BEA and NYCC showrunner Lance Fensterman responds to Neil Kleid’s latter about holding the show over Passover this year and apologizes for the conflict. Basically these were the only dates available, but we won’t have that problem in ‘09.

Needless to say, I’m none too happy about the Passover situation either, so let’s get that out of the way right off the bat - we are really sorry about this and certainly intended no disrespect towards anyone. The unfortunate reality is that these were the dates we were given at the Javits Center. Javits is unlike most places in that the demand for the space far outstrips the availability, so customers, such as NYCC, are left with little to no choice as to what dates we are given. To that point, I’ll announce here first that the show will be moving back to February next year - because we want to be in February? Not really. Quite simply, these are the only dates we can get next year.

February is a bit cheaper for travel, but it also brings up the spectre of a show-stopping blizzard, too. We haven’t even been to New York Comic-Con in April yet, but we already miss it.

There were a couple of local comics show this weekend. Joe Gordon at the Forbidden Planet blog went to Hi-Ex, which was seemingly held in Narnia during the White Queen’s reign…no no, it was actually held in Inverness, Scotland, where every photo comes out like a postcard! For real, the pictures at this blog make this locale look like a magical winter wonderland. And of course since it was in Scotland, everyone ate haggis and tossed cabers and said “Och, Laddie!” while taking about the Loch Ness monster all the time, right? Here’s John Higgins in between mouthfuls of haggis and black pudding.

Meanwhile Grendel33, aka “Ty” went to the 2nd Annual Toronto ComicCon and gives a very thorough report. Here’s Francis Manapul and Agnes Grabowska. How does Francis Manapul always get his hair to do that manga thing? He’s good!

THe San Diego Comic-Con has launched a blog called “Staying in San Diego” to help with the most arduous task of the comics year: getting a hotel room for the show:

In 2007, Comic-Con International had 125,000 attendees. We realize the challenges related to an event of this size. One of the most challenging aspects of attending Comic-Con is trying to reserve a hotel room. Each year, we open hotel reservations only to have them initially sell out in a matter of hours. And while rooms almost always are added or become available due to cancellations, the simple fact of the matter is there are not enough hotel rooms in San Diego for everyone who wants to attend Comic-Con.

The purpose of this blog is to offer a forum on both the hotel reservation process and to help answer your questions. We will also offer tips on staying in San Diego, including nearby restaurants and attractions, Comic-Con’s shuttle bus schedule, the city’s mass transit, and more, as we get closer to the event.

The blog also includes a preliminary list of con hotels.

Bart Beatty is reporting on all the festival doings at The Comics Reporter. Check back daily for Bart’s view on the goings on.

It was slow today — the biggest hall was empty at opening, but most of the artists were arriving today and the signings, and crowds, will grow in earnest on Friday. The weather has been a boon to smokers now confined to the outdoors, as it is positively springlike, a big change from the past couple of years. All in all, an auspicious start that bodes well for a crisis- and scandal-free Festival.

Spring, comics and a cloud of Gauloises smoke. We must make it to Angoulême one day before its all over.

Speaking of French comics, they are having something of a snit which Matthias Wivel explains: A newspaper piece claims that Sfar and Satrapi and co. make up a French comics mafia:

While nowhere near the hatchet piece Ted Rall’s now infamous Village Voice article was, Brethes is tilting at windmills here. As he acknowledges himself, Satrapi; Sfar and the rest have influenced French comics significantly, and he is right that they have spawned a number of epigones, etc. But intimating that they are somehow at fault, and using a criminal metaphor to boot, is just dumb. Who can blame them for embracing the media attention they have earned through producing quality work? Or for promoting the kinds of comics they like when they attain editorial positions? And how, exactly, is any of this different from earlier times — Dionnet/et. al. at Métal Hurlant or Brétecher/Gotlib and Co. at Echo des savanes/Fluide Glacial publishing artists they themselves enjoyed? Furthermore, how is this different from what goes on in the rest of the literary/art community, or indeed the world at large?

Even as everyone limbers up dialing fingers and tests internet speed for the Big Day when the hotels go on sale, many San Diego Comic-Con rumors are rampant. Before reporting them we thought we’d check in with David Glanzer, PR head honcho for the con, and he gave us the straight scoop on some stories making the rounds. The main news is that the aisles in some parts of the exhibit hall are being widened.

“As you know the configuration of the floor changes from year to year,” he told The Beat “This can be attributed to any number of things including numbers of booths, size of booths and size of aisles.

“Safety is always a paramount concern, and because of that we have long been in the habit of increasing aisle width in areas of crowding or potential crowding. This year is no different.

