Aron Head, whose own blog you can check out here, is providing us on-the-scene reports from Wizard World Texas this weekend in Arlington, Texas.
Sunday at Wizard World Texas was a more relaxed affair than the previous two days. The schedule was light filled with signings and only a handful of panels.The first of two panels I attended was with Laura Vandervoort, TV’s Supergirl. A second degree black belt, Vandervoort’s a friendly sort with a genuine appreciation for her fans. She stated that the genre in which she works is the best because the fans are so supportive and loyal.
When asked what effect the writer’s strike may have on Smallville, she answered that work begins on episode 12 in two weeks and that they have scripts through episode 15. 22 episodes are scheduled for the season.
Ms. Vandervoort reported that her character and Lex will be getting “closer.”
The second panel was with Michael Golden, the artist responsible for Marvel’s first 12 issues of the Micronauts comic that launched in 1979. Golden was teaching a Wizard School class on “Storytelling in the Visual Medium.” A panel with the Big City Comics guys on comics production had just ended. Up on the easel were notes on page rates.
Golden looked over the $100-$200 rate listed for pencillers and contrasted that to his early years in the business.
When Golden started in comics, he was paid $19 per page at DC. He quit to go work at Marvel where they paid $5 more.
Golden led the class through basic storytelling and what he feels are required elements in the visual medium. Basically - who, what, when, where, why - should be set up in the first three panels.
He’s a strong believer in the editorial system, when it’s run appropriately. Too many of today’s editors are fans and see the work through a fan’s eyes. “A fan,” Golden says, “understands the shorthand of comics.” Whereas a true editor understands that you can’t take shortcuts when storytelling.
A fan cited that the writer is the most important person in the generation of comics.
“Wrong,” Golden corrected, “This is a visual medium.”
Another suggested that comics can successfully be produced without writers.
“Ten years of Image comic books prove you wrong,” Golden responded.
When drawing comics, Golden doesn’t imagine himself a filmmaker in a print medium. Rather, he sees himself as a photo journalist, documenting the immediacy of the situation, providing a sense, he said, “of being there in your face.”
Mr. Golden attributes his ability to communicate a scene to his years of experience as a commercial artist and technical illustrator. He doesn’t see much difference between designing instructions to build a child’s toy and drawing a comic book. They both tell a story.
Asked when he had his “Aha!” moment about how-to-tell-a-story, Golden said that it was when he was invited to serve as an editor at DC.
Golden doesn’t consider himself an artist. Fine artists, he explained, work for themselves. Commercial art is art for someone else.
“I barely consider myself a draftsman!” His job, he says, “is to take a picture. I’m a storyteller.”
“Then how do you introduce yourself at cocktail parties?” He was asked.
“The same way Wizard describes me in the convention program,” He answered. “Comics Legend.”
And so he is.
I spoke to a lot of dealers Sunday. Each one of them reported doing bang-up business at WWTX. One even reported that it was his best weekend all year.
I don’t think the guys in Artists Alley had any complaints either. There were long lines all weekend over there.
As I rummaged through the longboxes in the last minutes of the con, a conversation occurred just to my right between a dealer and a member of the Wizard sales team. The Wizard staffer stated that they’re not sure if the con will return to Arlington - or Texas - next year.
“We’re meeting immediately after the show to discuss it,” The sales guy said.
The dealer shared with the WW staffer what every other guy had told me. He had a great sales weekend. “You guys do this again next year,” He said. “I will be here.”
From my own observation, there were fewer dealers this year but more attendees. Bigger pie, fewer dealers with which to share.
WWTX is the biggest comic show to visit Texas this year or any year prior. The other cons we get here are local, regional affairs. They’re nice, but they don’t bring the juice that Wizard does.
True, Wizard World Texas was a bit light on guests this year. For instance, Marvel’s absence was keenly felt. And there was a lot of grousing about WizKids not making the show. Still, everybody I spoke with had a great time.
Myself included.
November 18th, 2007 at 11:03 pm
I have to say, barring SDCC, it was my best show of the year so far. Mid-Ohio-Con is next, and I always do really well at that. But I sold better and did more sketches than I had at any other show.
I think Wizard’s hit the solid base from which to build the show. I hope they have the patience to do so.
–Thom
November 19th, 2007 at 6:30 am
Laura vandervoort
November 19th, 2007 at 8:11 am
Is it just me, or does dude dressed as Superman look just like Eric Powell’s version of Superman from those recent Action Comics issues…?
November 19th, 2007 at 8:16 am
Texas makes sense for a comic book convention based on location and it’s time of year. Why Wizard continues to kill the summer con season is beyond me. I wish they’d they’d lose their east coast shows where they have more competition and let Chicago grow back to what it used to be.
