Three Outstanding Days at Connecticut ComiCONN 2014!

Connecticut ComiCONN 2014

August 15th -17th at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, CT

 I really fell in love with ComiCONN this year. The great single day event bursting with potential that my husband and I have enjoyed attending the last 2 years (at the Trumbull Marriott) has become an truly excellent show in its 5th year - with a much need move to a larger venue at Webster Arena and a surprisingly wise expansion to 3 days. And while it grew enough to give attendees, exhibitors, and guests a bit more physical breathing room - it in no way lost sight of it core - a real love of comics and the opportunity for fans to meet and thank some of the most influential artists and creators in the business. It's no easy feat to expand something, add a full slate of panels, triple the guest talent, and still have an event seem somewhat relaxed and intimate - but Mitch Hallock and his team at ComiCONN managed pulled it off wonderfully. Excelsior!

And now the photos...

S.H.I.E.L.D. Surplus is quite common after the event of the Winter Soldier.

Nolan Batman Trilogy Tumbler Replica

'V' Costuming Group

 A few faves from the terrific Cosplay this year.

Old School Green Arrow - New School Arrow

Jaycee Cosplay

 Guest Cosplay artist ECHO Endless as Wonder Woman

Teeny Foxx and Echo Endless as FF Medusa and She-Hulk

Just a small part of the always bustling Comic Artist and Writer guest rows.
Sure there were a few long lines (mostly on Saturday - and honestly nothing compared to lines at NYCC) but fans waited happily to meet some serious icons of comic creation.

The Art Haul - my favorite part! So many great artists - so hard to stay within budget.
Still regretting things not obtained.

 Captain America Sketch by the Jerry Ordway (Our first commission sketch!)

A great dynamic Cap print by Frank McLaughlin

Quintessential Iron Man art by Bob Layton

 Cap, The Bat, and The Cat prints by Billy Tucci

Three prints by Neal Adams
That iconic GL/GA cover print is signed by both Adams and Denny O'Neil.

I always make a point to try something new and/or indie produced!
This time Casey Caracciolo's cool animated style Rocket & Groot print led me to also grab
his original fantasy novel The Shadow of the Gauntlet. More info at Scargen.com

I love ModHero and never pass up the chance to grab some of the glossy prints Josh brings to shows -
they really make his vibrant minimalist style sing.  You can always find ModHero Stuff @Society6 though - still great quality prints - just not as...Shiny!


 The nicely curated presence of Celebrity Guests is another great thing about ComiCONN.
Guests are well chosen and compliment, rather than overshadow, the Comic guests. All 3 guests we made a point of meeting were super gracious - willing to spend time chatting with every fan and taking photos. And it was easy to note throughout the weekend that other attendees got the same kind of experience with the rest of the guest line-up which included Ray Park, Brian O'Halloran, and several of the guys from Comic Book Men.

Greatest American Hero William Katt and BTVS's Nicholas Brendon

The Marvel Cinematic Universe's Agent Jasper Sitwell - Maximiliano Hernandez
 Such a nice guy - super great with the kids and families that filled his line - hard to believe he was HYDRA all along! :)

The always exciting Panel Pics!
Which are actually kind of important - because we rarely do panels at the big NYCC show (unless we now someone on the panel that guests us in) it generally means wasting a good portion of the day waiting in a line. And these were teriffic panels - especially if you love comic book history and enjoy hearing great stories from the guys who lived it.

José Luis García-López, Frank McLaughlin, Paul Kupperberg, Denny O'Neil, and Bob Layton
shared thrilling tales of cheap publishers and creative freedom at The Charleton Comics Panel.
Charlton Comics was based in Derby, CT - and an incredible array of comics top talent worked there over the years. Recognizing and drawing on Connecticut's close ties to the Comic Business is one of the things that helps really make ComiCONN so special.

Arlen Schumer's entertaining and super enlightening Art and Comic Book Art History Panel.
Essentially the live version of his book The Silver Age of Comic Book Art.
The revised edition is coming this fall in time for New York Comic Com.
Absolutely getting a copy! All the details at ArlenSchumer.com

The Writing for Comics Panel - inspiring advice, and of course more humorous
comic biz stories, from industry giants Denny O'Neil and Danny Fingeroth. 