“Our aisles are always at least 10 feet wide, with some aisles 20 feet wide. This year we have increased a portion of the back aisles in Hall D & E from 10 feet to 20 feet and a portion of Hall G also from 10 feet to 20 feet.”

Does this mean, ulp, fewer booths?

“This increase has resulted in some booths being moved to different locations on the floor,” sayd Glanzer. “As far as a wait list for Comic-Con yes, there is a wait list again this year. However, the reconfiguration of the floor hasn’t had an impact on that wait list. The reason is that while we do experience a great return of exhibitors, not every exhibitor can return from year to year.

“So while we may have lost minimal booth space because of the increase in aisle width, the attrition rate has resulted in that not being a factor for returning exhibitors who have turned their paperwork.”

As in the past, booths will be allocated to past exhibitors first, then new exhibitors. The con is still looking to find ways to accommodate as many exhibitors as possible in a “safe and fun environment.”

When you say wider aisles, we say HELLS YEAH! We hate being trampled while some Princess Leia tramp poses for every drooler on the planet! We need to make our getaways! We’d also heard that the gridlock-inducing confluence of studio booths in one area might be broken up this year but Glanzer expects the floor plan to be similar to last year’s.

This year’s con slate is fast getting nailed down for many people and we’re hearing the usual rumors, some of which we’re investigating. One which doesn’t appear to be a rumor is that as it was last year, pro reg for New York Comic-Con will be VERY early this year! The following letter has been making the rounds:

Free Registration for Professional Creators has been available online since December and will be cutoff on January 31. All Creators will be free until February 15, and then after that they’ll need to go through the exhibitor or publisher to get their badge.

The early cut-off caught some people by surprise last year, but with all the semi-pros in NYC we can understand the cut-off. Anyway, if you are a pro and want to go, get thee over to this link ASAP. Don’t say The Beat didn’t warn ya!

§ The Emerald City Con has announced “Supergirl” as a guest. They also have a nice new poster by Alex Ross.

§ Bernie Wrightson has joined the Baltimore Comic-Con guest list.

§ Bryan Hitch has been named a GoH at the 2008 New York Comic-Con.

§ Speaking of the NYCC, Lance Fensterman, who runs NYCC, the BEa AND now the NY Anime Fest has a blog about various stuff.

§ Mark Texeira will be at the Phoenix Comic-Con

§ Greg Rucka will appear at a special comics mini-convention at the Las Vegas Clark County Library on Saturday, January 26.

The Library District ComicsFest will be held on Saturday, January 26, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Sahara West Library, 9600 W. Sahara Avenue.

Special guests include Greg Rucka writer of Checkmate and DC Comics’ 52, and creator of Whiteout and Queen and Country; Jimmy Gownley, creator of Amelia Rules; Steven Grant, writer for The Punisher; Josh Elder, creator of Mail Order Ninja; graphic novel expert MICHELE GORMAN; and local artists and other professional comics creators.

Meet representatives from Dark Horse Comics, IDW Publishing, Japanime, Tokyopop, Yen Press and many other publishers. Shop in our dealers’ room, play Nintendo Wii games such as Wii Sports and enter a drawing to win free books.

Free and open to the public. For more information, call 507-3630 or visit www.lvccld.org.

Roger Price, who has been running the Mid-Ohio con for 27 years, sent out an open letter over the weekend:

After 27 years, I must regrettably announce that the time has come for me to retire as the promoter of Mid-Ohio-Con.

The difficult decision to take this action is based solely on personal reasons, including a desire to pursue several new professional opportunities.

The show itself remains viable, and it is my sincere desire that Mid-Ohio-Con will continue under new ownership. To that end, R.A.P. Promotions will entertain offers from seriously interested parties starting immediately. Those wishing to obtain additional information and submit an offer are asked to first contact me in writing either via e-mail at < href = "mailto:info@midohiocon.com">info@midohiocon.com, or at PO Box 3831, Mansfield, Ohio 44907.

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Speaking of that WGA strike, Variety blogger
Tom McLean explains very clearly why Comic-Con is strike-proof. The comment thread to the post points out something interesting that we had kind of noted in passing, as well: the price for a four-day pass has been raised from $55 (pre-reg) to $75. That should do a wee bit to keep people away. Stress the “wee.” $55 was a very low price considering all that you got.