November 19th, 2007 at 8:52 am
I had a great time once again at WWTX. I have been every year since the beginning and while this was the smallest version yet, it was every bit as fun. I really hope Wizard is patient and really helps this become a Texas tradition. Please bring back WWTX next year and for many years to come!
November 19th, 2007 at 9:19 am
I think the Wonder Woman and Superman were also the Green Lanterns in the previous Day 2 blog wrap-up of the WWTX.
November 19th, 2007 at 9:47 am
This was my first convention and i had a blast. I believe superman and wonder woman was also the green lanterns from Saturday and on Friday i believe they were dressed as batman and wonderwoman. Their costumes looked awesome in person.
November 19th, 2007 at 10:53 am
The biggest problem for the WWTX is when it is scheduled. Having it so close to the holiday season is probably not a good idea. A lot of people are saving up for Christmas shopping. Not everyone on their list is a fan of sci-fi/comics. Also, there MUST be a Marvel presence at the show. Marvel is No. 1. Having Marvel there would be a huge draw. I think this could be done if the show was scheduled earlier in the year. August or September would be a much better time for the event. Finally, make sure the guest list has many different ones than the year before. Until this year, the guests pretty much stayed the same. I hope the show stays, if for any reason that the BIG state of Texas should have some BIG comics/sci-fi show.
November 19th, 2007 at 11:19 am
Yeah, the Wonder Woman/Superman were the Green Lanterns from the day before. The guy was also Batman on the first day. Their costumes did look awesome! put my Sandman to shame.
November 19th, 2007 at 12:21 pm
Yeah, no offense to Big City Comics, but they seem like they have their heads in their asses. I was surprised how they could have a “breaking in” panel in Chicago when they didn’t even have books out? I’m kind of sick of small wannabe companies putting on panels and blowing smoke around like they are awesome bigshots and then they won’t even exist next year. Creators should think twice before taking advice from the likes of ANY of those types. Stick to companies that have a track record, like Devils Due, Image, etc.
November 19th, 2007 at 12:49 pm
Have to disagree with “the comics legend”. Writers in this age of comics are more important. Yes, it is a visual medium…but having a talented writer who knows how best to work within the medium makes all the difference in the world. We’re dealing now where less and less people are simply flocking to the hottest new penciller.
Robert Kirkman is the best example off the top of my head. His books at Image have had pencilling changes and not missed a beat. I really like Cory Walker’s pencils, but I think Invincible made him more than he made Invincible.
November 19th, 2007 at 1:56 pm
I hope WWTX returns next year. I look forward to it since it’s always the biggest con in the area.
November 19th, 2007 at 2:04 pm
The wizard staffer we spoke to said the problem was there was a convention in New York (http://www.bigapplecon.com/) at the same time WizardWorld Texas was going on and that is why there was no DC or Marvel presence.
Also, several non local artists in Artist Alley have already signed up for next year.
The problems the show had were
1. moving it back one week - the convention has always been around the 2nd weekend in Nov and moving it back to the 3rd weekend caused a lot of confusion
2. Major construction going on around the convention center. I spoke with several people who said it took an extra hour or two to arrive because of the traffic back up and detours.
3. Table costs. When you hear someone like Scott Kurtz (www.pvponline.com) saying he cant break even, you know there is something wrong.
4. Empty tables in artists alley. Not having guys like Darick Robertson, Buzz, and John Lucas there (missed flights) or people having to leave early (Bill Sienkiewicz)caused the show to have an “empty” feel to it.
I predict next year will be a better year, but Wizard has GOT to get more “names” to the show. Adam Hughes, Frank Cho, Amanda Conner, Neil Adams, etc… need to do more shows than just their local shows.
C’mon comic godz, smile on your children in Texas and send us some of your blessed!
November 19th, 2007 at 3:02 pm
Concerning the issue of our panel an us having our heads up our ass, we simply wanted to give people the perspective of what our experience was moving from a studio to a publisher. We wanted to inform and inspire that’s it.
As a new publisher whose first monthly books hit the shelves on Wednesday, We were simply giving the costs and hurdles that new writers and artists will have to go through. All the information concerning self publishing, printing, the costs for producing books etc., are within our knowledge and I only wish we could have had access to this information when we started. It would have saved us a lot of time and money.
I appreciate the opinion though and hope you enjoy the books.
Jeffrey S, Kaufman Jr. Esq. *
Publisher, Writer and Legal Counsel
Big City Comics, L.L.C.
A Subsidiary of The K.E.L. Companies
151 Wymore Road, Suite 7000
Altamonte Springs, Florida 32714
Active Bar Member: N.Y., MD., TX., CT., MA.
