W♥M

Twin Cities Con at Minneapolis Convention Center (03-05 Nov 2023)

Guests Jason Lee Danny Trejo Kevin Smith Jason Mewes David McCormack Melanie Zanetti Steve Burns Rachael Leigh Cook Ross Marquand Ashley Eckstein Matt Lanter James Arnold Taylor Janet Varney Dante Basco Zach Tyler Eisen Jack De Sena Grey DeLisle-Griffin Greg Baldwin Ben Templesmith Bryan Turner Amy Chu Fabrice Sapolsky Adrean Clark Destiny Davison Peter Wartman Armand Clark A.L. Peterson Ted Anderson Ashleigh Popplewell Jenny Fine J.N. Monk Zander Cannon Alé Garze John Bivens Lupi McGinty Eliot Rahal Ant Lucia Bryan Tillman Tracie Ching Jarrett Melendez Dave Wheeler Andy Price Chad Corrie Timothy Zahn Andrew Aydin Brian O'Halloran Jeremy London Trish Stratus Jeff Anderson Ethan Suplee Amy Dumas fka Lita Marilyn Ghigliotti Eddie Steeples Ming Chen Jonah Scott Yuri Lowenthal Tony Todd Nadji Jeter Neil Kaplan Tom Gibis Brian Donovan Doug Erholtz Michael Yurchak Monica Rial Justin Cook Emily Neves Kyle Phillips Emi Lo Ryan Bartley Reba Buhr Brent Mukai Charlet Chung Maki Roll Milo Beasley Lucie Pohl Tom Ruegger Mikal Mosley David Yost Paul Rugg Bobbi Miller Steve Cardenas Wes Johnson Kid Cadet Michael Kingston Jamal Igle Joe Hunter Jordan Gunderson Steve Conley Phil Hester Chris Anderson Lan Pitts Read More Twin Cities Con 2023 is shaping up to be Twin Cities Con’ biggest show yet! Looking over their guest list, you can see the big draw is the Kevin Smith universe: Jason Mewes, Jason Lee, Brian O'Halloran (Clerks), Marilyn Ghigliotti (Clerks) …

The third annual Twin Cities Con just ended on Sunday, November 5th. It has become our favorite big “comic” convention in the area.

Before I talk about TCC, let’s take a look at Minnesota’s recent convention scene.

For many years, the comic convention was represented by Fallcon (and then Springcon), put together by MCBA (Midwest Comic Book Association). Since their leader Nick Post died in 2014, the association re-branded itself as MSP Comicon, but it was a horribly run show, as I previously reported in 2015.

By 2021, all the volunteers at the MCBA reformed as MCBF (Midwest Comic Book Fans), and put on several “MicroCon” shows, before calling it quits in April 2023. In that same month, we saw the new MNCBA (Minnesota Comic Book Association) put on their first Springcon show on April 29, 2023. These new SpringCon (and FallCon which took placed last week on October 28), are much smaller shows, costing only $5 for entry. They don’t compare to the much larger “comic con” style of conventions.

Wizard World entered the Minneapolis market in April 2015. By their third year, in May 2017, Wizard World decided to exit the area, probably due to losing money for their Minneapolis shows.

Minnesota Fan Fest came on the scene in Aug 2017 and re-named itself to Minnesota Fan Fusion in Aug 2018, but have decided to not to come back.

There was a dry spell for big comic convention, no thanks to the COVID pandemic, in 2019 and all through 2020.

Once the pandemic restrictions lifted in late 2021, we now have Twin Cities Con, which started in October 2021 and focused on comics (Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti, Peter David were guests). Last year, TCC’s headliners were Elijah Wood and Sean Astin (both from Lord of the Rings), and hearing fans who attended, they can pack the room.

This year, the TCC theme is the “Askewniverse” … featuring many Kevin Smiths actors and associates for Clerks and Mallrats. Mallrats was especially important to the area, because it was filmed at the Eden Prairie Center mall … so it saw many of the actors returning to Minnesota, including Jason Lee, Jason Mewes, Ethan Suplee, and Elizabeth Ashley.

