By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 6/22/2016
Flame Con, New York City’s first LGBTQ comic con, has announced that the second year of their event will be “(toy) Gun-Free” in the wake of the June 12 mass shooting in Orlando.
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 6/20/2016
To be an elite level cosplayer you’ve got to have the skills: sewing, gluing and probably welding. For those who are handy with a needle, Simplicity Patterns just made it a bit easier with a series of DC Bombshell patterns. Batgirl, Wonder Woman and Super Girl are all available in the charming retro styles of […]
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 10/14/2015
Saturday, I spent time on the show floor, visiting the sides (3-A, 3-D, 3-E) which aren’t as crowded as the middle mega booths (which I perused Thursday). The Block
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 10/13/2015
NYCC ’15 has come and gone, but the photos The Stately Beat Manor took are here to stay. We had a number of fantastic journalists on the scene, taking pictures of the events happening at the Javits Center as well as the great cosplays attendees wore. Here are a few favorites:
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 10/12/2015
An exclusive look at the BEST cosplay of #NYCC2015.
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 10/10/2015
As cosplay flies from niche to mainstream, so too goes the market for the material used to create it. Quality cosplay is a combination of craft and components – even the most ingenious designer and tailor can find themselves frustrated by poor quality material. One sign of the demand for good cosplay goods: […]
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 9/28/2015
It was "Rookie hazing weekend' in major league baseball, as new players were forced to undergo a rite of passage that speaks to traditional tribal notions of "crossing over" and appropriating the garb of different tribes or genders to signal their initiation into a wider role in society. Plus, guys in their underwear.
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 9/24/2015
A Disney fan creates a stylish form of cosplay which doesn’t run afoul of Disney’s parks rules! Disney theme parks offer a wide variety of activities on their annual calendar: marathons, pin trading, D23 and Disneyana shows… and Dapper Day. What’s “Dapper Day”? What movie did he appear in? Can I buy vinyl figures? Is […]
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 9/9/2015
When one thinks of Dragon Con usually, it’s typically related to inventive costuming and the talent that goes into the craft of cosplay. We saw a ton of great fans bringing their favorite characters to life this weekend and while our friend Spencer Perry over SuperHeroHype has the motherload of all Dragon Con galleries, here are […]
By: bookkm,
on 8/26/2015
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| Here's the link. |
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 8/21/2015
Cosplay is a thing. Variant covers are a thing. And now cosplay variant covers are most definitely a thing. Marvel will have 20 cover adorned by photos of cosplayers depicting the titular characters.
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By: Sara Burrier,
on 7/24/2015
About a month ago I started a project, a sewing project. I decided to create my own costume for the World of Faeries Festival, something I've always wanted to do, but never felt I had the know how or guts to do.
I decided it was time to just "do it".
Although each step took several deep breaths, I am very happy to say I know how to use my machine well enough to sew without a manual, and I am way more confident in using the foot and speed. :) The costume is coming along too. It'll be interesting to see it all come together in the end.
When designing, and as I continue to create this costume, I keep asking myself "What would one of my fairies wear?". I want to personify one of my own creations. When do we ever get that opportunity!? It's way fun!!
Here are some progress shots. :)
By: Jerry Beck,
on 7/16/2015
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 7/12/2015
If you’re into cosplay, Saturday night is made for fighting the lines to get into the annual masquerade contest. Here are a few backstage pics from the show, along with a few other shots.
If you attended any of the panels I moderated, you know that my themes this year were community and personal connection. The above candid of what appear to be a mother and son is probably my favorite scene of the show.
As you know, guys have a proclivity toward taking pictures of cosplaying women in revealing garb, with little regard for who these women are as people. A pic I didn’t get: a young woman in an artful Poison Ivy costume who explained her costume to the photographer with a rather revealing statement: “I’d rather wear this every day than be slinging coffee.”
Captain America stopped by lunch on Saturday afternoon, and judging by the detail on the costume he wasn’t a cosplayer but the real Captain America.
The good folks at Comic-Con let me join the lucky few Jimmy Olsens and Peter Parkers who get to go backstage the shoot posed photos after each entry performs their routine. Before the show, however, cosplayers who aren’t part of the contest can have their photos taken as well. Harley Quinn dazzled the photographers with an array of poses …
… and afterward she handed out business cards – turns out she’s a talented seamstress, designer and costume fabricator. This is the case more often than one might guess — cosplay is often a marketing tool as much as a form of self-expression, an aspect of the culture that your typical “babes of cosplay” photo essay tends to miss.
The daughter of Batman and Poison Ivy enchants the photographers. Kids open the annual cosplay masquerade contest.
Princess Anna of Arendelle. This is where being in the photographer area was rather illustrative vis a vis the real culture of cosplay. The cosplayers weren’t told to strike a sexy pose — the repeated requests were for them to show the fabric details, construction, and in many cases, lighting and other tech that didn’t show up all that well on my iPhone under bright lights.
Fabric on display – cosplayers are asked to pose front, back, side to side, in angles highlighting key details, and finally, in whatever pose happens to be their favorite.
This looked great, but when the head came off it looked like the costume had almost killed the wearer. These things are hot and heavy.
The Transformers Bumblebee cosplay was a technological marvel to behold – and so tall that it couldn’t fit in the photographer staging area. As a result, we could photograph only the folks who made it work.
Minecraft 3D.
This costume was clever and funny – the Barbie doll was a fantastic touch. After the photographers called out for poses highlighting particular aspects of the design, one called out, “Show us your teeth!” — to which the cosplayer deadpanned: “I don’t have interesting teeth.”
There were a number of other costumes worth highlighting, but like most of the other folks I know here, I’m beat.
