San Diego Comic-con could move!

Comic-Con International in San Diego is THE biggest comic and entertainment convention of the year, both in number of attendees and in square-footage. There has been talk for years that the San Diego Comic-con would move. The problem is that the con is at capacity, there is no where to expand TO at their present site. They use every square inch of the current hall for the show. There has been talk of another expansion of the current exhibit facility, but nothing has happened as of yet. If the SD people don't get their act together soon it is very possible that Comic-con International after being in San Diego for the last 40 years will be changing venues. There are apparently 3 other venues that have been courting Comic-con International for years. Their contract expires in 2012 in the current SD location, so after that CCI has not committed to any venue. The three choices are: Las Vegas, Anaheim, and Los Angeles. Check out the chart above, I think it's pretty obvious where the CCI will move to: Los Angeles. It's a no brainer. The con hall costs little to no money, since the city makes up for the loss of revenue in the sheer volume of hotel rooms rented, etc. I don't want to see CCI move from SD, but I don't see what else they can do. The con is already at capacity. They sold out of tickets MONTHS ago, that's right MONTHS. If they could accommodate more bodies, CCI could be making even MORE money. And let's face it, it's all about the money, it has to be when you are in business. I wonder if they've been tracking the number of people that WANTED to get tickets but couldn't. I suppose they could also track the number of people that come to the con during the show and ask for tickets. So they can fit about 126,000 people right now, my guess is they could easily sell another 30,000 tickets if they had them. The problem with moving the show to LA is the hall would only fit an additional 14,000 people. Not much room to grow there, and LV only would accommodate an additional 24,000 people. Hm... I wonder what the capacity for McCormick Place in Chicago is if they use all of the space. Maybe they could just move it here? Chicago SURE is convenient for all the folks in Hollywood, ok NOT, but it's fun to dream. The floor space available at McCormick Place is 2,670,000 square feet, which is 670,000 feet MORE than the LV con hall, which leads me to assume that capacity for attendees would be MORE than LV, but I can't verify that. I tried to call and ask them, but their offices were closed, so give me an "A" for effort anyway. Maybe McCormick Place should also throw their collective hat into the ring for consideration. Yes, C2E2 will indeed be at McCormick place in April 2010, but that will be a brand new show. I expect it to big, grand, and most likely expensive, but it doesn't have the 40 years branding and experience behind it. So could Comic-con International come to Chicago instead of staying in SD or moving to LA or LV? Hell yeah. Do I think it will happen? Hell no. We are just TOO far from Hollywood to make it work, which is why if CCI does change venue, I'm guessing it will just move to LA proper to make it that much easier for the Hollywood folks to come out in droves. In that case, they might as well dump the
"Comic" part of the show and just call it an "Entertainment" expo, but I hope SD finds a way to convince the CCI to stay right where it is in beautiful downtown Sad Diego. If they could present the new expansion plans with a definite ground breaking date, maybe CCI would consider staying. I'll keep you posted.

Asterios Polyp

Asterios Polyp, a graphic novel by David Mazzucchelli.

From the back of the book:

"Who is Asterios Polyp? Architect, professor, author, husband, but that was all in the past. Now, as he marks half a century, he's become a shadow of his former self. But it's a stormy night, and a lightning bolt is about to set him on a fateful journey. "

"Acclaimed cartoonist David Mazzucchelli has masterfully crafted an enthralling story that plumbs the possibilities of the graphic novel and steers it into thrilling new territory."

