Confusion, thy name is Otakon.
June 18th, 2007 by Marty
Alright gang, I’m going to be stirring the shit on this one.
If anything, I like to be known for two things. My complete, unabashed honesty…and for pushing forward for causes when they need to be spoken for.
This feels like one of those moments.
Otakon kinda…well, fucked up. And big. Not as big as they could’ve, no, but still pretty awful.
Earlier this morning, Otakon announced the panels for their 2007 convention after (literally) months of waiting. I, just as many others, waited with baited breath for this list, as I submitted for a panel. Given the not-so-great results of last years ‘Webcomics 101′ panel, I decided to take it upon myself to submit for the panel, hoping that with a fresh outlook, we’d have a stronger response.
Things started to look up. After years of Otakon looking down at webcomics (unless you’re a self-supposed manga-ka like Fred Gallagher, or traveling from Sweden like the boys from Little Gamers), they extended an olive branch to the community. They offered to promote us! All we had to do was fill out a simple form. How awesome is that? Otakon finally recognized us an IMPORTANT PART of the community!
Shame such a kind gesture had to be followed by spitting in our face.
As you can glance from viewing the list of panels this year…there is zero webcomics involvement.
Now sure, Megatokyo will probably have their giant panel (as they’re guests), but what about the rest of us? When growing anime conventions such as Katsucon are all but bending over backwards to grab a hold of creators such as us, and sci fi conventions such as Balticon are looking to us to build a new audience, why is Otakon ignoring what is arguably one of the largest growing segments of its fandom?
Now, I know, I know…this kinda comes off as sour grapes. Honestly, my issue isn’t with not personally having a panel, but of the level of ignorance that seems to be gestating at Otakon. Otakon was built BY the fans, FOR the fans…and it was this same fandom that caused Otakon to grow to be the largest…I’m sorry, now 2nd largest anime convention in the US. And it’s also this fandom that has allowed webcomics to grow.
I know we don’t have many eyes on us…I see the hits, I know where we lie. We at Dead of Summer are practically no one. But I ask you readers…you, our friends in the webcomics world…we must speak up.
Otakon 2007? The Webcomics world must make a stand. Let’s get moving.
EDIT: UPDATE 6/18/07 - 2:37pm
The natives have been getting restless over on the Otakon board. And I’ve been just as much a part of it as anyone else.
There’s 3 threads in particular of interest:
1. ‘List of Panels for Otakon 2007′
3. ‘Panel Suggestions for 2007′
It seems this issue isn’t just isolated to us in the webcomics world, and it extends far into the fandom with those annoyed by the rather inept showings from the Panels staff this year. Panels that were approved in advance? Dropped. Entire interests of fandom? Deemed irrelevant.
But as friend of the site Soapbox Devil so eloquently put it:
“Cheer up though, guys. Though your unique and otherwise unrepresented panels were turned down, at least you can go to one of FOUR anime music video panels that will likely be exactly the same. Or if you’re not REALLY (4 panels worth of ‘really’) into AMV’s, you can do one of the various Gothic Lolita attire panels or one of the many panels on Japanese music.”
What truly bothers me is the Otakon staff’s inability to take personal responsibility for the problem.
Take Otakon former con chair and Otakorp board member Jim Vowles…
“I know that Becky had a lot of computer troubles, and when she handed stuff off to Meredith we’ve found a few folks missing. Contact Meredith (panels at ota) and we should be fine. I know that there were a few folks we were surprised not to see on the list.”
Maybe I’m crazy, but shouldn’t someone have raised the question when people were NOTICED AS MISSING? Oh wait, I’m sorry, that’s something a professional organization would do, not a fan run convention. Wait…you mean Otakon’s run by an ACTUAL CORPORATION NOW, and HAS BEEN FOR YEARS? Look, I know it’s volunteer, but if the person can’t do the job, you replace them.
I guess we truly caught them with their pants down though, as after enough pestering, this message went live from ‘new’ panels head Meredith Davey:
“ATTENTION!
If you received a pre-approval notification from Becky for your panel, and your panel is not on the list on the first page of this thread, please E-MAIL (do not PM!) your name, your panel’s name, and its description with the subject “OTAKON 2007 PRE-APPROVED PANEL” (caps-lock optional) to panels@otakon.org
If an email from your group with the requested information is not received by midnight tonight (6/18 ), your pre-approved panel will not be re-considered.”
What does that mean? In 10 hours, they can say they ‘tried’ and wash their hands of it.
We’re really lucky the Alley is handled by a smarter group. But of course, they make money off the Alley…and not off the panelists, so I can see why there would be a focus on prompt and proper professionalism.
June 18th, 2007 at 10:59 am
What, exactly, are you proposing?
June 18th, 2007 at 11:09 am
That’s exactly what I’m trying to figure out now.
I’m trying to get the word out as much as possible in the hope that a group-think situation would cause cooler heads to prevail (as honestly, I’m rather irked), and a reasonable solution would be thought of.
I’d rather not make a rash move like cause people to boycott or something of the like…I’d rather we webcomics people peacefully and purposefully stand up for ourselves.
June 18th, 2007 at 11:30 am
Ugh. I had put in for a follow-up of last year’s panel (with the addition of an anti-me device, a nerf bat). They skipped that too!
June 18th, 2007 at 2:18 pm
Remember, remember the 5th of November.
June 18th, 2007 at 2:23 pm
Bad enough I hear stories about why people don’t go anymore. Seems like Otakon likes to succeed at pushing people away.
