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5 Best Parts of Boston Comic Con (And 5 Needed Improvements)


Comic Con. The name evokes so many emotions from the casual observer. Fear, excitement, and the approach of all those fans. A celebration of things nerdy, a veritable festival of fandom.

Wait, Boston has one too?

Armed with a pen, a journal and not enough wisdom, I walked through the second convention in my life. Completely unprepared for what lay before me last weekend. After a week to gather thoughts, I lay hands to type out just how it all went.

Within you’ll see the five reasons why I thought it was truly a wonderful experience. Followed by some flaws that could be easily rectified.

As the thirty-odd Doctors that filled the convention floor would say: Allons-y!

  1. Panels, Panels, All About the Panels

    Comic con is fun. It is three days devoted to the many forms of entertainment that are accessed by the funny books. Fun is the best way to describe this. It is informational (we’ll get to that later), and it is moving at times, but fans go to comics convention for those uproarious moments. And some of the best moments came from the panels and shows.

    Some highlights from these panels. Greg Capullo being the metal, head banging artist to Scott Snyder’s calm and professional demeanor. The horrors that Amanda Conner came up with for a Harley Quinn “Afterbirth,” that thankfully never saw the light of day. Robbie Amell of CW fame describing walking into a comics store and asking for Firestorm comics.

    And John Barrowman? Well, he did this.

    click to enlarge

    That is all.

  2. Staff and Professionalism

    Pop quiz! Where are the staff members in this photo?

    Time's up! The correct answer was no clue. For a convention that lasted three days, there have been no real pictures featuring the staff members. And that is a travesty.

    I have worked major events. I have been an usher, a camp counselor and (I still shudder at the memory) a waiter in a sushi bar. Managing a number of people that totals over five invariably runs into management problems. It would be understandable if panels were running late, or artists were misplaced in the Alley, or a million other things were misplaced.

    Instead, the clarity and professionalism witnessed was astonishing. Dozens of red shirted staff members marching up and down the panels, the convention floor, confident and commanding. Armed with clear and concise directions, always accommodating but never budging an inch on clear policy. One of my favorite examples was preparation for the CW panel, the staffers able to corral guests that had started waiting an hour before. Every seat was filled in the panel, standing room was allowed, and the entire event went through smoothly.

    Being able to see such dedication from those who so often get overlooked for making events such as these possible was truly inspiring. We as fans come to these shows for the stars, the artists, the friends. We come back because it was run well, thanks to such as these grand staffs.

  3. Artists Alley

    One of the reasons to go to Boston Comic Con is to witness those you never have a chance to see. The creators that get lost on the internet, or may not even have a presence in the web. The greatest opportunity for exposure for many of these artists are these conventions, and the Artists’ Alley.

    Or, to be more precise in this instance, Artists’ Arena. The artist community completely dominated the convention floor. Over half of the available space on the first floor was devoted to artists. Large spaces, all set up with every flavor of geekdom the fans could desire. Fantasy, Sci-fi, superheroes, web comics, steam/cyber/dragon-punk, whatever your pleasure, you could find it at Artists’ Alley.

  4. Comics Focus

    I have heard of the changed nature of comics that is SDCC. Where comics are more relegated to the background. The focus has shifted to films, TV, the glories of meeting everyone from your favorite Netflix program. It is a different type of convention, no less important. Just a different celebration.

    Boston Comic Con is a comic con, plain and simple. I say this being a fan of all the CW shows, the Netflix work, all the MCU, and in simple adoration of John Barrowman. But this was about comics. The panels were focused more towards the printed word. It featured Scott Snyder talking all of his work (and Greg Capullo heckling him in the back). Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti spoke on how they’re the best and worst options for writing Harley Quinn. Even the CW panel actors talked about how reading the comics helped prepare them for the work (except for poor Daneille Panabaker, the only one who did not receive an Omnibus of her character from DC…).

    Publisher of DC Comics Dan Didio had the most poignant words on the subject. “Whereas the films may be more popular, they take from us. We are the ones who make films and television possible, our ideas.” Too true.

  5. The Fans

    It is said every single time. Someone comes up, usually a bigwig in the business, or an actor (or several). They are really nice and contrite and humble, say all the right platitudes and thanks. “It is thanks to you guys that this is all possible.” Then they get in their five-star hotel rooms and forget about us. At least, that’s how I picture it.

    This is not about how fans make it possible. This is how amazing these fans were that I was surrounded by. The enthusiasm, waiting for hours in hundred-degree weather to meet their heroes. I met so many that were just open and inviting, willing to talk about how the latest movies are going, or how their costume was constructed and conceived. And the niceness, everyone seemed polite (unless they were passing through a line).

