Greetings everybody!
I am back in Sydney now after spending all weekend in Melbourne at Oz Comic-con. I just want to say I had the best time! It was one of the best cons I have ever been to in Australia, now I know I may get fruit thrown at me for saying that cause I know there was a lot of unhappy people and the lines were massive. But just listen to me for sec, I got in first thing on Saturday morning and went straight to line up for tokens after that I went straight to the photo booth and waited to get my photo with my idol and hero Stan “The Man F*&*ing” Lee. Now he has never been to Australia ever! So for Oz Comic Con to bring him down here is a feat that no one has ever done before nor will be able to do again. Personally I am tired of having some guy from a Harry Potter film being the star of a con or some actor or actress from the 60′s headlining a show. So Oz Comic Con my hat off to you for pulling off the unthinkable and getting the man who is responsible for all us comic lovers out here.
I know the lines were insane and that if you left the con you had to wait to get back in. I know how hard and frustrating that must have been for a lot of people but I hear all the time from people “I want to go to SDCC” well guess what if you don’t like lines don’t go there. I have been to the cons in America and there are way more people there and the lines are much longer. For example you want Jim Lee’s autograph —– you will be waiting for at least 3 hours. You want to go to the big bang theory panel well you need to get there at 3am in the morning and wait all day in a line and devote yourself to that one thing just to see it. I looked at how many people went to Oz Comic Con this weekend and I realised that there was a shift in the universe. It seems that if you are not going to these conventions your not cool! Conventions in Australia are getting bigger and bigger and our community is growing. If you look at the trend of conventions there is usally around 20,000-25,000 for a weekend. But for the first time ever we saw those numbers on one day! That is insane and something that we all should be proud of.
The best parts for me was waiting in line, I got to meet so many different people who I usually might not have ever spoken to. We got to talk about comics we loved, artists we enjoyed. We even let people leave the line to go their panels and then let them back in because we are a kind, understanding society. Sure things could have been done better but nothing and no one is perfect. I have not gone to a single convention in Australia that was a.) not full of people b.) couldn’t walk around 3.) being in lines all day it is what a comic convention is about.
Personally it was the most successful convention for me, I handed out 90 percent of my Vengador fliers and all 60 of my Vengador “one shot” books. On Sunday the rest of the fliers went in the first hour, people were really interested in my webcomic and as a creator. I have never had that reception in Australia before, I have had it in America but never in Australia so Melbourne thank you! I also got to build upon my professional relationship with a lot of other creators and businesses. I won’t name names but I can’t believe the opportunities that they gave me but I hope to announce some really cool things soon.
I want to congratulate the boys at Gestalt who had a huge weekend and basically sold out of everything! I want to thank Francis Manapul for being so nice to me, I got to chat to him on Saturday evening and also all day Sunday because I was in line for him to draw a bust of Superboy for me. He was so awesome and it’s great to see creators and like him and Nicola who take time to talk to their fans and make them feel appreciated. Francis took a flier of Vengador and said he would check it out and he actually seemed really interested in what it was about – he generally cared about my story which is something that a lot of other creators in the US might not do. I got to talk to my friend Nic about my up and coming projects and get her opinion about them which really meant a lot to me.
Oz Comic Con has provided me stories that I will share with my kids and grandkids one day, stories that no one will believe me. I got to have dinner with Stan Lee on Saturday night and I was sitting right next to him, I got to speak with him the whole time as I was helping him with what other people were saying around the table. Patrick Stewart came and stood right next to me at the dinner and having those two legends next to me and patting me on the back – my legs were shaking. Stan was joking around with me all night and patting me on the back, he said he “loved my attitude”, “sees me having a bright future” he even took my name tag and put it in his pocket. I got to spend time with my hero and have a story that no one would believe besides the people who were there. Stan if you are reading this thank you so much for the night of my life!
Thank you to all the vendors, creators, guests, the organizers and everyone who came. I am proud to me in this industry creating stories and sharing them with you all!
Until next time….Don’t forget to fight for what is right!
Fair Dinkum
James
