Category Archives: Conventions

2 Follow Ups and FanX Wristbands Arrive-This Week in Geek, January 17, 2015

Good long weekend to you all, folks. I am back with the latex edition of “This Week in Geek,” and for this week we will be kind of returning to the original format in which I covered multiple stories and shared them here. That’s because I have some follow-up on a couple of features I ran last week and this week. One good, and one not so good. Plus, one new story that’s less of a story and more of a woo-hoo.

Netflix Confirms Doctor Who NOT Leaving

tv DOCTOR WHORemember last week when everyone was reporting that Doctor Who was going to be dropped from Netflix as of the end of this month? And some sites were even suggesting that maybe the show, along with other British shows, was being dropped to make room in the budget for “Friends.” Do you remember how your friendly neighborhood geeky Mormon attempted to talk all of you, my fellow Whovians, off the ledge by citing a different post on a different web site that suggested that it wasn’t so much of a drop, but an end to the existing contract, and that Netfilx was already working on a renewal? Well guess what those sites are reporting now. It turns out that it was never an issue of Netflix “dropping” the series in favor of something, but rather the end of the existing contract. A contract that was renewed, with no interruption to the ehh…Timeline…if you will. Good news for everyone, including my wife who is still trying to catch up on number 10. Allons-Y!

Spider-Man NOT Joining the Avengers, According to Sony

3317783-135251969351One of the big stories of this last week was that some deal had been struck between Marvel and Sony to make way for Spider-Man to appear in the 3rd Avengers film. The source of all the reports was the Latino Review, which has been accurate in the past. All fans of the MCU were hoping it was true. We wanted it to be true so badly. I think more than that, Marvel wants it to be true, they need it to happen, as I outlined, a little, in my post about all of this. As it turns out, according to Sony, none of this is happening. It was all based on an old rumor, and no such deal has been made. They are going to continue to muck up Spider-Man with too many villains and spin-offs, all in the name of keeping the rights to a character that is a gold mine, even if the movies tied to him kind of suck. I wish this wasn’t the case. I love Spidey, and I loved the idea of him being home where he blonds in the MCU, but it doesn’t look like that is happening again. I know, let’s just wait a couple of years, until you get close to losing those rights again, and then reboot the series with another film telling Spidey’s origin story, just so you can keep those rights. Poor Peter Parker. (Alliteration!)

My FanX Wristbands Came!

IMG_1108Oh Happy Day! For those of you who do not reside in or near Salt Lake City, Utah, this probably is not that big a deal, so I am sorry. I just wanted to share because it is getting so close now. Less than 2 weeks now, and FanX will be here. Somehow, getting the wristbands in the mail just made it feel that much closer. This will be the 4th major comic-type convention we have had here in Salt Lake, and my third time attending. I am getting better as an attendee with each one. As it gets closer, i will probably write more about it, and probably revise and update my convention survival checklist. As someone who is attending the con, I will also let you know how it went. I am particularly looking forward to our Doctor Who Ultimate “Xperience” which features Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, and Billie Piper. It should be loads of fun. I can’t wait for it.

Well, that’s it for this week. Hopefully we’ll have just good news next week, and not a downer story like Spider-Man never coming to the MCU.

 

FanX 2015 Brings us The Doctor Who Ultimate Xperience

Geeks are a funny breed of human.  One thing that defines us is our passion.  We don’t just like our fandoms, but we love our fandoms with an undying devotion and passion.  It is the reason why all across Utah, Whovians were glued to their Facebook and Twitter feeds this morning.  Salt Lake Comic Con had teased that they might be breaking the internet with an announcement today, and left just a picture of the TARDIS.

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This picture appeared from Bryan Brandenburg to the Salt Lake Comic Con page on Facebook, driving Whovians throughout Utah into a frenzy.

 

That was all.  That was enough.  Whovians throughout Utah could not wait to see what today would hold  for them.  The anticipation was so much for some that they couldn’t sleep. I literally saw someone post that they could not sleep last night in anticipation for this announcement.  I predicted that maybe we would get a two for one announcement, and they would announce both Karen Gillan and Matt Smith.  I knew that Bryan had teased before that maybe Karen would be back, which would be big news, but not break the internet big.  I figured the only way they would do that was by announcing both.  I think most of the fans out there thought the same thing.  I am not a particularly smart person, so I am sure other people figured out the clues.

Then there was panic on a Salt Lake Comic Con group page.  Someone had found out that Karen Gillan and Matt Smith were already scheduled for the 31st at Walker Stalker Con in San Francisco. This caused some to assume the worst. If they were already scheduled to be at one con that weekend, how could they make both. A few were a bit calmer about it and were able to talk them away from the ledge. San Francisco is not that far away from Salt Lake. It takes less than 2 hours to get there on a plane (trust me, I fly that all the time), which means it was still possible that the 2 of them could come here on Thursday and Friday and then fly to San Francisco on Saturday. Celebrities do stuff like that all the time. In fact last year, when Karen came, she came the first day straight from the airport. It is not that strange.

This, then led to each of us checking our Facebook pages every hour to see what Salt Lake Comic Con was posting, since they post at the top of each hour. 9:00 brought some Doctor Who facts, but no announcement. 10 am gave us an ugly DeLorean, which my eyes cannot un-see. This left us with the obvious theory that they would announce Matt Smith at 11 am, since he was number 11. Nope.  They announced Karen instead.  People were excited, but this just fueled the idea that maybe, just maybe both were going to be here. I thought maybe they were waiting until noon, since he was technically the 12th Doctor now (thanks, Moffat). However, they threw us a curve ball by announcing him first on TV. Once that happened, word spread like wildfire throughout Facebook that it had been announced, they were bringing us the Doctor and Amy.  I do want to point out that the Facebook announcement did hit shortly before noon, so maybe I was right.

Of course, almost lost in all of this was the fact that we already had a pretty solid Doctor Who guest previously announced. Billie Piper was already announced as a guest.  So now, that means we have two of the most popular modern companions and Matt Smith, the 11th Doctor coming.  There had to be some kind of major panel announcement, right? Similar to the Star Trek TNG experience last year.  How could they pass up such a great opportunity?  Within hours, they announced that there would be the Doctor Who Ultimate Xperience. Which should be pretty epic.  Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, and Billie Piper. It will be pretty amazing, but will it be ultimate? I think it might be.

