ECCC 2013

Chuck_Melville

I'm off to the Emerald City Comiccon this weekend, helping out at the MU Press/Psuedo Comics tables in Artists' Alley (we're sitting right next to Tony Daniels), and I'll check in with a few things once the con and the weekend are over; I don't see much, being behind the table for the most part, but I am managing to get out to a couple of the panels. In the meanwhile...

One of the things I have seen has blown my mind and left me, as a collector, salivating, and that is the specialized furniture made by Geek Chic for storing comics or for playing games. To get a good idea of what I'm talking about, check out their website at geekchichq.com/ -- I've seen a large number of these on display at the con and they are fricking unbelievable. (So are the prices, unfortunately, but you do get what you're paying for.) I lust after the comic storage cabinets -- handmade and mahogany! Good God!

Trev

Geek chic looks cool but their website is focused on gaming. Any pics of their comics related stuff?

Chuck_Melville

They are primarily concerned with gaming tables, but they do have filing cabinets for comics, including drawers for index cards. (You could use those small drawers for trading cards instead.) Plus, I believe they can build to order. I have a few snapshots that I'll try to upload when I've got time after the con is over.

Chuck_Melville

As I mentioned, I spent most of my time sitting behind a table in the Artists' Alley, but here's a quick rundown of what I did see at ECCC.

Ran into Moritat (Jonah Hex, All-Star Western, Elephantmen) while on my way to the Men's room the first day and we chatted for a bit; he was seated next to where we had been located last year. (We were moved way, way off around the corner, practically in another room.) He came back to our table to see what we'd been up to since the days he did some work for us. He was as amiable and cheerful as ever, said that working for DC was both exhausting and challenging to him as an artist, trying to maintain the quality on a regular monthly basis, but he was loving it.

The Exhibitor/Artist Alley area has literally doubled in floor space. For anybody familiar with the Washington Convention Center in Seattle, this means that the heart of the con now sprawls across the skybridge into the other building, encompassing a space as large as that in the first building. You basically have a self-contained city of geeks and exhibitors up there. And there were several other floors set aside for gaming and celebrities.

There were several interview panels with specific guests, and these were actually filmed and aired live by fliptv. (I think these are available for viewing through Comics Resources, if I'm not mistaken.) I went to two: Gerry Conway (whose work I've enjoyed, even into his TV career) and Gillian Anderson (because it was Gillian Anderson). I also attended two workshops on digital coloring run by Brian and Kristy Miller of HI-Fi Design, which were quite enlightening.

I already mentioned the crafts by Geek Chic.

There were several great costumes, along with some not so great. There were two completely unrelated costumes worn by a man and a woman on two different days that were nothing more than body paint and underwear; I've been trying to forget the one, and the other was just... distracting. There was a duo dressed as Power Girl and Huntress -- perfect, except that the boot styles were reversed (Huntress gets the heels, not PG), countless versions of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and Spider-Man, and a charming three year old Batgirl. (As well as a barely-able-to-walk Spider-Man who kept snatching paperbacks from our book rack before his mother finally decided it was time to carry him for a spell.) The best outfits I saw were a stunning Booster Gold, a dynamic Hawkman (who had to sidle sideways through the aisles so that his wings didn't smack passerbys), a Weeping Angel whose outfit looked convincingly like stone, Lex Luthor in his power armor (hanging out with Superman), Phoenix, and -- my personal favorite -- Galactus! With a Silver Surfer figure attached by wire to one shoulder, and a model of the planet Earth (with a bite taken out of it) attached to the other. (And no doubt many others that I can't remember this morning.)

The con ran for two and a half days, but will be extending to three full days next year.

I'm sure there was tons of news from each of the publishers, but I didn't get to any of their panels, so I'm going to need to scan the newsfeeds this morning to catch up. Working a table leads to a certain flavor of myopia.

Chuck_Melville

Here's a pic that someone took of Galactus. He's holding his Earth model here, and his Silver Surfer attachment isn't visible in the shot.

Torchsong

Sweet! I've only been to one ECCC and it was a blast! Good to hear it's doing so well!

John_Steed

@Chuck_Melville : thanks for sharing your "view from behind the table". Nice and insightful reporting. =D>

Chuck_Melville

Here's a look at some of those Geek Chic tables, courtesy of their Facebook page:

First, one of the larger comic cabinets...



A card table (love those cup holders)...



One for board games (looks like they're playing Risk here)...



And this one appears set up for D&D...



The D&D set-up inside the table recess, by the way, is modular. It pulls out in square sections, all made out of resin, and can be realigned into new configurations.

I feel kinda guilty, like I'm pimping this company's wares -- but this is grand work that needs to be seen and appreciated. (And I'm not getting paid for this.)

Chuck_Melville

Ah! Here's a shot of Galactus with his Silver Surfer attachment! (Posing with a young fan)