WICKED CON/ 3MIB REVIEW

Wicked Con

Wicked Con was this past weekend and it was a fun time. It's not a very big room, and they certainly don't just focus on comics — which I think is a big problem — but they do a nice job of getting people through the door. The issue is whether those people are the right people.

In all my years of setting up at shows, I'm not sure I've ever seen a cosplayer buy a comic book. I could be wrong, and I don't mean to offend any cosplayers — a lot of them do a genuinely great job — but they usually don't have a ton of money to spend on comics. That money goes into their costumes, and you can see why.

It's not just the cosplayers, either. Wicked seems to give a booth to anyone willing to pay for one, which I understand if you need to fill out a show — but this is exactly why we get excited about events like Heroes Con or the Little Giant Old School Show. Wicked feels more like a craft fair with some comics in the room.

That said, we do well enough to make it worth the effort. Coming out to see our stock — and the stock of dealers like Joel's Comics or Atomic Dimestore — is absolutely worth your time. Just fair warning: when you walk past the freeze-dried pickle booth, don't say I didn't warn you. Also, pick me up a pickle.

The real kicker here is the free admission. At free — or even $5 to $10 — this show is absolutely worth it, and I told the promoters exactly that this weekend. The books in the room are worth every penny of an admission price. They just need to charge one.

3 Men in a Basement

Last weekend was the 3 Men in a Basement show, and that one is a completely different animal — much closer to the Little Giant show in spirit. It's a true comic show. Wherever you turn it's nothing but comics: moderns, Bronze Age, Gold, variants, a little bit of everything. No craft fair energy, no cosplay crowds — just comics.

The food truck outside was pretty great too.

At $5 admission, this is a cannot-miss show. We will absolutely be back next year.