Newsgroups: rec.arts.manga
Date: Tue, 05 Jan 93 13:48:57 PST
From: Jeff Siegel <7100P%NAVPGS.BITNET@CORNELLC.cit.cornell.edu>
Subject:      Re: Comic Market
To: Gene Fornario <genef@netcom.com>,
        MANGA FANS! <rec-arts-manga@darwin.sura.net>

>Interesting...I have heard about CM, and the big one in the states that I
>attend seems small in comparison (San Diego Comic Convention  18,000).
>
>I understand that there is no admission charge, and that CM is held twice a
>year.  Maybe you could describe the crowds...how do they handle that many?

There is no way to describe the huge crowds!  Basically, each of Comic Market's
two days are different.  The first day is mainly for doujinshi aimed at
girls and women, with the second day mainly for boys and men.  So many people
want table space that tables are given by lottery except for some very popular
artists who have been around for most, if not all, of the life of CM.

This last CM was their 42nd, so the staff has had many years to learn how
to run the event and had time to grow with it.  About 1000 volunteers make up
the staff, with many in the crowd control area.  There are no gophers per se --
all staff has been selected and no walk-ons are used.  Each building has a
supervisor, and each block of tables (laid out in large rectangles) has a
supervisor.  There is an ops area set aside in each building.  The HQ is in
an office in the main building, and there is a separate medical office staffed
by doctors and nurses who also happen to be fans.

Long lines for the most popular tables run smoothly because of good crowd
control, the nature of the Japanese people, and the use of a sign which is
held by the last person in the line.  The sign, which is on a pole, has the
name of the artist and or publication(s) he or she is selling.  When a new
person gets into line, he or she is given the sign to hold.

Entry into the convention complex is through one entrance only, and the line
is not allowed to form before 5:00 AM (10:00AM opening). Exhibitors enter
through a special entrance at the other side of the complex and must do
so between 7:00 and 8:30 WITH NO EXCEPTIONS.  Anybody exiting the complex
must enter the general admission line to re-enter.  There are plenty of
eating establishments and vending machines around that are kept filled.

There is no admission charge as sales of the Y700 catalog (approx 80,000
press run) and exhibitor fees cover expenses.

People come from all over Japan to go to CM (50% from Tokyo) and to make
getting purchases home easier private package delivery companies (Japanese
equivalent of FEDEX and UPS) have tables where people can buy boxes and
have their doujinshi sent home.

Comic Market is possible because of the Japanese publishers' willingness
to allow amateurs to publish limited runs of doujinshi (basically, they look
the other way) and the low cost of printing.  Many of the doujinshi look
like they were drawn by a professional artist and published and bound
by a large printing concern.  Many of the covers are elaborate to include
full color and foil overstamping.

>I wonder about the nature of this con.  At San Diego, the bulk of the booths
>are for retailers, comics and collectables shops from all over the states.
>There's a seperate room for publishing companies and distributors to
>advertise their latest releases and you will usually see their star artists,
>writers etc...  There's an "Artists Alley" where all the freelancers hang
>out to sign autographs and for a fee, do sketches.  There are workshops and
>panels in the other rooms, and drawing from this, does CM have a similiar
>format?  From what I have heard described about CM, it's mostly artists
>publishing their own doujinshi.  I certainly await further detail.

CM is a place for people to sell their Doujinshi.  It is like a huge
dealers room without the convention.  There are no workshops, etc.
One aspect of CM that is like cons is that it is a place for fans to get
together (that's the main reason I go to cons).  Some people dress up
in costumes ('Cosupurei' = "Costume Play") and walk around.  No
costumes are allowed outside the complex, so a large changing room is avail-
able.  No picture taking without the consent of the person being photographed
is allowed - this stems from the fact that some parents and schools feel that
comics are a bad influence, etc (just like in the US) and don't allow their
kids to go.  Of course, many people who are told not to go still do, and
are sometimes wary of being photographed since they may get in trouble if the
wrong person sees the photo (this actually happened before).


>I've also have been following the Sailor Moon TV series, as well as the
>information Hitoshi has posted.  I kind of like the series.  I didn't know
>that it was that immensely popular over there...Did you pick up any of the
>S-Moon stuff?  It'd definitely be interesting to see your report.

I picked up whatever non-H Sailor Moon stuff I could find (which was difficult)
:)  There were some original Sailor Moon stories and parodies -- parodies are
my favorite!  I also picked up a lot of original stuff and scouted out for
artwork that would be suitable for displaying at Anime America (we have already
arranged to display the works of one artist we were impressed with and will be
contacting at least one other who has a very nice non-anime/manga style that
reminded me of the work of U.S. SF/fantasy fan artists

>Later...Gene--
>
>--
>genef@netcom.com

Hopefully the above gives you a feel for what CM is.  I'll be happy to answer
any specific questions on subjects not addressed above.


 -- > Jeff Siegel

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