Why I have a crush on Emerald City Comicon

6 AUGUST 2015

It's that time of year when thou mayst in me behold my love for Emerald City Comicon. Yes, I know we're more than half a year away from it actually happening. But we're only mere weeks - maybe slightly longer - away from its badge sale, and last year proved that you will want to be on top of that sale like the most grimly determined SDCC combatant ever.

I say that because the Delux badges sold out in under 3 minutes last year. I got one and so did other SDCC attendees I know - and while I don't have the stats to back this up, I'm betting that our training and ride or die intensity is what helped us beat out the more laidback ECCC attendees who rolled in minutes or hours later. Not that it's a competition! They're both great Cons.

But of course it is a competition when it comes to getting the badge you want - so I'm sounding the bell now to get prepared if you're entertaining thoughts of Seattle next April.

Why you might want to go to Emerald City

• You're a comic book fan. This convention is a Valentine wrapped in a faded Silver Age issue wrapped in an indie artist's sketch wrapped in the bag and board of your most treasured comic book. But don't worry - there's decent Hollywood talent and gaming and an entire cult of cosplay there as well.

• It's manageable and comfortable in a way that SDCC can never be again. Yes, there are some lines and yes, the badge sales will probably become consecutively worse. But right now it's fairly easy to book the hotel of your choosing, get a badge and walk into the panel you want. That said, don't be lazy. You will need to move fast this year.

• The ECCC team is dedicated to attendee satisfaction.  Their social presence is attentive and positive and they genuinely care about fan opinions and input. Witness the survey many of us got from them today. When asking for possible improvements, one of the choices was "entertainment while waiting in line." Can you imagine SDCC even thinking of that? Or sending out a survey or asking our opinions at all?

• They're committed to retaining their friendly community feel while offering the excitement and versatility of a bigger Con. This is no easy feat; I'll say here that for all my snark, I do recognize the challenges that come with organizing such a major event. I get it. CCI probably does many heroic things behind the scenes that we attendees will never hear about. But that just makes it even more impressive that ECCC is willing to go to strenuous new lengths to keep us happy. Today's survey asked if we'd be interested in more outside activations around the city, more cosplay features like contests & photo booths, more ticketed and free events, special artist and writer workshops, more gaming, etc.

• They were bought by ReedPOP but seem to be adhering to their promise to keep their distinct feel. I'm sure next year will be different. Maybe we'll see it as soon as the badge sale. But I have faith in organizer Jim Demonakos and so far it seems like ECCC is keeping its special personality rather than morphing into a generic Con.

• You might not get a badge to SDCC. This is a stellar backup choice. And you can sell your badge off to anyone if you change your mind; ECCC doesn't mind.

• You want a Comicon with a progressive energy that offers content friendly to LGBTQ and diversity issues. Gender-neutral restrooms, Cosplay is Not Consent posters, after-hours events for people of every persuasion - possibly even Otherkin - it's all here.

• You want to see indie creators, small presses and an Artist's Alley that is truly a bazaar of creative originality.  You want to see the rising stars, writers and artists who are working for Boom and Image and IDW and others and injecting a new color and vitality into the comics industry. They're here too. 

Okay, enough of the hard sell. I really don't have a horse in this race; I just think ECCC is an incredible Con and a great and often overlooked option for people myopically focused on SDCC.

Last year's badge sale was in September. I have no idea when this year's will be but given that we're sailing through August, it's a good time to look into this Con and decide if you'd like to go. Please get over the "San Diego Comic-Con or nothing" chip on your shoulder if you have one. ECCC and other Cons are not the participation trophy of conventions. They're exciting, they offer prestigious talent and they can be a better time than SDCC depending on your interests.

I'll post more on the badge sale when it's announced.

ETA:  Which according to Transmute Jun will be definitely in September, per ECCC's Tumblr. Actual quote: "We’ll be posting more info later this month, but you can expect ECCC 2016 tickets to go on sale in September." So it sounds like we'll know more fairly soon.

Emerald City Comicon in review

30 MARCH 2015

I promise this is my last ECCC post (or one of them) for a while.

Emerald City is over and most of us are back home. In summarizing the opinions of both attendees and vendors, everyone seems to break down into 3 camps.

