By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)
Fan Expo Vancouver made the shift from November to March and the change was certainly noticeable. Most industry observers believe they want to challenge Emerald City Comic Con, which takes place two weeks later, and others were hard pressed in which show to support. Next year’s event will be held February 15-17 giving room for all events to share the busy late Winter schedule. One thing that I learned is with some of the exclusives, especially the comic books, are simply reprinted material from previous year’s offerings. A lot of people were asking every time I passed by the merchandise table, and not every member of the staff knew. Though they have slightly different covers, the content is the same.
Unconfirmed reports suggest lower than usual attendance on Saturday. I found navigating through the crowds easy and welcomed the smaller crowds. The event had a steady flow of people throughout the day. I liked the new layout. There were a larger food court area and the main stage was visible upon entry. Those who wanted to be at the big celebrity Q&As did not have to walk far. Two smaller stages were positioned at opposite ends, making noise levels reasonable, but one did have to compete against the main. The types of panels offered ranged from mostly meetups to sketch-duels. Very little industry material existed and I was very thankful for the information from Conor McCreery (Kill Shakespeare) offered for those interested in working in the comic book industry.
Continue reading “2019 Fan Expo Vancouver Report, Takeaways & What’s Next for this Show?”
Emerald City Comic Con
By Ed Sum