Many of the actors and voice actors had panels, including the Clerks panel (Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, and Marilyn Ghigliotti, and Ming Chen), Naruto Cast (Yuri Lowenthal, Neil Kaplan, Brian Donovan, Tom Gibis, Michael Yurchak, & Doug Erholtz), Freakazoid! (Paul Rugg & Tom Ruegger), Avatar (Zach Tyler Eisen, Dante Basco, Jack De Sena, Janet Varney, Grey DeLisle-Griffin, & Greg Baldwin), Talking Thrawn (Timothy Zahn), Voice-a-Palooza (Wes Johnson, Monica Rial, Kyle PHillips, Paul Rugg, Tom Ruegger, & Emily Neves), A-Mewes-ing Stories (Jason Mewes), Rachael Leigh Cook, Danny Trejo, Jason Lee, Ross Marquand, and more.

Many of the programming ran against each other, so you sometime have to pick and choose where to go. A lot of the actors, like Jason Lee and Ross Marquand, had one rule: they could not talk about any upcoming Hollywood films because of the SAG strikes. So questions were often all over the place, like what kind of music they like.

Saw plenty of Genshin Impact cosplayers, who had a meetup on Sunday. The other popular anime was Demon Slayer, where you spotted so many fans wearing that green checkered cape.

There were also a lot of Chainsaw Man cosplayers, as well as Spider-Man. Also, lots of Five Nights at Freddy’s cosplayers, thanks to the popular film.

The big costume contests, which closes out Saturday and Sunday’s nights, was a big draw for attendees. All the costumes were wonderful, and judging for the winners must have been hard on the judges.

As for the conventions, there was one massive vendors area, with a food area, an autograph/epic photo area, and registration area. For the panels, there was one big ballroom, a second slightly smaller ballroom, and four small rooms on the second floor. There was also a game room, which was a little further… but it was often filled with gamers.

Although they advertised the convention taking place around 11am to 7pm, there were “After Hours” shows, which can run late in the night. If you really wanted to, you can easily spend around 8 hours a day, making the admission price well worth it.

Additionally, the convention was well organized. If panels were changed, the most updated information are posted on the front door. If you were lost, a volunteer can point you in the right direction.

With the 30,000 fans that showed up on Saturday, you may be spending a little time standing in line… but it never felt too long, especially once the line started moving.

If they can pull it off, I can easily see TCC rivalling other big shows, like Chicago Comic Con, which is the big one to beat in the Midwest.

For most fans, especially cosplayers, the convention is a place they can meet up with their friends or other fans who shares their same passion. Personally speaking, I met a few fans, who I am hoping to see again next year.

TCC 2024 already announce their next show to take place on November 8-10, 2024.

PHOTOS

Twin Cities Con on Nov 03, 2023

Twin Cities Con on Nov 04, 2023

Twin Cities Con on Nov 05, 2023

Eileen The Crow (Bloodborne) Hawks (My Hero Academia) and Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Twin Cities Con Drag Show Voice Actors After Dark: Maki Roll, Brent Mukai and Jonah Scott Timothy Zahn

Avatar: the Last Airbender Universe Cast - Zach Tyler Eisen, Dante Basco, Jack De Sena, Janet Varney, Grey DeLisle-Griffin, & Greg Baldwin Let's Talk Story: Writing Comics and Animation with Amy Chu & Erik Burnham Nerd Out With Nerd Street: Q&A with the Folks Behind Twin Cities Con

VOICEAPALOOZA, feat. Paul Rugg, Tom Ruegger, Wes Johnson, Monica Rial, Kyle Phillips, Emily Neves, at Twin Cities Con, Minneapolis (03 Nov 2023)

Clerks with Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, and Marilyn Ghigliotti, and Ming Chen Issues with Ming Chen Two Fat Guys Eat: Juicy Lucy Edition

Costume Contest at Twin Cities Con, Minneapolis (04 Nov 2023)

Janet Varney Justin Cook David Yost Con

Rachael Leigh Cook

David McCormack & Melanie Zanetti Grey DeLisle-Griffin Teaching with Comic Books Across the Curriculum

Jason Lee

Monica Rial Lighter Side of Star Trek Twin Cities Con Year 3 Wrap-Up Panel

Walking Dead’s Ross Marquand

Wes Johnson Nu World ComicsDiversity in the Fore Spider-Baby

Costume Contest at Twin Cities Con, Minneapolis (05 Nov 2023)

vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

SpringCon at Bloomington Armory, Bloomington (29 April 2023)

