6. Comic Cons Aren't All Fun And Games
Denis Poroy/Invision/AP/AP/Press Association ImagesHanging out with friends is one of the principal reasons people go to comic conventions, even if they're not friends they've actually made yet. Cons are an opportunity to be amongst your people, to be completely unfettered about your geekiness, to revel in it. Just imagine how great it must be to go there as an industry professional! Swanky VIP lounges, hanging out with other famous people in comics, getting into panels that are otherwise full. There must be so many perks that make the convention experience even better than it is for fans, right? We don't know if you're paying attention to the premise of this article, but if you're not, then let us just say outright: wrong. Comic conventions, for people who actually work in the industry, are not a barrell of laughs. Maybe a small jar, if they're lucky. It's an extension of the job, and there's a reason that your job isn't all about hanging out and having fun. Because it's a job. They may get to say a fleeting hi to their peers and maybe put a face to names they've been collaborating with for years, but mostly a comics professional's time at a convention is spent working. After all, they're the reason everyone's there. People are expecting autographs, so they spend hours sat in one place signing things and shaking hands, exacerbating the RSI that's an occupational hazard in comics. They spend what little time is left over from that either hawking their wares at a stand in Artist's Alley or else appearing on any number of panels, where they're expected to be informative and charming despite being knackered from all the other work, the flight there, the lack of sleep from the parties happening in adjacent hotel rooms, and fans without boundaries who won't even give them a moment's piece when they go to the bathroom. Woo!