Cincinnati Comic Expo recap

I was amazed at what a good time I had at the Cincinnati Comic Expo on Saturday, as an artist, exhibitor and fan. The turnout was great and I sold a lot of stuff. I was about on target for what I expected to sell of my own books, but I made 4X as much selling comics, toys and action figures. I was the only one selling vintage toys (except for one guy with a couple Super Powers vehicles) at the show, so that helped. Every other vendor I spoke with said they had a great show too. I had a primo location, which afforded me a lot of real estate. This was helpful because there were kids playing with the toys I had for sale most of the day. Lots of parents purchased Simpsons figures for their kids.

A few people were already familiar with Candy or Medicine and a few others picked it up for the first time at the show, plus a couple people were interested in contributing so that's always good. I also ran into a lot of people I know, including my pal Rich Shivener, who interviewed me for a CityBeat article about the comic expo, a couple professors I had at NKU and some old friends and co-workers.

I regret not being able to speak with many artists, but it was kind of a tradeoff for being so busy. I did manage to get an autograph from Murphy Anderson (who signed one of my Superman treasury comics that he inked), and I also met Dave Aikins, who did a great illustration of Pablo from Backyardigans for my son (and I also purchased a Dora production art piece from him for my twin daughters).

I didn't have too much time to look around because I was very busy, but I did manage to pick up a few things. I was able to add to my Super Powers collection with a great deal on a MIB Lex-Soar 7 and at MISB Darkseid Destroyer:

 

I'm always on the lookout for classic Kirby comics, especially Fantastic Four and Thor. FF #39 and #51 are two key issues, and I picked them up for $10 a piece. I also found some OMAC comics for $1 and $2.

For me, the best deal I found, was this copy of Jingle Jangle Comics #27 for $1.50. Jingle Jangle Comics is one of my favorite series because of the artwork of George Carlson. Anytime you can find a Golden Age comic, let alone one featuring artwork by George Carlson, for fewer than $2, you know you got a deal.

They already have the next show planned for September 17, 2011 at the Duke Energy Center in downtown Cincinnati. Hopefully there will be an even bigger crowd and a larger number of exhibitor and artists. The room for next year is nice, but the only problem with the Duke Center is parking, so hopefully that doesn't have too much of an effect on attendance. One thing's for sure: I'll be one of the first to send in my registration forms. I went home with a lot less than I brought, which is always nice when setting up at a comic convention.