It’s over.  The first ever Long Beach Comic Con has closed it’s doors until (hopefully) next year.

Ben and I left early on the last day, sometime around noon.  We had gone with plans to see our new friends/artists and attend a few panels, but something wasn’t right with the LBCC — everyone was gone.  I know that Sundays are usually slow at conventions, but this was bad…  Real bad.  All of the artists we went to speak with had decided to leave after Saturday, or maybe they just decided to come late, but all of the name tags had been taken down.  Then, after reviewing the three panels we had meant to attend, we realized that there was a grand chance (based on the previous day) that we wouldn’t see the people we wanted to see.  Ultimately we weighed out our options and decided to get back to San Diego and work, rather then tempt disappointment.  That isn’t meant to be nearly as pessimistic as it sounds, so please don’t confuse our priority management with disdain in any way for LBCC.

I can’t say much for day three, as I wasn’t really there.  So I guess I’ll just give you some feedback on the Comic Convention as a whole.  Ready?

It’s awesome.

I know a lot of Southern Californians are going to be comparing LBCC to the San Diego Comic Con (SDCC), and I don’t think that’s fair.  SDCC is the Comic Con.  Everyone from every where goes to that one, and to be honest: it’s not about comics.  SDCC is about everything media related in POP culture — movies, toys, video games, computer software, television and at times, comic books.  LBCC is different, it’s all about comic books.  Ben and I were able to have complete, uninterupted conversations with several writers and artists that we have admired much of our lives.  You can’t do that at SDCC.  So, off the bat people need to realize that this is not San Diego’s Comic Convention; this is the Long Beach Comic Con and it’s all about comics.

Now, as much as I loved being within arm’s reach of Doug Mahnke, Mark Waid and Jim Lee for most of the time we were there, the downside was the lackluster turnout of fans.  I don’t know if this is due to bad marketing (the ads and marketing campaign looked deceptively similar to SDCC’s), or the fact that panel presentations were not as advertised in the program, but whatever the reason, people just didn’t seem interested in LBCC to the extent that I (and I assume LBCC) had hoped for.  It’s a bummer really, and it kind of explains why SDCC has expanded it’s coverage beyond comics — some geeks just aren’t enough, we need everyone to come out and support.

I think that comic book conventions on an intimate level are great for fans, industry professionals and exhibitors alike, but without fan support they are doomed to fail.  And without solid and cohesive programming, the fans won’t come.  I’m not saying that LBCC is doomed to fail, but I do think they need to deliver on their promises, panels and presentations if they expect positive word of mouth and a higher turnout for next year.

And we really, really hope there is a next year…  This was some of the most fun we almost had at a comic con, ever.

Wishfully, James (and Ben).

PS: Yes, I switched from singular to plural a lot.  I’m sorry, but some of that was from both of us.