EXCLUSIVE: An Interview With The Organisers Of The London Super Comic Convention

The London Super Comic Convention will take place on Saturday, Feb 25th, 2012 (10:00 - 18:00) and Sunday, Feb 26th, 2012 (10:00 - 17:00). Packed with A-List comic book talent as well as recent announcements that both IDW and Stan "The Man" Lee will be attending their first UK conventions (the first for the latter in nearly four decades) this is an event worth of any comic book fans time and I recently had a chance to chat with one of the organisers who was kind enough to share plenty of details as to what we can expect from the inaugural event.

We have always thought that who we are is pretty much irrelevant it’s the quality of the show that counts, and we should be judged on the show, its creators, exhibitors and organisation and not the amount of PR we generate for ourselves as organisers. That being said, as this question seems to be a reoccurring theme let me answer it by saying that there is no one individual organiser but rather a group of professionals who believe that the U.K. deserves a different calibre of show.

The group’s makeup consists of both American and U.K. personnel, whose comic experiences range from putting on yearly creator driven shows in the states, to comic retailers. The business side of things is also a crucial factor here as putting on a show of this magnitude requires not only the desire and willingness to make it work but also the ability to ensure that it is run like an event of this calibre deserves, therefore include in the group are individuals from the world of high finance.

Crucially though, we feel that a show of this type should not just be run with a vision generated from any one person or just a small group of people, therefore we reached out and secured help from some of the U.K.'s top Comic Retailers, Publishers and Mail Order dealers, to ensure that the comic fans and the comic exhibitors receive an experience that they deserve. I think this evidenced amongst many other things by:

- Our guest list (Stan Lee, George Perez, Brian Bolland, Mike Deodato Jr, Steve Epting, Kevin MaGuire, Bill Sienkiewicz, Bernie Wrightson and many others)
- IDW attending a UK show for the first time. They will be providing an exclusive Transformers cover for the show and Chris Ryall (Chief Creative Officer and Editor-in-Chief) doing portfolio reviews
- our strong Exhibitor presence including major dealers from the US (for example Metropolis Comics and Collectibles and Heritage Auctions) and the UK (including ComicanaDirect, Forbidden Planet and A Place in Space).
- 90 tables dedicated to small press

You can expect a truly remarkable comics experience which to take advantage of the full spectrum of opportunities available, we would recommend attendees be prepared to attend for both days.

- Stan Lee will be there for both days of the show, with panels, signings and photo opportunities
- Our other American & British Creators will be doing signing sessions for free over the weekend and will also be available at their own tables during the rest of the show for commissions etc
- The quality and breadth of dealers available will give attendees the opportunity to purchase the widest range of comic books from Golden Age to moderns
- IDW, 2000AD and Markosia will be doing portfolio reviews, so if you are a prospective artist, writer, colourist or inker, this will be your chance to get signed by a mainstream publisher
- Creator and Exhibitor driven panels through out the two days
- And there are still a few more announcements in the pipeline

We have kept the inaugural show strictly comics focused.

We feel privileged that Stan had agreed to come as our headline guest. His attendance at our inaugural show is an indication of how much work we have put into the show and how confident the comic fraternity is that this show will be a success.

He will be performing 2 signing sessions each day, 1 photo session as well as a panel on both the Saturday and Sunday. We are having a draw that will also give one attendee the opportunity to meet Stan on a one to one basis. There will also be opportunities for attendees to have a drink with Stan in an informal gathering outside of the convention hours.

Full details will be posted next week.

The list of guests currently is:

Stan Lee - Brian Bolland - Mark Buckinghan - Howard Chaykin - Ian Churchill - Jim Cheung - Paul Cornell - Al Davison - Mike Deodato Jr - Victor Drujiniu - Neil Edwards - Steve Epting - Simon Furman - Duncan Fegredo - Kieron Gillen - Jamal Igle - Phil Jimenez - Jock - Bob Layton - Andy Lanning - Emanuela Lupacchino - Kevin Maguire - John McCrea - Mike Norton - Peter Nguyen - Guillermo Ortego - Nick Percival - David Petersen - George Perez - Sean Phillips - Chris Ryall - Bill Sienkiewicz - Tim Tyler - Fred Van Lente - J.K. Woodward - Bernie Wrightson.

We will also have a terrific combination of small press creators, publishers and dealers.

We have tried to ensure that the show represents the comic business in its entirety. Not only do we have the broadest range of mainstream comic guests congregated in one UK convention, we also have done our best to reflect the capabilities and talents of our small press market, publishers and dealers. We recommend attendees perusing all and taking into account areas they wouldn’t normally spend time as the comic book market has continued to surprise us by its breadth and capability.