Johanna’s been writing a few of thought-provoking posts. Rather than submit long-winded comments or send a write multiple pingback posts, I’ll consolidate my reactions to one post and have the pingbacks come from one location.

Yesterday, after Peter David noted a general drop in convention attendance, she asked, “What else keeps you going to conventions?”

My answer, unfortunately, can offer little insight into the future of comic conventions. I go to two cons a year — San Diego and APE — because I love the feeling of creative community at these events. I used to enjoy the chance to meet major creators, but it didn’t take long for me to find the experience — of long lines (often confusingly managed) for a short moment of contact to be unsatisfying.

On my first trip to San Diego, I had my first taste of buying comics from a self-publisher and since then, the small press publishers have been my favorite part of the experience. There’s a feeling of satisfaction in discovering a good comic from a creator who’s had to dedicate their free time towards getting their story told. I really enjoy the experience of finding these cases that have taken so much devotion and passion.

Oddly, I get that feeling of creative community from some of the big players who exhibit at San Diego. One of the unforgettable moments from last year’s trip was the panel for Battlestar Galactica and seeing Mary McDonnell’s eyes aglow at the realization that not only is she on a successful show that’s artistically and intellectually fulfilling but that the audience gets the effort. There’s also a lot of heavily scripted and very shallow marketing that goes on at comic cons (which is why I never go to panels that hype upcoming developments in superhero comics) but there’s enough unguarded glimpses that leave me with a leftover association between comics and creative spirit.

Unfortunately, I suspect that few other people go to comic cons looking to find the next Reina Telgemeier or Andi Watson and watch their talent develop. So my answer says little towards projecting the future.

Then, today, Johanna compared quotes from DC’s Bob Wayne and Marvel’s Andy Schmidt concerning publishing formats, with Wayne noting plans to go back to press with sold-out books to suppress the urge to “wait for the trade” while Schmidt looks at the value of both formats.

My personal preference leans towards digest-sized trades above all others (I so love Tokoyopop for that one influence on the industry) because a large amount of my comic reading happens on the BART train and the digest have a good balance of readability and portability.

Plus, trades aren’t collectable (yeah, I know, some people don’t see it that way) so when I lend them out or borrow a friends’ copy, I don’t worry about their condition. and the easier to store thing increases the re-readability, since I don’t have to dig through boxes.

The Wayne quotes sadden me, because they affirm the feeling that I’m a sort of customer that DC doesn’t see as important enough to consider. (At least Marvel seems to realize that there’s a separate audience for books and periodicals.) I’m feeling bitter at DC partly because their ability to nurture creative vitality is rivaled only by the Fox Network. A larger factor, however is DC’s trade policies. There are a long number of runs that haven’t been made completely available to TPB customers. If I want to get the complete Fallen Angel story because I liked what I read in the first collection, I have to dig through back issue bins, an activity I’ve found less rewarding as I grow older. The same can be said about way too many other runs on long-lasting series — just ask anyone who wants to follow a single writer’s era on Hellblazer (have they finished those Ennis collections, yet?).

Due to various developments in the industry, following periodical comics has become increasingly inconvenient. With smaller overprint runs at DC and Marvel’s no-overprint policy, it’s easier to miss out on an issue. Worse, with Diamond giving retailers deteriorating service, it’s hard to tell if a comic has sold out (meaning that I should check out other shops in the area, if I want a copy badly enough) or if it simply didn’t arrive in my retailer’s shipment (meaning I should give them a week to correct Diamond’s error). That increases the chances of missing an issue. These factors also make it harder to catch up on an overlooked title that has good word of mouth, as AFIK, there was no reprinting of that one issue of Manhunter that sold out.

Right now, there aren’t enough comics that I enjoy to justify making a weekly trip to the shop, so titles sell out before I can pick them up even more often (while I do have a hold box, my retailer isn’t very good at maintaining it).

Keeping up with most periodical comics involves too much making of lists, checking them off and following-up on the remainders. To be blunt, I just don’t enjoy most DC or Marvel comics enough to do all that work, not when I finding the manga titles I enjoy is so easy that I have narrow down my purchases. Marvel seems to have an idea of how to court more casual buyers like me, their digests are a great product. Unfortunately, DC seems uninterested in competing for the customer who prefers comics for their bookshelf.