Comic-con Part 1 - It begins

Wow, Comic-con, San Diego International Comics Convention. The big cheese, apple, cold pressed ham and supreme pizza of comics in the English speaking world.

Pros in the biz say it's the place to go if you want to get recognised, show the commitment and make the connections to have your career take off, but like Hollywood getting there is only the beginning. This article kicks off a series looking at how to get the most out of Comic-con. Yours truly will play the part of the naïve wannabe starlet, she's done a range of shows in her home town and she's heading off to where the big action is. She's terrified of course, work that seemed quite good a year ago now seems amateurish and lacking substance. She's not sure how she's going to deal with the big crowds and confusion of options, the vastness that seems to overwhelm the most seasoned pro. She knows that she sings alto (writer) and that only sopranos (artists) get to audition (have their portfolio examined and critiqued during the convention).

She's determined to make a good showing, she knows that one convention will not make or break her, but it can lay a foundation stone to a whole new marketplace. She can find out more about how the publishers work, what directions they're heading in and get the ‘on the ground’ feel for who would be a good fit. She can make connections, hand out her own body weight in business cards, form collaborations and find opportunities - get a show that's merely off off Broadway. In the rush, the haze and blurr she might even string coherent sentences together, indeed as a writer it is vital that she string coherent sentences together.

Fortunately she's not going in unarmed. Comics creators and afficionados have given generously of their time, many before this even project even began through panels at Conventions and conversations at the bar. This series of articles must give particular thanks to Nicola Scott , Shane McCarthy and Christian Read . All creators with international publications who have kindly agreed to have their heads mined.

Step 1: Why go to San Diego?

It's a lot of money to travel to the USA for a four day convention and , what's more, to get the most out of it experts say you need to go every year to get the most out of it. Yet more Australians seem to be going all the time, it's where most of the publishers are, it has a much larger marketplace and population size.

Shane McCarthy, who writes humble titles such as TRANSFORMERS puts it best:

“I first went to the San Diego Comicon in 2000 and the experience was unbelievably invaluable. If I'd never made that trip there's no doubt in my mind that I wouldn't be where I am today. From that first visit I made a slew of contacts, managed to get my foot in the door at DC Comics (which eventually led to my first international publication) and started strong, enduring friendships that have paid off both in life and from a professional view point.

Since then I've made the trip every year (all personally financed) and, once again, these experiences have been invaluable. Every year I've made more contacts, more friends and (clearly) managed to gain more work in the industry.

I couldn't think of a better place to visit for any would be writer or artist looking to break into the field.”

The virtual world makes it a lot easier to connect over vast distances, but nothing beats the opportunities face to face conversations can make, especially when there are thousands of people desperate to make an impression. Thanks to the ease of communications the glow of off-shore opportunity doesn't seem to create as much of a brain drain either. People go, they strut their funky stuff, develop the connections and then can come back and enrich the savage hoarde at home with their rich experiences (for example this excellent podcast starring Jason Rand, Nicola Scott, Stuart McKenny and Doug Holgate).

Step 2: The Cash

So you've made the commitment, San Diego is going to happen, but how much to save? What's a good budget? Some people have sold their cars to get over there, some have changed jobs, some apply for grants to offset some of the costs, some have got grants and changed jobs, some budget and save continuously over the year.

A hard number on how much to save would be misleading, but it's a useful process to create your own budget and business case anyway. If you can't be professional with yourself, who can you be professional with? For me it's been a valuable reminder to brush the dust off my ABN and finance database, get my tax done on time and revitalise my project planning and drive. Some factors to consider:

• Costs for flights vary, you can get rough approximations, but travel agents won't know hard figures until seats are released in January. Consider the impact of a very long, budget flight will have on you, ; will it be a fun adventure that will provide you with great material or will it completely exhaust you before the rest of the convention, and makinge a mockery of your investment?. Some people save on the last leg to San Diego by catching the train from there, however some have also vowed never to do so again, stating that it's not worth the small savings. Remember to shop around, I approach travel agents, surf the internet and use Union Shopper to do additional shopping around for me (a handy free service available to most union members in Australia that I forget to use half the time). Hawaiian Airlines can have good specials and China airlines seems to be the cheapest. At the end of the day my travel agent turned out to be an awesome comics artist who has been to Comic-con a bunch of times and was worth his weight in gold (Thanks Frankie).
• Backpackers are cheap, choose far away locales carefully as transport costs may make it a lot more costly, read reviews of convention goers. The convention offers hotel deals, but be quick as they generally sell out within seconds of becoming available. Sound out who else you know is going and see if there's anyone you can share a room with. Establish a clear criteria of what you want and what you are prepared to pay.
• Food at the convention is expensive and lines are slow, everyone seems to recommend packing your own lunch (or at least snacks) and bringing a water bottle, this can keep costs down significantly.
• If you are not going as a buyer you can survive on not much money, as long as you're not much of a drinker either. People who don't eat much have reported on getting through on $20 USD a day.
• If you're working professionally in comics or pop-culture field (eg computer games, roleplaying, film and television) go for professional registration and get free tickets and shorter queues

Further information can be found at:

Comic-con of course!

Comic-con's very own accommodation tips blog

planet715.com/2008Comiccon/comicconsurvivalguide.html

Bimorcomics survival guide and blog

This old, yet relevant guide archived from rec.arts.comics.misc

Random strangers help too... bump into someone with an American accent and chances are they'll have some tips.

Coming up next - making the most of Comic-con, worthy advice from the elders.