Wary Attendees: They're mostly local and they are very concerned about ECCC swelling into a bloated, generic Con monster. Not being like San Diego is a point of pride for them. (I got several eye rolls and audible noises of disgust when I said I had a blog on SDCC. One woman even said, "Eww.") They're fairly protective and slightly territorial about "their" Con. Which honestly, I can understand.

Excited Attendees: They're mostly new to ECCC (within the last 2 years) and tend to be from out of town. Most are comic collectors who have been looking for a Con that has some starpower, offers good events, and brings the comic book creators they're reading today, like Kelly Sue DeConnick, Kieron Gillen and It Boy Matt Fraction. Some prefer the more laidback, progressive energy of this Con and others like the convenience of drastically shorter lines and easier navigability.

Vendors: Virtually every vendor and professional I spoke to had nothing but glowing things to say about ECCC. From higher sales to a greater respect from attendees to deeper connections with readers, everyone from Artist's Alley to big name booths expressed love for this Con. One example: Erika Moen, who was pretty blunt about ECCC. She said it had "the vibe, the energy of San Diego in my teens" and that she makes the same sales in 2 days at ECCC that she makes in 5 days at SDCC. She also said that Jim Demonakos is committed to preserving ECCC's feel and that she has faith it will stay the same.

On that note, I'll share this Surviving Creativity podcast that Demonakos made on the future of Emerald City after the ReedPOP purchase was announced. If you're at all concerned about ECCC transforming into something horrendous, give it a listen. Not only does he share his motivation for going with ReedPOP - "someone who can do more with it beyond the capabilities that I and my team have" - he also shares interesting insight into the business side of Cons; the cost of running them, exhibiting at them and what he went through to start both his comic book store and ECCC.

And that's it for Emerald City. If you didn't get a chance to go but would like to see the sights, check out the ECCC Tumblr and io9's cosplay coverage and the Mary Sue gallery. For those of you who did go, I hope you had a great time - and I hope to see you there next year.

Is Emerald City for you?

28 MARCH 2015

We have 1 more day of ECCC left. Here are my thoughts on why this Con works brilliantly for so many people, and why it won't work for others.

It has some of that weird and wonderful randomness SDCC lost years ago. I was texting pictures of various curios to my former SDCC partner in crime: a sticker set of sloth faces, a fake kitten skull, picto-charms of George Sand and Ursula Le Guin, a photo comic book called "Cats You Never Learned About In History Class."  Her assessment: I remember when San Diego had rows of that kind of thing. Small offbeat vendors have mostly been priced out of SDCC now and while a lot of the newer attendees may not miss that stuff, I do.

It has some of the best names in comic books. I talked to the very talented James Tynion IV (who's selling early copies of his new UFOlogy title, and it's awesome) about ECCC and he was pretty open about how much he loved it and how he'll never miss an appearance here; he said that Emerald City has the best collection of comic book talent and that there's no better convention for comic fans.

The cosplay is indier. A lot of conventions, you see two dozen Poison Ivys and Catwomans and Batmans walking around, with a few Daeneryses and Doctors sprinkled in. Here? Characters from Wicked + Divine and Saga and Sex Criminals wander around the halls.

It's more progressive and more sex-positive. Somehow I can't imagine Salt Lake Comic Con or SDCC holding the panel on geeks and kink I went to. In general, there's plenty of 18+ content which I think a lot of people appreciate. And not only does the programming reflect a commitment to diversity, you see that same diversity in the attendees. This truly feels like a Con where everyone is welcome - regardless of age, race, gender identity, sexual orientation and background.

The barrier between fan and creator is lowered, when not dissolved entirely, and there's a more informal environment that fosters real connections and even career advice. At several panels I went to, people lined up and asked some variation on, "How can I make my career happen?" And they got sound advice from accomplished professionals.

The focus on comic books benefits not just attendees, but vendors as well. Dan Parent - who said he prefers ECCC over SDCC's "rigidity and red tape" - said he does better financially at Emerald City than at San Diego. That's telling.

Now onto who shouldn't be at ECCC. The easy answer here is any attendee who craves upcoming season trailers and the cast of their favorite show sitting on a Hall H stage. Yes, you will get some starpower in the Main Hall but it probably won't be enough to satisfy those hardcore superfans who live and die over their Hall H hours. As hard as I'm thumping the Emerald City drum, I will say that Hollywood-focused attendees probably won't be fulfilled here.