Lat year, as they announced all the Star Trek folks coming, there was one face missing from the crowd.  Patrick Stewart, and everyone was hoping that he would make it.  He didn’t for the panel on Thursday night, but at the panel, it was announced that he would be there on Saturday only. I don’t think they knew for sure until right before the panel that he was coming for the one day. These folks are super busy, and even if they want to be there, sometimes they are not sure if or when they can make it. Behind the scenes, even though the con had begun people were still working on getting another big name guest, and their handwork paid off.

Why do I bring that up?  I think they are still working behind the scenes to bring in number 10. I think they want this experience to really be the ultimate experience, and David Tennant would make it that, even more than it already is. I would buy my tickets now (I actually already did), because they will sell out, and you might be kicking yourself when they announce that Tennant will be there.  That’s all speculation on my part. I don’t have any kind of inside source, but that is my guess. Salt Lake Comic Con posted their video of Billie Piper, as a reminder that she would be there too, and then said there was possibly more coming, they may have something else up their sleeve. Some think it was the Ultimate Xperience, but I think that was a foregone conclusion. I think they are working on getting David here, and they might just make it happen. Have faith, my fellow geeks, they can and will deliver.  Today was a big day, but we still have 20 more days until the con itself.

After everything was announced, I just wanted to find a corner and another Whovian or 2, and just sit and geek out. It’s what we do. We get excited, and then we want to share that excitement with other people who are equally excited. I wanted to do this so much, that I spent a few minutes inside an FYE by my house. They normally carry quite a bit of Doctor Who stuff, and it happened to be right across the street from where my daughter’s girl scouts meet, and I was early and had some time to kill. I wasn’t the only one. I walked by a couple walking through the store, and the gentleman was in full on 11th Doctor cosplay. It was awesome. There was another young geek there who was just out of his mind excited about Doctor Who and everything Doctor Who. It was great. We were all out, celebrating today. It reminded me of the opening scene in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, when all the magical folks are out in the open in the muggle world. That is what my trip to FYE was like. It made me happy to be a Whovian, in Utah, a place that didn’t even exist on most geeky maps until recently, and is quickly becoming the geek capital of the world. Go us.

3 Big Ways Fans Influenced FanX 2015

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For months, we have seen this image from Salt Lake Comic Con, letting us all know that FanX was coming back in 2015, and today, they made it official by letting us know the dates and beginning the tickets sales.  One thing I have always liked about Salt Lake Comic Con and their Fan Xperience is that they have always tried to be fan centric.  In my experience of attending the cons, I have seen the folks running it reply and respond quickly to any kind of negative fan feedback.  Looking at what is coming for FanX 2015, or at least what we learned today, I would say that trend is continuing.  They are really building an event that is centered on the fans in almost every way.  There were 3 big takeaways for me that illustrated this point.

1. Tickets and Event Entry

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The coveted VIP Pass for FanX2015

This could really be two different things, but I thought I would bundle it here.  If there was one thing that I saw more feedback about on the SLCC Facebook page, it was tickets and entering the con.  The first day of September’s SLCC was a mess, and the organizers got that.  They honestly dropped the ball, and they know we deserve better.  With FanX, the wristbands will have RFID in them.  This is high-tech stuff.  Like Disney World high-tech stuff.  I mean, if you are wanting to find solutions to getting a large crowd through your front doors quickly, why not look to the most visited theme park in the world?  With the new RFID wristbands, if you purchase your tickets prior to some yet to be announced date in January, then you will receive the wristbands in the mail.  No need to go down and register early somewhere, or show up and register day of.  Your done, once you receive the wristband, and then it should get you through the door with a quick scan.  How is that for a response to all the concerns from  September?  If this works like they are planning, it will be pretty slick.

The other big complaint was the cost of tickets, especially Gold and V.I.P.  They have addressed this too, by putting them on sale right out of the gates.  Right now, you can buy a V.I.P. pass for $125- a full 50 % off.  Same percentage off for Gold and MultiPass.  Oh, and were you one of the folks that did not get a T-shirt last time, but still paid for a VIP or Gold pass?  They addressed that too.  No more T-shirts, instead, you get a voucher for FanX stuff.

I have seen a few comments on Facebook about the service fees associated with the passes.  Welcome to purchasing tickets and passes online.  The service fees for a MultiPass and Gold Pass are pretty comparable to September, and now you don’t have to pre-register.

If you are looking at buying tickets now (and I would recommend it) then just click on the VIP pass above, and it will take you to the ticketing page.

2.  The Date of the Event

Remember that poll they had a while back? Asking when or if we wanted a FanX in 2015? They took your feedback, and that is what decided that the event would take place at the end of January.  I know a lot of folks wanted the April event or wanted no FanX so they could concentrate on one big event.  It looks like the majority of people wanted it in January, which is awesome, I think.  What else do you have going on in January?  They couldn’t please everybody, but hopefully those of you who wanted it in April will not stay away.  I am curious to see how it goes in January, and I am hoping this will be a permanent spot for the event.  Plus now my wife knows what to get me for Christmas (wink, wink)

3. The Guests

I saw a lot of requests on the Facebook page for more Harry Potter, more Star Wars and more Firefly.  And who do they announce?  Guests from Harry Potter, Star Wars and Firefly, not to mention Christopher Lloyd, who was supposed to be here in September, but couldn’t make it due to a filming conflict.  Now he is back in January.  Plus, I mean, Princess Leia?  Can you get anymore big time than that?  This is totally a great beginning line up, and I am excited to see who they announce in the coming weeks.  There have been other initial announcements that were a little disappointing, but this was killer, I thought.

All in all, I think it was a successful press conference, and I am excited about the majority of what was announced there.  I feel like they really are trying to put together a great event for fans.  There will always be people who will not be happy, but you have to give them credit for taking the feedback and trying to respond.

FanX-When and Where?

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I received the newsletter from Salt Lake Comic Con today in my email.  I was expecting something about FanX 2015 sometime soon because they recently posted something about FanX coming soon in 2015 on their Facebook page.  In my newsletter, it had a link to go and vote for one of two dates for the event for the first part of next year.  I went to check it out, and I voted.  There were two options.  One was for the end of January, 2015, and the other was for Easter/General Conference Weekend in April 2015.  The other option is to not have FanX at all, and just have one massive event in September.  I thought I would share what my vote was and why.  Maybe some people will find it interesting, maybe some people might be swayed, or maybe people won’t care at all.  In any case, I am sharing, because I care, and sharing is caring.

