Detroit FanFare 2011

[Diabolical]

In all my years of comics and geekdom, I've never been to a comic con of any kind.
I think that will change come September 23-24.

This year's Detroit FanFare looks to be awesome.

So far the "media guests" are:
Adam Baldwin - Jayne and John Casey? One of the stars of my two all-time favorite tv shows? How can I say no to that?
Thomas Jane - The real Punisher? I think I just ruined my shorts.
Bruce Campbell - The legend?
Peter Weller - Robocop. Awesomecop.
Steven Yeun - Glenn from "The Walking Dead"

Comic Guest highlights:
Tim Bradstreet
Katie Cook
Dave Dorman
Kevin Eastman
Larry Hama
Tony Moore
Steve Niles
John Ostrander

Time to start saving some money.

[jjreason]

The only ones I've been to were a Toronto one circa 1998 or so and the San Diego one I met Chux at. The first one was a silly trip to look at comics I had never seen in real life before with prices on them that would choke a billy goat- I recall seeing Silver Surfer 4 for the first time in person & the dude only wanted like 1100 US for it - back when our dollar was worth about 50 cents. Good luck with that. I recall my main purchase was Preacher 2 for $30.

The second show I had a much better idea of what was going on - it's not really a good time to get deals on key books, let's put it that way - and enjoyed the show for what it was. I spent too much getting a few books sent off to cgc for grading, but that was the secondary reason for attending so at least it got done. I also managed to grab Hasbro Exclusive Holographic Leia figures for myself and a couple of friends. Worth the time for sure - meeting Chux, Jenny, Sirsteve, Tycho and seeing Peter Mayhew, Kenny Baker and Ray Park in person was the best!

Long story short, I'm about ready to attend another show. I'm going to look this one up & see if maybe just maybe........

[Diabolical]

Long story short, I'm about ready to attend another show. I'm going to look this one up & see if maybe just maybe........

Mabu-mini-con?

I could probably get the M.I.A. Cappy to go (even if I have to buy his ticket).

[anarky]

Smaller shows are usually better for talking to creators or getting autographs. Or sketches, if you're so inclined. Comic-Con is sort of a clusterfuck now. There's shit-tons of people there, mostly not knowing shit about what's going on. And they all want freebies, and to get autographs, even if they have no idea who they're getting autographs from. I noticed when Larry Hama was signing at the Hasbro booth, people would stroll up to him and ask if he had something to do with GIJoe, and whether he designed figures, and when figures would be out. (Now, really, tell me that anyone who cares about GIJoe wouldn't know who that man was! It'd be like, "So, you're George Lucas, eh? Did you design the new Stormtrooper figure, because that one's cool?")

Count on there being massive lines for autographs. The movie people will probably charge for them, unfortunately. Bradstreet, Dorman, and Eastman might be big enough names that they'd charge (though, honestly, Eastman seems too cool from what I know about him to do that). Fact is, guys like Bruce Campbell will probably be making an appearance at a panel, and not even going out on the floor because they know they'll be mobbed. (I've always wondered how many of the people with all-concealing costumes are celebrities. You know Johnny Depp would be torn to pieces at Comic-Con, but who's to say he wouldn't enjoy checking things out and borrowing a Stormtrooper costume so no one sees him?)

If it's a smaller show without too many vendors, I'd recommend checking out any small publishers. They normally offer steals on their stuff just to get people to check them out. (It's impossible at a con the size of Comic-Con, but should be easy at a smaller one--especially if you stroll through the small publisher area on the last day, when they won't want to take anything home.)

Larger publishers will probably offer freebies. Some are really cool. Some are shit. Unless you love carting useless crap around, don't get snowed by the free shit and only pick up what you want.

There will be a ton of cheap comics. You stand a good chance of lucking into some deals.