June 18th, 2007 at 4:32 pm
There is webcomic involvement. Don’t get this wrong as me sticking up for a convention, but we’re in the panels just not as obvious. Digital Production for Comicking is a webcomics panel. It ran at A-kon this year. Webcomics 101 looks like it got lost but will be reposted.
I thought I saw that someone got a notice that they were approved. And maybe they’re fixing that. If they are, awesome sauce.
Webcomics have always been spat on. Always.
I guess I’ve just gotten used to it. Few cons acknowledge or care about online comics and that’s gonna be a fact of life for a long time to come. But I don’t think getting in their faces about it is going to help the situation or make webcomics as a whole look better. It certainly won’t help them learn to respect us.
You can spit on me now if you want. Just always been a Love and Peace kinda person. :/
June 18th, 2007 at 7:19 pm
Firstly, thanks for popping on the site and leaving your thoughts, Juno. Always appreciated to talk to someone new.
I cannot underline enough how badly I want Otakon to make good on this. I’ve been going to the con for what seems like forever, and have always been pleased with how it accommodates the growing needs and likes of it’s massive fanbase.
But since I started my journey into the world of webcomics, it became abundantly clear that we’re, for all intents and purposes, the bastard children of the convention.
My outrage, or rather, frustration wasn’t just toward that…it was the Otakon staff’s response to what was a rather vocal portion of their fanbase. It really seemed as if they were more worried by us speaking up, than by what we had to say.
I’m all for Love & Peace, sir/ma’am. But sometimes things need to be said.
I really hope they clear everything up…I LOVE that place, easily the best weekend of my summer, every year….but when I see things like this occur…it worries me greatly.
Hope to see you there. Maybe we can meet under less harried conditions.
June 18th, 2007 at 7:38 pm
Absolutely!
I be a ma’am and I’ll be at the Star Cross’d Destiny/Swordwaltzer table, which will probably have Bohemian Trash Studio signage with two guys far larger than me.
At A-kon we have a schedule just for webcomics but at other cons I try to find out all the webcomic related panels I can so that I can support them. It’s a small thing we can all do to support each other and get the message to the con through. Hopefully someday the wave will catch on. In the last three years cons have gotten better and better. But still…
I say conspiracy now! ^_- See you in a month or so.
June 18th, 2007 at 10:54 pm
I’m glad you guys will be back this year.
W T Snax (of 4Chan fame) raised a few good points about the panels this year. Take a look at the list and you’ll see that less tahn 10% of them are from the latter half of the alphabet (sorted by name, of course). They literally went down the list, checking off things they liked, and then scrambled to fill out a few more when they realized they were running out of room. While I’m sure that Embroidery is an important skill for otaku to have, I’m sure that webcomics would have made for a much better allocation of time. Do we really need 2 AMV panels? Especially 2 of the exact same thing?
Snax also brought up the idea of renting out the ballrooms of nearby hotels for psuedo-con panels. That way, people can hold panels of their own. While there are 2 fanfiction panels, I’d love to host a general writing panel called “Fanfiction: It’s Not All About Gay Fucking!”
PS: Juno, thanks for talking me into the Star Cross’d book. I reread it at least once a month.
June 19th, 2007 at 5:32 am
“Fanfiction: It’s Not All About Gay Fucking!” - Ha! I would love to be a pannelist on this with you.
June 19th, 2007 at 8:55 am
Juno, we’ll definitely be stopping by. And you’re more than welcome to pop over to our booth too, we’ll be the one with the giant ‘DEAD OF SUMMER’ banner making wise-ass comments.
James! Good to hear from you, sir. The idea of a ’supplemental con’ sounds amazing, I really need to pop in on the ADTRW thread. I saw what he was saying about the seemingly alphabetical selection, and once you check it out, it really is very apparent. What a shame.
But back to the ’supplemental con’ idea, I can say (and with fair amounts of confidence, I think I speak for Nick as well), we’d definitely support, and be interested in being a part of such a venture if it were to come about. The issue would be we wouldn’t necessarily be able to assist with the funding of such an idea…our money’s kinda tied up elsewhere.
Here’s a thought though…the 4chan panel OBVIOUSLY gets a lot of interest and attendance…why not build this additional batch of panels around a completely uncensored 4chan panel? Methinks it’d get interest, and hell, people might just want to help raise money for it.
Food for thought.
June 19th, 2007 at 6:42 pm
It’s good to see that I’m not the only one severely unimpressed by the panel selection this year.
First of all, the obvious alphabetical bias of the webcomic selection. It’s honestly as though Merideth had an alphabetical list of the panels and checked off what she thought would work as she went and began running out of room.
Secondly, the two AMV panels. I have no doubt in my mind that the content in these will be identical, but presented differently. Two isn’t needed. Four as there were originally is even worse.
Same with mutliple lolita fashion panels. Or J-Music. This is just as stated in this post.
Lack of a Sailor Moon panel. It’s the 15th anniversary this year. Why do we have some junk Inuyasha panel and not this?
Lastly, I have to question an entire 18+ panel around Evangelion. Something about this sounds stupid.
June 19th, 2007 at 6:52 pm
Also, seeing as how I can’t edit, I’m extremely irritated by the fact that they seem to be gearing Otakon for the common Gaia-Online “xDDDDDDD” posting, mouthbreathing “fan” who has never seen anime outside of Adult Swim, just because there’s more of them? Exactly who is this con for? This is insulting, that that particular demographic would be considered the target focus of the con. They’re just going to end up alienating the people who actually watch _anime_.
Consider me elitist if you want, but Otakon is supposed to be a convention of otaku culture. Not of the Hot Topic culture.