Cosplay at big wow comicfest 2015
Just this past weekend I tabled for the first time at Big WoW ComicFest, a fun little Comic Convention in San Jose, California. My friend Tamara from theMystic and I took a road trip together and shared a hotel to save on costs.
As often at Cons, I was dazzled by the many creative cosplayers who attended the show.
I made some cool new friends and picked up a few fun goodies to add to my collection. The one to the right was from Brandon Dicks and the Cthulhu print and comic book was from ComiXpress.
I had the opportunity to hang out with my friend Rick from ZOMs. He was gracious enough to help me out at my table.
Overall I thought the show was well worth the trip.
Thank you to everyone who came to see me. I will see you in September for Wizard World San Jose!
The post Big WOW ComicFest Recap appeared first on Diana Levin Art.
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By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 2/18/2015
Cosplay AFTER death? Yes.
Puerto Rican man Renato Garcia was all with respiratory problems, and then he found a Green Lantern costume in a box of clothing. He spent his last few weeks wearing it around his hometown. When he passed away, at age 50, his sister decided to dress him in the costume for his wake.
As lugubrious as this story sounds, dressing people in unusual way from life is a Puerto Rican tradition, so it has cultural validation. And you know, a lot of people are inspired by Green Lantern.
Photo by Ricardo Arduengo for the AP
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 12/8/2014
You heard it right. Strike while the iron is hot. In an announcement on his Facebook page, Broderick has announced his intentions to start what he hopes will be a eventually a four-show artist focused circuit of events:
Interesting how things go, how they come together. Synergy, Timing, Fate, I don’t now. But what I do know is to stay ahead of the wave. After this last year of conventions in discussing our years experiences my wife Patricia and I had isolated what we considered to be a problem trend developing at some of these shows. Huston, this last year, handled these problems quite well. Cosplay got to do their thing and have a great time. the isles were large so there wasn’t a congestion problem. The media attendance was a little higher than I felt comfortable with but over all it was a well scheduled event. San Antoine was also a great experience as the promoters really took the best care of the guest as any convention I had ever had the pleasure of attending. So after the rest of the year played out I sat down with my wife and made a decision. We could do this and do it right. I spoke with talented and experienced people in the industry who have offered their guidance and it will be advice acted on. I’ve spoken to my attorney and in 5 minutes he lined up a backer.
I am now officially announcing that next year I will be sponsoring the first of what I hope to develop into a 4 show convention circuit. And I can assure you that it will be a con devoted to the industry of comics, I will bring creators and collectors together and promote it to fill the halls.
Now I was planning to make this announcement the first of the year, But anyone who has ever worked in advertising knows that with this I can ride the tide of conversation going on right now… Watch the boards starting in January for more announcements and web site direction. It will truly be family friendly and of course I intend to have a spectacular cosplay event.
Pat Broderick…… Game is on…
Is he spoofing us? Even with the best of intentions, it’s a crowded convention schedule, and Broderick will struggle to find openings for his shows.
You may recall that Broderick made headlines last week when suggestions that cosplay and media guests were drawing attention away from comics artists at conventions. I know there were a lot of hot feelings on this every way but I would make one suggestion:
Comics GUESTS, before you sign on with a show, make sure that they are actually PROMOTING THE ACTUAL COMICS at their show and not just former cast members of SF TV shows that people watch on TV Land. Seriously — the only way this will improve is if you stand up for yourself. Or put your money where your mouth is.
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 12/7/2014
In October, comics veteran Patrick Broderick announced that he was returning to DC for an unnamed project after 20 years. A few days ago, he posted the below on his facebook page, requesting that people who are cosplay personalities or represent conventions who build their show to include cosplay and media guests should not invite him and went on to suggest that the inclusion of those individuals bring no value to the show and that the people in charge of these shows are not a positive force in comics. This is an open letter to Mr. Broderick, whose works includes: The Fury of Firestorm, Micronauts, Creature Commandos, Batman: Year Three and many others.
Dear Mr. Broderick,
Can I call you Pat? Cool – thanks. I want to talk to you about the you made comments a few days back that have drummed up quite a din in the comics world. I’m concerned that you haven’t really been keeping close tabs on what many folks have been discussing when it comes to cosplay at conventions and to a lesser extent, media/entertainment guests. Before we get into, let’s be clear: I think you and everyone who has sided with you it wrong as wrong can be; let’s talk about why.
Before I go further, I’d like to discuss the history of costuming at conventions and cosplay. “Cosplay” is a portmanteau of the words “costume” and “play” that was coined by Japanese reporter Nobuyuki Takahasi, who wrote up his experiences at the 1984 World Science Fiction Convention for the My Anime magazine. That was around time you were working on Sun Runners for Pacific Comics and Eclipse Comics, yeah? Secondly, it’s important to point out that it was at the 4th annual San Diego Comic-Con where their first masquerade was held – a now-common convention event where costumers are encouraged to show off their work. It was a big enough deal that June Foray (voice of Rocky the Squirrel) emceed. That was 1974, right around the time where you started working for DC, unless I’m mistaken.
Ackerman in his “futuristicostume”, designed by his friend Myrtle Douglas
To run the gamut, I want to know if you’ve heard of Forrest J. Ackerman – I hope so because even I have. For those unclear, Forrest “Forry” Ackerman (born in 1916) was the collector of science fiction books and movie memorabilia and, arguably, the most important science fiction fan to have lived. The influence of his work in the world of science fiction is nothing short of monumental; hell, he coined the phrase “sci-fi”. I’d also like to point out that he was costuming in 1939 – two decades before you were born. For the first ever World Science Fiction Convention, Ackerman showed of his slick duds, dubbed his “futuristicostume” – looking akin to an early superhero. He, in essence, was the first ever cosplayer. The point of all of this is that what cosplaying, as a pursuit and a sanctioned and supported activity, has been around in the convention scene essentially as long as you have, if not longer. Perhaps not to the degree that it is presently, but around nevertheless. You are saying that something that has been part of the very marrow of comic conventions for as long as you’ve been working in comics “brings nothing of value” and is “not helping the industry or [the] comics market”. How do you codify that arrangement?
