London Super Comic Convention: Pros and Cons

Alan Woollcombe reports on the first London Super Comic Convention, held at the Excel Centre this weekend, which had a guest line-up that included Stan Lee (seen above, meeting and greeting, video from BleedingCool), George Perez and other comic creators from both sides of the Atlantic...

It seems churlish to complain about winning a free ticket, but it did typify some of the organizational glitches that hit this inaugural event. A few days beforehand I was sent a flurry of emails, all in triplicate, reminding me to print off my ticket – except that some of the tickets had ‘complimentary’ on them and others said ‘EventBrite completed.’ Then another threesome arrived from VIP Tier 3 (the expensive, have-Stan Lee’s-autograph tickets) telling me to print off my VIP ticket – except I hadn’t paid for one. 20 minutes later yet another trio of emails headed ‘Error please disregard last email from us’.

I printed everything off, mentally preparing for my moment with Stan.

At the entrance I was told by a flustered organizer that I had won a ticket (sadly, not a VIP one) and apologies for not telling me – and no, I couldn’t have a refund on the ticket I had paid for. A small price to pay to avoid a PR triumph turning to a fail, I’d have thought – I’d have given out a VIP ticket in their shoes but I only work in PR, so what do I know?

What the heck – I was there, at my first London con in years. Well, that is after I found it – for those new to the ExCeL convention centre, it is vast, with a main concourse running the length of the building, housing an extended food court. There were four conventions going on at the same time (including the "2012 Zumba Instructors Convention”) and no obvious signage or information booth pointing out where the comics one was. Luckily I ran into David Lloyd on the phone and, with a brief come-see-me-at-my-table, he waved me towards the entrance.

The whole event took place in a giant hangar of a room, with one corner area walled off for the panels and cosplay parades, and the rest given over to dealers’ stalls and artists’ alley. There were two large empty areas, and no boards displaying the days’ events – you had to look in the programme for that information. It was OK, but not ideal. It all somehow seemed a bit shambolic.
What I did miss was a proper, old-fashioned bar-cum-lounge area for mingling and chilling between creators and punters. A food court in a huge corridor surrounded by legions of be-leotarded zumba instructors just doesn’t cut it.

But enough grumbles: the Big Draw of the whole shebang was Stan Lee, Captain Marvel himself, back for the first time at a British con since 1973. Stan was having a whale of a time, signing, being photographed, answering questions from the stage – and making eye-watering sums of money in the process (£175 to meet and greet – you’re having a laugh, surely…). The old pro knows what his fans want and gave it to them: Consider yourself no-prized! Just wait till you see my cameo in the new film! Excelsior! The old stories sounded fresh, the voice firm, the mock humility flawless. He’s looking pretty damn good for an 89-year-old.

Not that there weren’t other big names in attendance: George Perez, Howard Chaykin, Bernie Wrightson and a few dozen younger whippersnappers, but many of the big-name Brits had given the event a miss (no Dave Gibbons, no Alan Davis) along with the big-name publishers (no Marvel, no DC, no Dark Horse). Somehow though, many of the stars they had secured weren’t on panels or being interviewed, which was a lost opportunity.

All in all, it showed that this was the first such con. I hope there is another one next year, but the organizers will need to raise their game considerably (more signage, more panels, a bar/lounge area, and no more gouging the fans for getting up close to the star of the show) for it to have a hope of becoming a regular fixture.

Alan Woollcombe wrote Rupert Bear, interviewed 'duck man' Carl Barks on his only visit to the UK, watched a lunar eclipse with one of the original Dan Dare artists, and had a Mexican meal with Frank Miller in LA. Now in exile in Cornwall, he divides his time between journalism and PR, but is open to offers via alanwoollcombe@yahoo.com


Other Coverage

Mainstream

Stan Lee appeared on the BBC's The One Show to help promote the convention
on Friday 24th February

• Stan Lee made an appearance on the BBC's The One Show to promote the event on Friday night, with Chris Evan unexpectedly sychpophantic and Alex Jones wrongly thinking Stan was an artist


• USA Today Media Gallery

• Bexley Times

Comics Press

• Bleeding Cool: SuperCon Day 1

• Images Degrading Forever

"It was a really great event. It is the first time I have ever been to an
event of this size in any capacity, let alone behind a table as a
exhibitor and it was a non-stop thrill ride!"

• Steve Cook (2000AD designer and ace photographer)

• Whatever Gods There Be

"It was the inaugural event of what I'm sure organizers hope becomes a European San Diego, and while there were a few kinks -- notably the excessively long queues -- it was a good event and featured an impressive array of talent..."


• What Culture: IDW Panel Report
Andy Diggle revealed as new writer for Doctor Who from August 2012

Artists challenged to create a Super Hero for the Stan Lee Foundation

Talenthouse has once again joined forces with the Stan Lee Foundation and Prismacolor to offer talented fans, designers and illustrators the unique opportunity to meet the legendary Stan Lee and create a comic book character for the foundation.