I voted for January 29-31, 2015.  Here are my top 5 reasons why:

5. It is not in April. 

One of the most common reasons I heard about why some celebrities were not able to come to the last FanX was because they were filming or had some other obligation.  April already has Wondercon in Anaheim, which FanX competed with head on last year. And if we had FanX again in April, we would be competing head on again.  We beat them on attendance, but we would also be competing for some headline guests.  Wondercon has the backing of SDCC, so I would imagine that we would lose some of those headline guests.  These are all downsides to April, in my opinion.

4. January happens to be close to my Birthday and Christmas

This gives me the perfect excuse to buy my tickets.  The tickets can be for my birthday and my Christmas, which means maybe I can talk my wife into letting me get VIP tickets.  Honestly, it might raise the likelihood, but not by much.  Have you been wondering what to get that special geek in your life for Christmas?  If FanX happens in January, wonder no more.  Best. Christmas. EVER!

3. The Salt Palace Will NOT be Hot for Once

If you went to FanX or Salt Lake Comic Con, you know the AC was working overtime to keep it a little cooler in the building with all those hot bodies.  The AC was working overtime, and it wasn’t enough.  IT was still warm and I was sweating like a sweaty person in there by the end.  The colder January temperatures will hopefully lend themselves to a cooler temperature inside, which will be pleasant for everyone.

2. Sundance

This is probably really the number one reason, but I have more material for my number one reason, so this gets moved to number two.  This is a genius time for FanX.  There are so many celebrities who come to this area for Sundance anyway.  It would be easy, hopefully, to get them to just stop by FanX as well.  Plus, it’s not just the celebrities.  There will be tons of studios and execs who will be in the area, and you know they have heard about SLCC and they would love the opportunity to even just stop by and see why SLCC puts on the best cons.  A positive impression there could go a long way to building a solid foundation of future guests and studio involvement at future SLCC events.  It could potentially be huge.  We already have a major even at that time that draws a lot of influential people in the entertainment industry to Salt Lake and Park City.  They will be here already, and then we can put on a show for them.

1. It’s January, What Else Do You Have Going On?

I mean really.  What else do you have happening during the last weekend in January?  I’ll tell you, a big fat nothin’. Not only is it in January, but it is the end of January, which leads right into February, which, according to my friend Kevin, is the worst month ever.  He hates February. No love whatsoever for February.  This is the time when there are no good movies in the theaters, Nothing to do outside (except skiing, which is actually a draw for some people, so a plus for some guests of FanX), Christmas is over, and we are smack dab in the middle of the coldest, most miserable stretch of time during the whole year.  We need something like this to help us survive the long, cold, dark, stupid winter.  This event alone could help us make it through February and into spring.  It could buoy us up in the hour of our greatest needs.  Plus, little known fact, January is a whole 3 months earlier than April (3 months sooner for our next con).  Just sayin’.

I really feel like tying this event to Sundance, at least by having it at the same time, would be huge.  There really are so many people who will already just be here for Sundance, that something like this could make a lot of sense.  There are also some negatives about January, like the weather could cramp some styles when it comes to cosplay.  I was going to go as the Hulk, but if it’s in January, no way.  Plus, this really only gives the organizers a couple of months to get everything put together.  If they decide to go for January, pray for them, because they will need all the help they can get to bring it all together.  Especially getting all the volunteers. I see that as the biggest challenge, but they must have some plan, or else they would not have thrown it out there as an option.

If you would like to put in your 2 cents about when they should have FanX, you can go to this site, and participate in the poll.  Also feel free to add any of your thoughts in the form of a comment.  I don’t think anyone important reads my blog, but it always feels good to vent.

SLCC Edition

This is a very special edition of “This Week in Geek,” in which I will be reviewing the Salt Lake Comic Con which concluded on Saturday, September 6, 2014.  I will be giving out a grade in 5 different categories, plus an overall grade.  The 5 categories will be Tickets and Ticket Pricing, Lines/Crowd Management, The Vendor Hall, Panels, and The Celebrity Guests.  I will not be grading the extra events because I did not attend any of them, so unfortunately, I can’t grade them.  The grades will be in the standard letter grade format, where A is excellent and F is horrible failure. There will be no “E,” for those of you who are not familiar with letter grades.  Most of the grading will be based on my experience as well as feedback I have received or seen from others.  Let’s get started:

Tickets and Ticket Pricing

This was very different this time around than what we had seen previously with last years Comic Con and April’s FanX.  With FanX, the tickets were posted with their prices and they didn’t change.  This time around they used a system called GrowTix, and they started with the tickets being very low, and the prices increased over time, thus rewarding folks who bought their tickets early with a much better deal.  This, I think benefits everyone, because with more tickets pre-sold, especially early, they can go to different vendors and different celebrities and show them how many tickets they have already sold, enticing more of them to come.  It benefits us because we can but the tickets early and pay a lot less.  Another bonus was if you follow Salt Lake Comic Con on Facebook or twitter or both, then they always let people know in advance when the ticket prices were going to rise, so you could buy them before they got to expensive.  We bought our tickets in June, just before Father’s Day, and spent $64 on two multi passes, which worked out great for us and our budget.  Also, with GrowTix, you do have the option to go back in and for a fee, upgrade your ticket to a VIP or Gold ticket if they are still available.  I checked on the day before the Con, and if I had wanted to upgrade to Gold, it would have only cost $50 for both tickets.  VIP had already sold out, so I am not sure what the price difference would have been.

My biggest complaint with the tickets was how much the fees were on top of the ticket price.  I understand that this is pretty common practice, but my tickets were $64 total, but then with fees I ended up paying $80 all together.  I understand that $16 in fees is not a big deal for something like this, but I just wish that the fees were already included in the price.  This is not a complaint against SLCC, but the whole system in general.  My complaint for SLCC was that when we came on Friday we brought the kids with us, and we have 5 children, meaning we needed to buy a child’s ticket for $5.  When we spoke with the volunteer, he told us it was 7 almost 8 bucks because of sales tax and some kind of convenience fee.  That was a little weird.  I get convenience fees when purchased online, but not when I am buying them at the door. However, the volunteer ended up not being able to locate the button on his iPad, and just gave us the wristband for free, so I really don’t have anything to complain about here.

As far as the prices go, I thought they were reasonable and they offered multiple levels so you could buy the ticket that worked for you.  I had little to no interest in entering the vendor hall early, or in photo ops or autographs or a T-shirt, so the multi pass worked for me.  The VIP was pricey, but if you can’t afford it, the multi pass still provided you with a lot of fun for 3 days.  I did not feel like my experience was hindered because I did not have a VIP pass.  Remember, going to a convention like this is all for fun, and is a luxury, so do what you can afford and enjoy it.

