Sub-Con

LegacyUser

the Shades

It's a poor man's Dublin City Comic Con really isn't it? There's like 3 decent guests.

bombidol

Dunno, could be fun. Just looks like a self promotional tool to me for Rob. Bob Byrne would definatly be a bigger name than Rob but for some reason hes lashed in as an after thought there. Will head along anyway and support the con of course.

the Shades

Some reason or unbridled ego? You decide

Fysh

From what I see advertised (ie on the poster and the myspace page), there's no reason for me to turn up here.

When you subtract the "guests" there's not a lot there for me to give a rat's arse about. Much the same as the Dublin City Comic Con, in fact. If I don't want to get my comics signed by the guests, or try and sell my own comics to people, where's the incentive for me to spend a tenner?

That being said, I do hope it's a fun day for everyone who goes to it.

ztoical

This is on the same weekend as the stumptown comics festival and I just realised the dublin con in november is on the same weekend as the lancaster comic con so guess I'll be skipping both dublin events. Plus the birmingham show is on the same weekend as SPX.....why are all the cons on at the same bloody times!!

Saruwatari

I'll probably check this out, even if just to pick up some The Cryptics issues that Niles wrote (and Ben Roman, a favourite artist of mine illustrated).

carl martin

Fysh wrote:

From what I see advertised (ie on the poster and the myspace page), there's no reason for me to turn up here.

When you subtract the "guests" there's not a lot there for me to give a rat's arse about. Much the same as the Dublin City Comic Con, in fact. If I don't want to get my comics signed by the guests, or try and sell my own comics to people, where's the incentive for me to spend a tenner?

That being said, I do hope it's a fun day for everyone who goes to it.

Ah sure, isn't this like sayin' what's the point of goin' to a rugby match when if you subtract the players, all you're left with is the ball?

Either way, I'm looking forward to both of these cons.

Fysh

carl martin wrote:

Ah sure, isn't this like sayin' what's the point of goin' to a rugby match when if you subtract the players, all you're left with is the ball?

Well, no, not really. I can enjoy Steve Niles' (or whoever else's) comics just as well without meeting him or getting his autograph, and if the event is primarily focused on having a few high-profile guests and a few indie-folks selling their wares then it's not interesting enough for me to bother heading up to Dublin for. In fairness, I've said the same thing about the con in November as well, and it's not a case of dismissing the con so much as pointing out their target audience.

There are, in all probability, plenty of people who will go along and enjoy getting their books signed and listening to the Q&A session and whatnot. And that's good. But that doesn't interest me; certainly not enough to travel from Cork and back again. If there were other aspects to the event (like discussion panels on specific topics or artist challenges) then I might be interested, but as it is I'm not, and it's a funny reflection on the Dublin cons in particular and Irish comics fandom in general that whenever this opinion has been voiced on here whether it's by myself or other people, we get attacked for it as if we're anti-comics.

I hope people going to Sub-con enjoy it, because I know that organising something like this is a lot of work. It's not for me, so I won't be going. I reckon that's a better option all round than me turning up and bitching about it.

Uncle Spunk

Neh, Still don't see the attraction of meeting a comic writer. Big wow. Is Talbot not the biggest name appearing no? I think artists are way more appealing and gratifying for the fans.

Full bar though.

Fysh

Re: the writer stuff - yeah, I know exactly what you mean, but there are a few writers around whose fans seem to get worryingly excited about meeting them (Warren Ellis, for one). Without being dismissive of what the writers do, in terms of meeting them at a con at least an artist can, if you catch them at the right time, give you a quick sketch or something. Writer's can't really dash off a short story for you. (Although I'm still irrationally delighted by having had Mark Millar sign a printed copy of the Nextwave #11 cover with the "Mark Millar Licks Goats" sign ).

The bar angle ought to be fun though, especially if all the guests can be roped into staying for a session

pokerjoker

has anybody read alice in sunderland thinking of picking it up
looks interesting

ztoical

pokerjoker wrote:

has anybody read alice in sunderland thinking of picking it up
looks interesting

I enjoyed it but if i had to rec any of talbots work I'd be saying pick up the tale of one bad rat.

bryan philips

Tale Of One Bad Rat is amazing! I meet Bryan last year at the Bristol con he's a really nice bloke looking forward to meeting him again in November.

Fysh

I've only read Talbot's Chester P Hackenbrush stuff, but Luther Arkwright and Tale Of One Bad Rat are both on my list of things to pick up. I'm interested in Alice In Sunderland, but would like to have a look at it before I buy it...

bryan philips

Uncle Spunk wrote:

Neh, Still don't see the attraction of meeting a comic writer. Big wow. Is Talbot not the biggest name appearing no? I think artists are way more appealing and gratifying for the fans.

Full bar though.

Don't really understand this type of attitude. For me, the writing on a comic is paramount. It's an nice extra if you get good art but I certainly would not buy a comic just for the art if the story was dire. Looking at at the top selling comics and the names associated with them like Grant Morrision, Garth Ennis, Ed Brubaker, Alan Moore to name but a few I presume I'm not alone in this opinion.

Fysh

bryan philips wrote:

Don't really understand this type of attitude. For me, the writing on a comic is paramount. It's an nice extra if you get good art but I certainly would not buy a comic just for the art if the story was dire. Looking at at the top selling comics and the names associated with them like Grant Morrision, Garth Ennis, Ed Brubaker, Alan Moore to name but a few I presume I'm not alone in this opinion.