There is no way I could possibly review this graphic novel and do it justice. Suffice it to say that this is another GREAT book, on scale with Maus, Fun Home, Persepolis, Stitches and others. David Mazzucchelli has produced many great comics over the years, from Batman: Year One with Frank Miller all the way through his brilliant self-published over-sized treasure trove Rubber Blanket, he has never disappointed. (May I dare to hope that NOW Rubber Blankets will FINALLY be reprinted in graphic novel form for god's sake? Dare to dream....) Asterios Polyp is quite simply one of the best graphic novels of ALL TIME. Again, like Stitches, this book actually lives up to the hype. I'm sure both of these books will dominate the Eisner's next year, and rightfully so, but Asterios Polyp will be put up on a pedestal, demonstrating what can be achieved in the graphic medium, that can not be achieved in a standard prose novel. The last thing I remember Mazzucchelli giving us, his long devoted fans, was the graphic novel adaptation of the Kafka-esque City of Glass novel by Paul Auster. To see him return to the medium triumphantly is a joy to behold. The sheer scope of what David manages in the massive tomb that is Asterios Polyp, will be taught in many graphic novel college courses for years to come. I am so glad David was able to produce this important work for all of us, for his old fans and new fans alike. Nothing else this year, or maybe for many years from now will be able to match this book. I'm not exaggerating here. Mazzucchelli uses a simple cartoon style to depict his protagonist, Asterios, but don't let the simple lines fool you. Every page is a visual masterpiece unto itself. His choice of color palette and lettering style changes and varies from page to page, and from chapter to chapter, from character to character. Nothing was an accident, every minute detail was thought out. This book is a study by itself. It can be read and re-read many times, and each time the reader will find something new and amazing, like Watchmen before it, this is the book that will always be considered a classic of the medium. Mazzucchelli is the new Pynchon of graphic fiction. Everyone must read this book, or at very least next time you are at your local Amazing Fantasy, pick it up and flip through it so you can see first hand what I am talking about here.

I can't believe I read two top-notch graphic novels in a row! Now, everything else I read this week will inevitably be a let down.

Stitches

On Saturday, I worked the ALA Moonstone booth, and it was quite a success. I managed to sneak over to the Norton booth to pick up a copy of David Small's much discussed Stitches: A Memoir graphic novel. It's an "advance reading copy, not for sale" so I get to feel somewhat privileged to be able to read this before it hits store shelves September 8th. The book is not coming out until September and not only did Norton give away stacks of these at the ALA show here in Chicago in July, they also gave away stacks of the book at the BEA in New York last month. Norton obviously is aware of what a great book they have on their hands to be pushing the shit out of it months ahead of release. All of the preliminary reviews I've read so far are overwhelmingly positive, and now I understand why. This is it, the next great Maus, Persepolis or Fun Home. David Small may not be a well known name to the comics industry but he is HUGE in the book industry, being a very famous children's book illustrator with many children's best sellers on his resume.

From the back of the book: "The Prize-winning children's author depicts a childhood from hell in this redemptive memoir."

"One day David Small awoke from a supposedly harmless operation to discover that he had been transformed into a virtual mute. A vocal chord removed, his throat slashed and stitched together like a bloody boot, the fourteen-year-old boy had not been told that he had throat cancer and was expected to die. David Small, in Stiches, re-creates a life story that might have been imagined by Kafka. Readers will be riveted by his journey from speechless victim, subjected to x-rays by his radiologist father and scolded by his withholding mother, to his decision to flee his home with nothing more than his dreams of becoming an artist."

Upon reading this graphic novel, you can't help but be moved by this story that transfixes the reader from the first panel forward. 329 pages of black and white moody art that propels the reader along with alarming speed. You can not put this book down. I challenge you to read it in anything less than a single sitting. This is the story of a small boy, surrounded by loveless parents, ignorant of his cancer until too late, who has to overcome overwhelming odds to make it out of his home and prison-like family life alive and sane. This book obviously took years to produce, and I imagine every day David worked on it was a study in self-reflection and pain. This portrait of his early life that David has recreated in Stitches is therapeutic story-telling at its best. Like Maus, Persepolis, and Fun Home that came before it, there is no doubt that Stitches will win every award from here to the moon available to it, in both the book industry and the comic book industry. This is next year's big Eisner winner, no doubt about it. And like the aforementioned M, and FH, this story is ultimately about the writer coming to terms with his dysfunctional relationship with his mother and father, but especially his mother. After reading this story, the reader will find a much greater appreciation for their own childhood, because very few of us can identify with the home-life and childhood depicted here. Stitches is a vehicle for David Small to finally move forward in his life, past the absurdity of his childhood, and all the horrors associated with it.

Read this book and you will witness first hand the potential for the comic book medium. Stitches is what every pretentious work of graphic fiction strives for that very few deliver.

Creepy, haunting, thought-provoking and scary as hell, Stitches will grab the reader by his or her soul and will never truly let go.

