Basement X

Did Stocky attend this year? I ask because I've gotten a few text messages from one of our Europeon friends (fairly certain it's Stocky) bragging about nabbing more hard to get signatures.

I got the same one!

And me too. It seems he got signatures by Millar, Quitely and Snyder.
Meanwhile, I keep hearing from French people who go there that Kapow is shit, expensive and terribly organized.

Quitley? Been there, done that, moved on.

I missed both Snyder and Capullo last year. Maybe I'll get em this year. Need to get Millar though. I'm now wondering if I actually have any single issues by him. Maybe when Stocky gets back around here, he can tell us, objectively, if Ka-Pow is worth it or not.

When did you get Quitely, Fahran?

At NYCC 2011. He was at the DC booth on the last and in a disgusting twist of fate, he was signing at the exact time as Greg Rucka. I was going to just go for Quitley when Wulf reminded me that I need not wait in line for both. Just wait in line for Quitley and jump Rucka. It was a plan that worked with super-villain like accuracy.

Here, let me rub some salt in the wound for you.

I will forever blame Simon for this. Because of you.

Quitley sends his love

I hate you.

Are you even awake in that picture?

Ah, the classic "fuck you I'm not smiling" pictures ^_^

jedispyder wrote:Ah, the classic "fuck you I'm not smiling" pictures ^_^

Exactly! It's like he doesn't want to be there and he's reluctantly holding up a comic.

Quitely seems to have lost a bit of weight since that photo and had cut his hair short.


Okay so Kapow!

I didn't go to the first one in 2011, so I don't have the comparison. This year was alright though.

It's not very big, but it does do a great job of attracting some big names, having some decent panels, including some UK stuff, providing adequate stall space and decent stalls and providing room for an artists alley.
The Business & Design Centre where the convention was held is a little strange. It's shaped a little like a shopping mall, but with a raised middle, which is where all the stalls were. The benefit of this shape came from where most people queued for the six signing areas. Nobody was queueing in the middle! All queues were at the side. You'll see this better in the attachements. The only nuissance about this is that if you needed a signiture from more than one person in the same time slot, you had to queue for the first one and then jump as quickly as possible to the end of the next one.

It was my understanding that last year Artist Alley was part of the convention middle. This time, AA was tucked away, which was a little poor for the artists, but it massively freed up space in the middle.


So, who did I get?
I got Frank Quitely to sign:
- New X Men #1 (I think the numbering is #1)
- All Star Superman #1 (previously signed by Grant Morrison)
- WE3 #1-3

Dave Gibbons:
- Secret Service #1 (also signed by Millar) I was hoping to pick up a Millar signed variant for £5, which someone was selling around the Gibbons queue to those who were clearly not going to be able to join the Milllar line in time. This would have proved beneficial later!

Frank and Dave and Mark Millar all had the same signing time for 2 hours in the morning. I got Frank and Dave in one and then just got cut off of Millar who was down to the last five! So I went to get Millar the next day!

Mark Millar:
- Ultimates #1 (signed previously by Bryan Hitch)
- Secret Service #1 (also signed by Gibbons)
Missed!
- Old Man Logan One Shot (also signed by Steve McNiven)
- Marvel Knights Wolverine #20
- Marvel Knights Spiderman #1 (signed by the Dodsons)
- Nemesis #1 (signed by McNiven)
- Kick Ass #1
Originally there was a minimum of three books in any line. I had seven for Millar. I may have listed the wrong two I got signed. I was going to chance seven. The guy in front was pretty cool and agreed to take two of my books since he only had one to get signed. Halfway through the queue the staff dropped the max number down to two! I tried shoving two extra books in front of Millar after he signed the first two, but he calmly explained the queue size and numbers ratio to me. I held back the thought that his explanation lasted long enough for him to have quickly signed all seven of my books without adding in the time we spent chatting about the convention. He was cool though. My con friend in front of me made the mistake of explaining to Millar that two of the books he had in his hands weren't for him. Moron. Consequently, he only left with his one book signed, when he could have got atleast one of the two I gave him signed. Never mind, it was nice of him to try.

