Artists We Love

Our usual spotlight is on hold this issue to talk about the heart of Comic Con

A byproduct of the major publishers not being there was you had to be in Artist Alley if you wanted to see creators Rob Liefeld told his podcast listeners. Every day, Artist Alley looked more and more full. As much as Luis enjoys Comic Con, it looked like the last place he would want to be—so many people, so close together, and more than one person without a mask in the picture above.

Without the major publishers providing spaces where fans could talk to creators for free, Artist Alley brings the pressure of selling new and completed work. I’m not ordering a commissioned piece? I’m not buying one of your books on the table? I’ll just keep my distance and not take up your time.

A bunch of the artists Luis wanted me to try to find did not have tables, but Artist Alley seemed twice as big as previous years. There were 15 aisles, some with 31 tables. The walkways were all wider which required even more space. Fans lined up for signatures and browsed merchandise in every aisle.

Being surrounded by so much work on display is completely inspiring. To share the moment with thousands of fans brings a lot of hope that COVID has not killed everything. —MV

SCOTTOBER

Comixology has sponsored NYCC in the past, but the entrance to Artist Alley this year was designed to promote Scott Snyder’s 8-title deal. After he merged his Amazon account with Comixology, Luis read the horror and techno-noir titles. “It’s tremendous.”

TIMING I waited for a group of people to talk to Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez (La Boriqueña) before taking the picture. Meanwhile, I wasn’t going to wait to see if anyone ordered sushi.

“I HAVE TO GO TO COMIC CON,” Betty

announced when she saw the picture of Hornet (center). Cully Hammer (left) was one of the artists Luis requested, but Tony S. Daniel (below) sounded familiar, so I took pictures of both.

END TO END

To try to show how much of the basement level Artist Alley took up, string these fi ve shots together in your mind.

SELF PROMO

In addition to posting what was for sale, some artists changed their names on Twitter to make it easier for fans to fi nd their tables.

NOW I KNOW

There used to be so many tables wrapped in purple for EssentialSequential.com. Now there are so many more black tables to show ComicSketchArt.com membership. Are they exclusive? No, creators show up on both lists. They serve different functions. Essential Sequential offers Page 10 of Heroes in Crisis #4 by Clay Mann while Comic Sketch Art guarantees his signature on books for set prices (fi rst two are free at a convention, but he wasn’t there). Comic Sketch Art’s creator list ranges from Frank Miller to Tom King, but then Agnes Garbowska didn’t use the wrap on her table (Page 36). While James Tynion does not appear on either site, the rates listed on his table (Page 37) are comparable, like $20 for a graded book. Whatever the table looks like, support the artists you enjoy. —MV

SOCIAL GOOD

Inside Artist Alley, the directory lists hundreds of artists. If you haven’t eaten or drank anything in hours and there are a million distractions, it seems super helpful when MBartist has a map for artists to share with fans and user names changed to included table numbers.

THE VIEW Thursday was a quieter day, so taking a walk around Artist Alley at noon meant a lot of empty tables. We’ve talked to Peter J. Tomasi at past conventions, so I would have said hello again to ask if he’d seen the Super Sons statue proto type (Page 25). Rob Liefeld kept telling his fans he’d get to everyone who was able to get in line for his signings that started at 2 p.m. His notice says signings end at 4 p.m., but the line on Page 32 seemed to stretch half the length of the fl oor at 3:50 p.m.

#NYCC21 Instagram posts by Agnes Garbowska

HELPFUL Looking to see what Chad Hardin was creating at his table uncovered how artists and companies like MBartist fl agged their table locations on social media.

PINS! James Tynion IV (left) not only signed books but also had pins available.

@AMSES_ANDU (the black hoodie above) offered me tape to prop up a mini Luis I was getting ready to shoot near his sidewalk shop across from the Javits Center. I said I was just waiting for a taxi to move. The idea had seemed sweet to him before I explained who Luis is. “How’s your weekend going?” He said business was great. He’d sold almost all of his maps in addition to a bunch of Pop! Vinyls. Fans are everywhere.