I went to the ALA today, along with Amazing Fantasy owner and Moonstone EIC Joe, to help set up the Moonstone booth. The ALA is the annual "American Library Association" convention. WOW! Very impressive! I've never been to an ALA show. It's massive, on scale if not bigger than the San Diego Comic-con. It's not in Chicago every year, so we at Moonstone decided to take advantage while it was in town. They were nice enough to place our booth in the "graphic novel pavilion" meaning we are located by other publishers of graphic novels, comics and genre publishing. In our aisle there is IDW, Viz, and Tokyopop and other comic publishers of note were close by as well.

Tomorrow is the first day that the exhibit hall is open. I'm pretty excited. This is an excellent opportunity to talk to librarians from all of the country about our comics, graphic novels, prose anthologies, and novels. The exhibit hall is open from Saturday-Tuesday, so it's a pretty long show. Graphic novels are getting more and more shelf space at libraries so it's great to see so many comic book publishers making an effort with the librarians. Even the C2E2 show representatives have a booth there and they will be sponsoring a special comic related event focusing on the CBLDF, with Neil Gaiman and Jill Thompson on hand to discuss the issue. It's quite obvious that comics are becoming more and more important in libraries, and it's a pleasure to witness. I never thought the mainstream media would take graphic fiction seriously, but more and more outlets are doing that very thing.

An exciting part of the ALA show is it is taking place at McCormick Place, so we get to see first hand what the C2E2 show could be like. C2E2 has the potential to be the biggest comic book show in the country just because the venue is so very huge. I'm sure this first year in April 2010, only a portion of McCormick Place's square footage will be devoted to the show, but wow it could grow to a be a bigger show that the SD con just because there is so much space. Very exciting, but very expensive. As a publisher, we thought the SD show was expensive, but actually it's a bargain to exhibit there in comparison to exhibiting at the ALA, but we do think it is worth every penny. Time will tell if it is.

Going to this show, seeing all the amenities that McCormick Place has to offer, I don't really see how Wizard World Chicago can possibly continue after this year, because it will be VERY hard to compete with the venue. The Donald Stevenson convention center doesn't hold a candle to McCormick Place. And McCormick Place is right on the edge of the loop, so there are many reasons for exhibitors, creators, celebrities, and fans to make the trip.

Tomorrow the convention hall goes LIVE, can't wait! Sometimes it really is all about comics for me 24/7, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Wizard World Chicago 2009 Line-up

Wizard World Chicago is coming soon, August 6-9 to be exact. The guest list is pretty impressive, here are some of the highlights:

Mark Millar, George Perez, Dan Slott, Bryan Hitch, Jason Aaron, Frank Cho, JG Jones, Alex Maleev, Mike Allred, Greg Horn, J. Scott Campbell, David Mack, Sean McKeever, Mike Norton, Bill Reinhold, Tim Seeley, Billy Tan, J. O'barr, and Matt Wagner to name just a few.

Nice looking big name talent for the guest list. The creators alone make this a worthwhile show to attend, which is nice.

As far as comic book publishers represented, well the list isn't as impressive. No Marvel, no DC, no Dark Horse, no Image. Scanning the exhibitors list: these are the biggest names that will be there: Avatar, Moonstone, and Top Shelf. Avatar and Moonstone are within driving distance of Chicago so really the only other big name publisher that will be there is Top Shelf. All three of these publishers offer a wide variety of books, so it is definitely worth it to check them out. (If you haven't checked Amazing Fantasy's sister company Moonstone, shame on you, but this will be an excellent opportunity to do so). But the con won't feel the same without DC's massive presence. Last year Marvel did have an area for their signings, but it wasn't quite the same as DC's, so I'm not surprised to see Marvel pulling out. Last year Dark Horse had one little booth there and that was it, so again, not surprised to see them bowing out. Image, again last year, I think only Image's imprint Shadowline was there, so I understand they decided not to come out. But I am SO disappointed that DC won't be there. There is nothing like walking through the DC booth. It's huge, colorful, free posters, pins, green lantern rings etc. It's such a thrill talking to the editors etc. Not this year. Darn it! However, DC will be at C2E2 in April. So we have that to look forward to.