    There is a mood that settles on a crowd. It can be moody, sulking. No one is content, and a fight is just waiting to break out. This last weekend was positivity, a showcase on what lovers of science fiction, comics and fantasy can truly be like at our best.

    Now that the good has been moved out of the way, there are some improvements that are needed. Some minor, some not. Let’s jump on in, shall we?

  6. The Sun Rises on a Weary Line

    This is the header for Comic Con online. 

    Boston Comic Con, I understand. This tableau of thousands of fans waiting in line for the convention is amazing with the sun hitting them just so in the morning light. The costumes, the geek shirts, everyone standing there for hours just lines up pictures that exemplify just how popular this convention is becoming. It is great, fantastic PR. It also is killer.

    Your convention is in the middle of August every year. The line sits on the east side of the building in Boston harbor. In 94-degree heat and major humidity. On Friday when the convention didn’t open until noon it became even worse, losing at least one Blue Shirt Trekkie from heat exhaustion.

    A simple switch can make everyone a lot more comfortable. Instead of the east side of the building, put it on the west in the shade. Preserve those fans who are so resolute that they will show up two hours early for a convention. Don’t let them sit in the proverbial oven until they are baked a nice golden brown. They might get overcooked and have to cool down next year.

  7. Food And Water

    Sustenance, sustenance. Fan shall not live on bread alone, but it certainly doesn’t hurt. There were a grand total of two available stations within the convention center, usually with lines that extended into half an hour and more. The water situation was as depressing, with only one known water fountain. While there were available options outside the center, it required reentry into the convention that was more a nuisance than anything.

    I mention this because a solution is also an opportunity. At other conventions indie food and drink vendors have sold merchandise on the floor. Like Artists’ Alley, this is a chance to get some unknown but truly amazing products out to the eager public.

    Take the above image, from MASSive Comic Con of this year. Some of the best soda I’ve ever had, and a great thirst-quencher as the legs were giving out at my first convention. This is something Boston could capitalize on.

    If not possible on the floor, moving it upstairs might even be an option for those standing in long lines for panels to snag a little pick-me-up and make it through to some great events.

  8. More Panels and the Like

    This seems like it contradicts earlier material. You just said that the panels were amazing! You're even using the same images! Why is it a problem now? I did say I loved the panels, and stand by it. That’s precisely why I think there needs to be more, and more diverse.

    One of the more unusual events was “Show Against Humanity.” It was an improv show based on Cards Against Humanity, and that is about as much as I want to say on the subject before I violate copyright/public decency laws. But it was excellent, raunchy fun that left the audience in tears. Something completely outside the norm that left fans speechless in the best of ways.

    This is what I think the panels need more of. Something different, getting new acts and people up in the schedule. Some of the Artists from the Alley talking about freelance work. The craftsmen on making fan crafts, metal amulets, scarves and the like in a different manner. A panel between freelance artists and the big two about fanart and the positives/negatives of it as a marketing tool. There are just so many options, I think we have barely scratched the surface on what is possible for discussion at these panels.

  9. Cosplay shoved in a Corner

    Cosplay is one of the aspects of conventions that I am both in awe and bashful about. Some of the projects are truly awe-inspiring, the result of hundreds of hours spent on craft both on the hardware and a character study in demeanor. Others I’m turning red and looking away, running over the roster of the Pittsburgh Steelers and how they really need a good secondary if they want any shot at the playoffs…

    Regardless of your opinion, what usually strikes home is the role they play in conventions. They are living representations of our favorite characters, a chance to “have a picture” with Iron Man, Wonder Woman and a plethora of others. So why are they shoved into the corner, forgotten and missed by many? The Cosplay center was on the opposite end of the main floor, nestled in a tiny room by the bathrooms. Not good, not good at all.

    The argument about whether or not cosplay is good is valid, and will continue to be made for years. For now, they serve a purpose, and can help inspire kids to continue in this thing that still gets poked fun at in school. Let’s make sure they have a chance to be more visible than this past year.

  10. Time to Move

    Here we go. The biggest problem, the best problem. Despite the fun, and exhaustion, the sense I received from everyone was cramped. Saturday being the worst offender, there was nowhere to escape the press of bodies. Given the stereotype of nerds as introverts, this must have been uncomfortable for more than a few of the convention goers.

    I have remarked that everyone was in jovial spirits. Again, I stand by this. Still, rubbing shoulders with everyone in the convention should remain merely a metaphor, not literal. It is time to move Boston Comic Con to a bigger venue to accommodate bigger numbers. By most measures the convention is only getting more and more popular, so soon this will become a necessity, not merely comfortable. Let’s do it sooner rather than later.

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