GA., TN., OK, FL., WA., PA., N.C., MI.and MO. http://www.bigcitycs.com
November 19th, 2007 at 3:49 pm
I’ve been to all of the WWT so far. Marvel hasn’t been at one, but they are still having huge books and need to set-up. WizKids was missed also.
The DC panel was informative buy no slide show. Wizard didn’t even have a rep to help set-up or with a spare computer. And Greg Pak even had to set-up his own laptop to the projector for his WWHulk presentation.
There were fewer dealers than before. Are these guys getting hit by ebay and the internet?
Maybe Wizard should move the con to Houston or Austin. There aren’t any more shows in Houston.
November 19th, 2007 at 5:03 pm
I love Michael Golden’s work since I was a wee lad, but I realize more and more, w/some of his actions/statements, that he’s a NUTJOB…
November 19th, 2007 at 7:35 pm
Move it to Houston. Houston is the 4th largest city in the USA. It has the port, Louisiana and San Antonion just down I-10 both ways. The people here (myself included) are starving for a con. If I even knew where to start I’d consider trying to organize one myself. The last one of any size in Houston was Lone Star and that was almost 5 years ago. Dallas is nice and all but you’d do better here. Also get Marvel there. Wine and dine them, whatever. Also I didn’t see any online presence of advertising for this con. I didn’t even realize it was going on until Wed. No banner ads, no articles or press releases. What’s up with that? Thanks to Newsarama and JK Parkin for the rundowns.
November 19th, 2007 at 8:28 pm
I was very shocked by WIzard’s poor maintenance of the show. I didn’t see a single staffer during the Greg Pak Q&A. That’s just ridiculous. I had a lot of fun this year, but it was pretty much all due to the creators that were there, not with what Wizard brought to the show.
November 19th, 2007 at 8:43 pm
I have been to all but the first WWTX. I will say the shows have lost something every year in regards to flash/sparkle.
The panels are usually great..DC was there is this year but they have not had a booth for the last 2. Marvel has not shown up for the last 2 shows either. I will say the guest list is usually pretty awesome. Ethan Van Sciver, Greg Pak, Billy Tan and Arthur Syndum, Michael Lark etc are all doing huge projects. It does suck when people cancel for sure. The DFW is the best area due to the fact other states are closer to Dallas. Houston is to far south for people from other states to travel plus the weather is worse down there(i just moved to DFW trust me I know I can tell the difference) I heard Gabe Shamus tell one of the VIP signers(cant remeber who at this time) this is his favorite show because of the location and the hotel is next to the show so everyone gets to winddown at the end of the year and hang out after the show. I really hope the keep it up and the show is scheduled for 08. Another thing is Wizard has made a lot of changes in their staffing so I think it will have an effect till the new guys get some experience.
November 19th, 2007 at 8:56 pm
One last thing I forgot is the damn lines to get in the doors the first day. They suck and they really suck when you have no clue where to go. All the volunteers earn there paycheck cause they have no clue where to send you. Make some signs hold them up so people know where to go.
IE, Advance ticket line, purhasing tickets, VIP line etc. Or lines for autographs so you not having to ask some freak what line there in.
November 21st, 2007 at 1:38 am
In defense of the volunteers, I don’t think they were told when things changed.
Also, the lines were probably better than could be expected, as Friday is not as busy a day as usual.
The DFW area makes the most sense, as was said before, it’s really the most central area. Easily reached from within Texas as well as neighboring states.
November 21st, 2007 at 8:00 pm
This is the fourth straight year I have been to WWTX and it was better attended than in some years past. However, some of the dealers and exhibitors absences were keenly felt. On the flip side, it was probably the best weekend for some in AA that they have had at the show. Hopefully, Wizard will continue with the show in the DFW area.
November 21st, 2007 at 11:43 pm
agregen me dusta smallville dani-el_krip@hotmail.com
November 25th, 2007 at 2:30 pm
Overall, Wizard World TX 2007 was great. All of the artists were easily accessible and happy to sign whatever you had. Marc Silvestri, Phil Hester and Adam Kubert were particularly nice and friendly, and Dan DiDio is the consumate professional and extremely approachable. I was a little disappointed with meeting Michael Golden. I’m a huge fan of his - however, his “autograph policy” stated he’d only “sign 2 copies per person”….this despite the fact that he rarely ever had more than 4 people in his line. You had to buy one of his prints if you had more than 2 books to get signed. If you had more than 5 you had to buy one of his $30 retrospective hardcover books. It was ridiculous!!! Don’t I get a pass since I bought his comic books to begin with? I had about 10 copies. Is it really that big of a deal to sign those? Hey, Mike!! Remember, the fans helped make you by buying your books in the first place!!!