I'm afraid this is the death knell for Wizard World Chicago. I really thought THIS would be the last big year, but it's not looking that way at all. I would be VERY surprised if there is even a Wizard Chicago show next year. If they do want to do a show next year, something will have to change if they want it to succeed. It looks like the end of an era.

I do think that this year will still be a fun show, there are lots of guests, many DC and Marvel artists and writers will be on hand, along with other fun independent creators. And because we may see a lower turn out than normal, this will be an excellent opportunity to chat with some of your favorite creators. So come on out, have fun!

This will be a very interesting show indeed. We will have to wait to see how it all plays out...

Tickets are still available at the Frankfort, Calumet City, and Lockport Amazing Fantasy locations.

The Nineties Done Right!!!

This is a quote from a Newsarma article:

“This is Marvel doing the nineties right,” explained David Gabriel, Marvel Comics Senior Vice President of Sales & Circulation. “We’re taking two of the most popular cover treatments of all time—foil and holograms—to create an all new kind of cover, as a ‘thank-you’ to fans who’ve been demanding this kind of variant! Retailers and fans don't need to worry. We're only doing this on a limited basis. You won't see one on Ms Marvel #46 or Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers #4. We're using them to mark very special occasions...such as the launch of Ultimate Comics line.”

__________________________________________

Someone shoot me now. Really. I CAN NOT believe Marvel and their newest bullshit. Yeah, "The nineties done right" that is exactly what we need right now. Thanks Marvel! Just when I didn't think they could possibly annoy me more, we have this. It is official Marvel DOES NOT remember their past at all. Nope, not one little bit. The 90's almost succeeded in killing the comics market, let's not go back there, really, let's not. Ok, if they wanted to do some kind of snazzy new foil cover gimmick, how about using it on the regular version of the cover? You know the one that everyone will actually be able to find at their local shops? THAT might get people excited, this is only going to piss people off because all three of these "foilograms" are variants, 1 in 25 variants to be exact. Yeah, that isn't going to suck or anything for the consumers. Way to drive up the price on the secondary market Marvel, I'm sure that is helpful to your share holders. I'm sure Marvel thinks that retailers will race to order more copies of the book to satisfy demand, but to really make that work, we as retailers would have to charge the same price for the "foilogram" as 25 copies of the book, meaning $100.00 would be the price. No, we don't do that to our customers. This is beyond stupid. Hey if Marvel wants to do a special new type of cover, by all means try it and see if people like it and see if they buy mass quantities of it, but don't make it the godda** variant! The "foilograms" should have been the REGULAR cover. Unbelievable. Wow. So, if you as a customer would like to get your hands on one of these variants how can you do that? Call or stop in your local A/F and order 25 copies of the book you want the "foilogram" for and then after paying for those 25 copies, you will get the variant. How cool is that? Yeah, not very cool at all, I know.

Ding dong.

Who's there?

Foilogram!

Foilogram who?

(insert your own witty reply here)

This is what I think of when I think of the all new exciting Marvel "Foilogram". Boy I sure hope Marvel gets a patent on that name and technology. That would be tres exciting indeed!

THANKS MARVEL, you guys are awesome!!!

Chew #1 piggybacks Walking Dead #63

"Chew, written by John Layman and illustrated by Rob Guillory, follows Tony Chu, a cop with a disgusting manner of finding clues: by getting a psychic impression off anything he eats." (Quoted from a Newsarama article).

#2 of Chew is on shelves NOW, but the mania for issue one continues to build! First and second prints have SOLD OUT for #1 across the board on the retail level, distributor level and at the publisher level. Image, being the smart publishers they are, did not want to wait for another printing to be offered, instead Chew #1 will be reprinted on the flipside of Walking Dead #63, shipping July 17th, at NO EXTRA CHARGE! That's right, for the same price of an issue of Walking Dead, you get a first issue of Chew FOR FREE! Be sure to let your local Amazing Fantasy know if you would like a copy held for you.

Congrats to Layman and Guillory for the success! It's nice to see a new Image book take off so well. This book has been receiving rave reviews across the board, try it. Something new, something fun, for no extra cash. You gotta like that. I haven't had a chance to read it yet myself since the first and second prints of #1 literally flew off the shelves before I could even think about grabbing one. Don't be left behind on this great new series!