Dayfree Press creators Theater Hopper and Nothing Nice to Say will be making an appearance on Artist’s Alley at Wizard World Chicago. The event is being held this Thursday, August 4 to Sunday, August 7 at the Rosemont Convention Center in Chicago, Illinois.
In addition to appearing together, Theater Hopper and Nothing Nice to Say have joined forces with Webcomics at Wizard World – an informal coalition of web comic creators who have organized their presence at Wizard World Chicago so that all their tables are in immediate proximity. The group hopes to help promote each other and call attention to the genre of web comics in an environment typically reserved for traditional print publications.
Wait, wait, wait. Isn’t this the show webcomics are supposed to be boycotting?
I thought that was Wizard World Atlanta?
Hell, it might be. I can’t keep’em straight anymore. *DUH*
It’s WWA, although I’m strongly considering boycotting *all* WW shows over this. Wouldn’t make much difference this year, but next year…
Sam’s right. Wizard World Atlanta is the show that Scott Kurtz called for all professionals to boycott. It’s scheduled for the same weekend as a smaller, longer running Hero’s Con in Charlotte, NC. Kurtz’s rant can be found here:
http://www.pvponline.com/newspro/archives/arc6-2005.html
Unfortunately, our money has already been sent to Wizard World Chicago *months* before this proposed boycott. So backing out now would only mean that they get our money and we get no exposure.
The larger issue, however, is that not all creators can afford to take their cues from Kurtz’s moral outrage. While I personally find the Atlanta/Charlotte situation somewhat shady on Wizard World’s part, I believe that Heroes Con can recover and that there will always be an audience for smaller, more intimate cons where the creators and the fans are given the special care they deserve.
For someone in my situation, attendance at Wizard World Chicago is the most exposure I get all year. Living in Iowa, it is a drivable distance for me. I do not incur the loss of finances from purchasing airfare, so it also makes it very affordable. The San Diego Comic Con, for example, is a show I could never afford to attend even as a fan, much less a creator.
I make a point to show at smaller, locally run conventions like Des Moines’ I-Con, Minneapolis’ FallCon and Kansas City’s Planet Comicon. But as well as I am treated when I attend – even combined they do not match what Wizard World can provide in terms of exposure.
I think an all-out boycott of the Wizard World franchise is shortsighted. It won’t effect the organizer’s bottom line, but it *will* hurt those who need help the most – namely unknown creators.
But that’s my two cents.