Boston Comic-Con 2014 is in the books, and it was the biggest one yet, as thousands and thousands waited in lines for hours to get in, and as far as I could tell, everyone who passed by my table was having an amazing time. My League of Ordinary Gentlemen Podcast mates and I were able to spread the word to the masses, and even managed to record an episode during the madness that was the convention.
The one drawback for me was that I wasn’t able to sell as many copies of Robin Hood as I wanted. It’s obviously not about the money, and I can say with much pride that those that did buy a copy seemed to think it was pretty cool,so that’s awesome. But with the thousands and thousands of people there, I was hoping to move a few more. But I understand. It’s hard to compete for people’s entertainment dollars with that guy from Buffy.
Here’s the funny thing; as happy as everyone is that all these comic book movies and TV shows are out there to soak up, there is a group of comic people who think that it’s not so good. These people think that these johnnie-come-lateleys don’t really understand, and will never understand, why this stuff really is cool, because to these newbies, it’s kind of just a fad. While I don’t agree with them, I do kind of understand their point, because on Saturday, I watched literally thousands of people walk by my table and not buy my little comic book. I kept thinking, “They don’t want this book they’ve never heard of. They want a Groot action figure.” And who could blame them? Not me, certainly, because I myself purchased a Groot action figure!
I am Groot!
But is it because of this market saturation that I didn’t sell more comics? I don’t think so, because there is certainly enough room for all of us in the industry. But it does change the game somewhat.
Before you think I’m getting all sad panda, though, let me say that I did have a fun time, a lot was accomplished, and it was a tremendous learning experience. And let me say thanks to everyone who came by the Leaguepodcast table and a special thanks to those folks who I made “promise” to listen to the podcast in exchange for a grab bag of free comics. I’m gonna hold you to that!
The guys and gal of the League!
mattdursin.com 