As for the artists, they're like anyone else: some are cool, and some are huge dicks. One thing I used to love doing, back in my autograph-collecting days, was find the most obscure comic I could find by everyone there. Unless they're busy, they usually think that's cool. I had John Romita Jr reread an Iron Man comic he'd worked on a decade earlier because he barely remembered it, and found covers and pin-ups by folks who didn't even remember doing them. (A buddy of mine actually gave his copy of the GIJoe with a Baroness dossier to George Perez back in the 1990s, because Marvel never sent him comp copies.) The only comic I've actually cared to get autographed in the past decade, a reprint of GIJoe #21, similar story: Steve Leialoha wasn't even aware of it, and he went through it page by page, discussing it. (I told him I obviously couldn't promise it, but if he asked at the Hasbro booth, I imagined they'd make sure a copy of the reprint got in his hands.)

[Rollo Tomassi]

I'm skipping Comic-Con this year. Like anarky said, its just too many people and endless lines. Its not worth the headache of buying a plane ticket, figuring out lodging for a week, etc. I'm having a friend pick up a few exclusives for me. But its just gotten too big, and that convention center is too small for it anymore.

But how would you guys all like to meet up at something smaller like the C2E2 in Chicago next Feb/March? Its attendance is like 25,000 to 30,000. Which is downright quaint compared to SDCCs 140k crowds.

[jjreason]

I've done the drive to Chicago, it's doable for me - but we'd need to get a couple of rooms to crash in, I wouldn't want to go there & back in one day.

[anarky]

That's a maybe. A heavily-qualified "maybe." That's one hell of a drive/flight. Maybe if Anty and/or El Senor were carpooling, it might make it a bit easier, but, still, that's one hell of a trip.

[Diabolical]

Shitcago could be possible for me.
Its a 5-6 hour drive, which I've done a few times.

[Diabolical]

So Tom Jane had to drop out of Detroit Fanfare due to filming of something. Dammit. The main reason I wanted to go.

But Kelly Hu (Deathstrike in X-Men 2 and Stacy in Phineas & Ferb) and Brian "Dante Hicks" O'Halloran have signed up.
Unless Kelly Hu gets naked, I really don't care, but it would be cool to meet the man who is Dante.


Jim, have you given any more thoughts to making the trip to Hockeytown?

[jjreason]

My only issue at this point is jet lag. I'm going to Singapore for my brother's wedding from the 10th to the 20th, but will still be on holidays for these dates. Getting the wife's ok to head out for another overnight might be tough - but i actually might be able to convince her to go for cross border shopping... hmmm. Will discuss today & try to finalize a plan here. I'd love to go.

[Sleazer]

Tom Jane was awesome when I saw him at a show, only charged for the cost of the photos so I got a handful from him...those days are long gone though, now that the "handlers" have infiltrated the scene and taken over by charging more money.
Kelly Hu was an absolute doll, really cool.
Bruce Campbell was a pompous douchebag the two times I've seen him at shows; that guy can drop dead. Fuck him.

[jjreason]

Well if you tried to fuck him without at least paying for an autographed picture I can see him being a bit negative. Jeez, Skeez, where's your common decency?

[Zaphod]

i paid for an autographed picture and bruce campbell let me fuck with him. i'm not normally into the whole gay thing, but he bent over and dropped trou, and he said, "thanks for buying the picture! go ahead and blow a load in me." who was i to refuse?

[anarky]

Great. Now I have a mental picture I can't shake of the Hamburglar buttfucking Ash.

[Diabolical]

Tom Jane was awesome when I saw him at a show, only charged for the cost of the photos so I got a handful from him...those days are long gone though, now that the "handlers" have infiltrated the scene and taken over by charging more money.
Kelly Hu was an absolute doll, really cool.
Bruce Campbell was a pompous douchebag the two times I've seen him at shows; that guy can drop dead. Fuck him.

You met Tom Jane and now I can't? Well, fuck you buddy.
He's lucky he promised to come next year.

I should draw some bullshit fanart mash-up of Stacy (of Phineas & Ferb) and Deathstrike just to see what Kelly Hu says.

I'm not too excited about Bruce Campbell. He's pretty cool and all (in movies anyway) but he's nowhere the top of my list.