Long before the internet, setting up a table at a comics convention seemed like the thing to do to get your name out there. My first show was the 1984 SYCON (Sutter Yuba Counties Convention). It was such a flop. Our tables were dispersed throughout a mall rather than an actual event hall. No one shopping in the mall cared, and only a handful of comics fans showed up. But I met my friend Ben Adams that day, so I guess that was what it was really about, making connections.
Ben got me into my next show, SAC-CON 1985 (Sacramento, CA), which was more professional. A bustling hotel pavilion with dealer booths, artist tables, and lots of energy. I was SO nervous to set up. That nervousness eventually passed, as I carried on with FunCon (San Francisco), Stockton-Con, Americon (San Jose), Wonder-Con (Oalkand), Comic-Con (San Diego), Seattle-Con and many others in this low budget era of shows that were still primamrily about mainstream comic books. Curiously I have no photos from the 1986 and 1987 San Diego shows I attended.
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Sacramento 1988 |
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THE INDY BUZZ Alternative and Independent comics continued to grow in presence at these shows, culminating in the Alternative Press Expo (APE) replacing the old Americon in San Jose in the early 90's. It focused entirely on the alternative and zine market, later moving to San Francicso in 2000. APE 2000 was probably the peak of my success at these gigs. Taking in over $400 at a local show meant actually making a profit over the low cost of a table. Typically I would not even break even. |
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(note the custom Ultra Klutz doll) |
Concord 1996 |
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with Keith Knight and Tom Beland |
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after it moved to San Francicso |
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BIGGER IS BETTER? At some point the promotion of films and TV shows based on comics seemed to eclipse the actual comics focus. Although my career may have been growing, I was a relatively shrinking presence in the bigger, gliztier shows, or it was a long haul to other APE like shows around the country. Taking in a few hundred dollars at far away shows with travel and hotels could only be justified as a promotional write-off, an excuse to meet your peers in other regions, and take in some tourism. San Diego 2003 was my last big hurrah, sinking tons of money into a full booth on the main floor, as hordes of overstimulated costumed zombies pressed through the isles to look (or not look) at the random non-comics blitz of stuff filling acres of hall. |
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WHY ARE WE FILMING THIS? Some of my oldest shows (FunCon, Americon) were filmed or videoed by my friend Bob Phillips, an aspiring documentarian. I wasn’t really comfortable being recorded, but my ego to have my early days captured for posterity overruled, which is why I didn’t just say no thanks. I plied through about 45 minutes of the original FunCon and Americon sources, with all the near inaudibility, and stripped them down to a worthy(?) 7.5 minutes. To this I added portions of an MTV documentary by John Bean Hastings from 1996, and an interview I did for a Tyson Productions DVD of ComicCon in 2003. All four become compiled into COMIC CONVENTION MONTAGE, which I have posted on YouTube if you are interested in seeing and hearing these relics! |
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San Diego 1996 |
San Diego 2003 |