And speaking of the WGA strike, the impending DGA contract settlement is ratcheting the pressure on everyone:

Top scribes have been telling agents they will seriously consider going fi-core (resigning from the WGA by declaring “financial core” status) should the leadership spurn the terms in the DGA pact. That group, which styles itself as moderate and pragmatic, held a meeting early in the week and has been seeking recruits with the warning that more pain will visit the scribes shortly should Verrone and Young give a thumbs-down to the DGA terms. The DGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers met for the fifth consecutive day Wednesday under a news blackout. Both sides will meet again today at AMPTP headquarters.

Adding to the pressures: studios and networks are using force majeure to cancel dozens of independent contracts. That means lots of people are now out of work. And with the nation headed into a recession, if Lou Dobbs is to be believed, everyone is itching to get back to work.

We really should be careful about such an attention getting headline because someone will inevitabvly say “yes.” It all came from Peter Sanderson’s comments in our year-end survey:

Comic-Con 2008: What if the Writers Guild of America strike goes on and on, into June, when the directors and actors unions’ contracts expire? What if the actors then go on strike, too? What if the directors, who have only gone on strike for literally five minutes in the past, join them? What effect does that have on the San Diego Con, which has increasingly become a showcase for movies and TV shows? Sure, producers and PR people will still hold panels in Hall H to preview new product. But don’t the fans go to these panels to see the actors and the “star” directors and writers? Will it become easier to get into Hall H? In other words, just how many of the 100,000 plus attendees at Comic-Con come for the media other than comics? We may find out this year.

This got picked up by EW, then WIRED, then everybody and yesterday the San Diego Union-Tribune asked the same question but with a startling enhancement: an interview with San Diego PR Guru David Glanzer who says things are motoring along at their usual breakneck speed.

“We’re still dealing with everybody,” said David Glanzer, a spokesman for San Diego’s comic book convention, now a major showcase for upcoming films and TV shows. “Nobody’s indicating anything to us other than what’s standard.”

Writer Peter Rowe takes this as confirmation that the con may be doomed to a lesser degree of glitz, but we say: NOT SO FAST.

For one thing, the DGA strike looks to have settled their negotiations already. How this will affect the WGA strike is unknown. As for a SAG strike…well, no offense to our thespian friends but…we can’t see it.

At this point it’s quite likely — but depressing — that the writer’s strike will last at least as long as the last one — six months. Networks are filling the space with reality programming, so we could just see more stars of Beauty and the Geek and How Clean is Your House on parade at Comic-Con (These shows have the strongest tie to the core demographic, in our opinion.) There are a number of movies in production that will still need to be flogged, as well, WATCHMEN for one,

So our prognosis? If the strike doesn’t end soon San Diego may be a little less manic, but not a whole lot less.

But that’s not even the really IMPORTANT question:

What does this mean for your chances of getting a hotel room?
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It’s not too early to start thinking of this year’s indie comix show circuit, and two key shows have announced new dates and formats.

First, SPX has announced it’s dates: October 4-5. That means they’ll be going to a Saturday-Sunday format next year. The move had been long expected, given the small showing for Sunday’s “Small Press Summit” and the belief that a Saturday-Sunday show would daw more people.

By popular demand, SPX 2008 is shifting its exhibition hours to a Saturday-and-Sunday show. The show will be open to the public Saturday from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm and Sunday from noon to 6:00 pm.

“The show has grown over the years to the point where we really need both days of the weekend to let exhibitors sell their comics,” said Executive Director Karon Flage. “This makes it easier for attendees to come to the show and see what all of our creators and publishers have to offer.”

Portland’s Stumptown Comics Fest, the up-and-coming show on the circuit, has announced a move to April 26-27 to fill the spring void left by APE’s move to November.

Portland Oregon’s 5th Annual Stumptown Comics Fest will be held on April 26th-27th at the Doubletree Hotel Lloyd Center, 1000 NE Multnomah St, Portland, OR 97232. This event is a festival celebration of comic art. As Alternative Press Expo (APE) finds itself in the height of the autumn convention calendar in November, Stumptown Comics Fest has recognized the need for a Spring show focusing on the art and creation of comic books and moved to fill the void.

Exhibitor reservations are available now. Guests include Nick Gurewitch, Derek Kirk Kim, Craig Thompson and Mike Richardson. M ore info and PR in the jump.

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Disney sponsors Kid’s Day, and new guests announced.

New York Comic Con (NYCC) has announced its most recent guest appearances for the 2008 show which will take place at the Jacob K. Javits Center, April 18 – 20. In making the announcement, show officials also note that the Disney Book Group has recently come on board as a sponsor for Kids’ Day, an all-day program on Sunday, April 20 which will focus on events and activities designed to attract and entertain young fans. So far, officials note, Kids’ Day has been greeted with overwhelming support. Kid’s Comic Con 2008 has also recently partnered with New York Comic Con and will announce the winner of their brand new awards program at NYCC as part of the many Kids’ Day activities.

