MCM v Kapow v Bristol v anywhere else. Who's best?

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kevf
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MCM v Kapow v Bristol v anywhere else. Who's best?

Post by kevf »

So, I have managed through my work to miss the three big comics Must-See events of 2011 so far, Kapow in London, Bristol in Bristol, and now MCM Expo in London which, if these photos by Rich are anything to judge by: http://www.bleedingcool.com/2011/05/27/ ... ondon-expo looked marvellous. I also saw shots from the previous night's Eagle Awards which also looked very good.

So, since I am now champing at the bit to get back into the world of comics, I realise I must plan 2012 better and line up the events to go to. I actually have self-published comics printed and ready to sell (and, having found how easy it is to do, should have more better stuff ready by then) plus it can't hurt to raise the profile of my comics education work (Did I mention I'm on BBC Northern Ireland online live at 11am Friday? http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/arts/live/ )

So, what are the relative merits of these three events - or indeed any others I've overlooked - from the point of view of a self-publisher / self-publicist comic creator?

Your thoughts welcomed.

Kev F
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Lew Stringer
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Re: MCM v Kapow v Bristol v anywhere else. Who's best?

Post by Lew Stringer »

I don't think many active members of this forum attend cons for some reason Kev. Of the three you mention I've only been to the Bristol one, and you know what that's like as you used to run it. :D

Having the indie comics in the other hotel for the past two or three years has segregated things a bit but the small press halls were busy this year when I had a stroll through.

Next year at Bristol everything will be back in the "shed" so that should give a better chance for indie creators to reach all the attending fans.

I understand the MCM Expo brings in a lot of new people, if only to see the TV and movie guests, so in theory you stand a better chance of reaching potential new readers.

If you can afford it, have tables at all of 'em!
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kevf
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Re: MCM v Kapow v Bristol v anywhere else. Who's best?

Post by kevf »

On another forum I've just been reminded of Thought Bubble in Leeds in November. I may well make my debut as an exhibitor there. Now to invest in one of they pop-up stands that everyone has these days.

Kev F
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Re: MCM v Kapow v Bristol v anywhere else. Who's best?

Post by felneymike »

I went to MCM on Saturday. It's primarily treated an anime/manga convention which are a bit different. A LOT of cosplay (or "people dressing up as characters" as it was called back in the day) goes on and a great many stalls are related to Japanese comics or else Japanese "things" like plushies (or "stuffed toys of characters" as they were called back in the day), figurines, Japanese magazines, Japanese pop, replica samurai swords etc. For this reason non-Japanese comics (apart from the UK small press!) are fairly unrepresented. I beleive this weekend's was the first time 2000AD has been there, for instance, and their stand was fairly small. I doubt many of the people there will even know what DC Thomson is!
But having said that it does also have a decently-sized (and usually extremely crowded) small press area. Emma Viecelli of Sweatdrop Studios was heavily involved in organising it up until this weekend's one, when she took a break, so it caters well for the small press. Tables are £50 but they sell FAST. That's an absolute bargain for the exposure you get, I've heard 60,000 attendees mentioned and because everythings in one place most of them are bound to wander around the small press area at least once. Mind you if you aren't local travel and hotel costs will go on top of that, and a decently-located hotel will need to be booked well in advance. Apart from MCM this weekend's also had a Rheumatology convention going on in the same place. Plus it's in the middle of London so there will be tourists passing through.
Oh also the small press area is treated as "part of" "comics" and so is not segregated. The area for the comic panels is right next to one corner of it, and the larger professional comic companies tend to "surround" it (such as 2000AD, Self Made Hero and, until recently, Tokyopop).

I haven't been to Bristol since 2006 or 7, and I beleive the small press is now in seperate location. The two times I went I wasn't even aware there was another location! (I think it's the convention space of the official hotel) The dedicated will come looking but the average browser might not.

There is also a seperate Bristol Small Press Expo, which is a two-day one dedicated entirely to the small press. You can book a table for only one day though. They've also launched a one-day spinoff in London as a replacement for the now-defunct "Thing". The site for both is http://www.spexpo.co.uk/

There's also a convention in Birmingham called BICS that has some small press space but I don't think it happens every year.

Whichever one you go to (and plenty more craft/comic/goth events besides!) there's bound to be a girl called Jenika Ioffreda there, buy her stuff because it's good.

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Re: MCM v Kapow v Bristol v anywhere else. Who's best?

Post by Lew Stringer »

felneymike wrote: I haven't been to Bristol since 2006 or 7, and I beleive the small press is now in seperate location. The two times I went I wasn't even aware there was another location! (I think it's the convention space of the official hotel) The dedicated will come looking but the average browser might not.

There is also a seperate Bristol Small Press Expo, which is a two-day one dedicated entirely to the small press. You can book a table for only one day though. They've also launched a one-day spinoff in London as a replacement for the now-defunct "Thing". The site for both is http://www.spexpo.co.uk/
The Bristol Small Press Expo and the Bristol Comics Expo are part of the same event Mike. They've been segregated for the past two or three years to take place in two hotels but they're within easy walking distance of each other. Next year they'll both be in the "shed" next to the Temple Meads station where they used to be, with interviews at the Ramada.
felneymike wrote:There's also a convention in Birmingham called BICS that has some small press space but I don't think it happens every year.
It's been running for a few years. (One of the organizers, Shane, usually plugs it here.) This year they're replacing it with two separate events; one in June, one in August, both in Birmingham. Details here:

http://www.comicslaunchpad.com/comicsla ... /home.html

http://www.thecomicsshow.co.uk/2011BC/index.html

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Re: MCM v Kapow v Bristol v anywhere else. Who's best?

Post by felneymike »

Ah OK. I thought the Fallen Angel had started the Bristol SP Expo in response to the shrinking of the Small Press space at the 'real' Bristol convention. I didn't know it was the Small Press space (and by being a 'seperate' convention is probably actually a lot bigger XD)

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