Pat, I urge you to ponder where these statements are coming from. Who are these people not helping and what kind of help, exactly, does the comics market require? Additionally, what is your definition of the “value” that needs to be brought into a convention space to be worthy? I press you on this because I think your notions of what a convention should be and what they have, for the most part, evolved into are very different and that troubles you. Due to this disconnect, this is now how I read your request:
You bring nothing of value to
the showsme. You’re not helpingthe industry or comics marketme.
All of this is part and parcel to the true issue that your “request” is wrought with: entitlement. Not to beat around the bush, the first reason most comics pros will complain about cosplayers at conventions is that it detracts from their sales. I don’t truly know if this is your exact issue, but your voice is one of many such voices decrying the presence and the support of cosplaying at conventions; that cacophony is what I aim to address.
I’m sorry to break the news, but attendees at conventions owe you nothing. Like you, every attendee had to pay to be there and has their own agenda which does not always include dropping money on comics, toys, paraphernalia, or the various other items typically sold on the floor. Like buying anything, essentially anywhere – the choice of when, what, and how someone purchases is up to the consumer. I’m not trying to say that it’s exclusively on the the shoulders of the retailers and exhibitors to ensure that they make any sales at all; I’m saying that suggesting that one factor in the economic ecology of conventions is the problem is laughably narrow-minded and indicative of a dangerous unwillingness to take a step back from an exhibitor table and take a thoughtful look around.
Pat, would you say her passion is of no value?
What kind of help does the comics industry require? I think the most easily addressed need is that comics need more readers and you know – I think that’s (mostly) being worked on. Comics, especially those published by DC and Marvel are typically not very accessible to new readers. Runs spanning hundreds of issues, complex interwoven plot arcs, and more character death/rebirth/reboot than you could shake 52 sticks at. Other companies have made a far more concerted effort to accommodate with quality books, but they don’t yet garner the percentage of sales that the Big 2 get. However, the numbers are changing and that indicates a change in the interests of comics readers, and subsequently, the change in the demographic of comics readers. The biggest growing demographic in comics readership is women – especially teenagers. Quick poll: who is most likely to be cosplaying at a convention? You got it: women. I genuinely believe that these two factors, among others, are correlated. The more contemporary convention has more reasons for people to attend and one of those reasons is to cosplay. These spaces are for more than just comics now, especially at SDCC or NYCC which haven’t been for a decade or more, but that’s all part of knowing what show is best for your needs.
Pat, you ask that conventions that push cosplay and media guests as a main attraction shouldn’t invite you. You know, I don’t think any of them will have a problem with that.
Maybe your SDCC or NYCC just aren’t the sort of shows that you want to exhibit at anymore. That’s totally fine, feel free to check out this intense list of shows that run annually. You are sure to find something at least once (if not twice) a month that accommodates for your needs. That’s a personal preference, not a problem. Really, this whole thing can be a non-issue for you.
What irks me, however, is the aforementioned cacophony of pros shaking their proverbial fist at the generally younger attendees in their outfits and crying foul; all with the misplaced irritation Abe Simpson harbors against an atmospheric mass. This isn’t a generational thing, though age is absolutely a factor; it’s a blame thing. They’re desperate to pin one easily targetable group of people for being the genesis of change that it’s so easy to forget that an audience doesn’t have direct voice in how conventions are run. It’s not like cosplayers go to ReedPOP’s offices to tell Lance Fensterman that there needs to be more cosplay events or they’ll bust his kneecaps. There’s isn’t some super-influential underground society of geeky seamstresses who appear on the oaken boardroom table of San Diego Comic-Con’s planning committee demanding that the masquerade go two hours longer. The notion of blaming cosplayers for the changing climate of conventions is putting the cart before the horse then trying to blame the cart for the lack of motion.
What’s actually happening is that the passion of costuming, that’s existed as long as the modern American comics industry, has found a rejuvenated home with a younger demographic and conventions have, smartly, provided them a platform to celebrate that passion with other like-minded folks alongside dovetailing interests. This is thing that should be celebrated, not decried; quit trying to ostracize a huge group of potential new comics readers because they celebrate their interests differently. Literally any fandom that centralizes around comics have been revitalized by an active cosplay community. On the scale of expressing passion for a thing, spending months making a costume to wear at a convention is way up there, just under getting a very large and visible tattoo. It’s time to accept that buying original comic pages and attending panels aren’t the only ways to show that you’re a fan of something at a convention. I urge you to check out the #CosplayersAREfans tag on twitter to see tangible proof that people who cosplay buy more than enough at conventions.
I want to settle on a positive note, so I’m going to highlight one of the very best shows I attended this past year and why I think it was a perfect combination of cosplay, media guests, and comics. I’m talking, of course, about Seattle’s Emerald City Comicon, which runs annually in late March. First off – it’s pretty big: around 70,000 attendees. There’s a TON of space, so it’s easy to accommodate for cosplayer needs. In fact, there were 2 bookable fan meet-up spaces that were considered part of the official schedule. The size also affords the convention the ability to section off a large swath of the floor for their media guests so all it happens out of the way of the show floor, easing any confusion of congestion. All that said, I was blown away by the sheer percentage of exhibitors that were comics creators. It was easily 75%, the rest being a combination of games dealers, vendors, publishers, art collectives, and the alike. Additionally, they don’t skimp on their comics guest list – having a mix of 150+ comic writers, illustrators, and colorists already on the docket for the upcoming show in 2015. To top it all off, they ran the most successful campaign addressing the harassment of cosplayers – an unfortunately common problem at conventions. It was openly discussed, with promotion spread far and wide weeks before the event. Coupled with the prominent signage all around the show floor, ECCC’s “Cosplay is not Consent” campaign is an excellent example of a convention addressing a genuine problem appropriately with ease. It’s a brilliant show, Pat. You should check it out.