SpringCon 2023 Guests  Barbara Schulz Gordon Purcell Paul Fricke Terrance Griep Zander Cannon Alex Ness Ashley Allen Darla Ecklund Dave Wheeler Jessica Hickman Kameron White Kevin Wind Lupi McGinty Read More MCBA Before you get too depressed that there will no longer be another SpringCon or FallCon - apparently there is now a new Minnesota Comic Book Association (not to be confused with Midwest Comic Book Association), to stake claim in the MCBA ....

We attended the SpringCon comic book show, organized by the new MCBA. The new MCBA (Minnesota Comic Book Association) is from the ashes of the original Midwest Comic Book Association (led by Nick Post, who died in 2014).

If you follow my annual attendance of SpringCon/FallCon from previous years, you know that I’ve often complained about the price of entry, which can get as high as $15. In my report for SpringCon 2015 (MSP Comicon), the first year post-Post, we talked about the long line: “It also took us nearly one hour waiting in a very long line to get inside the convention, which I felt was kind of ridiculous. I understand there are a lot of fans, but how hard is it to take our money and let us in?” and the other major complaints was the panels were in the middle of the convention floor with no walls or soundproofing (you couldn’t hear anyone speak). It was absolutely terrible.

In our report for FallCon 2019 (MSP Comicon), we couldn’t believe we were paying $15 for no comic panels, fewer guests (although they did get local Dan Jurgens to attend), with a much smaller room. It was pretty much the death nail of that “MSP Comicon”, what a terrible show to end.

What I like about the new SpringCon (and I guess the upcoming FallCon), is that the new organizers are bringing back the comic book shows to basic. Keeping entry prices affordable (this show was $6 with $1 off if you brought a can food for donation) and bringing in a variety of vendors. Even though I did not expect panels or events for $6, the show surprised us by dedicating a room for panels. We didn’t get a program book, so instead, we had to figure out the time of the panels by a sign, taped near the entry door.

Due to our personal schedule, we only attended the “Where No One Has Gone Before” with local artist Gordon Purcell. While the title suggests this may be all-things Star Trek, in reality, the artist has worked on various titles throughout his career … but he is known for his longstanding art for various Star Trek comics. It didn’t hurt that Purcell was also a Trekker, and didn’t mind his Trek assignments.

It sounded like his finest hour was visiting the Star Trek set and met the cast to The Next Generation, including “rockstar” Sir Patrick Stewart. Stewart told Purcell that he was the only artist that drew Captain Picard right. He’s not just Lex Luthor bald, you know?

Other interesting bits was that he got “Combat Pay” for taking a last-minute assignment for a few pages to George Perez’s War of the Gods four issue mini-series. According to Purcell, the original artist joined the army and so the books were way behind schedule. He also mentioned that the late Perez was one of the nicest person he’s worked with.

Another interesting thing is that Purcell actually was a contestant on Jeopardy!. He said he got third place, which resulted in $1,000, which was barely enough to pay for his hotel and travels.

FallCon (28 Oct 2023)

Overall, with a very good turnout, I think this is a very positive first step in bringing back SpringCon and FallCon. I hope they continue to keep entry prices down, bring in more talents (even outside of Minnesota), and continue to expand and grow.

Update: According to the flyer posted at the show, the return of FallCon is set for October 28, 2023, at the same location (Bloomington Armory). There’s no indication of pricing, but I am assuming it will cost the same ($6). I don’t know what my schedule will be like, but since it’ll be “Rocktober”, I will be very, very busy.

"Where No One Has Gone Before" with Gordon Purcell

Crowd

Panel Schedule

Gordon Purcell

Springcon at Bloomington Armory, Bloomington (29 April 2023)

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

MicroCon III at Mermaid Center, Mounds View (08 April 2023)

Guests Hannah Boehme, Carl Borg, Cory Carani, Darla Ecklund, Aaron Grono, Bill Hauser, Jessica Hickman, Ryan Kelly, Jacqueline Murto, Tom Nguyen, Ben Pisek, Gordon Purcell, Chandra Reyer, Mark Stegbauer, Dave Wheeler, WhimsyGals, Brandon Wind, Kevin Wind Read More MCBA We attended the first Midwest Comic Book Fans show Spring Fling Comic Book Show at Mermaid Entertainment & Event Center, Mounds View, Minnesota, today, May 15th, 2021. ....

