Over a hundred of comics’ best artists sit out most of Comic-Con … but in a good way! They’re waiting for you in Artists’ Alley, at tables filled with original art, exclusive, limited edition sketchbooks, and many more one-of-a-kind items. Artists’ Alley, located in the Exhibit Hall, offers you the rare opportunity to not only get your hands on some of this incredible art, but to also meet the wonderful artists behind it. Who will be in Comic-Con 2007’s Artists’ Alley? A complete list will appear in the next Update and at www.comic-con.org as we get closer to the event.
Artist Paul Chadwick (Concrete) at his Artists’ Alley table in 2006.
Art Auction: Masterpieces While You Watch! Imagine coming across one of your favorite artists at Comic-Con, while he or she is in the middle of a major new work. It could happen at the Art Auction, where some of the leading artists from comics and sf/fantasy donate their time and work to help raise funds to benefit the Disabled Services Department and Artists’ Alley. Some of the artists produce the art at the convention, while you watch; others donate an already-completed piece. The art is then auctioned off on the Saturday and Sunday of the event. The Art Auction is located adjacent to Artists’ Alley in the Exhibit Hall. Over 130 artists and companies donated to the Art Auction in 2006. This fund-raising activity enables Comic-Con to offer assistance to attendees with special needs. Comic-Con wishes to thank the artists who donate both their valuable time and art and the fans who bid on this work each year.
Mining for Gold Comic-Con’s Exhibit Hall is the nation’s largest pop culture treasure trove It’s “the stuff that dreams are made of.” A giant hall, over 460,000 square feet, filled with comics, original artwork, books, games, anime, toys, action figures, movie posters, DVDs, manga, and one-of-a-kind items from around the world. It happens only once a year on this massive scale, in only one place. It’s Comic-Con’s fabled Exhibit Hall, a small city in and of itself, built every year for just four days. What will you find there? For starters, the wonderful world of comics, represented across the board from the biggest publishers (DC Comics, Marvel, Dark Horse, Image) to the indie stalwarts (SLG Publishing, Fantagraphics Books, Drawn and Quarterly, Top Shelf and many others). Independent and small press publishers and writers and artists who publish their own comics can also be found in both the Independent Press Pavilion and Small Press Area. You can find just about any kind of comics or graphic novels for sale, including treasures from the past in the Golden and Silver Age Pavilion. Science fiction and fantasy art and artists abound in the Illustrators Pavilion. There are special sections devoted to toys and action figures, anime and manga, movie and television studios, video games and gaming. The best part: most of these booths offer all this great stuff for sale or free items that you can take home. Let’s say that again. Free. Items. It’s time for you to start updating those want lists and writing down those must-have items. Comic-Con is famous for the incredible amount of exclusive items which premiere at the event each year. These one-of-a-kind wonders can only be found in San Diego. Start planning—and saving—now! Turn the page for a preliminary list of exhibitors confirmed as of press time for Comic-Con International 2007.
Photos: (left) Renato Santos; (right) Tom DeLeon
Comic-Con 2007
Meet Your Favorite Artists in Artists’ Alley
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