Fan Expo vs. TCAF

This week-end I decided to give Toronto's Fan Expo a try. I haven't gone to a comic-con since I was a young teen. I have a distinct memory of sitting in the audience at a panel where someone asked Chris Claremont when he was going to let another writer work on Uncanny X-Men (this would have been around the Mutant Massacre time, when his stuff was still good), and some girl started hissing at the guy who asked. Like, actually saying the words, "Hiss, hiss." It was one of those revelatory moments, and I stepped away from organized fandom for a long long time.

Then, two years ago, I attended the Toronto Comic Arts Festival, and it was everything I missed about those old conventions (anyone remember when they were at OCA, before the D? Those were the best), but without the rabid and maniacal fans. I went again this year, and loved it again. So, add to that a quiet week-end, and the desire to check out some of the titles that I dropped when their prices went to $4 a comic, and I decided to head down to the Toronto Convention Centre.

I enjoyed myself, and have since been thinking about the major differences between these two events, which basically comprise the calendar for comics-related events in Toronto (I know some would be yelling Word on the Street right about now, but that's yet to impress me) So, what are the pros and cons of each?

Commercialism vs. Advocacy
While TCAF is definitely an event designed to make money for its exhibitors, it takes a very different approach. Fan Expo is loud, crass, and populist. You have to pay $25 to get in (without including parking, and only for one day), and it's all about the cash. Don't get me wrong, I went for the 50% off bins, but it has a 'grab what you can' atmosphere, heightened by announcers offering the opportunity for extra tickets to meet Bruce Campbell. At TCAF, each exhibitor humbly displays his or her wares, and that's about it. TCAF is more about promoting the artform in general, and helping independent creators reach a larger audience, something that the free admission most definitely helps with.

Artist Alley
I found it interesting to try to chart which of the creators I saw at Fan Expo I've also seen at TCAF. I had a short chat with James Turner at both events this year, and saw some TCAF mainstays like Stuart and Kathryn Immonen, Darwyn Cooke, Jason Loo, Cameron Stewart, and Michael Cho. Probably the creator I was most excited to meet was Jeff Lemire, who drew me a very nice sketch in the front of the copy of 'The Nobody' I bought off of him. There were a lot of 'bigger name' artists present, people like Mike Deodato, David Finch, and apparently Bill Sienkiewicz (who I never even laid eyes on), but they usually had a crowd, and had nothing of interest for sale. And that's the difference between Fan Expo and TCAF. The artists at TCAF bring a very interesting variety of items to sell, and I feel like the people in attendance are a little more eclectic, but also are independent creators of a higher calibre. There were lots of independent folk at Fan Expo, but not that many with whom I'm actually familiar. I think TCAF has built a certain level of chachet for itself, and is therefore attracting a much more prestigious guest list.

Deals
I have to admit though, Fan Expo is the place to go for deals. People are selling things off at very good prices, although if your tastes run more to the obscure, best of luck. I was able to get a few things at a good price - half off on 'Wonton Soup 2', and 'Shortcomings' for 40% off, but I waded through a lot of 'Civil War', 'Spider-Man' and Virgin Comics trades to find them. A lot of the stuff I went specifically for: 'Beanworld', the Ted McKeever library, and things like 'Johnny Hiro' were not exactly in attendance, and definitely not at a reduced price if I did find them. I still walked out with some good buys and a weight on my arm, but it was more my mainstream itch that got scratched. Comparatively though, things were cheaper than at TCAF, which I think is unfortunate. I can understand artists wanting to make as much as they can, and I'm happy to support them where possible, but I don't see how a publisher like Drawn and Quarterly can't offer a 10-15% discount across the board. They're still making a greater profit than they would distributing to book and comic stores, and cheap guys like me would be more likely to buy more.

Costumes
This is the type of stuff that I think cheapens the whole hobby, and makes it easy to mock in the media, and that is exclusively the domain of Fan Expo (although there was a kid at TCAF this year in a Batman shirt with a cape - he looked to be about 6 though). I don't understand the desire, personally, but a lot of people were wearing some homemade costumes, often of strikingly good quality. I was going to come down fully against it - I never want to see some over-weight guy stretch some spandex to the limit in an effort to mimic Deadpool again - but two people changed my mind on this issue some: Supergirl, and Batgirl. In some ways, they were the highlight of the show for me....

So, it's not an all or nothing thing. It's quite clear that Toronto has the ability to host both of these comics celebrations to huge crowds, but I think they clearly show the dichotomy that exists within the medium. Ultimately, it's probably that dichotomy that keeps comics as a form of business and of art so fluid and successful, and it's good to see mass outpourings of love for the form in either venue. Personally for me, I know I'll be at TCAF this spring; I'm not so sure about next year's Fan Expo.