It’s an end of an era (and the beginning of another) for the Midwest Comic Book Fans, with its final show MicroCon III at the Mermaid Entertainment & Event Center in Mounds View, Minnesota.

As we noted in the very first MicroCon show in May 2021, we said the MCBF club spawned from the ashes of Midwest Comic Book Association (MCBA), who slowly disassociated over the years, starting with the passing of the main organizer Nick Post in 2014. They were directionless, re-branding their shows as MSP Comicon, but locally, everyone knows the shows as SpringCon or FallCon.

Anyway, last year, we got word from MCBF that “After 30 years we will not be holding anymore SpringCon or FallCon shows. Additionally, we are announcing our final event. Microcon III will be held at the Mermaid Event Center, in the Atlantis Ball Room, on April 8th, 2023. Microcon III will be a fan appreciation event and will be a free admission event. We hope that many of you stop by to say farewell and enjoy the show. Although the Microcon events have been smaller events compared to SpringCon and FallCon, everyone involved has been having a lot of fun. Lastly, we will be shutting down our website and twitter site at the end of 2023.”

Being the last show, we decided to pop into pay respect. We’ve been to the venue before, so we know it is smaller show… but it seemed even smaller due to how packed the room got with so many fans in attendance. It was a good sign for the comic book industry.

SpringCon (29 Apr 2023)

Before you get too depressed that there will no longer be another SpringCon or FallCon - apparently there is now a new Minnesota Comic Book Association (not to be confused with Midwest Comic Book Association), to stake claim in the MCBA acronym and will be holding their first show on April 29th. MCBF explains, “Volunteers who participated in the Midwest Comic Book Association’s shows at the state fairgrounds are starting a new business called the Minnesota Comic Book Association. This will be their first event… We wish the new Minnesota Comic Book Association the best of luck with their endeavor. And hope their events can bring the same excitement to the local community.”

Although I hate the fact that the new SpringCon show is in Bloomington (near the Mall of America), prices seemed decent at $6 with free grab bags for the first 150 attendees... so we’ll likely attend.

Minnesota Con (02-04 June 2023)

While we’re at it, there is also Minnesota Con, a three-day event, from June 2 to 4, 2023, at the Minneapolis Convention Center. It’s put together by Nerdin Out (we went to their Nerdin Out 2019 Show). Main guests are Michael Rooker, Sean Gunn, Rikishi, James O’Barr, Jae Lee, Dan Jurgens, etc. Check with their website, as more guests are announced closer to the June date.

So there you have it… while one organization is ending after 30 years, others will rise to take its place.

Personally speaking, I am excited about the new “MCBA”. Keep the prices low, offers those grab bags (we used to try and get a free grab bag in the early 2000 but have never ever gotten there early enough), bring it back to its roots.

With that said, we’ll see you at a future comic book convention.

MicroCon III

Wall Comics

Gordan Purcell

Tom Nguyen

MicroCon III at Mermaid Center, Mounds View (08 April 2023)

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Bloomington Comic Expo at VFW Post, Bloomington (2021-11-13)

Read More Comic Books We attended the first Midwest Comic Book Fans show Spring Fling Comic Book Show at Mermaid Entertainment & Event Center, Mounds View, Minnesota, today, May 15th, 2021. …

There was a new comic book show called Bloomington Comic Expo at the Bloomington’s Everett McClay VFW Post on Saturday. Admission was free, so we decided to stop by to check it out. I thought this was the first show, but talking to vendors, they said the promoters had a lot of shows, “pre-pandemic, of course.”

First of all, we’ve been to venue before for a few Minnesota Toy Posse shows, so we knew the room was small. It’s about the same size as Mermaid Entertainment Event Center.

There were about 15-20 dealers, mostly selling back issues. If you’ve gone to other comic book shows, you know what to expect, lots of long boxes and a lot of digging.