To be fair, I met a few locals who don't think I or anyone else who took a plane to Seattle should be here either. They want their local Con to stay local. I can understand that sentiment, I really can. But that horse left the barn a while ago - and the barn was demolished completely the day ReedPOP bought ECCC.

And I have met 2 other people who washed out in the SDCC badge sale and are now doubly glad they're here. They understand what I keep trying to convey: I promote ECCC not as a consolation prize for people who can't get into San Diego Comic-Con, but as a fun convention that is special and worthy in its own right. It offers things you cannot get at SDCC. And with ReedPOP in the mix, it's just going to become more of a draw. I respect Jim Demonakos (ECCC head honcho) and I believe he'll preserve the special flair that defines Emerald City - so despite my initial misgivings, I'm looking forward to seeing how this partnership plays out next year.

And that brings Saturday to a close. Having failed to pace myself, I'm currently a sleep-deprived zombie who's staying in tonight. Hopefully the rest of you are out having fun and ready for a great final day at ECCC.

So ReedPOP bought ECCC: my thoughts

14 JANUARY 2015

So everyone knows by now that ReedPOP, the owner of New York Comic Con & a jillion other events, has added Emerald City Comicon to its crown. Or in the words of euphemistic press releases, "partnered with" and "joined its family of leading experiental fan events."

I hate to start off on a negative note, but I have to say this - if you want to assure people that their beloved comic convention is going to stay the same, don't call it "a leading experiental fan event." Call it a comic convention. Call it a Con. Call it anything that doesn't sound like a word jumble generated by a cyborg publicist.

I'll say right here that I know my opinion isn't worth much in this matter. I'm not from Seattle, I don't have a decade-long history with ECCC, and as a complete outsider, I have no realistic idea how this merger will manifest. But as a lover of comic conventions, the kind with real comic book nerds, struggling creators and a slightly shabby ambience, I dread a future where Cons become slick corporate events.

I do appreciate the improved organization that can come with a sophisticated company at the helm. Emerald City could benefit in some strong ways from ReedPOP's power. But it's hard to deny that small independent Cons have a certain energy that will inevitably change when a major player like ReedPOP takes over. I think one reason people are freaking out about this particular move is that for many of us, ECCC was the comic-centric answer to SDCC's growth and glitter. Their social presence, transparency and attentiveness toward fans has given this Con a very community feel. Now we're wondering - is that going to be taken from us too?

All the reassurances have been made. From ECCC founder Jim Demonakos (cool name, by the way): "We are huge fans of what ReedPOP is doing across the globe in the pop culture space and the ECCC team is excited to have them help us elevate the fan experience at our event." You could read into that, if you wanted- as in "don't elevate anything, please" - but he also says that ECCC will be bringing their fan focus to ReedPOP's events. Which could be quite nice if it happens.

If you're not familiar with ReedPOP - and that's probably the case for many West Coasters - they're kind of like the Napolean of Cons. They recently bought up Paris Comic Con, staged events in Germany, London and Singapore, organized more events throughout India, and created an Australia team to colonize Down Under. I have no doubt they're working with NASA at this very moment to launch the first Comic-Con on Mars.

As for their mission and personality, they describe themselves as producing "exceptional experiences for fan audiences and growing the industries surrounding these passions." Okay then. I'm surprised they didn't throw in creating a disruptive B2C marketing opportunity for pop culture visionaries and innovators. And they say this like it's a good thing - that their philosophy has led to "burgeoning attendance." Hi, welcome to what fans DON'T want more of. The whole idea of more-more-more is exactly what so many of us are sick to death of.

Enough kvetching. Here's what we know:
- ECCC team will still run the show
- There will be "minimal impact" in March because everything's already finalized
- It will be a gradual transition
- There could be "additional entertainment aspects"
- The cross-pollination will go both ways - in theory

In the end, we won't know what's going to change for a while. Some people will love the changes, others will lament losses, but above all the shift will feel insidious and inevitable. And because there likely won't be a drop in attendance, any feelings of fan dismay will probably be ignored.

But I don't want to end on a gloomy note, so I'll say this - I think old-school comic book conventions will be around for a while, even if they're in addition to the behemoth conventions. San Diego Comic Fest, for instance. And who knows - when all is said and done, maybe Emerald City will retain its charm.

Maybe.