CONNING
CONNING
Back from the Baltimore Comics Con. I flew out from LA on Thursday and met my daughter, Jessica, at the hotel. I hadn’t seen Jessie for awhile and the con was a great way of getting together. We headed out for dinner at one of the Baltimore Inner Harbor restaurants, talked, had a great time, but it was late so it was an early night.
The next morning Jessie and I met for breakfast and headed over to the con. I had purposely decided not to bring any scripts for sale; I simply didn’t want to lug them to the con. All I had on my table was the Heroes Initiative jar. As I started sometime last year, I happily sign five books for free, so if someone doesn’t have money they can still get their signatures, but over 5 books I charge a buck a book, all of which goes directly to the Heroes Initiative, a wonderful comic book organization that everyone should support. Most people dropped money into the jar even if they only had one or two books, which was great. I only had one person who protested the policy and then he made it worse by splitting the books between his two kids and sending them to my table hoping I’d sign them for the kids. Fortunately, kids don’t lie and when I asked them - I knew they were his - they admitted it. He had something like 30-50 books he wanted signed but obviously either didn’t have the money or didn’t want to contribute to the charity. I did sign the five books for him, but that was all. I can’t be tough when it comes to me, but I can be when trying to raise money for charity. I do know some pros charge for their signature. If you’re older and retired I think it’s a great way of making some money, but if you’re working somewhat regularly in the business I think it’s extremely crass. The fans are already supporting you by buying your books and I believe signing a few books is a way of thanking them in turn. To get around the signing of 30 to several hundred books, which some people have brought to me over the years, I work with the charity. That way if a fan wants 300 books signed, then they can donate $295.00 to the Heroes Initiative or the CBLDF or whichever charity you’re backing. Everyone wins.
The only other problem came from someone who brought me multiples of one book to sign. I asked, as I always do, if he was a dealer. He said yes and he admitted he charged his customers extra for the signed books. I said I wouldn’t sign them if he charged customers for my signature. I don’t charge and in my view nobody should be making money off my signature when I’ll happily sign the book free. He asked me to charge him, but that wasn’t acceptable either. As far as I’m concerned he would simply add on that cost to the fan who didn’t know he had gotten the signature free. I have signed for stores who use the books as promos or as a bonus for their pull list-customers, but unless I initiate the deal I don’t sign for those who then gouge the fans who could have gotten the same signature free. He was incensed and actually went to the Heroes Initiative and complained that I cost them a donation. Anyway, those were the only two problems during the entire con. Everyone else was beyond wonderful. So thank you. Two out of several thousand people is pretty good odds.
Baltimore Comics Con is I believe only one of 2 or 3 large cons that are pure comics. No celebrities. No movie/TV or anything else. Only comics, and I think that’s why the con is one of my absolute favorites. Marc Nathan, its head honcho, and his crew, put on a wonderful show year in and year out. It’s large, but not Comic-Con large. You can walk the entire dealer’s room in a short time, but I can guarantee you won’t find another con with more great Golden Age and Silver Age comics anywhere. The fans who come there are all comics fans and they want to talk comics, which I love.
A small group of friends, Jessie and I went out for lunch, then it was back for more signing and walking the dealer’s room. During my water problems the past few weeks we had a flood which destroyed, thankfully, only one long box of comics, and part of my mission at this con was to begin replacing the books that were lost. The dealer’s at the con were incredible and gave me huge discounts which enabled me to replace at least one or two copies of some of those titles. Within a year I should be able to replace most of the books (several people heard from the dealers and offered to help me, but no, I don’t want donations or anything else - I can afford to buy them which is why I’m not even saying here which books they are). But the kindness of those dealers is yet another reason why I so like this con as well as comics fandom in general.
Saturday is the Harvey Awards, named for the great Harvey Kurtzman, and like the better known Eisner’s, they celebrate the best in comics. Or maybe the second best since I’ve never been nominated. (sob sob). Scott Kurtz of P2P was the host and Mark Waid was the main speaker. About 2/3rd through, Jessie went back to her room and after the Harvey’s I went up to what we affectionally call Bar-con, the hotel bar where many of the guests meet and gab for a few hours. I’m not a drinker but I’ll match my Diet Coke with their beers any day. The hotel unfortunately not only closed down the bar at midnight (without any warning) but also chased us all away. I believe many of the people moved on to another hotel but I went up to my room and fell fast asleep.
Sunday began with breakfast, of course, which was a bagel and cream cheese and 19 gallons of coffee. I sloshed to the con and walked the dealers room a bit then made my way to my table and began autographing again. A few hours later one of the Con’s workers (I forgot your name, sorry) came by with sandwiches and sodas for those of us behind tables. That’s another wonderful thing Nathan and his people do at this con; they supply lunches and drinks and several times during the day they come by with snacks. When you’re behind a table time goes by and suddenly it’s late and you haven’t eaten. Marc takes care of that and makes sure his guests are fueled. So thank you.
I was on an 80s panel (despite not being anywhere near the age of 80). Mark Waid moderated, though of course Mark is rarely moderate. On the panel was Tim Truman, Walt & Louise Simonson, John Workman, Matt Wagner and me. The panel seemed to go well. No fist fights, so it was back to the tables and more signing.
That evening Jessie and I went out for dinner. She went back to her room while I went up to Bar-Con and more Diet Coke. Once again they closed it at midnight, but that was fine as I was exhausted. But they learned from the previous night and announced a last call way in advance.
On Monday Jessie and I headed out to Baltimore’s National Aquarium. They were having a Jelly Fish show and I love looking at them. We walked the entire aquarium then had lunch and headed back to the hotel where we got our bags and took off. Jessie headed back to her place in Maryland and I made it back to the airport and my flight home to LA.
All in all it was a great time. As I said, the show was great, and if you haven’t been there before, you need to go next year. For me it’s a great show but mostly a wonderful time because I get to see Jessie. I’ve been to Marc’s show several times and only missed last year because of schedules. If he asks again I’d definitely say yes.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010