As my once-almost-editor David Harper often says, we’re all in this together. There’s the thought I always want to come from whenever I see this sort of attitude voiced by you and many others. There’s a good future available to us in comics and you’re holding us back from it. Thanks for reading Pat, I hope you reconsider your stance.
All The Best,
Zachary Clemente
PS: If you really think selfies are the highest expression of narcissism, I suggest you don’t look at any European art after 1433 as Jan van Eyck’s Portrait of a Man is commonly thought to be the first self-portrait.
PPS: After finishing this letter, I noticed that you posted a followup to his original request. It elaborates on your point and it doesn’t change my response; your voice is once of many that needs to be addressed. However, there was one comment you made that drives me up the wall:
…but keep in mind that these shows started and continue to be [PG] rated family friendly events so consider the children who attend with their parents and the uncomfortable position you’re putting the parents in with your designs.
Sure, some of these outfits are a bit revealing, but have you taken a look at the majority of the canonical female-bodied superhero costumes DC and Marvel have to offer? Not much to work with there, Pat. Additionally, if you’re going to suggest that cosplayers should be cognizant of only presenting kid-friendly content, let’s be sure to take down every artists’ cheesecake pinup of Mary Jane Watson, Supergirl, Wonder Woman, or I don’t know – pick literally any female-bodied superhero and someone will be selling a print of her in a “sexy” (read: exploitative) pose. This is the only thing you’ve said I’m not willing to play ball with Pat. You want exclusively “child friendly” content at cons? Then you’re going to have to make sure nary an artist has visible work that falls outside this category and then we’ll talk. Please don’t act like cosplayers are the problem here; you’re holding them to a standard that straight-up doesn’t exist on the show floor. Pat, this is the first image I get when I do an image search for “Superheroine”. Tell me how that image is PG while the costume would not be.
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 10/24/2014
Photo by Angel of Girls Read Comics
I know there are a few panel wrap ups still coming down the pike here and there, but I wanted to essentially wrap up my NYCC coverage with a look a two issues which seem to catch everyone’s attention: the announced attendance of 151,000 and the brand new practice of clearing rooms between panels in the Main Stage.
§ First off, when it was announce NYCC had sold 151,000 tickets, it was quickly assumed by everyone that NYCC was bigger than SDCC, which has an attendance of 130,000. But is this true? In a piece called New York Comic Con Probably Isn’t Bigger Than San Diego Comic-Con Kerry Dixon talks to NYCC showrunner Lance Fensterman who reveals that they count a ticket as a ticket; while SDCC uses the member ID and counts a person as a person. Thus at NYCC a person could buy two tickets and be two people.
“If someone bought a single day Friday and single day Sunday that would be 2 tickets sold,” Fensterman said.
This means, essentially, that New York Comic Con sold 151,000 tickets all combined, but the number of actual, unique attendees is less than that. After all, if even 1,000 attendees purchased two single day tickets, they would be counted as 2,000 people, even though this isn’t Orphan Black and attendees aren’t being cloned left and right.
If even 10,000 people purchased two single day badges (and that number is likely significantly higher)? The system is counting them at 20,000 people.
Fensterman goes on to say
“We have no way to determine who is using those tickets [nor] does it really make any material difference,” Fensterman said. “We theoretically could parse that data in any number of ways depending on how much time and effort and resource we want to put into it. But ultimately the unique ticket sold metric seems to balance giving the most accurate representation of the size of the audience without us going nuts parsing data that really does not add that much value to the customers.”
That’s fair enough, given the way ReedPOP runs shows—they have never been interested in using visible ways to attach a person to a badge—only exhibitors even have an area to WRITE THEIR NAME on their badge—and instead invested in a costly RFID system. For any Kremlinologists out there, I want to point out that when I interviewed Fensterman after the show, he was very careful not to claim that NYCC is larger than SDCC, and while we didn’t get into it as clearly as the USDCCB folks did, he did point out that the number represented “announced tickets sold.”
This is one reason why I have never updated my “biggest cons” chart—some shows use the one person method, some use the one ticket method…and others use a phony method. It’s apple oranges and kumquats. As far as I know, the San Diego folks and the ReedPOP folks have always been very consistent and upfront about their number reporting…it is just a different kind of number being reported.
That said, while it is pretty obvious to anyone who goes to both that more people go to San Diego in and around their Comic-Con, the media narrative will now be that New York’s show is the biggest. I don’t think the CCI folks will lose too much sleep over this, as their show is still the biggest entertainment event in the US.
§ BUT WHAT ABOUT THE ROOM CLEARING???? Was this the last blow against a free society or a new path to enlightenment for people who don’t like to sleep out on the concrete like a homeless person?
