Monday, April 28, 2025

Downstate to the Springfield ComicCon

 


Yesterday, Sunday, I decided to spend the day driving to Springfield, Illinois and back, so that I could attend the Springfield ComicCon. This entailed a 400-mile round-trip in the MINI Roadster with the top down in glorious weather. I followed the old Route 66 down to Bloomington, before peeling off onto the back roads of 51 and 54. It took me just under four and a half hours to get there (inclusive of a couple of breakast and coffee stops), arriving at 11:30am.


Exterior of Route 66 Hotel & Conference Center

Part of the hotel lobby display about historical Route 66

The Springfield ComicCon was held at the Route 66 Hotel & Conference Center located at 625 E. Saint Joseph St. (I-55 exit 92- Business 55 / 6th St) This is near the intersection of 6th St and Stevenson.

The Springfield ComicCon is just one of a number of cons which run throughout the year in the American Mid-West, usually on one or two Sundays per month.  Details of upcoming cons can be found here =>> https://epguides.com/comics/




So was it worth it? I’d say yes. The actual con was smaller than I expected - more a mart than a con - certainly a single room with perhaps no more than 15 dealers present. But the content was solid - Bronze, Silver and Golden Age books, mostly very sensibly priced with many dealers willing to give 20% discount or more. I believe there is a trend for the price of decent quality Bronze Age comic books to reduce in recent years when bought at marts. 


I ended up picking up some 70s DCs to fill random gaps in my collection from a dealer who turned out to live ten minutes from me west of Chicago, and had made the drive downstate himself that morning.


My haul from the day
Similarities with a British mart?  Well, the age of the clientele was similar - long-time collectors mostly with a smattering of younger fans. But the content went beyond what would normally be found in the UK ; solid runs of Romance, War, Western, Humour books that were sparsely or not at all imported into the UK by Thorpe & Porter in the sixties. Also a lot of dealers with old pop-culture paperbacks and non-sports trading card collections for sale.


I left the con around 1:30pm and was home before 6pm, suitably knackered.

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6 comments:

  1. KidApril 29, 2025 at 4:03 AM

    I've got to ask - does that issue of Detective Comics on the bottom right of the pic have a corner missing, or is it just folded inside? I haven't been at a mart in years, seeing as how I can get just about anything I want via eBay.

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    1. baggseyApril 29, 2025 at 10:07 AM

      Ah. You have an eagle eye, Kid. Actually the bottom corner was clipped off. It was the last item I bought, just as a reading copy, found at the front of a bargain box of scruffy Bronze Age books priced at $4 or less. Not a collectible copy, but the great Aparo artwork caught my eye. Presumably at some point in its life it had been returned as an unsold newsstand copy with the corner clipped, and then found its way into the second hand market rather than being pulped.
      The two romance books I bought were not top notch condition either, with the top right corner of Heart Throbs #137 being torn off, but it was only $3. And the Falling In Love #130 was $5. I got them to fills gaps in my collection of reading copies of the DC 25-centers from the period Aug 1971-Aug 1972 era. Romance books from that era are so rare.

      Like you I do mostly get comics from eB*y, but its a pricey strategy (sometimes postage cost is as much as the book) when compared to a mart where you can haggle and inspect the book. Are there any regular marts in your area?

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    2. KidApril 29, 2025 at 4:50 PM

      I don't know about regular, B, but I believe they do occur from time-to-time - though I haven't attended one in years. In fact, I doubt I've attended more than four or five in my life.

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  2. McSCOTTYMay 4, 2025 at 5:47 AM

    You picked up some nice comics there Ian, I'm particularly interested in those Swamp Thing issues and depending on the artists, those DC romance comics can be fun. I'm more than happy to pick up reading copies of comics as I'm less likely to pay silly prices asked for some better quality comics . Forbidden Planet Glasgow has recently taken on a large quantity of DC, Marvel, Charlton etc comics from1965 to 1973ish many in reading copy state ( others near mint) so at present I m picking those up when I'm in the city. And that's a darn lovely car you have.
    There are a few marts in our area ( I live not far from Kid) in East Kilbride, Rutherglen , Airdrie and Hamilton but I always seem to miss them but i doubt they will be overly impressive.

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    1. baggseyMay 4, 2025 at 5:03 PM

      It’s heartening to hear of a Forbidden Planet with back issues on sale, Paul. I’ve not seen back issues for sale in the London, Southampton or New York Forbidden Planet stores.

      I’ve been trying to fill in the gaps in my Swamp Thing collection from the early 1970s - up to issue 24, when the comic was cancelled. I had them all back in then, but sold them all in 1983. I hear good things about the Alan Moore era, when DC resurrected the book, so may end up looking for those issues. However, at this stage in life I should be divesting myself of stuff, not continuing to acquire new stuff!

      Glad you like the MINI Roadster. (I assume you're referring to the MINI and not the Ford Model 'T' from the other photo :-) ). It’s 2013 vintage, which I bought second hand about 6 years ago. I got it for a good price, as despite having navigation, etc., it was a manual gearbox, and hardly anyone here in the US even knows how to use a clutch these days. Something to be glad about my upbringing in the UK - knowing how to “drive stick”. Still, my preference is driving an automatic, which of course is now old technology as well, with electric cars not even having a gearbox, automatic or otherwise.

      It’s a lot of fun to drive, especially with the roof down, and being a two-seater the boot is very deep. We’ve driven all the way to the West Coast in it taking part in MINI rallys.

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  3. McSCOTTYMay 5, 2025 at 1:39 PM

    Yeah I meant your Roadsters Ian, very nice. I haven't driven a "stick" in years as my last 4 cars have been autos ( 1 semi auto). Like yourself I feel I should be getting rid of stuff rather than buying more. I have moved on loads of 1990s onwards books and a good few 1980s but I still have too many comics.The Alan Moore Swamp Thing was a great read I sold most of mine but picked up a couple of the reprints which saved space. FP in Glasgow has a nice back issue section which includes UK comics ( not just Marvl UK)

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