HobbyStar ComiCON
Report By Jamie Coville
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Date: November 30th, 2008 Location: Toronto Metro Convention Centre Attendance: 750+ This was another 1 day convention that Hobbystar puts on. I was not there when it opened but a number of people told me that there was a surprisingly long line up at the 11am starting time. This convention was a little different than the other 1 day conventions as it took place in one room at the north part of the convention centre, with most of the local artists set up in tables outside of the room. Inside there wouldn't have been any room for those artists anyhow as it was crammed packed with dealers and their long boxes. The artists inside were a mix of locals and the bigger names that came from out of town. Early on there was a bunch of people there digging through the boxes with their lists out looking for back issues. Many booths had trades in boxes or out open on the tables. One booth in the corner was all bookshelves filled with trades and a table in the middle for the really big expensive books. These 1 day shows are typically for back issue hunters. Most of the long boxes there ranged from 3 dollars to 50 cents. Only a couple of dealers had a handful of manga they were trying to get rid of. Not much for alternative/art/lit books. There were a few booths selling comic related merchandise like T-Shirts, Toys and Statues. My biggest complaints about the show are the small aisles which made navigation a difficult at times and a lack of a coat check. It being the end of November a good number of those attending were wearing winter coats inside where it got warm real quick. I managed to stuff mine in my backpack but others didn't have that option. I had to leave for a bit here and there just to get some air and I heard others say the same thing. I talked to a number of dealers about an hour before the convention ended. Most of them said the show did Good / Alright, not spectacular but not bad either. For most people I talked to there was nothing in specific that moved better. A mix of everything sold. A couple of dealers said books moved if they appeared to be in high grade and weren't too expensive. Others mentioned specific titles like Nam, Daredevil, X-Men and general Marvel Keys. Artists I talked to said it was slow to good. Most said they did sketches and sold some prints or artwork as well. Photos of the event are here: http://picasaweb.google.com/comichistory/20081130HobbyStarComicCON
Regards, http://www.TheGraphicNovels.com News and discussion on a free, Delphi like forum.
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E-mail: jcoville@kingston.net
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