Can't remember the day or order, but I also got these books signed:

Sara Pichelli
- Ultimate Spiderman (new) #1

Charlie Adlard
- Walking Dead tpb vol 2
This was lucky. Can't remember who I was queuing for, but I had another signing slot clash. The staff were good here though, since they saw that Adlard only had a handful of people left to sign after his slot finished and they asked him if he wouldn't mind signing in the corner while the next creator got started with their signing. This was nice! Except, I was in the quere for the next creator! I think I had previously been in the Pichelli queue and had ran to the Adlard queue, which had someone after who I needed [edit: Sean Phillips!]. So, whilst I was about fifteen people away from the front of the new signing, I could see Adlard in the corner with about ten people doing signings! Thankfully for me, I got talking to the guy in front who suggested I give my Walking Dead book to his mate who was queuing up for him. This worked out!
These two guys both shared my opinion on how signing queues should work: the creator signs and says, "here's your book - fuck off!", because fucking hell you'd get through a shit load more people this way!

Who else did I get?

Paul Grist
- Mudman #1
- Sketch of Jack Staff

Ian Churchill
- Marine Man #1

Adi Granov
- 3 book series of some Iron Man tie in that I bought at the con
- head sketch of Iron Man

Sean Phillips
- Criminal #1
Now that I come to remember it, I think it was indeed Sean Phillips who was in the signing slot straight after Charlie Adlard.

I bought some indie books and Arn, I got some convention sketch books signed by the guy who drew Lions, Tigers and Bears. Had no idea who he was or if he'd be there until I saw his posters behind him.


I didn't get anything signed by Synder. By far he had the longest queues both days. Longer than Millar. They capped his book limit to one!

They had an advanced screening of Iron Sky, but I didn't think I'd make it since I was in line for another two creators. Who dis?

Jonathan Ross
- Americas got Powers #1 (signed by Bryan Hitch too)
- Turf #1

Bryan Hitch
-
Overall, it was an alright con.

Pics.

Hopefully you can get a feel for the raised middle and how the queues managed to avoid cluttering the middle.

The sketches were done on a big bit of paper to be auctioned for charity.

From the pictures it looks like it was a good sized con with more than adequete space to move around (except for those six signing areas in the middle which I imagine got quite packed). Also a great many big name creators. I think within a couple years, it'll be pretty huge.

Stocky Boy wrote:
The only nuissance about this is that if you needed a signiture from more than one person in the same time slot, you had to queue for the first one and then jump as quickly as possible to the end of the next one.

This is where it would have been beneficial to have your BX Team with you to hold spots in the various lines.

Halfway through the queue the staff dropped the max number down to two! I tried shoving two extra books in front of Millar after he signed the first two, but he calmly explained the queue size and numbers ratio to me. I held back the thought that his explanation lasted long enough for him to have quickly signed all seven of my books without adding in the time we spent chatting about the convention. He was cool though.

Millar *could* have easily scribbled his name across two more titles in less time than it took him to give you the mathematical breakdown to the nth power of comic signing but I think he refused more on principal than anything else; perhaps a sense of fairness to others in line after you. Personally I think its poppycock because everyone knows were exempt from the rules.

These two guys both shared my opinion on how signing queues should work: the creator signs and says, "here's your book - fuck off!", because fucking hell you'd get through a shit load more people this way!

Tell that to Chris Claremont. The man gives you the oral history of his life while signing all 200 or however many books you've plopped down in front of him. Still a helluva nice guy though.

I'm gonna raid Stockwell manor and steal that sketch sheet from you. It's super awesome.
Now trivia, can you name all the guys who draw something on that sheet?

I thought you would have a better time naming all the artists. ;)I

'm sure you can tell Becky Cloonan's work instantly. Paul Grist's Mudman pops out immediately too. Some of the signitures make it easy too.
Having a look though, we have.
Paul Grist - Mudman
Mark Millar - Superman
Dave Gibbons - Rorscharch
Beck Cloonan - Conan
Simon Spurrier - Judge Dredd
David Lafuente - Spiderman
??? - Hellboy
??? - Ghostrider (quite funny! )
Shaky Cane (some character from Bulletproof Coffin? This reminds me, I got the first volume signed by him!)

By the way, it's not mine. It was a charity thing. I thought the idea of it was very good.

Hellboy is Duncan Fegredo.
The character above Conan and to the right of Ghost Rider is by Steve Yeowell.
The signature on the bottom right corner is definitely known to me but right now, it's not coming back and it's bugging me in the rear.

The sig on the bottom looks like Quesada.

There also is Mike Carey there, the mouse that says "I can't draw".

Also Cameron is right : http://paradisecomics.com/media/catalog ... s10_96.jpg

That page is now on ebay.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/221050674553?ru ... 553&_rdc=1