Spring Break
Coconuts and the Con
Scott Dennis
Issue date: 8/6/08 Section: Forum
According to unreliable sources, Comic-Con may be the greatest annual event of all time (after Christmas and Talk Like a Pirate Day).
The Con, as it is sometimes called, has been referred to as the "coconut pie" of comic book/movie/video game conventions - coconut pie, of course, being the most scrumptious of all fibrous drupe-based pies. The event brings people of all classes and creeds together to celebrate the merriment-filled "Wonder Ball" that is the entertainment industry.
The eclectic range of companies and participants who attend the convention is reflected in the variety of costumed figures that can be seen at the Con. Viewing brief clips of the goings-on, I've seen an ANBU agent from the television show "Naruto," a couple of storm troopers, Davy Jones and a slightly menacing Sweeney Todd (how did he get into the facility with that razor?).
Perhaps the greatest thing about the San Diego Comic-Con is that it provides an extremely popular venue for businesses large and small to peddle their prize products. This is especially significant for the talented but under-appreciated comic artists who excel at their craft, but lack the money and resources to market their works as widely as major corporations like Marvel or Disney.
These artists and storytellers are often one or two-man operations, creating stories to entertain both themselves and the audience.
Free of any sort of executive oversight or interference, they are able to make their works as quirky or as personal as they want. At a recent Comic-Con, members of one comic book team told of how they had always liked stories featuring robots or zombies, so they created a comic book to bring the two together.
The end result was "Zombies vs. Robots," a fascinating comic book by the Eisner Award-nominated team of Ashley Wood and Chris Ryall. The team was able to get word out about its unique creation by appealing to people's common desire to see armed robots fight off the undead.
The Con, as it is sometimes called, has been referred to as the "coconut pie" of comic book/movie/video game conventions - coconut pie, of course, being the most scrumptious of all fibrous drupe-based pies. The event brings people of all classes and creeds together to celebrate the merriment-filled "Wonder Ball" that is the entertainment industry.
The eclectic range of companies and participants who attend the convention is reflected in the variety of costumed figures that can be seen at the Con. Viewing brief clips of the goings-on, I've seen an ANBU agent from the television show "Naruto," a couple of storm troopers, Davy Jones and a slightly menacing Sweeney Todd (how did he get into the facility with that razor?).
Perhaps the greatest thing about the San Diego Comic-Con is that it provides an extremely popular venue for businesses large and small to peddle their prize products. This is especially significant for the talented but under-appreciated comic artists who excel at their craft, but lack the money and resources to market their works as widely as major corporations like Marvel or Disney.
These artists and storytellers are often one or two-man operations, creating stories to entertain both themselves and the audience.
Free of any sort of executive oversight or interference, they are able to make their works as quirky or as personal as they want. At a recent Comic-Con, members of one comic book team told of how they had always liked stories featuring robots or zombies, so they created a comic book to bring the two together.
The end result was "Zombies vs. Robots," a fascinating comic book by the Eisner Award-nominated team of Ashley Wood and Chris Ryall. The team was able to get word out about its unique creation by appealing to people's common desire to see armed robots fight off the undead.
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