New Featured Guests who have been confirmed for an appearance at NYCC include: Mark Buckingham, famous for his work on Marvelman (Miracleman in the USA), Hellblazer, and Fables; Dale Eaglesham, an illustrator with dozens of DC and Marvel titles to his credit, and who is well-known for the newly re-launched title, Justice Society of America; Ron Garney, who, over the course of his career, has made a name for himself tackling some of the industry’s greatest characters, such as the Incredible Hulk, Silver Surfer and, most notably, Captain America, and who is currently getting rave reviews illustrating Amazing Spiderman with J.M. Stryzynski; and Steve McNiven, who has worked with an impressive array of writers, including Warren Ellis, Brian Bendis, and Mark Millar on titles such as New Avengers and Ultimate Secret.

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This may have been a con too far for The Beat…we’re too tuckered to post anything, but we will run some photos by you, how does that sound? Although we apologize in advance because our camera settings were screwed up all weekend and all the pictures came out dark. Above: An overview of the hall.

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We’ll have our own detailed anthropological observations when we’re not feeling under the weather. However here are facts and figures.

§ ICv2 interviews the showrunner John McGeary who estimates attendance at 15,000.

§ IGN reports on Stuart Levy’s amusing activites:

Have the Tokyopop convention planners lost their minds? Not really. Rather than do a typical presentation, Levy wanted to film a “documentary” chronicling a fake Van Von Hunter’s journey from “rags to riches”. But Levy wanted audience participation and guided them to create the footage he wanted. Attendees were prompted to boo on cue, shout lines, throw giveaway armbands and, finally, rush the door as Hunter, Levy and panelist Steven Calcote ran outside, using chairs as “riot shields.” The entire ordeal was filmed through two cameras and, oddly enough, featured relatively little about the manga itself (which is very real). The final Hunter documentary is due to be released in 2008. The manga series, first released in 2005, follows the humorous action-adventures of a hero who hunts evil monsters across the Kingdom of Dikay.

§ The Del Rey crew has a detailed blog.

§ The winner of the World Cosplay Summit US Division blogs.

§ Who attended the show? This LJ post really says it all:

So. Yesterday morning I took the ACT again. When I was done, my parents and I spent an hour stuck in NYC traffic in order to go to the con. When we finally got there (and found a place to park, and cursed out all the people who came in buses) I made a beeline for the nearest manga booth (Emma vol.5, +Anima vol. 6, Apothecarius Argentum vol. 3, Sugar Sugar Rune vol. 7). And then I found shadow_maw, ditched my parents, and we set off to explore the con.

The first day of the inaugural New York Anime Festival was a busy one. Crowds were good for a brand new show on a cold, snowy day, which was, in the end, competing against Christmas shopping. That sounds like damning with faint praise, but there were people throughout the hall all day–all in all, one of the better showings for a new show we’ve seen in New York. Total attendance for the weekend is expected to be about 12-14,000, and everyone expects to be slammed today (Saturday.)

No real news we heard all day, The real experience of an anime show is for the fans, and shows generally have a “by fans for fans” feeling. Although this is a “commercial” show, as it is being run by Reed Exhibitions, the kids were in their crazy costumes (above) and seemed enthusiastic. We had to leave before the big masquerade, alas. A few more pictures in the jump.

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We’re going to spend much of the next four days at the Javits center for the inaugural New York Anime Fest, kicking off today with Milton Griepp’s ICv2 Conference on Anime and Manga. This is a major event from Reed Exhibitions, which also puts on NY Comic-Con (and a sister company of PW, which hosts this blog.) Big anime events in New York have had a spotty track record in the last few years, but all of the big publishers and producers are in for this one, there are lots of guests, and a wide array of events, including the American leg of the World Cosplay Summit!

You can see the HUGE lineup of programming here. Guests are here.

To be candid, we’re not too well prepared for this show. All signs point to a big success, but since it’s a new show on the calendar, we didn’t prep for it much. We were all “Oh, it’s baby Max;s first birthday!” and “Oo, Elisa and George are having a holiday party!” and now it’s “Panel panel panel and then drinks with soanso and dinner with soanso!” But that’s okay. We will be bringing you extensive coverage from the floor. ANN, Brigid Alverson, Kai-Ming Cha and the other top manga journos will all be there as well, and we’ll link to their sure-to-be excellent coverage.

