Kids Comic Conventions
Lots of comic convention news this week. Conventions are always fun.
San Diego Comic-ConI was fortunate to have purchased one of the last 4-day passes for San Diego Comic Con. These 4-day passes are now completely sold out after being on sale for less than a week. For those not familiar with SDCC, it is the biggest comic convention of the year. It's a great show for those into comics, toys, video games, and people-watching. It's just a ton of fun. Last year, I met many small press creators as I was evaluating various opportunities for comics online. Last year's show was completely sold out too and I actually had to purchase a Saturday ticket on Craigslist. Most likely, 20% of the tickets bought this week were bought by flippers hoping to make a quick buck on the 4-day passes.
Kids Comic Con
Another convention I'll be attending in 2009 is the Kids Comic Con, organized by Alex Simmons. I'm really looking forward to attending this convention in the Bronx on 4/25. Not only will I be showing off Kidjutsu in person at KCC to all the kids that show up at our booth, I also get a chance to talk to some of the top creators and publishers of kids comics. Hopefully, I can prep a video demo in time for the convention. I should be able to bring some freebies and hold some giveaways for those who show up at the convention.
Mark Mariano, the creator of Happyloo will also be debutting at KCC. He's been hard at work preparing his book debut.
I'll also get to spend some time with my family. I'm originally from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.
The Crystal Palace Children's Book Festival
It's not a kids comic convention per se but lots of great British illustrators and writers will be present at the Crystal Palace Children's Book Festival held between 4/24-4/26 at the Upper Norwood Joint Library in London, UK.
The DFC will be represented by some really talented creators like Garen Ewing, Sarah McIntyre, Woodrow Phoenix, Gary Northfield, Emma Vieceli, and Kate Brown.
Kids Read Comics Convention
I just found out about the Kids Read Comics Convention on children's book author Debbie Deisen's blog. Debbie did a great interview with Dan Mishkin who is one of the co-organizers of the event. This event will be held at the Chelsea District Library in Michigan on June 12 and 13.
Their mission statement is very similar to our own kids comics vision statement, but much better written:
Kids love comics. Kids want comics. Kids read comics.
Comics have held a huge appeal for kids and teens since the first Sunday funnies were introduced over a hundred years ago, and they still do today. From kid adventurers to superheroes to cartoon animals, and from humor to westerns to fantasy and more, comics have presented a wide range of stories to capture the imagination.
But changing times (and lots of social, economic and technological factors we won’t go into here) have led to a smaller American comic book industry that tends to focus on an older audience. Comics have grown up, which is great! But that doesn’t have to mean that young readers get left behind. Kids still love comics and want to read them. The key is to get the right comics in their hands.
That was the thinking that prompted a librarian, a cartoonist, a comic book writer and a comic shop owner to put together the Midwest’s first comic book convention for kids and teens, and to found KidsReadComics.org. We want to bring comics back to the kids who love them. And we believe that most kids will love them once they get hold of the kind of comics that were once a staple of every kid’s life. Updated for the twenty-first century, of courseThey've got my support!
