Conventions

Star Wars Ruined Comic-Con!

Yesterday's ICv2 Conference on Comics, Media, and Digital kicked off Comic-Con with a look at the business side of things. Over at Publishers Weekly, Calvin Reid and I have a brief recap of some of the stats that Milton Griepp presented at his annual White Paper. Some quick hits: GN sales were up 3% so far in 2011 -- up more in bookstores, despite the Borders disaster, than in comics shops -- while periodical sales were down 8%. The peak of sales for comics and GNs was 2006-2007. Coincidentally that was also a peak year for manga sales, which has declined significantly yet again. But the rate of decline has stabilized.

I announced a new book yesterday! COW BOY, being published by good ol’ Archaia Entertainment. I’m writing, Chris Eliopoulos is drawing! Super-exciting, we’ve been working on it for a wnile. Me an’ Chris aren’t super-duper-megastars, so we figured doing an online announcement before the con started would be better than the weekend, when we could get drowned out by the massive announcements. So…yeah! Cool. In other news…

Folks have been lined up for a while to get into Comic-Con -- camp Twilight must be packing up about now, hopes and wishes high. Meanwhile, the regular line is about to start entering the hall. Earlier this morning, this is how the line looked -- we can't copy but click for the largest version which shows people lined up all the way around the marina.

Must pack. Must. Pack! Why do I never pack early? (Am an expert procrastinator.) Flight leaves at 8:30am! Several piles of clothes on bed! Nothing of use in suitcase! Am spending more time dancing and reorganizing clothes out of the laundry. There may have been some singing.

While Heidi slumbers after surviving yet another Preview Night, I am ensconced at Stately Beat Manor, monitoring the Internet for all sorts of info which might get eclipsed by the myriad millions of memes occurring this weekend.

It's Preview Night and the ICv2 Conference at San Diego Comic-Con, and while the big announcements are still being held back for the convention proper, news has begun to come out of San Diego in a trickle that will soon become a torrent.

Even as a prep day, Tuesday is now crammed with faces and activity. While inside the convention center, a massive Avengers display took shape at the Marvel booth, outside Tr!ckster made a sparkling debut, and a line of themed carnivals took shape along the railroad tracks. The big news outside the convention center was the soft opening for Tr!ckster, the comics-themed offsite event, showcasing independent comics creators. While it was still evolving -- prints and posters set up in front of industrial sized stoves -- the wares on display look sharp. The life drawing classes -- led by two gorgeous models -- were well attended, and the bar got a shake-down cruise. As Tr!ckster is held inside the San Diego Wine and Culinary Center, the wines are quality -- we enjoyed a stunning dry rose from the south of Italy last night.

Tom Brevoort believes in the satisfying chunk. Or in his case, "big, sizable, meaty chunks" of of story like those found in graphic novels. Marvel has significantly rejected the notion of creating original graphic novels over the years, with former E-i-C Joe Quesada continually saying they don't make economic sense. However, maybe they do make more reading sense for new readers in a world of tablets and Kindles. Marvel has announced a new line of Season One hardcover original graphic novels which will give modern readers a modern take on the origins of classic characters:

Given the huge crowds at Comic-Con International, it's not surprising that an artist or publisher will promote The Latest and Greatest at the show. With all the buzz, the media, the fans... it's an excellent opportunity for a publisher to debut something amazing, something they hope will generate a lot of interest and lead to sales through the holiday season. So regular con-goers shouldn't be surprised that Craig Yoe, Eisner-Award winning author and designer, will have a new book to showcase. Not only are his history books beautifully designed and researched, but they are also fun to read. He even finds little gems, like Elvis reading a copy of "Betty and Veronica", to spice up his books.

The Beat endorses the CBLDF -- the freedom you save may be your own. Clothe yourself, smell good, bid on some great art and then hang out at one of the best parties Comic-Con has to offer.

hours to flight: 32 (minus at least 8 hours of work and like 10 for sleeping (2 nights)) hours of work-work to do before I leave: 12 pre-con to do list items: 17 number of scotches consumed: 3 (v. bad)