There were a few selling toys, mostly out of print stuff. Surprisingly I didn’t see any Transformers or G.I. Joe’s. If they had them at the show, they didn’t put them on display.

Gordon Purcell

The convention advertised Keith Champagne (courtesy of the MCBF), Tom Nguyen, and Gordon Purcell. These names should be familiar with any comic book fans living in the area.

We had a little chat with Purcell, talking about that time he was asked to do a rush job for DC Comics’ War of the Gods. He said that the main artist dropped out, so he (he also mentioned Phil Jimenez) was called in to finish the last issue. The whole project was a mess, because writer George Perez was also working at Marvel Comics for Infinity Gauntlet, and he was over extending himself with War of the Gods. The interesting thing about under Perez’s direction, George would write in notes for the artist. For example, he would write in so-and-so’s heads here, etc. Thanks to War of the Gods, Purcell said that he got to draw a ton of DC characters.

I think the free admission was a real draw for me. As long as it’s free, or reasonably priced, I will attend future shows. I definitely did not attend Fallcon this year, because admission was $15 and offered nothing of value in return.

Bloomington Comic Expo at VFW Post, Bloomington (2021-11-13)

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Spring Fling Comic Book Show at Mermaid Entertainment & Event Center, Mounds View (15 May 2021)

Read More MCBA When the 26th annual SpringCon ended over the previous weekend and the dust settled, it became the largest attended in the group’s history and ended the so-called ....

We attended the first Midwest Comic Book Fans show Spring Fling Comic Book Show at Mermaid Entertainment & Event Center, Mounds View, Minnesota, today, May 15th, 2021.

To give you a little background, Midwest Comic Book Fans came out of the ashes of Midwest Comic Book Association (MCBA). It all started with the passing of organizer Nick Post in 2014, and the MCBA organization had an identity crisis, after re-branding itself as MSP Comicon… which sounded like a good idea, as it sounds like San Diego Comicon and to better compete with Wizard World Minneapolis and MN Fan Fest. I’ve mentioned in the past that I absolutely hated the “MSP Comicon” name, and locally, everybody referred to the shows as Springcon and Fallcon anyway… so what was the point?

The remaining organizers at the Midwest Comic Book Association decided to retire and left it to the remaining volunteers. They had a vote and reformed as simply Midwest Comic Book Fans.

MCBF’s main goal is to bring back Springcon and Fallcon, and its original goal of keeping the shows affordable. This is awesome, as one of my biggest complaint about the previous former shows, was that it was expensive ($15 was the price of admission that I paid on the last show) for what it offered. For that price, I wanted a good comic book panels, I want to see non-local artists, etc.

Based on what we saw at “Spring Fling Comic Book Show”, I think they are on the right track! The $5 admission fee was the right price for this kind of one-room show. There were about 15 local dealers, mostly dealing with comic books (some had toys and the usual convention-related things).

Artists

There was a small section for artists, as you can see from the photo, local legend Dan Jurgens (Superman), Gordon Purcell (Star Trek: The Last Generation), and Ale Garza (Deadpool), had a table. The flyer (complete with the wrong zip code), did not advertise Jurgens, as there were several fans who were surprised to see him there. In fact, if I had known he was going to be there, I would’ve definitely brought some books for him to sign (even though I’ve met Jurgens and got his autographs numerous times).

Anyway, the turnout for this show was so good that there was a long line of people trying to get in the room (since there was a capacity cap). I think there was a number of factors why there was such a large turnout… one of which is perhaps people were just itching to get back to normal conventions and shows (now that many people are vaccinated). Also, I think the price is right, a show like this should be $5 or less.

I think my biggest complaint is that it was just too small, especially with the capacity limit. If you were collecting comics, this kind of show is good for looking and buying. Prices are about what you would expect, not too overpriced, but not exactly great deals either… but it might be cheaper than what’s on eBay.

Overall, a good start. I’m very interested in checking out their next show… which I am assuming will be Fallcon.