Grade: B+

Lines/Crowd Management

Thursday was rough for lines.  Really rough.  Read my post about my first 2 days, and it really goes into it, so I am not going to do that here. Obviously they needed to work out a few kinks, and on Friday and Saturday it looked like they did.  Lines moved very smoothly from what I experienced and saw on Friday and Saturday.  Inside, it seemed like the managed the lines well for the most part for the celebrities and the panels.

There were times that the volunteers looked a little overwhelmed by the crowds and some things got a little mis-managed.  Let me make this clear, this is not a disparaging comment on the volunteers.  In my opinion, volunteers are just one step down from super heroes.  They are giving up their own personal time for free to be here and deal with a lot of people, and some of the people are not very nice.  Volunteers do this because they love Salt Lake Comic Con, and for no other reason.  I tell you this because I know for a fact that they work very hard, and the perks they receive do not make up for it.  So, next time you are at a convention like this, just find a volunteer and give them a metaphoric kiss (not a real one because then you will be kicked out).  The problem was not the volunteers, the problem was just the sheer number of people.  I was there all day on Saturday, and it was just unbelievable.  The mismanagement came when they had lines for popular panels set up on the outside of the walkway upstairs, meaning that they had to cross over all the traffic.  This was not fun when I was trying to get through to a panel I wanted to attend and they blocked off all the traffic in the hallway for about 5-7 minutes, making me late for my panel.  Not a major deal, but it could have been avoided by having the line form on the inside, thus not hindering traffic.

Grade: C+ (Can’t overlook Thursday)

The Vendor Hall:

I did not love the set up of the vendor hall this time around.  I think it felt way overcrowded and there were a few things that caused some major traffic issues.  For example, the first section of celebrities happened to be across from a booth where they had people playing video games.  The problem was that it happened to be a point where a lot of people were trying to get through, and there were also a lot of people stopping to watch the screens with the games on them, causing major congestion.  This happened in a few areas.  KidCon was also an issue.  I could not tell where KidCon started and ended.  There was a big banner indicating the general area where it was, but a lot of the booths were intermingled with regular booths, and it all just got mixed and jumbled together.  In April, at FanX, the KidCon had its own separate area with plenty of space and it was nice.  I understand that KidCon is not a major draw for everybody, but it is for us, and this time around it just wasn’t as good.  There were a ton of vendors and they were crammed in there, and it got really tight on some of those aisles, especially when people stopped to get pictures with other people.  Big positive was where they had the celebrities this year.  For the most part, that was a big improvement, except in the first little area mention above.

Grade: C-

The Panels:

I thought the Panels were very well done.  There was a huge diversity of topics to choose from, really something for everybody.  I found it very easy to find panels I wanted to attend every hour, and it wasn’t just the big time celebrity panels.  They had panels on comics creation, on writing, on film making, on podcasts, etc.  It was a huge and great selection.  I loved it.  The panels were my favorite part of the whole convention, and made the whole thing worth it for me.  Whoever is in charge of the panels did an excellent job and deserves a raise.

Grade: A+

The Celebrities

Boy, I have seen a lot of comments about the selection of celebrities that came this time around.  I think there was a pretty good selection, and some pretty relevant big time names that showed up.  How many people came from the cast of Arrow?  Quite a few, and that is the best super hero show on TV right now, and one of the better ones ever made.  That’s a big deal.  Plus, Howard from TBBT and Stan Lee, the creator of Marvel (Not really, but pretty much Marvel as we know it now).  Plus, 2 Doctors.  These are big time guests, and all the ones I just mentioned were mentioned by fans after FanX, people saying they wanted these guests.  They listened to us and worked very hard to get what we wanted.  Being upset about the guests is really subjective.  Usually, when someone is upset it is because a guest they really wanted was not there.  The other thing to remember is that despite all of our success, we will never be SDCC.  Studios and publishers send their people to SDCC, the celebrities don’t really have a choice.  They go because they have to, it’s in their contract, all of that stuff.  The guests that come here come because they want to.  They were invited, and the genuinely want to come out for this.  That’s pretty cool.

Grade: A

Overall, I really enjoyed this year’s Comic Con.  I think overall, it keeps getting better, and more and more people come out to see it.  It set new records for attendance, breaking the records they set back in April for FanX. That is pretty awesome, and it means it will probably be around for a long time to come.  Despite all the success, there will still be kinks.  I saw someone post on Facebook that we need to learn from SDCC, which is true, but keep in mind that they have been doing this for a very long time, and this is SLCC’s 2nd year.  Considering that, SLCC is doing awesome.

Overall Grade: A very solid B+

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Salt Lake Comic Con So Far…

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Hello faithful readers, and everyone else.  The last two days have been fun filled days for sure as I have spent them at one of my favorite places, Salt Lake Comic Con.  I thought I would give you a rundown of the last two days, what worked and what didn’t, and some of the highlights for me so far.  If you’re planning on going today, then hopefully you will find this information helpful.

The Lines

If you have been following the con at all on Facebook or checking at the hashtags on twitter, then you have probably seen a few comments on the line situation.  Thursday was bad.  I saw comments from people who waited hours and hours to get in, despite having pre-registered at one of the Megaplex locations.  Many who were VIP or Gold ticket holders spent so much time in line that they barely got to spend any time in the con itself, some never did make it in.  I know I saw a line of people who had pre-registered, had their wristbands and were supposed to be in at 1 pm (an hour early) and weren’t even close to in by 2 pm.  My experience was not as bad as theirs.  It wasn’t great, but it was not as bad.  I only bought the multi-pass.  I felt like for me it was the best value.  I didn’t care about getting a shirt, getting into the vendor hall an hour early wasn’t a big deal to me either, and I felt that I should be able to get into most of the panels I wanted without the VIP status.  Plus, getting extra discounts on photo ops and autographs are not a big deal to me either.  That’s not why I come to these things, so for me, the multi-pass was fine.  I got to the con about 1:15 on Thursday, fully expecting to stand in a line.  When I got there, I saw two lines.  I asked the person at the back of one of the lines which line they were in. They said they believed they were in there line for people who had not pre-registered.  They also said they had just regular multi-passes, so I got in line behind them.  I would have preferred to ask a volunteer or someone representing SLCC, but there was no one in sight.  There were red-shirts (security), but they didn’t know what each line was. So I stood in line and I waited.  After about 40 minutes, and barely moving, I tweeted out that I was waiting in line, had no idea if it was the right line and had seen no volunteers.  SLCC must have seen a bunch of tweets and Facebook comments come in at that time, because around 5-10 minutes later we saw about 4-5 volunteers making their way down the line, informing people of which line was which.  I of course found out I was in the wrong line for general admission, and was directed to a third line that was at the other side of the entrance.  I went down there, and it was much shorter outside, and inside.  I waited about 20 minutes more in the registration line, and then in the line to get in to the con, but I was in just in time to make the first panel I wanted to see that day.  I was one of the lucky ones.  There were quite a few people that had a different experience.  When I left the con at just after 8, there was still a crowd of people on both the VIP and GA sides, that were waiting to get in, and I spoke with a volunteer on the trax ride home who explained he had been one of the volunteers who had to let people know that they were not getting in that day.  I felt bad for that guy, and for the people who had to wait so long in line and did not make it into the show.

