I saw a thread about $.25 bins and picking up issues that you would normally not pick up for cover price. Well, for years I have been going to the Comicon in San Diego and one of my favorite things was digging through all the booths with quater bins. I would usually come home with another suitcase full of comics.

This last summer was different. You really had to look to find retailers with cheap comics and a large selection of them. What happened? I know this was months ago, but it still disapoints me when I think about it. Although it was an amazing Con, I miss coming home with tons of cheap comics to read until the next convention.

Anyone else feel disappointed about that aspect of last summers Comicon? And is this occurring at all the major comventions across the country?

I didn't make it out to San Diego in 2002, but based on my experience from prior SD Cons and from conventions in other parts of the country, yeah, it looks like there are fewer and fewer quarter bins.

Part of it has got to be natural inflation; I see more 50-cent and dollar bins where once there were quarter and three-for-a-dollar bins.

Part of it probably has to do with the kind of buyers dealers are seeing at conventions: more high-end, CGC buyers and fewer bargain-hunters.

And part of it has to be the fact that there actually seem to be fewer and fewer comic book dealers exhibiting at comic book conventions. Among exhbitors at comics conventions, I perceive more RPG dealers, more video dealers, more toy dealers, etc., but fewer and fewer comic sellers. Perhaps the comics sellers who are now opting to forego exhibiting at shows are also the kind of comics sellers likely to take a lot of cheap bins.

I guess I should have broaded that thread to "dollar bins" instead of just quarter bins. Because it is pretty rare to find an actual "quarter" bin. The shop I go to is actually 4 for a dollar and if you get 1 book out of that section it will cost you a dollar. So you might as well get 4 books...

But you get the idea,

The cheap stuff!

I should have changed my wording to $1 bins too. Because i can't remember how long it was when I did find $.25 bins at a con. Every once and awhile there are the $.50 bins. But I hope I get a chance to see some more at the next convention I go to.

I don't think it's going to get better.

Inflation aside, I know that a lot of the retailers who've been coming to SDCC were really torqued with being shunted to the end of the complex this year. (as were the artists in artist alley)

Couple that with the astronomical rates that SDCC is charging and low money makers are probably not going to be shown much.

True, It's becoming much more of a pop culture convention than a comic book convention. Hollywood has really taken notice of the SDCC, with stars like Arnold, Elijah Woods and his fellow hobbits, Jason Lee, Ang Lee and many other surprise guest showing up. I only see more hollywood promotion and involvement in the future. Which I'm not saying is a bad thing, but I will miss the comics.

FYI:
I've heard from reliable Comic-Con sources that all the same back-issue dealers (with one exception) have already signed up for next year's SDCC--and all have requested to be in the same space they were in this year.

Jackie Estrada

I found one guy off by himself who had quarter comics, if not a great selection, and maybe one or two 50-centers, but you're right: not as many cheapies showed up this time out. Though I did hear one comics-dealer reflect that it made a modicum of sense that comics people, with their flea-market-looking operations, should be separated from all the snazzy-looking movie-hype.

Really Jackie?

I read Chuck Rosanki's column, and while he signed up for 2003, there was a lot of rancor about the positioning.

When dealers have to pay more than a thousand dollars for a booth they really can't afford to bring 20 boxes of dollar comics to sell. As it was there were fewer back issue comics dealers this year (again) to the point that if this trend continues there may be almost none five years from now. I've been attending Comicon since 1975 and I've never attended to see a publisher's booth. Any publisher's booth. I considered getting a small press table next year but when I looked them over this year I saw a row of about ten tables pushed right up aganst each other with the only access at either end of the long row, and once people are set up, only the dealers at each end will be able to use those entrances. Climbing over or under a table to gain access isn't reasonable, so I've decided not to bother. I know the artist's alley tables were arranged the same way but at least they had space behind the tables to move around with better access. The parking situation at the convention center is as ridiculous as I expected it would be since the extention filled up the old parking lot without adding more underground parking. I had to arrive at the convention center before 8:30 AM each day to get a space, otherwise it was full. Comicon is certainly bigger, but it's not better.