Conventions

Anonymous Image creator on the mood at the Image Expo. It was by all account a successful weekend if only as a pep rally, with hopes for the future and independence for creators. The crowds weren't immense, except on Saturday, but they liked what they saw.

There seemed to be some mixed thoughts going around about Image Expo and that seems to be best summed up by a conversation between a local retailer and a pro who'd been to a lot of shows in Oakland.

If you are even vaguely dreaming of going to Comic-Con this year...you need to get get a Member ID. Like, if you think you might suddenly win the lottery and decide to go; or if your TV show might be premiering there... you need a Member ID.

It's a very sleepy Sunday at the Image Expo. Retail hasn't started big Sunday markdowns yet, but there's one booth with 50% off or $5/tpb. On the other hand, there is a trickle of cosplay starting.

It seems there is another convention at the Oakland Convention Center/Marriott today. Another "image" convention.

By Todd Allen Vaughan says he missed doing a monthly series and Jay Faeber had been on him to do something at Image. Vaughan had earmarked...

Day two and attendance is up a bit. I'm hearing a couple long time residents talking about how much larger the crowds at Wonder Con were, the last couple years it was in this venue. To me, it looks about right for the first year of a new show. the amount of space to move around on the floor is roughly what you'd be looking for at a business to business show (as opposed to consumer shows, where you pack them in like sardines). You could add maybe 20% before it started getting to be annoying trying to move around the floor.

The Image Expo grown into a roughly the sort of Friday crowd I'm expect to see at a Chicago Show, relative to the size. Two or three big lines and milling about for everyone else. Yes, Friday is always the best day for mingling at a show. A few more photos:

Image Expo is a go. Looks like a relatively quiet Friday at a regional con, so far. Which is to say it's going to be better access for the fans. When I arrived about 45 minutes before opening there were maybe 50 people already in line waiting to get in. With the gates open, I'm seeing a steady trickle of people arriving. Not preview night at San Diego, by any stretch of the imagination, but the Chew booth got bull rushed by at 15-20 people as soon as the doors open. A couple pictures from before the opening bell:

Only days ago we were speculating with an industry pal on what had ever happened to Morgan Spurlock's documentary about the San Diego Comic-Con, which was filmed with some fanfare in 2010, had a splashy tie-in book last summer, premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and then went silent.

If you're going to be in the Bay area tomorrow through Sunday, you might think about dropping by the Oakland Convention Center for the Image Comics Expo. This is a combination 20th birthday party for Image Comics and a sorta/kinda replacement for Wonder Con, which has moved to Anaheim this year while the Moscone Center in San Francisco is undergoing a remodeling.

They're the sites of the continental US's two biggest comics pop culture explosions. And neither one is nearly big enough.