From: 7514P%NAVPGS.BITNET@VTVM1.CC.VT.EDU (Chris Swett)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.anime
Subject: Re: Comic Market / WonderFest '92 Tokyo Shopping Service
Date: 3 Aug 92 19:06:01 GMT
To: "Japanese animedia and other animation news." <ANIME-L%VTVM1.BITNET@uga.cc.uga.edu>
 <sun-barr!sh.wide!wnoc-tyo-news!ccut!twics!halford@ames.arpa>

>These two events may be the same.  In either case, I will be attending
>both.  A catalog is available for the Comic Market.  I am going to buy
>several copies tomorrow, and will try to post as much information from
>it as I can.  However, if you are really interested, you should get your
>own copy.  I can send you a copy  for $10 by airmail.  You should then
>be able to order anything from it through me by telling me the page #.

   Comic Market and Wonderfest are different conventions. Wonderfest has
about 6000 attendees and primarily features garage kits. This year it is
sponsored by BANDAI and in a new move, only "authorized" characters may be
featured at the convention. All exhibitors have been provided with lists
of authorized characters. There had been some control in the years when GP
ran Wonderfest but not so formal.

   Comic Market has about 100,000-200,000 attendees and is run entirely by
fans. It features primarily fanzines and amateur compilation comics. In
contrast to conventions in the 80's, the adult comics are much more tame.
This is a direct result of crackdowns following the Miyazaki murders.

>If you want me to buy anything for you, it will be very important that
>you get the money to me by the 12th.  I will be posting instructions
>on how to do this in a few days as I'm trying to set up a bank account
>for the purpose.  In any case, start saving your pennies!

     Oooo... I don't think you know what you're letting yourself in for. Some
lines for the more popular doujinshi at Comic Market can be 2hrs long. Usually
Japanese fan groups plan their routes with the catalogs and make it a team
effort to collect as many of the books they want as they can in the limited
time. I'm considering buying a bunch of doujinshi for resale when I go over
for Winter Comic Market but I'd have to sell them at such a mark-up that I
wonder if anyone would be interested. The catalog, by the way, lists the
groups that will be in attendance rather than the books to be sold. The
catalog entries were submitted in January, before many of the books that
will be sold were printed.

>I will be charging a 20% comission on everything I buy.   I cannot
>guarantee the availablility of any item,  or estimate my chances of getting
>nything.  It is supposed to be a madhouse, with thousands of people attending.
>I will settle all acounts by September 1.

Good luck. You're right, it's a madhouse. The first time I went I had to go
back to the hotel at 1pm so I could lie down and unwind a little. It was really
that overwhelming.

   You have two attendance choices. You can get there early so you can get
something approximating a decent place in line or you can go at about noon
and walk right in. The line begins forming at about 4am and they open the gate
at 10am.

   It's no wonder after all the hassel that doujinshi owners tend to jealously
guard their collections. If someone manages to coax you to sell a few, that
individual will be extremely lucky.

                                 --- Chris

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