As you may recall. this year for the first time at a comic-con, the room where the big showbiz events—Walking Dead, Disney—took place was cleared between each panel. In order to get in you had to line up every morning and get a wristband for your desired panel and then come back later. ReedPOP has used room clearing between panels at some of their Star Wars events so that emboldened them to try it at NYCC, and from all accounts, it went okay. There was one ReedPOP employee caught selling wristbands by a stringer for Bleeding Cool, and that is maybe a bigger issue even as it shows a lack of staff integrity:
Not sure if anyone heard but they caught a volunteer selling wristbands for the walking dead panel on Saturday. Well Reed Pop didn’t catch them it was reported to them by a reporter and they eventually identified who it was but that was after the panel was already over. I think that only actual paid staff should be giving out and allowed access to the wristbands especially for the big crazy panels like the walking dead. Now paid staff could i guess do the same thing but I think someone is less likely to risk their job over making a few bucks selling wristbands then a volunteer would be since really the only thing that happened to the volunteer that got caught is they were banned. The problem wasn’t wide spread but could become so it does show they do need to have a little more controlled access to the wristbands and to who has access and distributes them for next year.
The main improvement over the room clearing system is that you line up in the morning (or overnight) and by noon you know if you are getting in or not and are free to go spend the rest of the day doing fun things. The Unofficial SDCC blog has a discussion of the matter, and commenters seem to think that the more policies you put in place about getting into Hall H, the earlier people will camp out—in fact, someone is camped out for the 2015 TeenWolf panel right now! The logistical problems of having (in theory) some 30,000 people sleep out over night for six or seven panels in HALL H each day would seem to indicate that room clearing is not a no brainer for San Diego. But it did work for NYCC, where crowd control is a work in progress.
There’s more discussion on the room clearing matter at Girls Read Comics:
However, the system isn’t without its flaws. It doesn’t prevent people lining up in the middle of the night to be the first inside the convention center for wristbands. If the success that NYCC had with this year gives Comic Con International the idea to implement a similar system in San Diego, camping out all night for Hall H will just become camping out all night for Hall H wristbands. Yes, the problem of having to room-sit could be solved, but that still means that fans not willing to wait outside at four in the morning will be completely out of luck. That turned out to be the case with the Walking Dead panel at NYCC this year– some convention-goers got in line as early as 5 a.m. to be first in line for wristbands when the Javits Center opened its doors at 10. There were also reports of volunteers offering to sell wristbands to popular panels. There’s also the problem of wanting to see two popular panels on the same day. With NYCC’s current system, you can’t grab a wristband for someone else, so the current system has the advantage there. It’s a win/lose situation, either way you look at it.
§ One last thing, which I’ve mentioned before and in podcasts about NYCC, but the one complaint I heard from many exhibitors was NOT ENOUGH SECURITY ON THE FLOOR. As cons have gotten more crowded, I’ve observed that a visible and active security force is necessary to give an idea of structure and keep crowds in a docile state. NYCC autograph lines are insane, no one knows’ where it’s safe to line up, and it’s a testament to the generally genial nature of the crowd that no one gets hurt. This does need to change, however and the show floor needs to be run in a more strict fashion. Robert Kirkman as signing at the Image Booth on saturday and there was a huge unruly eyebrow of a crowd that needed to be waxed into shape. (The other biggest line I personally saw was for Tiny Rooster Teeth — those guys are huge!)
I also suggested on the PW Comics World More to Come podcast that if NYCC needs to raise revenue, they could raise ticket prices. A four day pass, if you could get one was $95, which seems like a lot of money but really is pretty reasonable. I know that for someone who hasn’t paid to get into a con in 20 years to suggest raising ticket prices is a bit cavalier of me, but the show has as many people as it can handle at the horrific Javits. We’re not dumb here, we know that show is expensive, and the way to increase revenue is NOT to sell more tickets.
All that said, this show had reached a nadir of dread anticipation among almost every pro of my acquaintance, and it turned out…it was pretty good. People had a way better time than they expected. The panels I did went GREAT and the journalism panel was better attended than the San Diego one, with a more engaged audience. If there is one thing that NYCC needs more of it is programming! The panels took a decided turn upwards this year, and seemed to be very well attended. There may well be no place to put more panels, as all the empty space at Javits is used to queue people up—people can’t be lined up outside because of the potential for rain, etc. But where there is a will there is a way.
Finally, there is one problem that I heard addressed only on the show floor—the horrible lines for the ladies restrooms. There are generally way too few bathrooms at the Javits to begin with, but it’s especially bad as female cosplayers use the stalls to change. The ones I was in line with apologized for taking up stalls and time, but said there is no changing room. I did hear that there IS a changing room, but was never able to confirm this one way or another. I understand that setting aside an area for people to change clothes may not be possible from a logistical standpoint, but if there is anyway to free up the immense piddle lines at NYCC, that would be great. That said, don’t wait until the last minute.
And with that, we’re outta here.
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 10/20/2014
§ Congrats to Fantagraphics publisher Gary Groth for winning the Stranger’s Genius Award for Literature. Many would say Gary is strange, many a genius so it all cosmically came together. The Stranger is Seattle’s resident culture paper, and each year it gives out its Genius Awards. Groth prevailed over Ms. Marvel’s G. Willow Wilson and poet Shin Yu Pai.
§ Retailer Brian Hibbs is fretting over the standard attrition that Big Two events are subject to
As this market has shown again and again over the decades, consumer interest in “events” is a fickle thing. Sooner or later every publisher hits a few foul balls, or the public gets tired of oversaturation, or the story just doesn’t work, or whichever of the myriad of reasons… and the retailer is the one left holding the bag. It used to be that when, say, “Secret Wars II” turned out to be a pile of lox, we weren’t that over-extended with orders in the pipeline — 2-3 issues out, sure, but that’s very different from “order forty-six different comics and tie-ins before you’ve had any real amount of time to judge how the first one did.”
People have been saying events are done for as long as there have been events. This also applies to variant covers. Normally I would just say it was ever thus and move on, but this is a changing industry. Where are we going? Damned if I know.