That is what happened Thursday, at least for me.  You can look at that and think it is super negative, that this whole line thing is a huge negative for Salt Lake Comic Con, but I don’t.  It was not a good day, but what was really impressive to me was how responsive SLCC was. The next morning Bryan Brandenburg posted a comment on the Salt Lake Comic Con Facebook page apologizing and letting people know that they would have the issues fixed on Friday and it would be much better.  And they delivered on that.  They opened ups second entrance for folks who already had wristbands and they streamlined the whole process.  When I got there in the afternoon, I did not see a line outside at all.  We walked right in with our wristbands and walked right into the convention, and it was awesome.  I think most people had a similar experience. I think SLCC handled this tough situation better than most large organizations would.  They were responsive to what their fans were saying and were willing to recognize that some things should have been handled differently the day before.  Hats off to them for doing that and for how they handled it.  Hopefully this can be a learning experience for everyone, and the next FanX and Comic Con will be better.

That was way more than I had wanted to write on lines, so I’m sorry.  On to other things…

Thursday Highlights

For me, my two days so far have been totally different days.  On Thursday I went by myself and on Friday I had my wife and 5 kids with me.  You experience the Con totally different depending on the situation.  Thursday was full of panels.  The first 2 panels I attended were Doctor Who themed panels. As you can guess, from reading my site here, I love Doctor Who.  The first pane was the best of Doctor Who, and what they had done was put a poll on the SLCC website asking fans to vote on various Doctor Who categories.  At this panel, they then revealed the results, and it was a lot of fun.  The best part of the panel, however, was when toward the end, Paul McGann and Colin Baker showed up, surprising everybody.  You could feel how excited everyone got when the two of them entered the room.  Here were 2 Doctors in a panel full of people geeing out about Doctor Who.  They had their panel just after this one at 4 pm, but that was in the south ballroom, and this was in one of the smaller panel rooms, so it was much more “intimate”, which made it very cool.

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After that panel, I hustled over to the Colin Baker/Paul McGann panel in the south ballroom.  Part of the way, I was even behind the golf cart that was transporting the two of them from the previous panel.  It was a much bigger crowd, and it always feels good to be around your fellow geeks.  These two gentlemen held a great Q and A session, and were very gracious in how they answered the fans questions.  I became a Doctor Who fan with the newer stuff, but have been wanting to get into the “classic Who” more and more, and seeing these two actors live made me want to go back and experience more of the 6th and 8the Doctors.  They were just very nice in how the responded to the audience and the questions.  One fan asked if he could come up and shake their hands, which they allowed him to do.  Another asked if her service dog could come up so the two of them could give her a treat.  Both agreed, and that was one of the highlights of the panel.  Great job from two very talented performers.

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The last panel I attended was part one of the writer’s retreat, which was an excellent panel for someone like me.  I am trying to get my writing off the ground, but don’t really know how to get started.  They had some excellent suggestions.  This panel felt more like a class to me, in a very positive way.  I had my iPad out taking notes, because it wasn’t just for entertainment’s sake that I was there.

Day one ended with me running into an old friend from my missionary days, Audrey.  She was also there solo, and we ran into each other on the vendor floor.  It was great to catch up a little and help her find something for her husband and kids from the con.  That was the most interesting thing about going by myself.  In line, I made friends with the people in font of me, and we bonded immediately, because we were all geeks.  Then I went and met the folks from the Lord of the Laser Sword site (great site, please check it out here) in between a couple of my panels, and hung out with one of them at the Writer’s Retreat panel.  Then I hung out with Audrey for the last little bit.  Going by yourself, as a geek, to one of these conventions, does not mean you won’t find people to hang out with.

Friday Highlights

Friday was with my wife and kids.  With 5 kids, for us that meant no panels, plenty of time at the KidCon and a shortened day.  We went in the afternoon after school was out and the kids had some great costumes, and some great bags to carry their stuff that matched their costumes (future Geek-Craft coming soon).

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The kids loved a lot of what there was to see.  They were mesmerized by the wrestling matches they have going on in the middle of the vendor floor.  They thought the Lego display was amazing, as well as there Lego brick artist that was there with his giant lego figures of Thor and Superman.

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Our youngest spent most of her time just sitting and eating the snacks we brought for her.  That’s the definition of a good day to her.

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They also enjoyed the robots and just seeing all the other people in costume.  The highlight for me, though, came toward the beginning of the day, when we stopped at the KidCon stage and enjoyed an acrobatic show.

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The last half of the show they invited the kids to come up and participate and the loved it.  Kids love to get involved.

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It was a lot of fun.  I will be back tomorrow with a complete review of the Con in a special edition of This Week in Geek.

To Con or Not to Con-With Kids Edition

Looking at the Facebook page for Salt Lake Comic Con, one of the most discussed questions has been whether people should bring their little ones to the Con.  This is a tough question and the responses on the page have ranged from yes, absolutely to don’t do it.  They also offer up a lot of advice of what to do if you bring your kids to make the most of it.  As a father of 5 (yes, I know, that’s a lot), I feel like I might be able to share my two cents here.  You can take this as advice for what you should do, or not.  Really, it is just me telling you what I would do.

To answer the question in the simplest way, I say YES, bring your kids.  I think as geeks and nerds we have a responsibility, if we have successfully reproduced, to bring our kids to these things and begin raising the next generation of geeks and nerds.  Plus, honestly, when you were a kid, was there anything you wanted more than knowing that your parents were into the same stuff you were?  Obviously, Salt Lake Comic Con wants you to bring the little ones, because 2 kids under 10 get in free with a paying adult.  This means we will only have to pay for one of our kids if we bring all 5 (more on that later).  They will have plenty for your kids to see and do, so bring them and enjoy it.  They are welcome.  You will hear people say that kids should not come to cons like this, that they only get in the way.  These people have no souls, so ignore them and move on. (If you are one of these people and you are reading this, I’m sorry.  This post really won’t appeal to you.  Please check out my previous post on Death in Comics. Thank you.)

