Recap: Indiana “Comic” Con- “My God, it’s full of stars!”

For those reading my babbling reviews of comics I’ve had a bit of commentary about Comic Cons. Last weekend I had the opportunity to help out my Local Comic Shop (LCS) at Indiana Comic Con held at the Indiana Convention Center. What I got in return was a non-attendee view of the Con and an exhibitor badge that allowed me access to the exhibit floor. Added bonuses were three days of standing on an unpadded concrete floor (so yes, my feet hurt).

My previous posts about this “Comic” Con have focused on the list of celebrities advertised and the lack of anything dealing with comic books and their creators. I asked the owner of my LCS if they were getting a booth and then if they needed any help. I figured as I was looking at post retirement employment this might be a good way to test the waters. So Thursday I helped set up and then “worked” Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

This is My First Con and it’s Amazing!

I heard this from almost every attendee. They have nothing to compare this to, so it is a little overwhelming. It’s like going to a geek freak show/flea market for the uninitiated. There are people walking around in costume, there are booths selling everything from coffee and tea, to battle axes, to light sabers, to stuffed Cthulhu. Lord knows what their reaction would be if they attended a larger con, although it is pretty much just more of the same. They’ve heard stories of San Diego Comic-Con so this is the same isn’t it? This isn’t my first con, my first con was a Creation Con in the early 80’s in Los Angeles. Where someone was cosplaying a character from “V” (1983) walking around asking if anyone had a mouse they could snack on. I’ve been to “a few” other Cons since then- check my CV for details.😉 Here I saw a lot of the same sellers that I have seen at other regional cons – by the same I mean a few comic book shops from around the midwest, but mostly the same places selling knick knacks and “stuff” for the “Ooooh shiny!” crowd.

If you have never been to a Con understand this:

• It is a great place for people watching. Many cosplayers put a lot of time and effort into their works and they can be amazing feats of engineering. People who truly love a character will dress up in as accurate a representation as they can make. This could be simply putting on a hat, or building a suit of armor. For many of these people it is a chance to let it go… literally and figuratively. There are many people who, if it wasn’t a Con wouldn’t be caught dead dressed like that. At a Con it is OK… everyone embraces your love of a fandom. Even if you are a 350 pound guy with a full beard who happens to dress like Raven from the Teen Titans. (OK, I didn’t see that but I did see a 6’3″ bearded guy dressed as Sailor Moon). There are also those people who arrive in their store bought halloween costumes which is OK too.

• Things are expensive. It’s like going to Disney… if you expect to get a soft drink for less than $5 (that was the small size) or a chicken strip basket for less than $11 you will be disappointed. Parking alone this weekend was outlandish by Indianapolis standards. Where I usually park downtown was a flat rate of $35. It usually tops out at $20 if you leave your car overnight. The NCAA was in town also so I’m sure that drove up parking prices. I hope this trend doesn’t continue for Gen Con or people will complain, more than they already do. Don’t even get me started on the cost of stuff connected to the show (like autographs).
• Be prepared to scratch your head and try to figure out what you just saw. You would think a comic con would have people focused on comic book characters… Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, etc. Instead you will see characters from TV, film, anime… my favorite are the mash ups like the Mandalorian Woody I saw while walking the hall. The other thing will be the gender bending cosplays- like the bearded Sailor Moon. At New York Comic Con my brother would ask me about a cosplay as they walked by- my patented answer was “It’s from an obscure anime, manga, or video game.”

But is Indian Comic Con really a Comic Con?

In my opinion- no. A comic con celebrates comic books and properties that have been spawned from comic books. It is full of comic book art, and artists. Yes, there will be people selling other things, but the focus is on Comics. San Diego Comic-Con is close to not being a true comic con with all the focus on Hall H and Ballroom 20, but at least they have comic book companies present and a ton of comic creators. Indiana Comic Con was a “Fan Fest” or as someone put it, an “Autograph, Photo Op Stampede.” This was pretty easy to figure out since all their pre-advertising was dealing with which celebrities were going to be there, and virtually nothing about comics. Yes, some of the celebrities present had played roles as a comic book based character, but… one of my favorite quotes from a teenager walking by the booth was “Hayden Christensen is the greatest actor of our time…” now there’s a true fan.