§ Zainab Akhtar and Steve Morris both went to the Lakes Festival this weekend, and they both blogged about it. I understand The Lakes is held in a small picturesque town and the goal is to make it a sort of Angouleme type fest were comics take over the town. I sounds adorable, but read on. Steve had A Quick Nip Round The Lakes Comic Art Festival and noted the many comics themed displays around the town:
Having captured several strongpoints across the city centre, the Festival had not only won a battle of occupation – but one of propaganda. Everywhere you walk (not that there are MANY places to walk in Kendal, which is a teeny tiny nice little place) the shops had transformed themselves
Zainab had a more mixed time:
Foremostly, my whole experience was coloured by people’s reaction toward me. Kendal, and the Lake District by large, is a very white, very middle class region. We saw -I think- maybe 6 people of colour in the time we were there (yes, I counted), and the festival, being located in the town center, on a Saturday with bright, dry weather- was busy, as was the surrounding area. I got stared at a LOT, and if you’re visibly ethnic minority, you will instantly understand the hostile, open up-and-down hard stares of which I speak although some people prefer a eye-contact off. We went into a fish and chip shop for lunch at one point, and people turned their chairs around to simply gawp/glower. As far as I could tell, it seemed to be the headscarf and being overtly Muslim, because the few poc I did briefly pass didn’t seem to be under the same scrutiny, but I could easily be wrong about that. It was deeply unpleasant.
The comics part of the visit was welcoming and tolerant, she notes, but she doesn’t plan to go back either.
§ Grant Morrison was interviewed for Interview magazine and said many Grant Morrison like things.
§ R. Orion Martin has a look at another facet of the vast and unknowable world of comcis culture with a history of Lianhuanhua: China’s Pulp Comics. You probably didn’t know that China had a comics culture but of course, they do.
In 1985, there were 8.1 billion pulp comics (lianhuanhua) printed in mainland China. Most lianhuanhua were black and white paperbacks with a single illustration and a few lines of text on each page. They looked similar to the Big Little Books published in the United States from the 1930s to 1950s, but they were published in quantities that make the US comics market look tiny. Brian Hibbs analyzed the 2012 BookScan report and found that there were about 9.5 million comics sold in the US throughout the year. In the mid-80s, some lianhuanhua titles had single printing runs of more than 1 million copies. We usually don’t think of China as having a rich tradition of making comics, and discussions of Chinese comics focus on manhua, the Chinese comics that were inspired by Japanese manga. While it’s true that most of the comics being produced now are manhua, this was not the case for much of the 20th century. From their beginnings in the 1920s until their popularity bottomed out in the 1990s, lianhuanhua were some of the most widely read literature in the country.
§ Speaking of world comics, someone sent me this link, which is in Turkish, but Google Translate tells me it’s about the Turkish comics festival being held in December.
§ Okay cleaning up the last bits of New York Comic-Con here. You can not get a more overview-like overview of ay event than those written by Augie DeBlieck. Here’s a profile of Lance Fensterman. And a survey of expensive things you could have bought at the con. And here are photos from the Multiveristy/Image party. BTW in case yu didn’t figure it out, the parties a this year’s NYCC were as packed, vibrant and friend filled as other years. So much so that it’s taken me week to be able to sit upright again.
Mashable looked at some of the issues surrounding cosplay and harassment:
Partly, the issue is the characters themselves. Many of the revealing costumes are based off characters who were originally designed, at least in part, to be sexually provocative, for example, princesses, superheroes in spandex and sexualized anime school girls. As a result, many onlookers view them as the sexy characters they emulate rather than individuals wearing costumes, who should be treated with respect. But most real-life cosplayers are more concerned with the authenticity of the costume than sexual attention.
Hm. I’m not sure that de-sexualizing cosplay is any better than the reverse. It’s pretty obvious that many cosplayers (of all genders) are sexy and they know it. That doesn’t mean they should be touched, catcalled or made fun of, of course. I’m sure someone else has written way more wisely than myself about this, so I’ll leave it at that for now.
§ Matt D Wilson looks at how Southern Bastards captures its southern setting.
But, you might say, there are lots of crime comics out there. Heck, Jason Aaron, the writer of Southern Bastards, has penned a good many himself. Scalped and his Punisher run, to name a couple. Southern Bastards is something really special, though, because of the way Aaron and artist Jason Latour embrace its setting so deeply and wholeheartedly. Specifically, the book takes place in Craw County, Alabama, but it also serves as a deep dive into the culture of the South as a whole. There are aspects of the story that could only occur in a the setting of a small, Southern town. The creators, both Southerners themselves, do an amazing job of presenting a story that could be compelling to anyone but hit exactly the right notes for people who have lived in or near places like Craw County.
§ This gallery of Comics Journal covers brought back many memories.
§ Finally, James Jean does the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and you can buy the toys. Nuff said.
By: Hannah,
on 10/17/2014
Stacy Whitman, Publisher of the Tu Books imprint of LEE & LOW BOOKS, gives us a recap of the 2014 New York Comic Con (NYCC) event and two big panels on diversity.
The #WeNeedDiverseBooks and #geeksofcolor hashtags were well represented at Comic Con this year, with three panels discussing diversity and several more panels where the subject came up. Publishers were showcasing their diverse titles among their frontlist promotions. And panels about diversity topics, even those held in large rooms at inconvenient times, were standing room only all weekend—a clear sign to me that this subject is on the minds of more and more people lately.
I missed the #WeNeedDiverse(Comic)Books panel, but you can see a recap of it here. Read on for recaps of the panels I attended:
Geeks of Color Go Pro panel
I arrived early, wanting to be able to get a good seat, and only two people were waiting in line—which made me nervous. Last year, the Geeks of Color panel was packed full. Would they repeat that this year the 8pm Thursday time slot, which admittedlywas less than ideal?
