Comic-Con 2014 Wrap-Up

July 29th, 2014 by Max Allan Collins

Sunday, the final day of the con, found the dealer’s room surprisingly crowded, considering how many people checked out of their hotels and were gone by noon. Signings and giveaways continued, and the great last minute deals of yore were few and far between. At a major t-shirt booth, a sleazy seller told me they were doing last-day deals, and proceeded to give me the same prices that had pertained throughout the con. Still, there was a feeling of letdown and even sadness on this last day, as if air had gone out of the balloon. My day began with a very good meeting with Nick Landau of Titan over breakfast, with plans for the futures of Quarry, Mike Hammer and others you would be familiar with. I spent most of the day buying books and looking at art, while Nate and Abby got away from the con for lunch with friends, and Barb took the trolley to Mission Valley for shopping, finding some great bargains. My signing at the Hermes booth allowed some hardcore fans to find me (since my usual signing in the autograph area did not happen) and I posed for quite a few pics, including some for an X-Files site where my having written X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE makes me a minor celebrity…emphasis on minor. Hermes Books founder Dan Herman and I spoke about possible book projects.

A few overall observations…lots of foreign languages being spoken on the dealer’s room floor – this really is an international con now; poor people skills run rampant, as attendees do not know how to move effectively in a crowd, stopping mid-aisle to gawk at a booth or to do something with their phone or to take a picture; costumes are almost the rule now, with the con turning into Halloween essentially, meaning those costumes have to be really something to attract attention now (and many of them are and do); lots of older fans and pros are just not part of it anymore, and I see fewer and fewer of my contemporaries and peers. Spotted only a small handful of celebrities. Still, I had a great time, though whether we go back next year is a cliffhanger. This is one expensive experience.

Comic Con 2014
M.A.C. with Hermes Press prez Daniel Herman

Comic Con 2014
Steve Leialoha and Sergio Aragonés at M.A.C.’s signing

Comic Con 2014

Comic Con 2014

Comic Con 2014

Comic Con 2014

Comic Con 2014

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One Response to “Comic-Con 2014 Wrap-Up”

  1. stephen borer says:

    The usual thanks for the reports and the snapshots, and, great to see that Sergio is back attending cons!