I have and always will be a Star Wars fan. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t have a thought of or make reference to or use Star Wars. People I work with and interact with during the day all know that I’m ‘that guy’ and into Star Wars. Star Wars Celebration was announced last week as returning to the Orange County Convention center in Orlando Florida and obviously, fans were excited. But not me. HUH?! What’s that you say? Don’t I love Star Wars? Well, yes I do. But for me personally, the convention culture (and the associated costs) is really getting completely out of hand. Let me back up a few decades.
Just behind Star Wars, I also had a great love for of following and reading comic books. It started with GIJoe when that was still published by Marvel. From there it blossomed into following many books including the X-Men until I ultimately stopped purchasing in 1998. I did, however, always enjoy going to the cons and meeting the artists who drew the books in part because, I secretly dreamed of getting into the business. I love to draw and have all my life, but I didn’t have the chops or moxie to pursue it. But that didn’t stop me from being a fan. In 1991 I traveled by train down to New York City for the weekend and went to the Jacob Javitts Convention Center for the NYC Comicon. Back then, it was still primarily about comics and not the nuthouse cons are now. I brought along a full long box of books determined to get them all signed (and for the most part did) and meet the guys whose work I admired. Jim Lee, Todd McFarlane, Rob Liefeld, Chris Claremont, and all the other guys who are NOW legends in the industry I got to talk to and interact with. Joe Queseda and other guys from Marvel, who are now bigwigs, running the TV division or have studio jobs. It was a great weekend and one of the last great cons I went to.
More recently I have attended the RI Comicon and they are still stumbling to avoid rookie mistakes. Such as: overselling tickets, not enough direction to their staff, or lack OF staff. But what has become bothersome to me is twofold, our ‘celebrity’ obsessed culture, and how the cost of these interactions has skyrocketed. Ok, I freely admit I’ve gotten older and likely, cheaper, over the years, but I get the distinct impression many of these ‘celebrities’ either mismanaged their money or snorted it all away. Perhaps I have never bought into the desire to have someone’s signature on a glossy 8×10 nor been willing to pay $20 for it, let alone $40-$100 for a ‘photo op’. Which gets me back to Star Wars. Would I enjoy going to Celebration? Likely, yes-quite so. There was a good Star Wars presence at RICC two years ago and I did go dressed in Jedi garb. Got some tips from some other costumers and I gawked at the great Mandalorian costumes. I guess for me, it’s the interaction of walking the floor, meeting like people, taking photos, and enjoying the overall moment. I will buy stuff at the con if it piques my interest. I got a nice Imperial logo hat last year and some prints from some artists. But my modus operandi is still to: load a ton of comics under my arm to get signed by particular artists.
I have a good friend who is a big Shatner fan. He has over the years shelled out what I consider a ridiculous amount of money to meet him. Recently, at an appearance in Connecticut he witnessed the true nature of this actor, treating staff, security and fans crummy and has vowed that was the last time. I feel bad for him but then again, I can’t say that I have ever had the urge to meet the guy who played Biggs. Or the guy who played Zuckuss. Or Jeremy Bulloch and I won’t pay $20-$100 for that privilege. Never mind the costs associated with going to Celebration. Hotel, airfare and tickets I’m sure will collectively cost over $1000 and then there’s added purchases AT the con. As I have already stated, while I bemoan the cost of meeting ‘celebrities’ I completely understand WHY they have to charge.
As is with the case with guys like Jim Steranko, Stan Lee, and other artist/writers from the comics industry, these guys created all this content and then got shafted in profits. Now years, decades later, they can capitalize on their fame and charge for a drawing. I get it, they have bills to pay and some of these guys have no health care or medical insurance. In the case of Star Wars, it’s no secret that the film studios are notoriously greedy and thirty years ago didn’t pay a lot of the bit players, the secondary and tertiary characters much. I think it’s great that the guys who were imperial officers or Jedi in the prequels can attend a con, charge $20-$40 for a meet and greet / photo-op, I’m just not showing up.
Honestly, to me, Mark Hamill IS Star Wars and I certainly looked up to him as a kid and loved him in The Force Awakens, but I don’t love him enough to shell out $100 for a photo with him. I’m content to walk by, see him and be like “Whoa-there’s Hamill. Cool”. The commercialism and marketing madness of cons is disheartening, but it doesn’t change my fandom. I’d love to go to San Diego Comicon just to go. The same way I went bungee jumping once, just to say I did it. But for all my enduring love of Star Wars, the cost of that love has a price. I still love Star Wars, but my wallet and I, have developed stricter sensibilities.
The Cantina Cast
The wretched hive your Jedi Master warned you about!
*I’m a jack of many trades, but master of none; though I excel at drawing, writing and love photography. Aside from this blog I also review movies weekly in my column ‘Film Unfiltered’ for the Valley Breeze in Northern RI. You can find me on Facebook at teburke3, Twitter & Instagram: . MTFBWY, Tom
'The Price of Fandom' has no comments
Be the first to comment this post!