I needn’t have worried. Soon the room filled to capacity, perhaps 400-500 people, mostly people of color who were fans, interested in writing or illustrating themselves, or who had family members interested. Diana Pho, an editor at Tor, moderated the panel. Panelists were LeSean Thomas (BLACK DYNAMITE: THE ANIMATED SERIES; THE LEGEND OF KORRA; THE BOONDOCKS), Tracey J. John (MTV.com; Gameloft), Alice Meichi Li (Dark Horse), Daniel José Older (Author, HALF-RESSURECTION BLUES); and I. W. Gregorio (Author, #WeNeedDiverseBooks).
from L to R: Diana Pho, LeSean Thomas, Alice Meichi Li, Daniel José Older, I.W. Gregorio, and Tracey J. John
Most of the time was taken with each panelist sharing their story of how they went pro. Their answers for how they became an animator, a writer and editor, an illustrator, a video game writer, and a surgeon and writer were as diverse as the panelists themselves, showing how many paths there are to a professional creative career. For example, Boondocks and Legend of Korra animator LeSean Thomas grew up in the projects and never attended college, but instead got into comics because the materials to draw were pretty cheap, he said. He found opportunities when he showed his work to his boss at a sports store where he worked after high school, and learned as he worked his way up.
Daniel José Older, on the other hand, was a paramedic and antiracist organizer. Getting published took him six years. “The publishing industry will make you learn patience,” he said.
I.W. Gregorio wanted to become a writer but followed the path to becoming a doctor because that was what one did in her family. But one day, someone told her, “you’ll never become a writer,” and that, she said, ticked her off enough to want to prove them wrong. She also mentioned that her job as a surgeon makes her writing career possible and gives her stories to tell.
Others spoke of internships, art classes, balancing day jobs, getting master’s degrees, and community building.
Tracey John, when asked what she wished she knew when she began, said that she wished she had known to challege the status quo. Now, she’s more willing to ask tough questions, she said—such as “why does Princess Peach need saving?”
Older suggested that writers of color need to “reimagine what success means for each of us” and to build community “rather than think of it as networking.” For people who are getting started, he suggested to find people who are willing to ground you and challenge you.
Alice Meichi Li said that “you are an average of the five people you interact with most in your life,” so look for people who fit three categories: an older mentor, an equal, and someone you can mentor, because you learn a lot from teaching.
The big question of the night came from one of the last audience members to ask a question: Why are we still having this conversation? When will we not need a geeks of color panel at 8:00pm in the corner? Diana Pho replied that she thinks we’ll need such panels until we hit critical mass—not just at Comic Cons, but in all of pop culture, of people who believe diversity matters. We here at LEE & LOW agree with Older’s concluding remark: the more people speak up, the less circular the conversation will be, and we can push the conversation forward.
Women of Color in Comics panel
Friday was the Women of Color in Comics panel, which I was thrilled to see was an equally packed room. Moderated by Regine Sawyer of the Women in Comics Consortium, this panel also featured Alice Meichi Li (Dark Horse), Alitha Martinez (penciler and inker for Marvel), Jamila Rowser (Girl Gone Geek blog), Juliana ‘Jewels’ Smith (comics artist, (H)AFROCENTRIC), Barbara Brandon-Croft (cartoonist), Geisha Vi (cosplay model), and Vanessa Verduga (actor, writer, producer).
A packed audience for the Women of Color in Comics panel
From L to R: Geisha Vi, Barbara Brandon-Croft, Jamila Rowser, Vanessa Verduga, Alice Meichi Li, Juliana ‘Jewels” Smith, Alitha Martinez, Regine Sawyer
The moderator, Regine, started out by asking what drew the panelists to comics and how they got started. Again, a diverse range of answers—from family influence to students introducing their teacher to comics, to a natural desire to draw as a child—led to a diverse range of paths into their professional work.
The panel also discussed the ongoing harassment issue in comics as well as genre and gaming. Young women are the fastest growing demographic, changing the base of the comics industry. The panelists were asked how they address feminine issues in their work. Alice Meichi Li (who was on the Geeks of Color panel), said that she loved how panels such as these were getting bigger. She addresses feminine mythology, the heroine’s journey, in her work, and argued that visibility made all the difference for readers. She told a story of reading Wizard magazine growing up, where the list of top ten writers in the back of the magazine were all white guys every time, except occasionally Jim Lee. To be able to see all kinds of people creating comics helps create demand from more diverse readers.
Jamila Rowser from the Girl Gone Geek blog said that from a fan perspective, the changing face of the industry shows the demand and the need for representation of women, particularly accurate representation of women of color. “When you don’t see people like you doing things you love, it’s discouraging,” she said.
The panelists also spoke of how sometimes they might feel invisible in the industry—Alitha Martinez, who has worked at major comic book houses as an artist, including work on a Batman comic, said that she’d been mistaken for cleaning staff before when arriving for a panel or other major professional event. Vanessa Verduga mentioned that sometimes she feels an expectation to whitewash herself, to fit within an expected personality structure rather than to be herself.
When asked why diversity was important in the first place, Jamila Rowser answered that a lack of diversity can stop readers’ enjoyment, but it can also discourage future creators, and stories set in the future with no diversity “erase our presence in the future.”
Alitha Martinez noted that women of color can’t remain on the fringes, shouting from the outside. She said that women tend not to approach editors at Marvel and DC, and that those are the places where change needs to happen most because they’re the biggest. In addition, Alice Meichi Li said that if we want to see change, as readers, we need to support that change with our wallets. “Ignoring creations by women and people of color is ignoring community,” she said. “Find your audience, know your community, know how to speak to them, and create your own niche.”
