The comic book Community

The first time I ever went to a Big comic book convention I thought the purpose was to buy comics. Conversation was a means to buy more comic books. "How much?", "Got any Out There or Incredible Hulk comics?" I raced from booth to booth trying to see every issue from every vendor. I racked my brain trying to remember prices, issue numbers and my want list. Not exactly sure if I noticed anyone else at the convention besides the paid models who dressed up in superhero outfits. People were a hinderance to my sworn mission PROCURING COMICS and I completely ignored the artist area.

Now after years of attending conventions I have a different perspective. It's become much more social. For example this year I spoke with the creator/artist of Mouse Guard, Christopher Jones from Batman Strikes, Greg Horn who is working on Ultimate Fantastic 4 and many other lesser known artists. Hung out with some of the great people from www.ComicsPriceGuide.com like Murray, Shadow, Jeff. I never knew how much I liked Marshall Rogers until these guys talked about him. Classic work by Marshall Rogers A convention for me is much more about meeting and talking to people than racing to the next line for an exclusive toy to sell on Ebay. Think about it the next time you're waiting in a line. Collecting comics is much more enjoyable when you make it about learning from fellow collectors instead of hoarding pages of colored paper that have been stapled together. In the end, Bryan is right it's about the community.