Episode 1222 Talkback: Comic Talk

Pants

Shane, Murd and Pants talk about some Walking Dead original art and the new video game as well as some upcoming conventions and their guest lists. (1:08:08)

Listen here.

bendoc55

I was at FanExpo Calgary last weekend and it was a complete gong show. I drove 3 plus hours to get there, only to be told no one was getting in. Worse, after 2 hours of waiting someone announced we would not be getting in at all that day. Some people left completely, and then they let us in! Understandable turnout though, tons of huge guests with a very broad appeal. I got the distinct impression there were a lot of non hardcore geeks. I guess it proves how popular and mainstream geek culture has become. CGS has to represent next year!

abuddah

Shane: I don't know how fans or professionals get to all these cons

Pants: Just got back from C2E2... just booked my SDCC pass... LONDON COMIC CON!... anyone hear about the Calgary Expo? Let's read off some attendees... Wild Pig just stocked new bronze age books!

Greg

I think all of us parents can relate on the subject of taking rugrats to cons and the fears that can run through a parent's mind.

Jason is 11 and is autisic, losing him in a con crowd is absolutley horrifying to me, he lacks some of the basic comprehension skills that most kids his age have and he is not always fully aware what is going on around him. He also has a rotation in both of his legs, so we have to move at a slower pace and he tires out pretty quick.

Mia is 9 and she is the defiant one. Well mannered, imaginative and smart but she likes to see what she can get away with but she thinks about it, she tries to come up with responsible ways to see what she can get away with. She also likes to be the leader and expects people to move at her pace and if you can't keep up too bad. She reminds me of Valeria sometimes. At C2E2 we constantly had to tell her to slow down because she would get ahead of us then bodies would start fill in the gap between us. She learned pretty quickly to slow it down.

They are looking forward to the wizard show in Chicago, and we're hoping to make it to Summit City this year.

Star Trek:TNG - I have yet to meet any of the Next Generation cast. I've met a lot of people from TOS, DS9 and Voyager but nobody from TNG. I need to get on fixing that.

LibraryBoy

So if that Walking Dead page sells for $8000 or whatever, does Tony Moore see any of that? Was that a page sold by him or his art dealer, or by whomever happened to own it? On the one hand, I think it's amazing when comic book art commands such high prices, but on the other, I worry about the increasing value/commodification of comic book art is pricing it above the usual fans' means. I realize that only a small percentage of comic fans go after original art, but still, not everyone that wants to has that kind of cash (or even a fraction of that cash) to throw around.

As for con attendance, I think it's amazing that so many shows are becoming that popular, especially as the number of cons just keeps increasing. I read somewhere that last week's Boston Comic Con did more business Saturday than they did the entire weekend last year! And trying to fight my way through the crowds, I totally believe it. I listen to the Nerdist podcast a lot, and one of the things Chris Hardwick keeps saying is that if you look at what's popular in Hollywood and video games and everything, nerd culture is no longer a separate beast apart from the rest of pop culture. Nerd culture is just becoming "the culture" now. I think that's kind of cool. It's a big enough party for everyone, and our stuff is pretty cool. Glad to see more and more are finally realizing that.

And if you do approach Evan Dorkin, I also hope you get the better side of his personality!

bendoc55

... anyone hear about the Calgary Expo?

The word I heard was 40,000 attendees; felt that way at least.
Amazing guest list:
all the original Star Trek:TNG cast
Adam West
Stan Lee
Huge list of other movie/TV personalities.
Tony Moore, Frank Cho, Larry Hama, Peter David, George Perez, Bob Layton, Dale Eaglesham and many more.

It made the lineups almost tolerable. Unfortunately, not as many cheap back issues or trades as I expected, which was my number focus.

mguy1977

That is a LOT of money for a comic book page. WOAH!

I would really like to go to a comic convention one day.

Matthew

ChrisBeckett

Shane,

I can relate to your 6-hour wait for Eliza Dushku - though the person at the end of my line wasn't as easy on the eye as she is.

My first big convention was Wizard World Chicago - 2001, and my favorite superhero artist was in attendance - George Perez. The first day of the show I scoped the place out, found where Perez was and saw that the line was capped. With this information in hand, I planned my attack for the next morning. Driving onto the floor with the swarm, I made a line for Perez's table. I was somewhere between 20 and 25th in line. And I waited 5 hours to get to meet him. It took that long because he was doing free sketches for everyone.

(I think I may have related this story recently in another thread, but let's keep going)

When I finally got up to see Perez, he was a complete gentleman - and all through the morning he would continually get up from his seat, walk down the line and tell us how crazy we must be to be waiting that long for him. He was easy to talk to, very giving of his time, and when I laid down my Batman portfolio from 1989 with the two pieces I'd chosen to have him sign, he offered to sign all 12 pieces plus the cover, and he signed a few comics I'd brought along as well. I also got a Barry Allen Flash sketch from him. Great, great memory. And so worth the 5 hours waiting.

chris

Bookbag

How about a new spin off show. Kelly's kids. Where Shane's boys talk about comics. My children would love it.

Greg

How about a new spin off show. Kelly's kids. Where Shane's boys talk about comics. My children would love it.

We don't need a whole show necessarily but a general kids comics segment would be pretty cool. It doesn't need a regular schedule. Maybe hit up on kids comics in the previews show, which you guys do once in awhile already, and when possible let Shane's boy talk about what they're reading, what they've read and what they're looking forward too.

LibraryBoy

How about a new spin off show. Kelly's kids. Where Shane's boys talk about comics. My children would love it.

Only if Ken Berry plays Shane.

(Anyone who gets that reference wins a shiny, brand new, absolutely nothing!)