I was set up at Super-Con in San Jose, Ca last month, running from May 17-18. I heard a few complaints from people about the attendance being small, and from it being too warm inside the tent. I cannot deny both of these were true. Sure, it would have been nice to have it a bit cooler, and from a dealer standpoint a few more people in attendance, but this did not stop me from enjoying the show.
Super-Con had an amazing list of comic artists in attendance. Dan Brereton, Dean Yeagle, Jim Silke, Stephen Silver, Russ Heath, Frank Cho, to name a few. The amazing thing to me was the appearance of the Spanish artists. Esteban Maroto, Alfonso Azpiri, Juan Gimenez, and Sanjulian were all there. These guy’s are phenomenal, and a few of them were visiting the US for the first time. The chance to meet each of them at a mellow show was a highlight for me. If you go to San Diego or WonderCon, it can take a long time waiting in line to talk to an artist, or even to try and get on a sketch list. I saw Adam Hughes with only five guys around him. Usually you can’t even see Hughes behind a the typically thick crowd of fans. At Super-Con, as a fan, I was enjoying the show and the easy access to talk to and get some art from these guy’s. I’m way too busy to ever get this opportunity at San Diego or WonderCon these days, since I am stuck behind my booth the whole time.
As a dealer, the show was slow and hard to justify setting up. As a fan, it was incredible. I should mention that the guy’s running the show were great. They would check in and see if I needed anything and it was easy getting in and out of the show. They really worked hard and despite the attendance, put on a good show. I’m certainly looking forward to next year, especially since Mark Schultz will be a guest!
John Fleskes
Flesk Publications