To participate, graphic designers, illustrators and fans -- and this does seem to be a worldwide comptition -- are asked to submit their original character designs to http://tlnt.at/bN1qeU , by 9th January 2011.

Not only will the the selected artist see their character turned into a limited edition action figure, but they will also be presented an award by Stan Lee at the the 2011 Comic-Con in San Diego. The Artist will also receive full flight and accommodations to San Diego along with tickets to Comic-Con.

The winner will be chosen from the 20 highest voted submissions ,but  The Stan Lee Foundation say they may look beyond these finalists to select the submission that they feel best fits their requirements.




Based in Palo Alto California, Talenthouse is a platform providing opportunities to the world’s creative community – a place to participate in unique projects with artists and brands, collaborate, gain recognition and compensation. The Stan Lee Foundation, established by Spider-Man creator Stan Lee, is a non-profit organization that seeks to provide access to literacy, education and the arts throughout the United States.

• For more information on the challenge go to: www.talenthouse.com/stan-lee-foundation-create-a-superhero.

• Latest Talent House news at http://blog.talenthouse.com or follow them on Twitter -  http://twitter.com/talenthouse

• Stan Lee Foundation: www.stanleefoundation.org

Tube Surfing: Cartoonists, Writers, Conventions (well, one) and the end of 2000 AD Review

• Joe Gordon of the Forbidden Planet International blog makes us aware that cartoonist and illustrator David Baillie has just uploaded a large PDF portfolio online. You should have a look!

David, who has been published in 2000AD and the Judge Dredd Megazine, is one of my fave cartoonists and there are some cracking strips in the portfolio.

• Another of my fave illustrators is John Welding, whose diary comics are always a treat. However, even though he doesn't make that many comics any more, his blog is still worth following. Check out these sketches of Cumbria, in particular. Beautiful stuff.

• Caption, the small press convention held in Oxford, seems to have been a success (see Dan Fish's report on this blog and Bugpowder earlier in the week). Here are some more write-ups of the event for you to enjoy, from Jenni Scott and Sean Azzopardi. Plus, there's a growing set of photos from the event on Flickr.

• The San Diego Comic Books Examiner has an interview with Paul Cornell about Soldier Zero, the new comic he's doing with Stan Lee and Boom Studios.

• And finally, I'm saddened by the news that 2000AD Review has closed for business. It was a great site, with informative articles, interviews and, of course, reviews (which sometimes slagged off my work for the Judge Dredd Megazine, but, you know, that was their job). The reviews on 2000AD Review have, I hope, helped me to become a better writer. Go read the last 2000AD Review feature ('Best of 2000AD - the creators speak') here.

Stan Lee supports UK's 'Eagle Initiative' for new creators

Stan Lee – the celebrated co-creator of such enduring Marvel characters as Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, the Hulk and the X-Men – has agreed to become patron of the Eagle Initiative.

Agreeing to give his backing to the innovative worldwide talent search, Lee said, 'Way back in 1976 mine was the first name enrolled on the Eagle Awards Roll of Honour and I’m thrilled, lo these many years later, to be invited to be a patron of this pioneering initiative which stems from such prestigious and long-running prizes.

“Breaking into comic books has never been easy and I think it's great that Barry Renshaw and Cassandra Conroy are devoting their energies to helping newcomers from around the world get their foot on – and up – the ladder,” added the venerated writer and editor.

“I’m delighted to add my name to the Eagle Initiative and wish every contestant all the best, both with their entries and their subsequent careers. Who knows, this ambitious project might lead to the discovery of a 21st century Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko... or Stan Lee!”

Launched earlier this year, the Eagles Initiative provides a unique platform from which the next generation of writers and artists can promote their storytelling ability in an increasingly competitive market. The brainchild of Barry Renshaw, the Initiative is an unprecedented global talent search, entrants will be asked to submit an original self-contained illustrated story.

The winner will be awarded a £1,000 cash prize; the runner up will win £500 with the third place submission being given £250. All three stories are to be included in the Initiative Anthology, which will be released as a print publication and in multiple languages across the digital media.

“Having an industry legend like Stan Lee not only support the Initiative but agree to be its patron is both incredibly exciting and humbling at the same time," says Barry Renshaw, who is spearheading the project.

"I certainly never expected to receive the amount of interest and support from industry professionals that we have done over just a few short months, and everyone behind the scenes at the Initiative is absolutely dedicated to making sure we live up to their faith in the endeavour."

Now heading up the Eagle Awards, Cassandra Conroy added, “The Marvel Universe had just had its 30th birthday when I came into this world but my dad familarised me with those classic early stories throughout my formative years. It is, therefore, a great honour to have Stan Lee not only support us on the Initiative but also be so enthusiastic about what Barry is doing.

"I’m sure his involvement will catapult the Initiative and the Eagle Awards themselves into the wider public spotlight.”

