BACK FOR MORE

from Art Department Weekly | Issue 93 Vol. 9

FLY YOUR FREAK FLAG

Unfortunately, there wasn't really more

After NYCC17, I figured I was done with the convention season for 2017. Then received an email from New Jersey Comic Expo inviting me back to cover the event for a second season. I remembered going in 2016 and having a good time at the smaller, calmer show. NJCE16 seemed to have the one thing most other conventions don’t have: space. The expo was held in a big venue with limited booths and a smaller number of attendees. With that positive experience in mind, I accepted their offer and returned. —LV

**The Main Stage looked legit, but most of the space felt like it was devoted to Funko Pop! boxes**
Madeline Strum Photography

**Some of the many Funko Pop! boxes**
Madeline Strum Photography

**Comic boxes!**
Madeline Strum Photography

**Toy shopping**
Madeline Strum Photography

NOT THE SAME AS LAST YEAR

What I instantly learned was that not only did the show not grow, it seemed to have shrunk. The show I was so charmed with in 2016 took a step backward. Artist Alley was smaller, there were fewer vendors, no celebrity photo ops. Coming off NYCC just weeks earlier and NJCE’s proximity to Thanksgiving, I wonder if there was some fatigue in creators not wanting to be on the East Coast again. While some heavyweights still attended (Peter J. Tomasi, Neal Adams, Rags Morales, and Rick Leonardi), there simply weren’t that many comic-focused activities, like artists auctioning live drawings in panel rooms. —LV