Throughout the weekend, I saw a widely diverse audience excited about comic books, animation, science fiction, fantasy, and games. Cosplayers were in abundance, including people of color. Here are a couple of my favorites:
NYCC is a great example of why #WeNeedDiverseBooks, like those we publish!
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 10/13/2014
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Oh my! I’ve been waiting for the story of cosplay harassment at cons to get more TMZed. According to the above teaser, tonights’ Inside Edition, which is syndicated nationally, is going to do a story on “the dark side of Comic-Con” which involves inappropriate touching and the usual harassment problems.
I doubt this will set off any witch hunt because we all know that touching people without their consent is wrong, but it is writing a new narrative about conventions.
From what I heard, there were fewer incidents at this year’s NYCC. Certainly the Cosplay is Not Consent posters by Amy Reeder Hadley were EVERY WHERE, and presented a much better message than last year’s Arizona Iced Tea promotions about women with big cans. Unfortunately there were a few incidents, and any is too many. But progress is being made.
Anyway, set your DVRS—the show airs at night in most areas, although it already aired here in NYC. And then watch a story about a dentist with bad Yelp reviews.
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 10/12/2014
Signs aren’t the only thing greeting attendees at the entrance to New York Comicon. Amidst the registration booths and all too quickly emptied bins for lanyards ReedPOP has its own boutique, featuring the geek-chic fashion of Ashley Eckstein’s Her Universe line.
Her Universe has become a significant presence at both the San Diego and New York conventions, which in turn reflects as place as a market leader in pop-culture inspired fashion. I had the pleasure of speaking at length with Ashley back at SDCC after her successful geek couture fashion show, and as an attorney I have to say that she is a role model for anyone who wants to incorporate copyrighted and trademarked material in their line. In a world where “it’s better to ask forgiveness than permission” has led any number of creators astray, she has from the outset been conscientious (and ambitious!) in licensing characters for Her Universe clothes.
But that’s not the only way in which Her Universe reflects the better angels of geek community’s nature. Besides integrating the participatory spirit of comics-related media discussed in my last post, Ashley has also been a prominent advocate of geek fashion’s capacity to empower those who wear it, both through her clothes and her anti-bullying activism. Create, speak, show others who you are with fear – where the less imaginative may just see licensed properties, her community sees freedom woven into her designs.
Which brings us to the future of geek couture and its role in the community’s future. Walk around San Diego and New York Comic-Cons and you’ll see expressive fashion everywhere, from handcrafted TARDIS earrings and comic-related t-shirts carried in the ubiquitous TARDIS bag to sophisticated cosplay and brands such as Her Universe itself. As the Her Universe show embodied back at San Diego, the key to the future is to go beyond prints and other reproductions of licensed material to transformative geek-inspired design – in fact, for a useful indication of where things are going, watch the development of the co-branded Marvel line announced last July.
As I discuss in my Fashion Ethics, Sustainability and Development class for the Fashion Law Institute, when we wear clothes we wear ourselves – our values, our aspirations, our communities.* It should, then, come as no surprise that when we look at geek couture, we see the future.
*Check out Professor Susan Scafidi’s “Fashion as Information Technology” for more on this.
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 9/22/2014
Where is Milo Manara when you need him? The regulation baseball season has seven days to go, which can’t come soon enough for NY baseball fans, although the tearful Derek Jeter final sendoff still looms. In another fall ritual, baseball rookies were subjected to generally harmless “hazing.”A few years ago this consisted of just wearing a My Little Pony backpack around the bullpen, but since that’s practically normal now, the ritual has become much more complicated, as the NY Mets rookies were required to dress as female superheroes for the road trip from Atlanta to Washington.
While even I can’t ID all of them from left to right that’s Dario Alvarez, Wilmer Flores as Lady Thor, Dilson Hererra as a saucy Batgirl, unknown, Juan Centeno as Lady Green Lantern, unknown and slender rookie phenom pitcher Jacob DeGrom rocking a bold (some called it skimpy) “Pretty Patriot” outfit. Also unknown s Wonder Woman in the front row. Hey, they’re rookies who just got called up! I am saddened that we didn’t get to see Jeurys Famiglia as Power Girl.
While this is a hazing ritual everyone seems to be taking it with very good humor.
Jacob deGrom and Juan Centeno. Rest will be on blog … pic.twitter.com/PGQnRXEnJX
— Adam Rubin (@AdamRubinESPN) September 21, 2014
Rookie hazing: Wilmer Flores and Juan Centeno pic.twitter.com/E0fp52fK5W
— Jay Horwitz (@Jay_HorwitzPR) September 21, 2014
In case you were wondering, the LA Dodgers rookies had a similar stunt but got to dress as male superheroes.
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 9/5/2014
There’s a new show on the Nerdist Channel called ‘Just Cosplay’ and I was given a sneak look at the first episode, live now. It features Stella Chuu at Emerald City as she goes around cosplaying as Kabuki from David Mack’s series of the same name. The series will follow popular cosplayers and show how they make their costumes.
I have a short tolerance for video but I watched this all the way to the end. Chuu is industrious and looks amazing. Her choice of the 90s indie icon Kabuki—and her quest to find anyone who recognizes the character—is a real sic transit gloria mundi thing, but when was the last time an issue of Kabuki came out anyway? Anyway, I also enjoyed the glue gun and sewing machine scenes in this show.
Nerdist is launching another cosplay show, Origin Story, which premieres on October 24 and is described as “mad-libs on meth” and stars Andrew Bowser. OK then.
I’m not a fan of this kind of “zero tolerance” policy, but on the other hand, there is no Constitutional right to cosplay with arms. Find some other way to play: be creative. And if you seriously can’t have fun without a gun… that’s kinda sad.