[Image via The Hyped Geek]
§ Comiket, the world’s biggest comics event, shrank a bit at the just concluded winter fest Comiket 89. It only drew 520,000 people over its three day duration, down from 550,000 at Comiket 88 last summer. It’s worth noting that this is daily attendance: about 150,000 actual humans actually showed up on day 1, 170,000 on day 2 and 200,000 on day 3. See, even Comiket does turnstile attendance!
That is a lot of people, how does it compare to San Diego Comic-con and Angouleme? Comic-Con San Diego, I’m told, gets about 60,000 off-site visitors in addition to the 135,000 or so attendees, but I’m not sure how that number breaks down on a daily basis. The capacity of the SD Convention Center is not 135,000 people. I was told maybe there were a quarter million people at the show in 2015 with and without badges.
Angouleme has had a lot of controversy over how many people actually attend, and got caught in a turnstile scandal all its own last year. I’m not sure how many people actually attend overall but let be generous and say 100,000.
So yeah, Comiket is the king.
Comiket day 1 over!
#C89 #C89コスプレ #Comiket pic.twitter.com/a4KJ7jFf1A
— Markara (@Pirrows) December 29, 2015
§ Speaking of Comiket, they have an English language information sheet, and it provides some good but alarming tips which suggest to me that it’s more akin to a season of Survivor than a comics show:
◆Comiket is no ordinary event. It is very crowded and massive. We recommend first time visitors to come past 12 noon to avoid long lines. You should be in good health when visiting Comiket and make sure to dress accordingly. It can get very hot and humid in summer while very cold winds can be felt in winter.
◆While the Comic Market does have first aid stations staffed by volunteering medical professionals, they can only provide rudimentary medical care typical of a school’s nurse’s office. If you have a pre-existing condition that may hamper your ability to safely navigate Comiket and its intense crowds, we strongly recommend you seek advice from your doctor.
[snip]
◆Comiket is harsh enough for regular adults. All parents should place the highest priority on your children’s welfare if they are attending Comiket. In addition to making sure to keeping an eye on your child, please monitor your children’s condition at all times. Comiket does not have childcare services nor medication designed for children. If your child is too young to be able to return home alone, make sure to give them an ID badge, bracelet or card. The ID should contain your child’s name, address and emergency contact information (i.e. cell phone, the circle you are working at, hotel, etc.) Contact Comiket Staff if your child has gotten lost.
Via Brigid Alverson
§ Best Comics lists continue to roll out! Here’s Guy Thomas at Panel Patter.
§ David Harper looks at Peak Comics:
We—the readers—are incredibly lucky.
I don’t think we talk about that enough. We are living in an unbelievable time to be a comic book fan. Arguably the best time ever. But to underline why that’s the case, I wanted to start with where I came from.
§ Zunar talks again about his prosecution for sedition over some tweets.