Spring Fling Comic Book Show at Mermaid Entertainment & Event Center, Mounds View (15 May 2021)

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

MSP Comicon at Minnesota State Fair, St Paul (05 Oct 2019)

Featured Guests Scott Beaderstadt, John Bivens, Andy Brase, Drew Brockington, Zander Cannon, W.C. Carani, Keith Champagne, Steve Fastner, Otis Frampton, Paul Fricke, Ale Garza, Dan Jurgens, Ryan Kelly, Kickliy Yilkcik, Peter Krause, Rich Larson, Ant Lucia, Clara Meath, Tom Nguyen Gordon Purcell, Jason Walz, Dave Wheeler, Jin Wicked Read More MCBA We haven’t attended a MCBA (Minnesota Center for Book Arts, not to be confused with Minnesota Center for Book Arts) show since 2015, which was a massive disappointment for us. ....

Since we were already in the area (for the annual Half Price Books Clearance Sale), we stopped by the MSP Comicon show (aka Fallcon aka Fall ComiCon). Fallcon is currently a one-day small show, put together by the Midwest Comic Book Association (MCBA).

What that means is that it’s a little cheaper ($10 for Fallcon vs $15 for Springcon), but there are no comic book panels (who cares, because we saw some panels in May 2015 and it sucked). Take it from me, you’re not missing anything.

There were fewer comic book guests and limited to artists or writers from around the area. However, I would have to add that this year, they got Dan Jurgens back at their shows (not really sure why he stopped going).

The room was also smaller, with less dealers, and possibly less attendees (although attendance has always been strong for these shows).

Prices and inventories were based on dealers, so you may find something for $10 at one vendor and later see the same thing for $20. I recommend walking around and making notes of prices. Dealers are more inclined to cut you some deals, which personally, I’m terrible at haggling.

Since it’s based on independent sellers, they don’t all accept credit or debit cards… so your best bet is to bring cash. And also bring your own bags, as many dealers don’t have plastic bags for your purchases.

Since we never arrive early enough, the 300 free grab bags were all gone. What I love about what they’re doing now (I haven’t attended in four years so this might have changed recently) is putting out free comic books on freebie tables located near the bathrooms. They go quickly, so I’m assuming they re-stock these tables every hour or so.

The other (minor) complain is that parking was a little difficult due to the HPB and Twin Cities Oktoberfest also taking place in the same area. We eventually found parking, but it was a bit far to walk to the Fallcon entrance.

MSP Comicon at Minnesota State Fair, St Paul (05 Oct 2019)

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Half Price Books‎ Clearance Sale at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds, St Paul (05 Oct 2019)

Read More Half Price Books We attended the 10th Annual Half Price Books Clearance Sale at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds Grandstand on Saturday. If you didn’t know, the annual free event …

The annual Half Price Books Clearance Sale took place at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds Grandstand on Saturday, October 5th… nearby the MCBA Fall Comicon and Twin Cities Oktoberfest. Logistically, if you really wanted to, you can attend all three events at the Fairgrounds for less than $20.

As with previous years, everything at this sale was $2 or less. Comic books were 25¢ or 50¢, while trades were $1 or $2. Movies were movies in DVD format, but occasionally you do see Blurays (but they are rare). Most of the $2 video games were from the PS3 or earlier era (so, no Switch or PS4 games).

The worst part of this sale is checking out. Lines snaked all over the room and it took 15-20 minutes just to get to a cashier. I know it may sound unfair, but I wish there was a ten-items or less line, so customers who just had one or two items can get out quicker.

The first customers who attended each day (starting at 9am), got a free HPB tote bag. They limited it to one bag per person (of 16 years or older).

As with their stores, they accept most forms of payments, including cash and credit cards - however they will refuse to accept HPB Gift Cards or coupons.

Saturday is the busiest day for the Hal Price Books sale, so if you can swing it, go on Friday… because you get first choice and there’s probably fewer customers (and likely better parking since they’re not sharing it with the comic convention or Oktoberfest fans).

Half Price Books‎ Clearance Sale at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds, St Paul (05 Oct 2019)

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Half Price Books‎ Clearance Sale at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds, St Paul (06 Oct 2018)

HPB Clearance Sale Read More Comic Books I really hate the title Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. I can understand it, it tells us that Batman will be fighting Superman... and somehow it involves the Justice … MCBA When the 26th annual SpringCon ended over the previous weekend and the dust settled, it became the largest attended in the group’s history and ended the so-called Minneapolis Comic Convention Wars ....

