can anyone recommend a good comic con to get noticed at

nicolo

want to shop my portfolio out to some name companies etc. can anyone recommend a convention somewhere in Europe that would have folk from like dc/marvel and maybe like 2000 ad there but that wouldn't involve mile long queues. failing that any cons they'd be at would be cool. thanks!

ztoical

nicolo wrote:

want to shop my portfolio out to some name companies etc. can anyone recommend a convention somewhere in Europe that would have folk from like dc/marvel and maybe like 2000 ad there but that wouldn't involve mile long queues. failing that any cons they'd be at would be cool. thanks!

The biggest comic con in europe, actually one the biggest in the world is the Angouleme international comics festival in france but that is a show that is about the art of comics and it would creators/artists that would be the focus not editors/dealer tables.

The biggest mainstream dealer type con near here would be bristol were you might get some editors from the british publications wandering around but really at cons you don't want to be carrying a portiflio around and trying to get people to stop and look at it.

If your serious about it you will invest in a table and work the con - it takes some work but after going to a couple you get to know people and make contacts and know who are the people you need to give copies of your work to. Most of the people who can give you work are just wandering around the floor - any shows that have tables were people are offering to look at your portfilios are a waste of time.

The comic book industry in mainland europe is totally different to america and the con's there have a totally different focus so if marvel/dc is the direction you are going then you need to head states side for one of the small press cons. Big cons like wizard or San diego are great fun but you actually stand a better chance getting noticed at a show thats just small press.

MoCCA is by far the best. Most of the big DC and marvel editors just wander around the talk to people and if you've got a copy of your comic just hand it to them [make sure you've got contact info on it, ive had editors from ever major publisher stress that to me] I know a couple of those guys and they are good for looking through everything they got after the con.

The other big east cost con is SPX but most of the people who hit that one also hit MoCCA so if your not living on the east coast its a big expense to hit them both.

SPACE in ohio is good, as is the Stumptown comics fest which dark horse are big at, i had one of their top editors stop at my table and chat to me for ages and got some great advice [and again contact info was stressed]

The big west coast con [not counting san diego] is APE in san fran which is run by the same crowd who run san diego. I should link all these for you but im actually running out the door so i'll do it later but if google them you'll get im.

some of these con's are pricey [tables at mocca start from 250 up] and most of the time you aim to break even but its about taking to people and making contacts not money - if you want to make money hit an artists alley at an anime con. I could link dozens more smaller con's if your interested.

I post a thread about a small press con coming up in london which might be a good place to start and get some expirence running a table and treading.

ztoical

was just thinking about post and should actually point out that the best way to actaully get noticed and hired is to submit work to anthologies.

Raina Telgemeier who does the babysitters club graphic novels for scholastic got that gig directly from haveing a strip in the friends of lulu's anthology that an editor from scholastic saw. The SPX anthology sadly seems to be gone [thanks to the thing we don't mention] but top shelf are determined to keep printing at least one a year and the mome anthology was the big hit of the con scene last year. My friend is doing a strip for flight after giving his work to the editors at the stumptown con - Kazu who edits flight really stresses having a net presence ie website that updates/sketch blog - as the way he finds people he wants to work with.

nicolo

thanks! im thinking of going the post route too i think, im absolutely broke so buying a table to hop work out froms not lookin to likely.but cheers!

ztoical

nicolo wrote:

thanks! im thinking of going the post route too i think, im absolutely broke so buying a table to hop work out froms not lookin to likely.but cheers!

just a heads up DC and Marvel don't do unsolictated submissions so theres little point in posting them a big submission pack. A postcard with your best artwork and a link to a website is the better bet to get an art director or editor to look at your work. Make up at least three different postcards and send them at least a month apart.

Also the way i afford cons is that i share the table with several friends and we split the cost so a table that might have cost 300 only ends costing me 30 and its only the really big cons like mocca or spx that are really pricey, ones like SPACE, stumptown or even APE are alot more affordable and you can also just buy a half table at most of these cons.