I sat at lunch each day, and talked (or listened) to the people around me. All of them were excited over who they were going to see, and get a photo with or autograph. I have nothing against that, it’s just not my thing. The problem I had, was that I was working for a comic shop and it seemed like everyone had already spent all of their cash on photo ops and autographs. They had no money to buy anything else. You see when a show ends, or a film saga is complete, many celebrities have difficulty finding roles after their iconic portrayal of… whoever. The way to pay the bills is to go to con and charge a hundred bucks (or more, most of them more) to sign something for a fan, or pose for a photo. Being an introvert, trying to have small talk with an actor who played a character I admire would be similar to getting a root canal. I have a hard enough time trying to talk with an artist whose work I like when asking for a sketch. I understand why some of my favorite artists have decided to no longer go to cons that boast the number of celebrities they have in attendance.

Is it a comic con? Just look at the app. “Guests” have their own tab so you can see who is here. There was a banner over the spot for “Guest Artists” but on the app, the guest artists were listed under Vendors, and the list of who was going to be there wasn’t published until a few days before the con. So If I wanted to see where to find an artist, I had to wade through the vendor list and look for a booth probably called the “The art of…” (right after the fudge and chocolate vendor) while if I wanted to find the guy who played that one character in that one episode of that show… You know the one I’m talking about… just look under guests and I’ll get his exact location with a photo, when he was doing signings, when he was doing photos and how much he would charge me for the privilege- without a certificate of authenticity (which costs more).

Most of the cosplayers I saw were from anime or were Star Wars based… A number of the celebrities were from the Star Wars franchise so it made sense. If I saw one person with Ahsoka mouse ears I saw a dozen. I didn’t get chance to even look at the panels, but it seemed like most of the crowds were going to panels dealing with the celebrities present, that was the draw. They even charged more for tickets to some panels. I can’t complain, I went to the William Shatner panel at Galaxy Con in Columbus (a con which had more comic book artists). No charge to hear Bill ramble on about whatever he wanted to ignoring the question asked by the fan at the mic.

If I had not been volunteering, I don’t think I would have attended. It was funny that many of the comic shops in Indianapolis did not have a presence. That should say something about if it was a “Comic Con.” Local shops don’t have to move stuff that far, they don’t have to pay for hotels or meals for whoever is working… so why aren’t they there? I understand that some other vendors did better, but I know the ones around us were grumbling as every morning the crowds of regular folks would rush by to get in line for an autograph, this after the VIP and Ruby (more expensive badges) had already lined up 30 minutes earlier. Afterwards people would then pass through without a second glance as they thought another row might be quicker to get to the autograph area.

What did I end up with at the end of this? Three chicken finger baskets for lunches. A few comics from the booth I was working at… I had time to see what I was missing in my collection and fill in a few holes from what was there. A Mark Bagley headshot of the Rocketeer. For those non-comic book people Mark Bagley was the artist for Ultimate Spider-Man along with a lot of other titles. A signed canvas print of the Rocketeer done by James Mulligan, an artist for Disney. The poor booth across from us was selling these and they were nice, and I felt a bit sorry for them. A hard cover “Art of Stardust” book by Charles Vest. One of my favorite fantasy stories by Neil Gaiman and a really good movie adaptation too. Finally a patch of a gelatinous cube for my jacket.

What did I learn?

• To trust my instincts.
• I’m overjoyed that so many people got the photos and autographs that they so desperately needed to show their friends how cool they are… Like I said- that’s not my thing, but if it makes you happy- good for you!
• Concrete floors are hard on your feet.
• Middle booths are not “prime real estate.”
• This con should be called “Indiana Fan Fest” if we are looking for truth in advertising.
• Indiana could really use a real Comic Con.
• I’m going to write up some suggestions for my LCS on how to possibly improve the experience (besides avoid Indiana Comic Con like the plague). Like NEW Signage! which I can help out with.
• I am planning on attending at least one of the more comic centric cons coming up over the summer and fall. Don’t worry, I’ll be just as honest when I report back.