See you at ComiCONN 2015!

ComicCONN August 24, 2013 - Time Enough for The Flash

Saturday August 24th in Trumbull, CT.

Some belated, but well deserved, love for Connecticut ComiCONN 2013.

I almost skipped posting about ComiCONN this year because we could only attend for a few hours
first thing in the morning (due to combined calender management fail by both me and my husband).
But we had the best time in those 2 hours - chatting with longtime fave Bill Walko, getting a signed  
Avengers print from Mark Bagley, discovering some fantastic new Star Wars fanart by Herofied,
and oh yeah - we met John Wesley Ship - The Flash! That's a lot to cram into 2 hours - you can
spend that much time just navigating the floor or waiting in line for one artist at a Big Con - and that's
 exactly why this quickly growing 1-Day Con with a perfect blend of comic focused veteran talent, along
with new and independent creators as guests, is a great show worth recommending to any Comic fan.

Simple and effective Doc Ock Cosplay enhanced by the right attitude.

It seems we missed a lot of the Cosplay - a contest was held later
in the afternoon - The CT Post has a photo gallery here.

The Local 501st

The groovy 60's Batmobile was on display.
 along with some impressive fan made Star Wars replicas.

Fan built Landspeeder Replica - complete with Star Wars Princesses.

Bad  Motivator

Bat Vehicles

Main Vendor Room

Official Con T-shirt (art by Mitchell Hallock) and Program (cover by Billy Tucci).

Impossible to have too much Avengers art! Signed by Mark Bagley

Faves by Bill Walko

New Star Wars art to love by Rob Taylor - even more prints available@Herofied

The Flash - John Wesley Shipp - who was just an awesomely genuine guy.
Since we were going so early - I thought we might miss him - but it all worked out for the best!

Even if I did have a rare gushing fangirl moment.

I really wish we had more time - here's to much better planning next year!

Connecticut ComiCONN 2012

The 3rd Annual Connecticut ComiCONN was held on Saturday Aug 18th at the Trumbull Marriott. 

This was super one-day show with the love of Comics clearly at its center. It featured a solid variety of 

guests - from veteran DC & Marvel talent to indie artists and current web comic creators. Creators like 

Jerry Ordway, Peter David, Billy Tucci, Bill Walko, and many others were all available to chat and sign 

items in an approachable setting despite an unexpectedly busy turnout of around 3500. There was also a large Vendor Room packed with a great selection of back issues, as well as Superhero and Sci-Fi related toys, statues, and other collectibles. Additional activities included a Lightsaber Demo and a Band.

Comics are kind of the missing piece at our other big geek event ConnectiCon (which tends to focus more on Anime/Manga Fans and Gamers) - and I think the surprise attendance here reflected not only the local need for a show like this but the broader interest in Comics generated by the amazing success of this summer's Avengers, Spider-Man, and Batman movies. I came away feeling this is a show with great potential - I'd like to see some panels added (apparently this was planned - but prevented by issues with renovation at this years location) and maybe a Costume Contest to help establish the event as a whole day experience. 

And yes...they're going to need a bigger venue.

I picked up several fantastic prints from next-gen artists Chris Uminga and Chrissie Zullo, 

as well the Show Exclusive Avengers print done by Paul Shipper

The Avengers by Paul Shipper

There were many attendees (including a lot of families and kids) in costume - but the Cosplay highlight
was this incredibly well crafted Trio featuring a pair of Gargoyles and their Keeper.
 The detail and costume textures were fantastic...and they truly posed stone still.

The Cosplay Troupe Intent 2 Sell Films and the 501st CT Garrison were on hand to provide
a great walk around character presence - kind of like what you find at a Renaissance Faire.
It was an excellent idea - they posed for pictures with kids, promoted the art form, and
helped create an encouraging atmosphere for attendees to come in costume as well.

 

Photos of  I2SF and the 501st at the Show.

It was my first time attending this show, it had a great friendly vibe despite the surprising crowd,
I got some fresh art, and I'm really looking forward to next year and seeing how it grows.

Visit ComiConn.com or the Facebook Page for updates on the next show.