to look around and take in the whole experience. The time allocation was a little short-sighted on my part but seeing that I had no interest in purchasing action figures and other toys, collectible comics, posters, trading card games or the myriad of other wares that are offered at such events, it didn't hurt me too much either.
You're probably asking, if I wasn't taking in the crème de la crème of geek fare being offered up, how did I spend my four hours? Well I did have one goal when I hit the convention floor and that was to find some new stories to sink my reading teeth into. Afterall, since I got back on the comic train last fall, all I've been reading were comics published by Marvel, DC, and a small, very small, smattering of Image.
Don't get me wrong, I'm reading some great stuff right now from these publishers but I was hoping to find stuff that maybe wasn't so mainstream. Something that was new, innovative and dare I say original.
And although I'm not completely sure that I found that (I haven't read what I've purchased), I did cast my net in the only area at the con that I felt could deliver this, Artist Alley.
For the uninitiated, artist alley is where new (and established) artists and writers pitch their services and stories. The majority of these folks are looking to make entry into the world of comics by getting their work into as many hands as possible and also hoping to be discovered by someone who can make a difference in their fledgling careers.
I think what struck me first was how friendly and conversive everyone was. As soon as I stepped my way in front of a booth, I was greeted with either a friendly salutation or the question of how I was enjoying the "Con". The artists were happy to field my questions and very enthusiastic to discuss and show their work.
Another realization I came to was just how many talented people there are attempting to break into the field; although, very few will ever make it. It's just too competitive and the size of the market doesn't help either.
But back to the con and some of the things that garnered my attention.
I met the folks who created the fanfilm Trooper Clerks. The fanfilm is "a parody mixing the characters from Kevin Smith's Clerks universe wth the settings and characters in ... [the] Star Wars universe. I love the concept; although, I felt my Star Wars geek cred take a major hit when I mentioned that I'd never heard of their project.
Wil Wheaton was pimping Doktor Sleepless while he was at Comic-Con (San Diego) so I made sure to grab a copy. So far Wheaton's 0-1, at least as it relates to Warren Ellis. Transmetropolitan just didn't make the grade.
Some guys sold me on a copy of a comic called Feuch!, which was described to me as if Dr. Doom was forced to work at Wal-Mart. Uhm... If you haven't realized it yet, I'm keeping a very open mind in hopes of finding something new.
I met Chris Dreier and Jacob Paplham who co-wrote the graphic novel Unit Primes. These guys were really cool and you could tell they were very passionate about their book. This was the only book that I purchased by coming back later to their table after initally checking out their story.
Another story that looked pretty cool was Dolce's and Leister's The Sire. While standing outside of their table, one of their pitchmen strolled up to me and asked me if I was familiar with the comic. The pitch was good and I decided to take a chance. Now one of the benefits of these conventions is that when you purchase the creator('s') work they offer to sign it. Since I don't consider myself to be a serious collector, I'm rather ambigous about getting this done.
When asked I joked around and told the guys, "sure." I followed this up by what I believe was perceived to be a classless move by one of the creators by having the pitchman also sign it. The creator didn't say anything but his expression made me realize that this move was a major faux pas. Oops!
Other folks (items) of note include Sterling Clark, creator of The Renegade!, Nate Lovett, and Scott Reed and Shane White of The Overman. The Overman is definitely one of the comics that I'm looking forward to coming out this winter.
Well that pretty much wraps up my experience. I had such a good time that I'm looking forward to going back next year and stay tuned as I offer up my opinion on some of the things I discovered at this years con in a future post.