Collision Course
So the other day, I was tinkering with my convention schedule, and I started to note that I had enough budget space for another low-cost convention this summer. Being that Otakon is a local one for me, I was starting to put plans into motion to get a table there.
However, after a quick trip to http://www.otakon.com/default2.asp I found out that the dates are Aug. 4-6, which is the same at Wizard World Chicago (http://www.wizarduniverse.com/conventions/chicago.cfm), a convention that I've been looking forward to mostly to spend some time in the windy city, as well as see some relatives in that area. Since the old-school geeks are financially more friendly to my comics than the manga geeks, I've got to go to Chi-town. Don't get me wrong, manga geeks, I love y'all, but at least one in seven of you are giving me strike one because I'm not Japanese, and strike two because I don't have a manga-styled book out (yet).
So Otakon isn't in the cards this year. Maybe next year.
But that got me thinking about how Wizard seems to be doing whatever it can to sabotage it's conventions this year. They made a horrible call in moving the venue of WWLA - not only was the new location harder to get to, it was on the route of a freaking marathon.
WW Philly is always a fun one for me because of outside elements, like food and local friends. But from a business standpoint, it was a dud. There were the big two, and there were some good small press types. Basically, Points A and C on the comic book career map. But there was virtually no Point Bs there, and I need to be able to talk to Point Bs right now. Throw in dismal sales for anyone I've talked to, and the show was a dud. A tasty dud, but a dud none-the-less.
Otakon running up against Chicago has me worried. That makes it all but guaranteed that the magna-based industry will be absent from Chicago.
So maybe, just maybe, there'll be some focus in the Chicago area - that Wizard World will be the only game in town for entertainment.
http://www.lollapalooza.com/default.asp?fd=1
Damn.
However, after a quick trip to http://www.otakon.com/default2.asp I found out that the dates are Aug. 4-6, which is the same at Wizard World Chicago (http://www.wizarduniverse.com/conventions/chicago.cfm), a convention that I've been looking forward to mostly to spend some time in the windy city, as well as see some relatives in that area. Since the old-school geeks are financially more friendly to my comics than the manga geeks, I've got to go to Chi-town. Don't get me wrong, manga geeks, I love y'all, but at least one in seven of you are giving me strike one because I'm not Japanese, and strike two because I don't have a manga-styled book out (yet).
So Otakon isn't in the cards this year. Maybe next year.
But that got me thinking about how Wizard seems to be doing whatever it can to sabotage it's conventions this year. They made a horrible call in moving the venue of WWLA - not only was the new location harder to get to, it was on the route of a freaking marathon.
WW Philly is always a fun one for me because of outside elements, like food and local friends. But from a business standpoint, it was a dud. There were the big two, and there were some good small press types. Basically, Points A and C on the comic book career map. But there was virtually no Point Bs there, and I need to be able to talk to Point Bs right now. Throw in dismal sales for anyone I've talked to, and the show was a dud. A tasty dud, but a dud none-the-less.
Otakon running up against Chicago has me worried. That makes it all but guaranteed that the magna-based industry will be absent from Chicago.
So maybe, just maybe, there'll be some focus in the Chicago area - that Wizard World will be the only game in town for entertainment.
http://www.lollapalooza.com/default.asp?fd=1
Damn.
posted by dernjg at
9:18 PM
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