London Comic Con – September 23-25, 2016
Last month, I set up at the London Comic Con, here in London, Ontario, Canada. This is the second time that these promoters have held the show at the Western Fair. While the venue is nice and spread out, the challenge still remains to fill the show up with venders and attractions. This year’s show was a definite improvement upon last year’s, but as with anything that we do, we should always strive to make it better.
When you’re away on the road at a show out of town, you’re away from your family. This can be tough, especially when you have around 10 shows a year to do. So, these local shows are always very nice, as there is barely any drive involved and no hotel rooms to pay for. If I’ve forgotten anything, it’s no trouble to run back to my shop to pick it up. Most importantly, though, I’m minutes away from my family.
This year’s show was well attended. The promoters did a good job in inviting a number of special guests. A few of the celebrities that did show up were Levar Burton (Star Trek TNG’s Geordi La Forge), Kevin Sorbo (Hercules), Kevin Nash (WWE Legend), Mark Boone Junior (Sons of Anarchy), Lori Petty (A League Of Their Own, Point Break, Tank Girl), Pat Mastroianni (Degrassi Junior High), and Emily Kinney (Beth from The Walking Dead).
These big comic shows are getting further and further away from comics and more towards anything pop culture related and having the chance to meet one of your favourite celebrities. For me, I chatted with Pat Mastroianni (Joey Jerimiah from Degrassi) for a while. As younger kids, my sister and I would always watch this show. It’s so great to see, and finally meet, someone that you have known for so many years, albeit only through a TV set. Great guy!
For sales, this year was better than last – by far! Notable sales for CGC or CBCS graded comics include:
I also sold over 25,000 cheap comics to another dealer. It was nice to haul those to his truck, just one last time. That’s a lot of work that I no longer have to do.
All in all, it was a successful show. I’m looking forward to the progressive changes made for next year’s London Comic Con.