So what happens at a “Comic & Entertainment Expo”? I guess it matters who you are. For me I learned a bit more than I intended, spent a lot more than I intended, and embraced my inner geek a bit more than I should have.
It all started Friday (Yes, I took a much needed personal business day) and headed up to Chicago with Sue. I was dropped off as Sue ran for the hills – Actually to do some geocaching. I on the other hand heading to registration & the first session of the day. I have mentioned before that when I was young and first started going to these things I tended to go to the dealer room, spend money, and go home. I was kind of a geek mall with a cover charge. Now I actually spend time doing other things (and spend time in the dealer room).
The first (& sadly only) session I went to on Friday was “Reading with Pictures” which dealt with using comics in the classroom. While it was interesting & I did get some ideas, It seemed like it was the same old information. It seems like the idea is if you say “Comics promote reading” enough times people might believe it. Sadly at a comic book convention you are preaching to the choir. The thing that (as of this posting) makes it sad is the organization Reading with Pictures has produced a wonderful anthology, but that’s about it. Their website (which has the potential to be a great resource) has nothing new since before the anthology was published- months ago. SO while I support their work- I’m not impressed with the follow through. Session Ideas- Not so new but still: create a comic club at school devoted to the reading & creation of comics. Really look at the standards as set forth by the State and see which comics (or portions) could be used to enhance the study & understanding for students. I’ve done this, but not in a systematic way, something to focus on over the summer in between cruises on my yacht.
Saturday was a lazy day, but I actually spent more time in sessions than in the hall. Attending two DC Comics sessions & one specifically devoted to Webcomics. Again, I tend to shy away from the sessions dealing with upcoming movies, or TV shows. I like hearing from the folks in the comic field and seeing if I can gain a bit of knowledge from what they say. The DC Panels were nice, helping to see what the next big crisis (that isn’t a crisis- since DC has overused that word) is going to be. “Flashpoint” will involve one of my favorite characters “The Flash” who, since he has been brought back from the dead after 20+ years, is dealing with some trouble of time/space continuum shattering proportions (but NOT a crisis). It does look interesting even though I have sworn off any all “events.”
The second DC Panel dealt with their “Vertigo” imprint which tends to cover things in a more mature way. One of my favorite titles is “Fables” by Bill Willingham which just finished up issue 100. The basics are all our “Fairy Tale” characters are real and are refugees on our mundane world. I won’t go into details, but recommend to those who can read “mature” stuff that you pick up one of the trades and check it out.
My last panel of the day was the “Webcomics Roundtable” I attended this last year and enjoyed the frank honesty of the panel. This year was no different, the panel was just a bit smaller. It was an open mic where you could ask whatever questions you might have. The questions ranged from “How do I start a webcomic?” Answer: start drawing. All the way to How do I increase and maintain readership?” The funny thing is there seem to be two camps (maybe more) when it comes to Webcomics. This group was much more grounded… which I liked, but also made me feel a bit embarrassed.
That brings us to today- I ran into the hall, bought two lovely handmade notebooks (one for Sue, and one for me) and took two pictures and ran out to head home.
So compared to last year’s C2E2 (the inaugural one), I would have to say still a great convention. I really preferred this location to last year. While still downtown at the McCormick Place it seemed like it was closer to things like food, and the hotel. It seemed a lot more crowded this year than last year, but some areas had shrunk- (the WebComics area for instance). I’d be interested to see some final numbers as for attendance. For me no Neil Gaiman, Jeff Smith or Dr. Who premiere made it not as exciting. I did miss out on Quidditch which was new this year. It seemed that the focus for big name guests was more in Movies & TV. One thing that I am wondering how it worked was the impression of being nickeled & dimed for some things. The special packages so you can get this autograph, etc. I may be wrong, but it seemed like there was a lot more of that this year. Then again it may be that I wasn’t interested in the some of the guests requiring this added fee so every email seemed to be one too many.
As for general programming- in my opinion last year had a lot more sessions on Friday geared to educators & librarians. While there were a number of session they seemed to be clumped. As an elementary teacher I have gotten burned too many times going to sessions in any conference only to find that the speaker brings nothing to the table that I can use. I looked at the session descriptions and most were for middle, high, or college levels- and avoided them spending my time in the Hall.
After spending time in the Hall I did end up with some nice things… Some original artwork for my classroom, and lots & lots of books for my students. I’ll post pictures throughout the week since this is going to be the story arc for the week. Which will include more details and geek craziness!