In lieu of a big preview, here are two links from Pop Culture Shock: Five things to do at New York Anime Fest and Erin Finnegan’s New Manga Map of NYC

The Millarworld thread on the Dublin City Con confirms that everyone drank an AWFUL lot. This Flickr set from Sabrina Peyton confirms that the Mr. T sweater vest was in the house. Was there ever any doubt?

This weekend’s Big Apple con was pretty well blogged with LOTS of photos from everyone. Including far too many of The Beat doing things like holding up purple pants.

Val D’Orazio.
ComicMix Part 1
ComicMix Part 2

There’s also this. And this. As far as the latter goes, we can only say you should hear us sing “Bali Hai.”

THREE big conventions took place this weekend! Down in Texas, Wizard World Texas made its appointed rounds, although Hero’s mechanical bull fund raiser contributed the expected awkward moments. David Hopkins sent us a link to his Flickr stream from which we stole this picture. Blog@ has lots of coverage as well, and some news crumbs leaked out.

Day One
Day Two
Day Three

MEANWHILE, in New York, the Big Apple Con excited autograph collectors with appearances by Hayden Panettiere and Kristin Bell, and VIRGIL!!! and had some Valiant news:

Saturday’s Valiant Comics panel at the Big Apple Con ended with the revelation of Valiant Entertainment’s next project: a hardcover collection of “X-O Manowar” with a new story by Bob Layton. Sean Chen will be the cover artist, while the as-yet unnamed interior artist will be inked by Layton.

NY1 has a brief report which even squeezed in some mention of comic books:

“Comic books, artists, celebrities, actors, actresses, it’s great,” said Michael Carbonaro of Big Apple Comic-Con. “There’s lots of stuff going on. Hayden Panettiere from “Heroes,” [was here.] Kristin Bell will be here all day tomorrow, as will Val Kilmer from “Batman.” “[I’m here] comic books,” said one fan. “[My friends are] here for Val Kilmer. That was the only way I could get them here.” “Today and probably tomorrow I’ll be here because I’m going to try out that costumes contest, because me looking like Wolverine, I got the costume for it,” said another.

Mike Cavallero also has a brief report. Mark Evanier has a quick but thorough write-up as well. Evanier makes mention of the bad conditions at the Hotel Pennsylvania, which is sad since it was once a real landmark. The hotel is still slated to be torn down, but, according to the scuttlebutt we heard, not for a couple of years. The sad thing is that the property really has been let go so far that tearing it down would be tons cheaper than restoring it.

Across the pond, there was a convention in Dublin, Ireland this weekend, with Jim Lee, Mark Millar, Bryan Hitch and more as guests. Millarworld has a thread but apparently everyone is still too drunk to post anything coherent about it. A Newsarama poster had some news tidbits (Marvel hopes to hire female artists!) Kieron Gillen posted but admitted he was still to drunk to post properly. And so it goes.

Send us more links to the above shows if you have more to add!

Wizard World Texas is in two weekends, and the Hero Initiative has the kind of benefit we like — one which involves potential embarrassment and flailing about.

The Hero Initiative, the charity that helps older comic creators in medical or financial need, will be making its appearance at WizardWorld Texas, Nov. 16-18 at the Arlington Convention Center. And some select artists in attendance will risk all to raise funds for Hero.

WizardWorld will have a mechanical bull on the convention floor, and artists Tommy Castillo (Detective Comics), Phil Hester (The Darkness), Angel Medina (Sensational Spider-Man) and Arthur Suydam (Marvel Zombies) will all have special “Hero Initiative-no bull!” donation jars. All four artists will accept donations for Hero all day Friday and Saturday until 3 PM, and the artist who raises the least will have to ride the bull AND draw a sketch while doing so! You can show your support to keep your favorite artist off the bull by visiting them and dropping a few bucks in their jar.

“As a ‘gentleman of large carriage,’ I’m particularly interested in staying off this infernal contraption,” said Phil Hester. “See me at my table or the Top Cow booth and spend a buck to save me from this horrific fate. Don’t do it just for me. Spare yourself the indelible image of my gelatinous frame flying to flinders before your very eyes.”

“I am so gonna outraise Phil Hester, just so I can see his gelatinous frame fly to flinders,” said Arthur Suydam. “If necessary, I’ll sell a kidney. I have two, I think.”

“We are always thrilled to be involved with Hero Initiative and are very excited to see which of the generous and brave artists end up in the saddle late Saturday afternoon. The ride is sure to be a highlight moment from Wizard World Texas,” said Vice President and Associate Publisher, Rob Felton.

For a complete list of events, guests, activities, ticket prices and times, visit www.wizardworld.com.

Mike Mignola and Alex Ross are the first announced guests of honor for next year’s New York Comic-Con.

New York Comic Con (NYCC) has announced its first guests for the 2008 convention which will be held in New York City at the Jacob K. Javits Center, April 18 – 20, 2008. Mike Mignola and Alex Ross will be Guests of Honor and will be joined by several Featured Guests including Neal Adams, Kyle Baker, Amanda Conner, Dean Haspiel, Robert Napton, Jimmy Palmiotti, and Paola Rivera. Many more guests and activities will be announced in the near future as con officials prepare for another major growth spurt for NYCC in 2008.

“Delivering titans of the comic world to our fans is a major part of what New York Comic Con is all about,” notes Lance Fensterman, newly appointed Show Manager for NYCC. “Having direct access to talent of this caliber is what makes our convention such a great experience and we’re looking forward to an all-star list in ‘08. These guests certainly represent an impressive first step in that direction.”

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Beat reader Stephen Aryan sends us some linkage to last weekend’s second Birmingham comics fest in the UK.

There are a number of roundups about the recent Birmingham comic convention last weekend, I blogged briefly about it here,& Geek Syndicate, a UK comics podcast conducted a live podcast interview with Esad Ribic and Adi Granov. It was very funny, but it does have some adult language, as Esad has rather a ribald sense of humour. The podcast is available from here and the talk was recorded, as were other parts of the convention, by ImagineFX magazine. From what I was told a DVD with video footage from the convention will be included in a future issue of the magazine, although no one seemed clear as to which future issue it would appear
in.

A local newspaper, the Birmingham Mail even did a brief video about the convention as a whole, which you can see here.

This was the second year of the Birmingham convention, and it brings up the major UK comic conventions to a staggering 2 events, together with Bristol in May.

Another smaller upcoming event next month in the UK is being held in Leeds, the Thought Bubble Leeds Comic Festival, more info is available here.

We found some more Brum coverage as this blog, Fictions and some photos from Lew Stringer here which reveal the epochal fact that Hunt Emerson’s band played. Is there nothing this genius cannot do?

EDIT: Pete Ashton’s blog has the picture at the top of the page of Hunt Emerson in a cowboy hat and EVEN MORE.

So much has already been written and blogged about this year’s SPX that our own report hardly seems necessary, but we’ll play the game. After some moving-in jitters at the new Marriott location last year, this year everything settled down just fine and it seems that everyone had a good-to-great time. Friday afternoon was busy, Saturday started a little slow, but by the afternoon things were hopping. Some folks, like Comics Bakery, had their best SPX ever, the kids beamed as they sold stacks of mini comics, Fletcher Hanks sold out yet again, and it was a happy, prosperous time.

Show director Karon Flage gave the people what they wanted, whether it was table space or chocolate fondue. Programming guy Bill Kartalopoulos (or as our spell checker prefers to call him, Bill K.) put together a slate with something for everyone. Complaints about table placement were little heard. In fact if you check the above link to last year’s report, there was a ton of complaining that was non-existent this year. I guess everyone figured it out, including how to take the metro to a good restaurant. ( This time I got to go to Faryab! Yay!)

After hours, it was party party party, not in a falling down drunk frat house way, but the charming way that young nerds bond and flirt — made up awards shows, karaoke, beer, chocolate fondue. Mmmmm, chocolate fondue — I ate so much I got a tummy ache.

There was an amusing dichotomy between the “old timers” and the “New Faces of ‘07″ though. When SPX started in 1994 during the “Spirits of Independence” times, many exhibitors were self-publishers, like Jeff Smith, Batton Lash, Dave Sim, Colleen Doran, David Lapham, Tara Tallan. With the “Pig Roast Era” as you might call it in 1998, actual publishers like Top Shelf, Alternative and Highwater made their mark, and Gen Xericers like James Kochalka, Tom Hart, Megan Kelso and Nick Bertozzi (as well as the now-near-iconic Dean Haspiel) dominated the show. This year, Jon Lewis was left to carry the mantle himself.

Now, self-publishing on the floppy level is all but gone. Smith returned as someone who has sold millions of books around the world. Carla Speed McNeill debuted a beautiful 10th Anniversary edition of FINDER, but she says her move to the web has had no impact on her sales.

Instead, publishers like PictureBox, AdHouse, Buenaventura, Bodega and Sparkplug and distributors like Partyka and Global Hobo rule the roost with their dizzying lines of minis and graphic novels. Fantagraphics, Top Shelf and Drawn & Quarterly are still the biggest exhibitors, with Oni arriving a bit late to the party but still having a jolly time. Collectives from SVA, CCS and local groups are also important presences. I think everyone of these groups is run with some degree of idealism, and it is a pleasure to be around.

The programming seemed to go quite well, and you can read good accounts of the most interesting panels in various places on the web. I caught part of the the Rutu Modan panel on Friday (dinner meant I missed Gilbert Hernandez’s talk, although lots and lots of people did attend.) The next day I caught most of Dan Nadel’s interview with the man known as C.F.. I took notes, but sadly lost them on the way home. It was an entertaining talk — C.F. is a zen master who speaks in poetic but lively terms. He also mentioned how his idea of a great story was a guy who has to put his laundry in a garbage bag instead of a laundry bag…I don’t know whose side of the Great Debate that reinforces, but I’ll just leave it to the winds.

After C.F. I was to moderate the Jeff Smith panel. It’s always tricky with this kind of talk with a big star — the room was filled with Smith fans, and they would probably have loved to hear answers to all the same questions that Smith has been asked over and over. I tried to steer towards new subjects, but the audience questions filled in the old standards — someone said I should have turned it over to the audience earlier, but as I say it’s always a balance. (BTW, for the record, I had no idea how Jeff would answer my manga question.) I wanted to go to the criticism panel, but that was the only time I had to cruise the room, so I figured I would read about it online, and I did.

Things went so well, I didn’t miss the picnic. Even as I kept explaining to people how everyone used to hang out on Sunday and eat potato salad, it became clear that the picnic isn’t really needed any more. To be honest, few people remember it, and the convenient and spacious hotel patio where you could sit in the pale autumn sun and enjoy a coffee or beer filled the “outdoor bonding” gap quite nicely.

After the incredible fracturing at San Diego, and built-in cliquishness at MoCCA, where everyone splits at the end of the day to go to their favorite Brooklyn watering hole, it was great to see everyone just hanging out after the Ignatzes. I passed on the karaoke fest, fearing a long trek on my bum ankle, but Jeff Smith went along, and you couldn’t get a better generational mingling than that. A big, diverse crowd hung out at the Ignatz after party, and when all the bars closed, as one everyone who was left moved down the hall to find a hotel room to party in. I hadn’t seen that kind of unity in a long time, and it was nice to see Nick Abadzis, Larry Marder, Austin English, Smith and various other folks yakking it up into the small hours, especially since the beer had already nearly run out.

Talking was really big at SPX. I chatted with Gilbert Hernandez about MIGHTY MIGHTOR and his own changes in storytelling; with Jeff Smith about the process of putting together the Pogo reprints; with Rutu Modan about storytelling and what to wear to the Quills; with Kim Thompson about his favorite untranslated European comics and Gary Groth about his earliest convention memories, to cite just a few conversations that linger at the top of my brain. I talked about distribution with Carla Speed McNeill and POS systems with Randal from Oni. It was a good time.

The move of APE to November has thrown a bit of doubt into the “indie sales circuit.” This is an economy that exists on selling at shows. In the olden days, Diamond’s Bill Schanes would come down on Sunday morning to talk about the state of the industry and answer sometimes angry questions from self publishers. I briefly wondered if this would be a good feature to resurrect, but in reality, Diamond carries only a handful of the books that were on sale at SPX. It’s a world free of economic cynicism, which is both a weakness and a strength. A good gust of wind could blow down this elaborate paper castle in no time, but you just know it would spring up again somewhere else. I suspect that online distributors will become more and more important to this economy, however, and at least one new outfit, Secret Acres, was walking around the show. (More on that in a future post.)

Finally, back to the debate over what to do on Sunday. There many reasons why there is no exhibiting on Sunday, the main one being the idea that it’s a day for small pressers to mingle and exchange ideas. The softball game/picnic isn’t possible in the new venue,so last year an excursion to Dave and Busters was planned, but hardly anyone went, so instead, this year people who wanted to mingle and plot on Sunday morning just went and sat on the patio. It was a smaller group, and an incentive to get more people to hang out a little longer would be nice.

Although logic would seem to dictate that the selling show expand to Sunday now, there are several drawbacks — what to do with the Ignatzes is one (they would in theory have to be moved to Sunday night) but the hotel apparently charges much much more for a Saturday overnight set-up than a Friday one, so that is a real problem. I actually don’t think that a second selling day would make that much difference at this point, but that could change.