You're not alone in wanting, nay, demanding a certain level of writing ability (whether it be of a whimsical/comedic nature or something more serious) but I think you're confusing two different things : what people look for in a comic, and what people look for in a convention.

I can't think of any comic I've read where the writing didn't appeal to me in some way, and I'm generally prefer good writing hampered by poor art (such as stickmen comics, etc) over fantastic artwork with crap writing.

However. There's not a lot of appeal to actually meeting the writers themselves unless you get to spend a decent time talking to them - they're hardly going to write a short story just for you, which means that for other than fanboy gushing/autograph-seekers, there's not much appeal to having them.

Artists, on the other hand, can dash off a quick sketch for you (if you're lucky and they're in the mood) and provide a much more immediate reward. They're more entertaining to watch because they work with visuals.

I think this is what Bob's getting at, and I have to say I agree.

bryan philips

I guess we will have to disagree on that point. I like to meet creators whether they be writers or artists. I have only been reading comics for a couple of years now and got into them through the adaption of Clive Barker's Thief of Always novel.

I have met my two favorite authors, Clive Barker and Stephen King a couple of times over the years and it has been very gratifing and I recently met Neil Gaiman a couple of years ago at a talk he did at RTE studos and again it was a very pleasurable experience, and not a sketch in sight! And, unlike meeting an artist you do get to talk to them because you're not standing in a queue for three hours.

Although I might take you up on your idea of asking the next writer I meet to do me off a quick short story!

ztoical

bryan philips wrote:

And, unlike meeting an artist you do get to talk to them because you're not standing in a queue for three hours.

Well if we are taking about meeting creators at comic cons you would be queueing wither they are an artists or a writer.....thats why con signings don't do much for me, and that goes for both artists and writers....you queue up with your plastic coverd books, have them sign it, if its not to busy you get a quick word and then make way for the next person, comic goes back in the plastic bag, prob never to be read again for fear of it losing it collectablity.

I think thats why I've moved more and more away from mainstream books in recent years - it became more about the value of a book rather then about the art/writing. books that are written-by-comittee, brightly coloured, with people shouting "noooo!" at the sky* just don't do it for me anymore....as fysh said somewhere else in this thread this opinion seems to not translate across a fourm at all cus it keeps getting taken up as "i don't like comics" when thats not the case at all, I just get confused at the super super focus in ireland [and the uk] towards mainstream superhero books when france is closer then america and produces more comics, and at much higher quality [art wise for me at least]. I can pick up english translations of alot of french books in new york but can't get a one here? With the EU it would be cheaper to import them then american books.

Thanks to this wonderful internet thing, most artists/writers have their own websites and if I pick up a comic and like the work, I usually check for a website and send them an email. I've yet to have someone not email back and I honestly got more out of that then queueing for hours for a quick hello and signature.

Workshops are good, but few cons do them as its less people for a longer time.

*What has IT done anyway?

Fysh

It depends on the circumstances I suppose. I'm basing my idea on last years Dublin City Comic Con, where the number of people looking to get things signed meant that most people got about 2-3 minutes tops to talk to them (not a criticism of the con by any chance, since it meant that as many people as possible could get autographs and so on); I got a tiny chat with Mark Millar and a bit more chat with Adi Granov (well, I say chat, it was mostly me gushing about how much I liked his artwork on the Extremis storyline in Iron Man).

If I'd been able to talk to either of them at greater length, I might have been able to have a more interesting chat with Millar (or, in all probability, made myself look like a complete knob while doing so). But I didnt, so the only reason I remember meeting Millar at all was the Nextwave 11 cover signature I mentioned earlier.

So in that context I'd say artists are more interesting to meet than writers. If you've got a chance to stop by and talk to them (ie they're at a booth promoting their current book or what have you) then you'll probably get a better chance to actually yap away to them, in which case I guess it would be evenly split depending on personal preference.

I have to ask - did you slap Stephen King on behalf of everyone who's trudged through his recent crappy writing?

5x5

As Y: The Last Man is my all-time favourite comic, I'll be going for Pia Guerra alone!

Though, as its not like the Irish comic biz is booming, I'm glad to go anyway to lend my support to the launch of Atomic Rocket Group 66!:)

bryan philips

5x5 wrote:

Though, as its not like the Irish comic biz is booming, I'm glad to go anyway to lend my support to the launch of Atomic Rocket Group 66!:)

I got a chance to read an early copy of the Atomic Rocket Group 66 and have to say I realy enjoyed it! Never read the Freak Show stuff but will give it a go on the strenght of this.

Saruwatari

Great job today lads, was better than I expected. D'you do a SubCon annually or what?
Also, does anyone have any photos from the event, or perhaps know the dude who went around taking a lot with his camera, eh?

Demonique

Fysh wrote:

It depends on the circumstances I suppose. I'm basing my idea on last years Dublin City Comic Con, where the number of people looking to get things signed meant that most people got about 2-3 minutes tops to talk to them (not a criticism of the con by any chance, since it meant that as many people as possible could get autographs and so on); I got a tiny chat with Mark Millar and a bit more chat with Adi Granov (well, I say chat, it was mostly me gushing about how much I liked his artwork on the Extremis storyline in Iron Man).

2-3 minutes tops? Well, that's 4 to 6 times longer than the time to get to speak to the guests at a Creation convention. You're just shoved through

bryan philips

Great day on Saturday well done! Wasn't sure what to expect but it seemed to go really well. Thought the talks were great especially Bryan Talbot and Steve Niles.

thumbninja

Mr. talbot was quite friendly. Pia and her hubby were absolutly lovely
and she did me a lovely picture of Yorick