As some readers of Hypereek may know, I recently became a Canadian Resident in June of last year. As part of my residency process I was unable to leave the country for quite some time. Now though, I am allowed to leave again. Yay! I won’t be getting a big holiday this year, as I am saving up the pennies so that I can go back to the UK and visit my mother, who is suffering from lung cancer. Anyway, I have decided to give my self a mini holiday, and spend a weekend at a good comic convention. I mean, what else would a geek do when he is allowed out of his cage for the first time?

There are so many conventions out there nowadays that it is hard to pick just one to go to. I’d like to go to them all, but obviously that is unfeasible. I have decided that if I can only go to one convention, it is going to be Emerald City Comic Con. This year will the 7th annual ECCC, and it will be held at The Washington State Convention & Trade Center in Seattle, WA on April 4th & 5th.

Why did I pick Emerald City? Well, there are a number of reasons. ECCC is the largest comic convention in the Pacific North-West, and is getting bigger every year. The guest list this year is mind-bogglingly good, there are so many creators attending who’s work I greatly admire, that it almost feels like the guest list was tailor made for my tastes. Also, I’ve heard so much great stuff about the event from fans and comics professionals alike. Many people have told me that the atmosphere of the show is very unique for a modern convention. There is a feeling that everyone who is there is there for the love of comics, it’s not the movies, not the TV shows, but good old fashioned comic books. Sure, I would like to check out one of the larger show like SDCC one day, but frankly, that con seems very commercial now, and I have heard many people say that it has lost touch what made it a great convention in the first place.

This is going to be the first big U.S. convention that I have ever been to. I have been to some smaller cons back in the UK, but nothing on the scale of American events. This is also going to be my first real trip to the U.S. as the only previous time I have been there was in the Minneapolis airport, and everyone knows that airports don’t count:)

As ECCC is coming up next month, and I am alredy super excited, I decided to contact Jim Demonakos, founder and organiser of ECCC, to see what it is that he thinks makes ECCC special, what he is excited about this year, and if he had any good advice for con virgins like myself:

Hi Jim! You are the owner of The Comic Stop, which is the largest chain of comic stores in Washington county, and you were also PR and marketing manager for Image Comics for some time. What sparked your initial entry into the industry, and how did this lead to you deciding to found a comic convention?

I was a comic book fan since age 7 when I read my first issue of Fantastic Four (a reprint of #1 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby). As I grew older, I never ‘fell out’ of collecting and after college, I was shopping at a variety of stores, which was a pain in the ass. At some point I was like “Why can’t I just get everything I want at one store?” and that was the spark that got me to open the store.

A few years in to owning the store, we had opened a second store and I had done a lot of traveling out to other shows. Coming back to Seattle, I was always disappointed we didn’t have anything that measured up, so again I was like “We should do our own convention, how hard could it be?” And the rest is history…

Many comic professionals and fans who I have spoken with have raved about how ECCC is one of their favourite conventions. They claim that comics are the true focus of the convention, and there is little of the hollywoodization seen at some of the larger cons like SDCC. Is this an intentional effort on your behalf?

Totally, I really try to keep the show very comics-centered as that’s exactly the kind of show that I want to run. Sure, we have media guests and the like, but they take a very small portion of the show, we really want to spotlight comics and so that’s what we focus on.

The guest list this year is really impressive, have you found that due to the reputation of the convention you have been able to book bigger and better guests each year?

As we approach people to be guests at the show, more and more people have actually heard about it and its reputations, so that’s been pretty cool.

Are you introducing anything new this year?

The one thing we’re introducing that I’m most excited about is our first ever artbook, Monsters & Dames. This thing is a beauty, a 9″x12″ 48-page full-color hardcover, limited to 850 individually numbered copies and featuring original “Monsters & Dames” illustrations from many of our guests and a cover by Frank Cho. In addition, part of the proceeds from the artbook will benefit the Seattle Children’s Hospital, so I think it’s going to be a can’t-miss item.

What do you see as the future of ECCC, do you plan on making it even bigger, or would you like to keep it on it’s current scale and focus? Perhaps adding a third day?

That’s about right, I think we’ll continue to make it a solid two-day show and at some point maybe expand it to three days, but that’s a couple years off at least!

How much of your time do you spend organizing and promoting the convention, is it taking up more time each year?

Yeah, it’s almost year-round now, as the show has grown it has inevitably taken more time to organize and get everything together. No complaints though, it’s a lot of fun and I’m always interested to find new and exciting things to bring to the show each year!

Do you have any advice for new Convention goers like myself, any hints and tips? Would you say that ECCC is a good convention for newbie to start with?

I definitely feel ECCC is a good starter show, it’s a nice comfortable size and there’s enough stuff to do and see that the two days are perfect. My advice for new con goers is wear comfortable shoes, bring some water, be patient in lines, don’t be a jerk (seriously, be cool, that’ll go a long way in your interactions with guests and other con-goers) and just have fun!

Thanks very much to Jim for taking the time out to do this Q&A with me. His schedule is incredibly packed at the moment, so this was exceptionally nice of him. Hopefully I will be able to thank him in person next month. I guess I’ll have to catch him running between events though

I plan to cover the convention on Hypergeek, and also live blog the goings on via Twitter. I should also be taking down my professional camera gear, so I should come back with some good pictures, hopefully. I’m going to be heading down to the con on Friday the 3rd of April, with my friend Steve Saunders, who is very excited about getting in with a pro pass for the first time this year!

If anyone else is heading down, and wants to meet up, have a drink, do fondue, or even play Russian Roulette, drop me an email! OK, Russian Roulette is not a real option, but I could go for some fondue, especially some chocolate fondue. As for Steve, as long as there is bacon on hand, he’ll be up for anything!

Make sure you check out the ECCC website for more information of guests, schedules, events etc.

See you there!

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