“Things just keep getting better for Barry and Cassandra," notes Eagle Awards founder Mike Conroy, who is serving as a consultant and publicist to the Initiative.

"The industry has been behind them from the start but to get backing from the living legend that is Stan Lee just turns things up to 11!”

• For further details on the Initiative, a full list of judges and complete submission guidelines, go to www.eaglesinitiative.com/

Tube Surfing: Marvel, Disney, Stan Lee and possible iTablet launch

• Marvel Entertainment stockholders approved the company's merger with Disney at a special meeting held last Thursday (31st December). Under the agreement, valued at an estimated $4.3 billion, Marvel becomes a wholly-owned subsidiary of Disney. Whether this will ultimately have any impact on Panini's license to publish Marvel material in the UK, given that Disney's preferred European publishing partner would seem to be Egmont, remains unknown at this time.

• As well as acquiring Marvel, media site Cynopsis reports that Disney has developed its existing relationship with Stan Lee's POW! Entertainment (Purveyors of Wonder) by taking a 10% equity stake in POW! for $2.5 million. Disney entered into a first look deal with POW! in 2007, and under the new deal includes enhanced rights to the creative output of POW! and certain exclusive consulting services.

• Is Apple's long-rumours iTablet about to be announced? The Financial Times reported that the company has booked the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco on 26th January to make a special announcement to the media and is widely expected to unveil a tablet-style touch screen computer that presents videos, magazines and newspapers with a iPhone-like interface. The New York Times published some detailed titbits about the device just before Christmas, reporting that Apple supremo Steve Jobs is apparently very happy with the device - which may launch as iSlate.

Apparently, if you have an iPhone, you’re carrying around a mini version of an early Apple tablet. Expect the first iTablets/iSlates to be shipped in March, according to this rumour round up.

Sun, Sangria and San Diego...

• It's the San Diego Comic Con this weekend and many British comic creators, including Grant Morrison, have headed to the sunshine state for the monstrous event, surrounded by thousands of sweating people and lovely ladies in very few clothes (pic right admittedly from last year's event), promoting all manner of comics, films and other media just before they head off to promote wardrobes and interior decorating in a similar manner at some other major convention.

Yes, we are a bit jealous, although over on his Newsarama blog, Jeff Trexler has raised concerns once again about how the event is developing. "There’s a rising concern in some quarters that Comic-Con International has sold out in ways that go beyond the lack of on-site registration," he feels.

"What once had been an educational community seems to have morphed into a PR-palooza, with the celebration of an art form giving way to corporate hype and celebutards..." You can read his full article here.

Coverage is pretty much everywhere on the US comics and other media sites: the G4TV site has a number of videos at the event and US mainstream media have their own reports on the event and its impact on pop culture, including the Washington Post, The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times ("Get Your Geek On". No, really). Even The Times has its own take on the event, noting the first Comic-Con, in 1972, was held in the basement of a San Diego hotel and drew 300 people, almost all male. It's much more of a family affair now.

Highlights of the event so far include a premiere for the new straight to DVD Stargate: Continuum film and promotions for X-Men Origins: Wolverine, next year’s entry from the X-Men series from Marvel Studios and 20th Century Fox and the the vampire film Twilight.

Some of the best coverage I've read thus far is on Newsarama, offering full coverage of the event, including a report on Grant Morrison's new animation project for Virgin Comics, working alongside Stan Lee, as well as his X-Men work.

While downtheubes is primarily devoted to British Comics, news that novelist Orson Scott Card's classic SF Ender's Game is coming to comics, a new Marvel Comics project, stirred interest here: and we're told the art by Pascal promises to be beautiful. Chris Yost is writing. Let's hope this adaptation isn't as wordy as the disappointing comics version of Card's fantasy novel Red Prophet. The good news is that apparently the creators were being so faithful to the story that the editors felt the comic had too much narration and Yost was sent back to re-work the story without narrartion.

Among the talents at ComicCon will be Active Images, run by former Marvel UK editor Richard Starkings, along with Comicraft's "secret weapon" John JG Roshell.

Aside from hot-off-the-presses copies of the Elephantmen: War Toys and Elephantmen: Wounded Animals trade paperbacks, the latest issue of Elephantmen (#13) and the Beautiful Deluxe Edition of the Kelly/Bachalo masterpiece Captain Stoneheart & The Truth Fairy, recently much praised by top British creator David Hine, they'll have two show exclusives -- the new Tim Sale sketchbook, Heroes/Villains/Babes and the glorious hardcover edition of David Hine's gothic shocker, Strange Embrace, which features an exclusive print signed and numbered by Dave.

For those creators not at ComicCon, there's still an opportunity to benefit from the event, as Comicraft always hold their annual half price font sale right now - well worth checking out if you're looking for a new lettering font to dress up your new comic.

• Newsarama Coverage of San Diego ComicCon