Conventions

WonderCon has added a bunch of new guests to their lineup including Arthur Adams, Ernest Cline, Joe Hill, Richard Kadrey, Mark Waid, Marv Wolfman, Jim Lee, and Richard Starkings. They join Sergio Aragones, Fiona Staples, Steve Niles, and others you can see in the above link. WonderCon will be held for the first time in Anaheim next year, but it promises to be the same kind of star-studded show as usual. WonderCon will be held March 16-18, 2012.

Oh yeah! Your feet are going to hurt even more if the San Diego CityCouncil has its way. The controversial plan to expand the convention center was okayed by the city council, 6 to 2. Although everyone agrees that a bigger convention center would allow even more lucrative convention business every year -- and room for an additional 3,000 Slave Leias at Comic-Con -- what is still in dispute is who will pay. The present plan calls for hotels with more than 30 rooms to fund the bond over a period of several years. Of course, these costs will probably be passed along to guests.

Registration for next year's WonderCon in Anaheim has suddenly become available. You'll recall that after 20+ years in the Bay Area, construction has forced the show to move to Anaheim for the first time. Prices are as follows:

Thanks to some SEC filings, you can see how much a good-sized regional convention is worth -- in the case of Wizard World's 2010 acquisition of the Mid-Ohio Con, the amount was $77,500. $60,000 was to be paid in royalties on booth sales and sponsorships only over a period of several years, with a five-year consulting fee of $3,500 to be paid out after $60k in royalties was reached. The Wizard World page doesn't have booth costs for Mid-Ohio, but several people complained that they were raised this year, so everyone was getting their share of the till. Wizard World has just announced its first 2012 show, January 28-29 in New Orleans, and the current lineup for next year is a modest 4 scheduled shows -- with the Big Apple con and Austin still TBD.

WonderCon may have moved to Anaheim for 2012 due to Moscone Center construction, but the Bay Area will not be without a spring comics show....thanks to Image Comics and the Image Expo. The creator-owned company is planning its OWN convention, to be held February 24-26 at the Oakland COnvention Center (original home of WonderCon, btw). Image Expo is planned as a 20th anniversary celebration for Image, and will feature as guests of honor Image partners Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri, and Jim Valentino. Other creators attending include Image founders Rob Liefeld, and Whilce Portacio, plus Joe Casey, Jay Faerber, Jonathan Hickman, Ryan Ottley, Richard Starkings, Fiona Staples, and Brian K. Vaughan. All will participate in panels, signings and other traditional convention activities.

Promoting a comic-con with a webcomic? Why didn't *we* think of that? Emerald City Comicon -- to be held March 30-April 1 in Seattle -- has broken the seal on this idea with "Tales from the Con", a weekly strip by Brad Guigar and Chris Giarrusso. You came for the vendor update and stayed for the laugh.

Will LA ever get a good comics show? It seems as elusive as a football team. This weekend saw first time show Comikaze unfold at the LA Convention Center, scene of much heartache over the years. Held just one week after the Long Beach Comic Con, Comikaze still was a sell-out, according to IGN, but first hand reports were very mixed.

The final Minneapolis Indie Xpo wrapped up this weekend, and it sounds like it was fun. The CBLDF's Charles Brownstein tweeted:

Imagine a cartoonist-centric comic convention, held in a city that is equal parts Kiki’s Delivery Service and the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, and you get a small taste of what it’s like to attend Quai des Bulles. You would have to consume many delicious butter-filled pastries to get the full taste!

This article on the "Speed Dating" sessions at the recent New York Comic Con paint an interesting picture of the social dynamics of Nerd World, especially with the growing participation of women due to the anime and Vampire influences.

Long Beach Comic and Horror Con is kicking off in Long Beach, CA today. This is a full service con with a great comics guest list including Darwyn Cooke, Amanda Conner and David Finch on the comics side, and Thomas Jane and John Carpenter on the media/horror side. Spotlights include Robot Chicken, Iron Man 3 director Shane Black, and the debut of Cooke's Parker: Martini Edition. A masquerade, lots of films and a full programming slate add to the festivities. Follow along at #lbcc on Twitter or watch live streaming here!

While many are still recovering from the Con Crud they picked up at the marathon New York Comic Con, the New York convention season is far from over. Two more shows were planned the the remainder of the year: King Con and the Brooklyn Comics and Graphic Festival. However, King Con, which was planned for November 3-6,has been postponed, according to a statement on their website.