We attended the 10th Annual Half Price Books Clearance Sale at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds Grandstand on Saturday.

If you didn’t know, the annual free event features HPB’s clearance stock, and they sold everything for $2 or less. I’ll confess, most of it is junk, but occasionally, you’ll find a diamond in the rough. We were there to look at comic books and Blurays. There were some Blu mixed in the DVD area, but they were rare. I would say for every DVD cardboard box, there were one Bluray (or none at all).

Sometime, with the impressive attendance, it wasn’t easy to navigate or look at everything, but we spent a good amount of time looking at books, records, movies, and old video games. For the entry fee of $0, I felt like we got a lot of value out of it.

Twin Cities Oktoberfest

Next door at the Fairgrounds, were the 8th annual Twin Cities Oktoberfest and the 30th Anniversary of MCBA Fall Comicon 2018 (or locally we just know it as Fallcon).

We haven’t attended a MCBA (Minnesota Center for Book Arts, not to be confused with Minnesota Center for Book Arts) show since 2015, which was a massive disappointment for us. Since Fallcon was the “one-day wonder”, smaller show, it does not include any comic panels or any sort of entertainment. Basically your $10 entry fee doesn’t get you anything, other than the privilege of looking at back issues. To put things in perspective, the Oktoberfest’s $5 entry got you a beer stein and your first beer, plus free live music, etc. (see poster).

Anyway, Half Price Books Clearance Sale will end today (Sunday, October 7th) at 6pm. All sales are final, so closely check the item you are buying.

Half Price Books‎ Clearance Sale at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds, St Paul (06 Oct 2018)

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

MSP Comicon at Minnesota State Fair, Minneapolis (16 May 2015)

Read More MCBA When the 26th annual SpringCon ended over the previous weekend and the dust settled, it became the largest attended in the group’s history and ended the so-called Minneapolis Comic Convention Wars ....

I originally wasn't going to go to the MSP Comicon (formerly Springcon) this weekend at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds, but ended up going at the last minute on Saturday.

This is the first year the Midwest Comic Book Association (MCBA) decided to rename Springcon to take advantage of the confusing "Comicon" name. No one I know liked the name change. We think it's too acronym-ey, the same way no one I know refer to this as the "MCBA" brand. Look, we understand why they want to rebrand, but given the 28 years of "Springcon" and "Fallcon", it is going to take a while for us to refer to this as the MSP Comicon show.

The last few times I've gone to Springcon or Fallcon, I felt like I wasn't getting anything out of it. Particularly the smaller Fallcon shows, which has no panels and only serves as something of a paid fleamarket for comics. Which is fine, especially if there are some books I'm looking for... but generally I get what I need at my local comic store or order them online.

The only advantage Springcon and Fallcon has right now is the affordable entrance fee. MSP Comicon cost $12 for both days, which is an unbeatable deal compared to Wizard World Minneapolis Comic Con which cost $75 for three days. With the cheaper price, it brought in more attendees/fans and more vendors (with cheaper prices). For example, the V for Vendetta Mask was $10 at Wizard, but only $5 at MSP Comicon. It's probably no secret that exhibitor pay more for a table at Wizard World, so they have to mark up their merchandise to pay for their space.

I'll address some of my complaints now about MSP Comicon/Springcon. While I like the free parking, I'm not a fan of the Minnesota State Fairground. We got lost trying to find the convention (since they move to different buildings depending on the show).

It also took us nearly one hour waiting in a very long line to get inside the convention, which I felt was kind of ridiculous. I understand there are a lot of fans, but how hard is it to take our money and let us in?

You're not going to see any actors like Gillian Anderson, but that's fine, we're only paying $12. We understand it's just going to be focused on (local) artists and writers. We saw/expect to see the same names like Dan Jurgens, Doug Mahnke, Gordon Purcel, Tom Nguyen, etc.

The panels were a joke. First of all, the title/description are all wrong. For example, "Scribbling with a Master" with host Angel Medina... featured no scribbling or drawing. The "DC Comics Today" with Aaron Kuder and Ben Templesmith had nothing to do with DC Comics. Templesmith came in and said he worked for DC but many of his works never saw the light of day and Kuder couldn't really talk much about his involvement in Superman. Instead the two just talk about "mullets" and Templesmith highly endorsed the latest Mad Max: Fury Road movie. Now... if they had change the "DC Comics Today" title to something like "Today in Mullets" or "We Love Mad Max", I would not have an issue. It just felt that none of the speakers were actually prepared for their topics.