If you are bringing kids, and you have never been to a con, or to a con with kids, I thought it might be helpful to give you some tips on what to do to make the trip successful.  You are welcome to take this advice and have an awesome con experience that the whole family will cherish for the rest of their lives, or you’re welcome to ignore my advice completely and have an awful experience and never want to go back.  The choice is yours.  Here are my top 5 tips in no particular order:

1. Bring a carrier or stroller, or both. If your child is smallish, like really young, bring a carrier.  I would recommend a backpacking carrier that has a frame.  These offer better support for your back, and you will be able to carry your little one for longer.  If you can, and you are dressing up, make the carrier part of your costume.  For example, you could dress up as Luke training to be a Jedi, and your little one can be dressed as Yoda on your back.  That would be a winner in any cosplay contest.  Whatever kind of carrier you bring, I would suggest having a stroller on hand for when that kid becomes too heavy.  If you bring a stroller, it needs to be an umbrella stroller. They are small and compact and easy to maneuver in tight areas, like the whole vendor hall.  If you decide to bring a bigger stroller, again, try to make it part of your child’s cosplay.  I saw a great little baby Doctor in a TARDIS stroller at FanX.  Genius.  Just be prepared in a larger stroller to have more difficulty getting through the crowds, and you may get some dirty looks, but do what you need to do.  Do not come with nothing for your child.  They will get tired and will eventually not want to walk anymore.  Be prepared for that.

2. Bring cash.  Kids love to spend money, mostly because the money they spend is not theirs, and in return the money turns into something cool, like a painted face.  Bring a set amount of cash, whatever you can budget for, and when it is spent, it’s gone.  This will make it easier to not overspend, but enable you to do a few fun things with the kids.  Plus, if you show them your empty wallet, then they know the money is gone and will stop asking.  As long as they don’t know that you can just use your card (my kids know this, so we still have a battle, but at least I know when we are done).

3. Plan accordingly.  Chances are, your 5-year-old will not want to go to a panel discussing who your favorite Star Trek captain is, or which is better Marvel or DC, or really anything they discuss in the panels.  I know the panels are only 50 minutes long, but if you bring a 5-year-old into a dark room where nothing is happening except grown ups talking to each other, they will last maybe 5 minutes.  Don’t do it.  If you are bringing kids plan to spend most of the time on the vendor floor looking at stuff or going to KidsCon, if they are having it again this time, or just walking around looking at all the cool costumes.  That is the stuff your kids will find interesting, and it will be more enjoyable for you if they enjoy themselves.  If there are panels you want to go see, bring a friend or another parent and tag team.  You go to your panel while the other adult goes around with the kids, then you can switch as needed.

4. Don’t bring kids the whole time.  If you can help it, don’t bring kids the whole time.  Make sure you plan a little time sans kids.  This way, you can enjoy the con the way you want to enjoy the con.  Kids are great, but sometimes it is nice to get away from them for a while.  Going with your spouse or your friends is a great way to escape and enjoy some of the things you just couldn’t without kids.  Hire a babysitter, and for at least part of one day, try it without kids.

5.  Bring snacks.  This is an essential thing to do.  Kids will get hungry or thirsty or whatever.  Come prepared with snacks for them to eat when they are hungry.  Granola bars, or fruit snacks or fruit, any of those are great.  If you don’t do this, then you will be shelling our a lot of dough for food, that chances are your kids won’t eat all of anyway.  Bring water as well.  It will be hot and crowded and just miserable if you don’t have water, and that goes for the kids too.  Bring a couple of empty bottles and fill them up at the drinking fountains.  If you don’t, then again, be prepared to spend a lot for sodas, or spend a lot of time going back and forth to the drinking fountains.

The most important thing is to have fun with your kids.  Point out the cosplay of their favorite characters.  They think that stuff is awesome, and to them it is almost real.  When we went to Fantasy Con in July, my daughter was scared because she saw a Dalek, and thought it was real.  Luckily, Sylvester McCoy was there as one of the guests, so I brought over there and showed her and told her it was fine because the Doctor was here too.  When she saw him, from a distance, she was fine.  She recognized him as the 7th Doctor and knew she would be safe from the Daleks.  It wasn’t pretend to her.  it was real, and that makes a Con like this even more fun.

If you are planning on going next week, look for me, and stop and say hi.  My wife an I will be the ones with one umbrella stroller and 5 kids. They’ll all be in cosplay, more to come on that later.

My Salt Lake Comic Con Wish List

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Salt Lake Comic Con officially kicks off two weeks from tomorrow.  That means it is right around the corner.  It also means that the guest announcements are going to begin coming fast and furious over the remaining 14 days.  Just in the last 2 days, 2 Doctors have been announced, Paul McGann and Colin Baker.  I expect more major announcements coming.  That’s typically how it happens.  This is for a variety of reasons.  One is that it creates a lot of buzz right before the con begins.  Another is that a lot of celebrities can’t really confirm until right before because they have so much going on.  This is a good thing.  I like being surprised when I hear a guest is coming instead of disappointed when I hear a guest is coming, and then can’t at the last-minute.  Whatever the reason, this is the time when the big announcements are made.  Heck, Patrick Stewart wasn’t even announced until the first night of FanX. So if theta one guest you’ve been hoping for hasn’t been announced, just wait.  It could be coming.

Knowing all of this, i began to think about who my dream guests might be.  Who would I love to see show up to one of these?  Who would I love to go listen to for an hour or two?  The list is long, it’s true, but I  narrowed it down to my top 5.  I didn’t want to get greedy, and I fully anticipate that Salt Lake Comic Con is going to read my list and make it happen.  I mean, why not? I’m a fan, a paying customer.  I don’t think bringing in 5 A-list celebrities with short notice is too much to ask.

So, in no particular order, except numerical order of which I would like to see the least of these 5 to the most, here are my top 5:

5. Viggo Mortensen

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I love Lord of the Rings.  I know, that’s a shocker, a geek who likes LOTR.  We’re hard to come by. One of my favorite characters in the film and in the books was Aragorn.  He was just awesome.  Noble, royal, kingly, Jesus-like, there was just a lot to like about him.  That’s not why I want him to come.  I think it would be cool because i have heard he is quirky person, so I think it would be interesting to go to a presentation where he is the speaker.  Plus, I don’t think he does a whole lot of these conventions, so it would be cool if he came here and did ours.  It would also be very cool to hear about his experiences while filming the LOTR films. And about horses.  I hear he loves horses.  I heard that the horse he rode in the films was his own horse, in real life.  And he learned elvish just for this role.  Again, quirky, that would make a great panel or two.

4. Mark Hammil

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I mean, of course every geek out there would like to meet Luke Skywalker.  The whining, teenage moper who eventually became our favorite Jedi, but Hamill has done a lot more in the geek community.  Just think of your image of Joker, pre Heath Ledger.  I bet you’re picturing the Joker from Batman: The Animated Series.  That was Mark Hamill.  He did the voice, and let’s face it, the voice made that character.  He was incredible as the Joker, almost as good as Kevin Conroy was as Batman.  Wait a minute…I’m getting an idea…Mark Hamill/Kevin Conroy: A Batman Super Panel.  They could discuss their work on the series and how awesome it was, and maybe even do a reading for us.  It would be awesome.  I mean, I’m sure Hamill isn’t really doing anything right now…What’s that?  He’s filming a new Star Wars?  Wow. Who knew?

4B.  Mark Hamill’s beard

I know that typically lists like this don’t have extra entries like 4B, but this is my site, so my rules.  Look at that awesome beard he is sporting.  He is totally trying to pull off the older, wiser Jedi look, and it is awesome.  His beard could have its own booth and sign autographs.  I’d buy one.

3. Hugh Jackman

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Salt Lake Comic Con just announced that they would have an exclusive Death of Wolverine variant cover at the con from Marvel.  I think in honor of that, and since Marvel is “really killing off” Wolverine in the comics, we should have Hugh Jackman come.  Mr. Wolverine himself.  I don’t know what is going to happen when he decides to stop being Wolverine, but it will be sad. It would be great to hear his stories about filming each of the 300 X-Men movies he has been in.  He must have a ton of great stories.  Plus, let’s not overlook The Prestige and Van Helsing.  This, of course would be huge.  The biggest problem would be getting his claws past security.  Yeah, I’d like to see security try to stop him.

2. Chris Evans

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This one is mostly for my wife.  She loves Captain America.  She says it is the character, how he is so good and always stands up for the little guy.  She swears it has nothing to do with how dreamy he is.  It’s ok, I’m not jealous.  I have eyes, I can see how dreamy he is.  I loved Winter Soldier.  I thought it was faun film, and a good film.  It would be great to have him here, or anyone from the Avengers.  One of the panels is supposed to be on the Marvel Phase 3, wouldn’t it be great to have some of those actors there?

1. David Tennant/Matt Smith

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Either one, or both would be fine.  This would be great to have them there along with Baker and McGann and have a Doctor Who super panel.  These two are my favorite Doctors, so it would be cool if they came.  I think I would even pay money for their autographs.  If either of these two came, the place would be packed.  If both came, it would be madness.  Plus it would be just in time for Doctor Who’s 51st anniversary…err…

Who would be in your top 5, or is there just one special guest you’re hoping for?  Let us know in the comments below, we would love to hear from you.

Looking Forward to Salt Lake Comic Con

I don’t need a lot of excuses to be excited about the upcoming comic con here in Salt Lake City, especially with the event being only a month away.  It is the highlight of the year for geeks and freaks throughout the Wasatch Front and beyond.  There have been two events this last week that have really got me thinking about the first weekend in September.  One was, of course, the San Diego Comic-Con sending their friendly letter to Salt Lake Comic Con.  I wrote about that in a blog post earlier this week.  The other was Mile High Comics announcing that this year was possibly their last at San Diego Comic-Con (they have since announced that they will, reluctantly, be back for next year).  These two events, I think, are reflective of something going on in our peaceful realm of Geekdom.  I was discussing it with a coworker today.  There seems to be two main strains of geeks.  There is the mainstream geekery and then the actual, legit , geeks.  When I was a kid, there was a much smaller population of mainstream geeks.  It was not cool to like comics or fantasy books or Sci Fi or Star Trek or Star Wars (I mean it was always cool, but not everybody thought it was cool).  Fast forward to today, and that has all changed.  In a lot of ways, I am grateful.  I enjoy the big Summer blockbusters based on comic book characters, and the TV shows and the overall availability of stuff.  But there is a lot of negative that comes with this too.  As things become more mainstream, the more commercialized it becomes.  Now, I am not some anti-commercialism, capitalism person.  I understand that a lot of good comes with that, but it also tends to cheapen the experience for those of us who have been with it for so long.  I don’t think I am explaining myself well, so let me explain what these two examples have to do with what I am saying, and see if that clears it up.

San Diego Comic-Con used to be this weird place where only the geekiest of geeks went to be with other geeks and talk about geeky stuff, mostly comics (go figure!).  The main publishers would come and talk about their major announcements for the next year, but there certainly wasn’t the media exposure there is today.  One might argue that this is true about anything.  There is just more media to provide coverage today than there was before.  But, even taking that into consideration, I don’t think there was the equivalent media coverage that there is today.  SDCC has become a really big deal.  It is not just for comics fans anymore, which is fine.  In the geek world, the more the merrier (even you, Bronies), but SDCC has become the place to unveil any major blockbuster movie and footage whether it has something to do with comics or not.  This has become a major media mecca in the middle of summer.  The added attention is great and assures that it will be around for a while, but it has led to the convention becoming one of these large corporations.  Before I write my next sentence, I don’t want to come off as naive, I understand that every comic con out there, or any other convention, is out there to make money.  They want the geeks to come and spend money. I get that.  San Diego has become only about that.  There is a certain genuineness that seems to be gone now from SDCC, and the letter they sent to Salt Lake is representative of that.  They don’t want other cons moving in on a piece of their pie.  They want their con to be the only con.  Not just a really big comic con in San Diego, but THE comic con.  The whole letter had this feeling of “if you don’t cooperate, then I am going to take my ball and leave.”  I read some comments on the Facebook page of Salt Lake Comic Con of fans warning other fans to not make SDCC angry because they can cause major vendors to boycott our con if they are unhappy.  Other fans mentioned that in the end, all SDCC wanted was not for SLCC to be shut down, but for SLCC and other cons to pay a royalty to SDCC for using their name.  If they agree to do that, then maybe the other cons will be safe from vendors pulling from them and celebrities and so on.  These comments came from fans, not from SDCC themselves, just to be clear.  When I read those things I thought, “isn’t that how the mob works?”  And that made me sad.  I always had a dream to someday go to SDCC, but now, I have lost a lot of my desire to do that.  I kind of don’t want them to get my money, and I hope Dan Farr and company will continue to stand up to them.

