China’s Comic Cons:Not a Laughing Matter

by+Xuan+Kang

New Expansion into China

ReedPOP， the worlds largest organizer of pop culture events， recently held a press conference in Beijing to announce its future plans for China. It revealed that China will host two comic conventions in 2016， one in Beijing and the other in Shanghai.

The first Shanghai Comic Convention（SHCC） heralded ReedPOPs debut on the Chinese mainland last May. The two-day convention featured appearances by more than 20 comics creators， entertainers and cosplay artists from China and beyond. In Shanghai， they met fans， signed autographs and posed for photos. The convention also lured 41 exhibitors who satisfied fans huge appetites for officially licensed comic books， toys， models， kits and other products.

SHCC was the ReedPOP project targeting Chinese comic fans. Featuring a variety of activities and intimate interaction with guests， the first SHCC attracted more than 14，000 attendees from across China. After the overwhelming response to the inaugural event， Chinas demand for more world-class comic conventions and better pop cultural exchange was evident. ReedPOP has scheduled Beijing Comic Convention （BJCC） and the second SHCC for 2016. Designed around guests， interactive activities， and show floor， the two 2016 conventions will offer the same caliber A-List appearances as seen in Shanghai earlier this year， and potentially a lot more.

Lance Fensterman， founder of New York Comic Convention （NYCC） and Senior Global Vice President of ReedPOP， had much to say about the plans： “SHCC has been a huge driving force. It shows us the demand for an event of more variety in terms of content and interaction. We will work harder in 2016 to meet the interests and demands of all Chinese fans and provide more exhilarating experience for our Chinese fan base.” Lanny Zhang， vice president of Reed Exhibitions Greater China， also commented on the upcoming China conventions. “We hope to create market momentum and persistent charm for Chinese fans through our annual high quality conventions. I believe BJCC 2016 will prove a refreshing surprise，” he said.

Comic Cons in China

Even in recent years， “comic convention” was hardly a familiar term to the Chinese general public. By definition， it refers to an event in which fans of particular films， television series， comic books， actors， or even devotees of a specific genre of entertainment such as science fiction or anime and manga， gather to listen to speeches， meet celebrities and socialize with each other. And commercial activities are also usually a heavy element of comic conventions.

Actually， even globally， comic conventions havent been around all that long. However， the first comic convention in New York in 1964 was already an international gathering. Thus， such gatherings history on Chinese mainland is understandably even shorter. In strict sense， some events that are produced in China today are more accurately video game shows or cosplay shows.

Still， Lance Fensterman， who had never been to any Chinese comic convention， spoke positively of the industry in China and commented that China Joy is a“great video game show.”

“Ive been to several of those and admire what they built，” remarked Fensterman. “Seeing that event inspired us， because you can see the passion that fans have.” He added that he and his team had attended several different comic events in Asia and noticed that fans all share things in common. “You see the same passion and you see the same desire to express the passion.”

Michael Chen， project manager of SHCC， has seen other similarities between Chinese fans and their U.S. counterparts.“According to our observation of the first SHCC， its clear that Chinese and American fans share a great deal of similarities like taste for comics， consumption willingness and ability， and even consumption patterns，” remarked Chen. He revealed that Chinese fans spent quite a lot at the first SHCC， far beyond many analysts predictions. “The largest spending proportion went to toys， and original books imported from overseas also took up a huge share，”noted Chen.

Although the Chinese comic fan base is not large and remains untested， ReedPOP is confident of Chinas market. According to its survey at 2015 SHCC， 71 percent of SHCC visitors received college education or above and 18 percent of them earned income of 100，000 yuan or more– largely white collar workers from major Chinese cities. About 13 percent spent more than 5，000 yuan on comic products last year， and around 14 percent spend 1，000 to 5，000 yuan annually， proving that Chinese comic fans are mostly grown up. VIP tickets and two-day passes for the first SHCC sold out months early – priced at 1，888 yuan and 288 yuan， respectively.

A New Era

“Shanghai Comic Convention is a special milestone for us，” Fensterman has said on many occasions. With the introduction of BJCC and second SHCC in 2016， he remarked that SHCC has potential to become bigger than its New York father as legions of Chinese fans are waiting for the right platform to express themselves.

Previously， Chinas millennials， the target audience of todays comic conventions， were believed to be more familiar with Japanese comics because they grew up watching and reading comics from the neighboring country. However， due to the great number of Hollywood blockbusters inspired by Marvel and other comic publishers， the interest in American superheroes has exploded in China in recent years.

“I do believe these films have fostered the younger generations habits of reading comics， and the impact of comics will turn a page in China，” said Michael Chen.