We have been wondering here at comic conventions just who exactly are the people behind what is turning out to be the go-to convention this year, the London Super Comic Con so we thought we would ask them a few questions...
1) For what is rapidly becoming the “must go” convention of 2012, who the hell are you and why are you not splashed all over the place like a certain creator’s London based convention? I mean, we, the people, don’t know you yet?
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 so 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. Included, therefore 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 the experience that they deserve.
2) Just HOW did you get Stan Lee? I mean, how?
Well the short answer is.. We asked him. The slightly longer answer would also include detective work and calling in a lot of favours to be able to make the initial approach, prolonged negotiations of both a financial nature and to secure a deal that allows all attendees to benefit from his presence and finally many, many hours of calls and meetings.
In the end, it was a combination of (i) all those factors, (ii) making him aware of the plans for the show, coupled with (iii) the fact that the comic fan base in the UK and Europe would love to see him here, meant he was quick to agree to come .
3) What you have done so far is quite astonishing, do you have anything else in the pipeline that you have yet to announce that’s going make us send our Kapow VIP tickets back first class?
Thanks we appreciate feedback on what has been done to date, and we believe that we will have a show that will grow to rival the bigger US shows in future years. This will be the case especially if the UK get behind the show and attend in levels that encourage the larger publishers to look our way.
THERE ARE A COUPLE OF THINGS IN THE PIPELINE THAT I'M DYING TO TELL SOMEONE ABOUT BUT CAN'T TILL THEY ARE DEFINITE.
4) IDW. Did you just ask? Have you perhaps “just asked” any other of the major players?
We have had long discussions with all the US major publishers. They are keen on continuing to develop the UK comic market (currently 8% of comics distributed by Diamond). IDW are coming for their first UK convention and Chris Ryall (Chief Creative Officer and Editor-in-Chief) will be performing portfolio reviews. There will also be an exclusive Transformer cover for the show. We are very proud that they have decided to participate in our inaugural show, which came about after friendly negotiations and an understanding of what we as a show could provide. Marvel and DC expressed interest but currently don’t attend first shows. It’s up to everyone (the UK comic community and ourselves) to put on a show that will firm up interest for the 2013 show from all 4 major US publishers.
5) How are you gonna top this for the 2013 convention short of reanimating Kirby?
Get Steve Ditko to attend ! We will hopefully do the same as we have done for the 2012 show by having discussions as early as possible so that we can line up a guest list we can be proud of. There are so many creators and exhibitors that we would love to come so it’s just a case of sizing up the options as early as possible and putting in the time and effort to make it a reality..
6) And finally…in your next email to Stan, can you tell him that he has genuinely made the year something special for many, many people by agreeing to come over?
Will do. We have arranged his schedule so that he will be able to meet as many attendees as possible. He will be available at the show on both days doing each day 2 signing sessions, one photo session and one panel. We have also arranged a one on one meeting with Stan for the lucky winner of a draw from all attendees that purchase tickets by February 7th. There will also be opportunities to have drinks with Stan outside of show hours - Please check the website next week for more details.

So there you have it, sounds like more announcements will be coming in the next few weeks, as soon as we hear we will let you know so make sure you are following @ukcomiccons on Twitter or find us on Facebook.
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