The second example of Mile High threatening to pull out of SDCC next year is another representation of how corporate SDCC has become.  The president of Mile High reported that his store lost $10,000 on their trip to San Diego.  That is a pretty expensive vacation where you have to work a lot.  That is an astounding number to me.  By comparison he mentioned that they turned a nice profit at Denver Comic Con (as far as I know their mailbox has been free of any SDCC letters this week), where they had only half the crowd.  What was the difference?  He mentioned it in his newsletter.  They  were competing against the publishers, whose books they push all year-long.  Big houses like DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, etc. are all there and they’re selling their exclusive Comic-con variants.  I hate comic book variants.  There has never been a bigger scam to take your money than the comic book variant, which had its heyday in the 1990s.  The big publishers are there competing against the other vendors, pushing this stuff, and the smaller vendors can’t compete.  This is only going to get worse.  As the demand for it goes up, so will the supply, and it will be harder and harder for local, smaller vendors to make it happen at SDCC. (Not that Mile High is a local, or small vendor, but you get the point)

Why does all of this get me excited for Salt Lake Comic Con?  I feel like right now, SLCC is different.  It is just starting out and is relying on building and keeping a loyal fan base.  They have been successful at doing that as demonstrated by the huge success they had with FanX in April, and the success they are hoping to have again in September.  They will get better, but right now, when you walk the aisles you will find a huge selection of vendors, many of whom are local.  When you go to the panels you will find many panels that have local writers and artists.  I know that most of the people working behind the scenes are real live bona-fide geeks with strong local ties, and they seem to want to represent that in the con.  I love that.  When you visit SLCC it still feels like our own quirky little con.  Someday, with our success, maybe it will outgrow that, but I get the feeling that although they are trying to get this as big as possible, they still want it to be ours.  I am excited for September because it will be three days where I can escape my regular 9-5 job and just be a geek with other geeks.  I hope it stays that way for a long time, regardless of how big it gets.

SDCC vs. SLCC

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Well, another San Diego Comic-Con is in the books.  It was just like every other year.  Major announcements, new footage for upcoming films, plenty of celebrities and lots of cosplay.  Those who attended got to see concept art and footage from numerous upcoming movies and got to hear from panels and stars galore.  It is THE annual geekfest mecca for all lovers of geekdom from around the country.  And apparently, San Diego Comic-Con International believe that they are the only people who can bring you a “comic con.” Legally, at least.  In a move that totally soured the weekend for many fans of geekery here in Utah, SDCC has sent a “cease and desist” letter to Salt Lake Comic Con for using the term “comic con.” San Diego Comic-Con International believes they hold some kind of trademark to the term “comic con” and as such, SLCC is not allowed to use it.  It is a regular David vs. Goliath kind of a thing.  SDCC is the big boy, the granddaddy of all comic cons, I don’t think anyone would argue that, and they don’t like this upstart con in Salt Lake City, and they plan to do something about it.  The problem is, they can’t really do anything about it.  Comic con is a phrase, and it can’t be trademarked.  It’s short for comic convention, and it’s used by numerous cons throughout the country who are not owned by SDCC International.  A similar action to this was taken a few years ago against Denver Comic Con, and SDCC lost.  They probably won’t get anywhere with this action either.  The way I look at it, this has really just accomplished a couple of things:

1. SDCC has been exposed as a bunch of jerks.  I mean, really, there’s no other way to put it.  They feel somehow threatened by this little upstart con, and they are trying to take them out before they become any kind of real threat.  When you think about it, prior to 2013, the two biggest cons on the west coast were SDCC in San Diego, and WonderCon in Anaheim, both put on by SDCC international.  Last September, SLCC burst onto the scene with over 72,000 guests in attendance, making it the largest debut con ever.  In April of 2014, Salt Lake Comic Con was back with a second event, Fan eXperience, or FanX, which attracted 100,000 guests over three days, making it the third largest comic con in the country.  All of a sudden there is a new player in the game, a new kid on the block, and SDCC doesn’t like it.  Normally, the geek crowd is pretty easy-going and pretty accepting, but not if you’re giant corporation that is just milking all these geeks for money.  Then you get upset if someone else might be moving in on your territory.  So what do you do? Try to throw your weight around like a big bully.  Well, if there’s one thing we geeks can’t stand, it’s a bully.  San Diego Comic-Con has revealed itself for what it is.  Just there to take our money, and they’re not sharing.  They sent the letter knowing they have no legal ground to stand on, hoping SLCC would back down and go quietly away.  That’s how bullies operate.  They don’t want to fight anybody, they just want you to be intimidated and go away.  Once someone stands up to them, then they’re through.  I say kudos to Dan Farr and Bryan Brandenburg for standing up to the bully and not backing down, and for recognizing that there is more on the line here than just their own convention.

2.  It has really just been a ton of free press for the Salt Lake Comic Con.  It has hit local and national headlines alike.  The letter was really sent at the perfect time.  SDCC sent it while they were right in the middle of their own convention, when everyone was talking about comic cons in general, there was already a lot of attention on the subject.  Then to find out that this big behemoth is pushing around the little guy, that makes for great news, and people who are interested are going to find it because they are searching the inter webs for news on San Diego Comic-Con.  Really, it could not have worked out better for Salt Lake.  More people are talking about the event than ever before and finding out how large it is, and that it might be a big deal.  Just perfect and Dan Farr and co. have really jumped in front of this and have really harnessed all the press.  This may end up being a huge thing for SLCC, which is just great poetic justice.  I hope it does.

I love the Salt Lake Comic Con and how successful it’s been.  I don’t know if I will ever make it to the big show in San Diego, but I can make it downtown for our show here, and it’s pretty darn good.  The people behind it have worked really hard to make this happen and make it high quality.  It’s nice to see that all that hard work is paying off and that they have gotten the attention of the big con.  I think it really demonstrates that this little con in little ol’ Salt Lake City is actually a big deal.  Maybe in the end, SLCC might be thanking SDCC for all the free advertising.

If you want to see more information on this story, then click here, that will take you to the web site for Salt Lake Comic Con, and their page with all the articles pertaining to this situation as well as the actual letter sent by SDCC.  While you are on the site, check it out, maybe buy tickets and come join us for some great geeky fun.