The second problem is that it was incredibly noisy. The panel room basically had curtains. No one could hear anything, and even the speakers had trouble hearing each other (and they were speaking with a loudspeaker!) Questions that fans ask could not be heard. Maybe MCBA could set up a microphone for the audience?

Overall, these panels were the absolute worst this year, which is a shame because I've been to better panels from previous Fallcons/Springcons... and especially because we just saw Wizard World two weeks ago that had one thousand percent better panels.

We are not attending the MSP Comicon Sunday show, instead my friends and I would rather see Mad Max: Fury Road on IMAX and call it a day. Anyway, I said this last year, but I think this is probably my last year of going to Springcon/Fallcon. Based on the very strong turnout for the convention, I don't think the MCBA will miss us.

Aaron Kuder and Ben Templesmith at MSP Comicon, Minneapolis (16 May 2015)

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Comic Book News: Convention Season begins

Read More Comic Books Don't forget that the second annual Wizard World Comic Con Minneapolis will be taking place May 1st and May 2nd (which is also Free Comic Book Day) and May 3rd. We had a fantastic time last year at the ....

Spring has finally sprung, meaning among other things, that comic convention season is moving into full swing.

Locally, the offerings are expanding and here are just a few of the upcoming shows—

Sound+Vision MN

We start small with the charming and varied Sound+Vision MN Pop Culture Collectibles Show, a Free Admission show happening this Saturday at Valley Creek Mall in Woodbury. The show is in its third year and offers not only comic books and toys to peruse, but a great selection of music collectibles (Vinyl Records, CDs, concert DVDs), various memorabilia, rarities, and things you didn’t know you needed… but you do.

Additionally, Eisner Award winning creator Zander Cannon is special guest, promoting his just released Kaijumax #1 (Oni Press) about Godzilla-like monsters in a super prison overseen by Ultraman-like guards. There’s also free Star Wars: Rebels items and a first chance to possibly nab Avengers: Age of Ultron advanced movie passes.

A road trip should be considered for Chicago’s C2E2 (Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo), happening at McCormick Place April 24-26^th.  This massive show is very comic book-friendly with most publishers and many of today’s superstars in attendance.  Stan Lee, Dan Slott, Gail Simone, David Finch, and Amanda Conner are just a few of the numerous professionals attending.

Entertainment media guests include cast members of Arrow, Orphan Black, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Carter, Game of Thrones, and celebrities such as Kevin Smith, Matt Dillon, M. Night Shyamalan, and many others.  Panels, screenings, cosplay, and more fill the weekend with plenty to do and see.

FCBD

The next weekend brings not only Free Comic Book Day on Saturday May 2^nd, but also Wizard World Minneapolis May 1-3 at the Minneapolis Convention Center.  Free Comic Book Day encourages everyone young and old to visit their participating area retailer, to receive a selection of fifty different titles, available exclusively for this event.

All major publishers participate on Free Comic Book Day, with some of the free titles featuring well liked properties such as The Simpsons, Transformers, Bob’s Burgers, Sonic, The Avengers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and many more.  Retailers also offer other incentives such as sales and giveaways, to make the day a special one.

Wizard World Minneapolis

Wizard World Minneapolis returns with an impressive list of entertainment guests that includes Gillian Anderson, Karl Urban, Luke Perry, and the voice of Batman, Kevin Conroy.  Comic book professionals attending include Neal Adams, Chris Claremont, Larry Hama, and Michael Golden.  While entertainment guests have always charged for autographs, many premier comic professionals are now doing so as well, so check details at their booth.

MSP ComicCon

The Midwest Comic Book Association has re-branded Spring Con as MSP ComicCon, to take advantage of the name recognition, and always offers an intimate, yet expansive weekend experience.  Happening May 16 and 17^th at the State Fairgrounds, comic professionals scheduled to attend include Ben Templesmith, Kris Anka, Pat Gleason, Mike Norton, and others.

john ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic