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Well, lots of Chicago Comic-Con reports are trickling out…even with all the problems surrounding Wizard, Chicago has a huge and appreciative audience for comics, and they turned out — everyone says Saturday was as crowded as ever, even without Marvel and DC.

The great news is that the Comix4Sight auction for John Ostrander raised some $13,000.

At Robot 6 Michael May reports in an enjoyable hour by hour breakdown (and we stole the above pictures from him.)

I should say though that this is a normal Saturday afternoon phenomenon at this show. The place is packed and it’s a chore even to walk around. Two days of all these costumes and banners and salespeople take it out of you. There’s even more sensory overload in San Diego, but that show’s so huge that there’s always something new to distract yourself with. Here I’m walking past the same stuff over and over again. But like I say, that’s normal for Saturday afternoon at the Chicago show and it’s sort of nice to recognize something from previous years, even if it’s exhaustion.

What’s not normal or recognizable is how weird the tone of the show is. I’m hearing this all over the place, but my favorite comment is when someone compares it to an Irish wake. Everyone seems to be having a good time – including me, restless as I am – but there’s a palpable sense that something you loved has come to an end.


A fellow named Gordon Dymowski has what we would judge to be a fairly typical fan-in-the-street report. Again, a mix of the good and the bad.

I think at this point, like the Gore vs Bush debates, any results by a Wizard-run show that does not involve falling down on the floor drooling or fire snot raining down from the sky must by accorded a success, even if the future is clouded.

More media and reports, not vetted by us but it’s out there:
Videos at Pwndcast.

CBG’s Maggie Thompson Tweeted, and had an issue with the Hyatt.

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Jill Thompson had fun again.

A brief report from Avatar Press.

And some news roundups:
Marvel Unleashes “S.W.O.R.D.” with Gillen & Sanders

Kingdom Comics update

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Various DC news including Batman/Doc Savage (above)

There’s surely much more…send us your reports, links, and observations.

UPDATE: Todd Allen has the first part of his show report up with two more to follow but we’re hearing that this show really turned into a massive church basement con, with lots of creators doing quite well, and fans enjoying simpler, fannish activities like walking around in costume and getting autographs, without some of the trappings of more modern, turbo-charged comics shows. So…chalk it up to the fantasy economy winning again.

Via part two of Allen’s report:

Wizard surprised me. The crowd on Saturday and the slightly elevated levels on Sunday make me think this is still a viable show and this won’t have been the last year. On the other hand, this is not a comics show, per se. An awful lot of the Saturday traffic, which was what saved the show, seemed to be autograph/media-related. Yes, that includes Twilight. These people aren’t going to be spending as much (if any) in the dealer area and artist alley.

Allen does have one tidbit:

…the show program announces next year’s show as August 12-15, 2010. That’s 3 weeks after SDCC, instead of 2 weeks. Could this be a partial admission that schedule 2 weeks after SDCC is just dumb?

1 COMMENT

  1. I could agree with the Irish Wake thing. Only went for Saturday and the crowd was good, but the “feel” was just…off. Saw some friends, may have recruited some artists for new projects and got some UNREAL deals on trades. But the friends who opted to not make the trip this year were missed and Artist Alley was seriously reduced.

    One of the guys I talked with said it best. There’s no shame in it being one of the larger regional shows, just so they accept that role and not keep acting (and pricing) like it’s still a major “tentpole” convetion with San Diego and NYCC.

  2. Regarding that Scarlet Witch and Beast Boy picture. I was looking for some stuff to buy at Collectors Choice when I saw that couple and then I saw a HUGE blur run by the CC booth and stop them. It was George Perez and he had to have a photo photo of them, it was one of those moments (for me at least) that was really kind cool.

  3. I wouldn’t say Saturday was as crowded as ever… at least by the time I got there at 2pm, but it was as crowded as I’ve seen the place in 3 or 4 years. around 2000-2002, you could barely move on a Saturday. This year, there were choke points, and moving wasn’t a problem when you got past them (into the dealer area, basically).

    I could buy the regional comparison. A couple people I know compared it to Motor City. Motor City’s guest list is awful similar: http://www.motorcityconventions.com/motor_city_comic_con/guests.html

    I’m used to Chicago having a comics-first or comics slightly first (if the owner wants to emphasize his ultimate fighting league) show. At least with San Diego, I can understand why things are happening the way they are, and at least their celebrities are a bit more… current.

  4. I did not know THE BEAT was such a fan of camel toes until I saw that Scarlet Witch photo. Nice job! At least now it balances out the half naked shots of Ryan Reynolds or Hugh Jackman or 300…

  5. Attendance was way down from last year, the lack of publisher presence was palpable and missed, and most of the people I know did marginally less business than years past, myself included.