My Experience At The Comic Book Convention

Every year there is a comic book convention. Some even call it a graphic novels convention. Whatever, the case may be, the convention usually brings together a wide variety of people from different occupations, regions, and heritage. The average age of the attendee is probably closer to thirty.

The types of comics they present for sale or display varies as well. There are the usual super hero comic books. There are also more dark and mysterious stories told in graphic style. Graphic style means picture and not the adult type. However, there is also a section on erotic comics.

The presenters use different means to display their art. Some have photo images copied and enlarged to show the caliber of workmanship. Others might allow low grade editions to be carefully perused. Still some use technology to their benefit and display the books on LED backlight screens which provide for a more enhanced color display.

A comic book convention is all about entertainment. To this end, many large and prominent producers arrange and hire actors to impersonate certain of their characters. They would dress up accordingly and act as if they were in the comics. The idea would be to lure passersby and other attendees to visit the artist’s booth. Many different mechanisms are employed. Generally, the typical story line of the more popular comics revolves around violence and/or some type of sexy female heroine or character in distress, as cliche as that might sound.

One particular artist invited a band to play the theme song of its hero. The band had a drummer, singer, and a takamine acoustic guitar player. There were dancers on both sides and his booth became one of the featured attractions. The artist, hopefully, was able to generate more sales. The cost of presenting at a convention can be prohibitive.

As an attendee, one can only expect to have fun and, perhaps, even find inspiration. The stories usually have some good triumphing over evil sub plot. However, there are some plots that can be more diabolical or sinister, even bordering on the fetish. Others can be more light hearted and even have a soap opera feel. The intense novels tend to be a bit more intense with gore and nudity. Many of the recent publishers have story lines that are more contemporary rather then taking place in the distant future or past.

The overall experience is very unique and highly engaging. The convention puts on display the work of many talented artists. The industry is a tough one to break into. For an artist to be successful, he or she generally needs a great story line and an engrossing character. Then this has to be artistically rendered. The competition is fierce.