Before we go, here are the three biggest hits of the show:

3) PictureBox’s books. Just about everyone was buzzing about something at the table, whether it was Cold Heat or Powr Mastrs or any one of a dizzying array of minis.

2) Nicholas Gurewitch. He had a constant crowd of people at his table, and his performance at the Ignatzes — adlibbing the comments of an award-winning gorilla — was a starmaking turn like Michael Jackson at Motown 25 or McLovin in SUPERBAD. I’ve heard that Gurewitch wants to make movies, and honestly, this guy is the next comics superstar. But as great as he was, he wasn’t greater than

1) Chocolate fondue. After the Ignatzes, a fountain of chocolate and bowls of marshmallows and rice krispie treats awaited lucky attendees. Crowds gathered. I think this was the greatest thing at any convention ever, and if they don’t bring it back next year I will cry.

PS: Big ups to travel pals and helpers Douglas Wolk, Jeff Newalt, Brian Heater and the woman known as Chloe for room and board.

This show has been super well Flickr’d and all, but here are ours! Above, C.F. talks with Dan Nadel.
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Man there are a lot of them. A few that tickled us. First off, The Washington Express has tons of video interviews with folks like Paul Karasik, Gary Groth and so on.

Alec Longstreth was excited as only he can be to meet Jeff Smith:

I guess Jeff [Smith] and Steve [Hamaker] both listen to the Indie Spinner Rack podcast while they are working, so they had heard me on there a bunch of times (THANK YOU CHARLIE AND PHIL!) We made small talk for a few minutes and then I let them go up to their room. I sat back down, shaking, and then spent the rest of the night telling any one who would listen that I had ACTUALLY TALKED TO JEFF SMITH. I really can’t think of another cartoonist I really NEED to meet at this point. I am ready to die!

Anyone who cares should really read the whole post because it is so full of excitement and fun.

Chris Pitzer had a good time.

And, I guess you can kind of see a pattern here, right? This was why I’d probably say this is one of my top favorite SPXers of all time. This year was the assemblage. People from the past and people from the now were all coming to one location to talk comics. I kept finding old school surprises like Jon Lewis, David Lasky and lil’ Mikey Dawson at the show. Add the new peeps who I met for the first time like Monica Gallagher or the guy who handed me those bigfoot comics, and it becomes excitement on top of excitement. Comicace said something about it being a “cycle” of sorts, and I guess that’s it. Anyways.. it was a nice mix. And the cherry on the top was Dean Mullaney making it his first SPX. Dean use to run Eclipse Comics, and that was where I got my start in the funny book biz. I hope he had fun. Another classic peep was Dustin Harbin who showed up Friday and even offered to help me set up. People probably know Dusty as the Indy voice of Heroescon in Charlotte, but really, he’s one helluva cartoonist.

Ben Towles makes a keen observation:

Curiously, the one element that’s been present at the last couple of SPX shows that I didn’t note this year were editors from the bigger comics publishers and/or “regular” book publishers. It seems like these days every-damn-body’s already got a book deal, so maybe they just ran out of deals to give out… or cartoonists to give them to? Adam and I hit the road around ten on Sunday morning and thus didn’t attend any of Sunday’s events. If there’s one thing I wish SPX would do over the long run, it’s decide on a strategy for what to do with Sunday and then stick with it. Over the years Sunday’s involved at times another day of the show, a softball game/picnic, panel discussions, lunch at Dave & Buster’s, etc. This year it looked like there were some good panels in place and if that continues to be the focus for next year, maybe Sunday will begin to become an integral enough part of the show that more folks will stick around.

Our car-mate Brian Heater has many fun photos and anecdotes:

The driver asked if we were “in research.” Perhaps there was a rival nerd convention in town, or maybe Bethesda is actually a hotbed of scientific discover—I couldn’t say for sure, either way, though I’ve since been informed that the city is indeed something of an epicenter for science in the area, and is also where George W. Bush goes when he need to have a few polyps removed from his lower intestine. Too tired explain to the driver why two grown men had taken a four hour car ride through the deepest bowels of New Jersey, in order to look at funny picture books, I answered, simply, “No. We’re in publishing.” “Mm,” answered the cab driver. “Publishing.”

Rachel Nabors plans for the post con funk:

It is doubly worse with a convention like SPX, which is the cream of the northeastern crop of comickers. Everyone is interesting and friendly and fabulous, and you get home and you miss all the fun. I wonder if it’s the festival atmosphere or the people I actually miss?

And a few more we liked:
The Comics Curmudgeon
Mike Dawson
Atomic Books