Pros and (Comic) Cons by Hope Nicholson

Pros and (Comic) Cons Reviews

• 
  Amanda Williams

  Can't put into words how much I enjoyed this!
• 
  Jonathan Maas

  An ode to comic cons, the good and the bad - but really mostly good :)
• 
  Lainy122

  You know when you love something so much you can only make unintelligible noises about how good it is? And then someone comes along and articulates everything you adore in perfect prose and fantastic art?
  Yeah, this is that. :D
  I picked this up because I love Comic Conventions and also Kieron Gillen, and was tickled pink to find a story by the wonderful Kris Straub in here too! Super chuffed!
• 
  Sarah

  More like 2.5. I'd like to thank Edelweiss and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. I have been to many cons so I was excited to read this. With that being said, it wasn't what I thought it was going to be. There was chapters inside that weren't comics and some of the stories fell flat for me.
• 
  Jenna

  An interesting mix of stories, some of which resonates more than others. My favorites were the shorts, where odd little moments are captured, like the dinosaur cosplay battle or the economy of buying comics.
• 
  Gamal Hennessy

  An insightful and often charming look at comic book conventions through the eyes of some professionals who thrive in that strange world.
• 
  Natalie

  I really enjoyed this collection. It's a nice mix of graphic stories and written pieces. With comics and graphic novels, I think it's easy for some people to forget that there are writers, illustrators, inkers, letterers, etc all involved in that process. Highlighting all those separate pieces does a great job of reminding people (myself included) that artist alley and comic cons are for all different types of artists, just not those that draw.
• 
  Alex Sarll

  Much like the Secret Loves Of Geeks anthologies, with the same editor and format, including alternating prose and comics. But this time it's a celebration (with occasional reservations) specifically of conventions. I was wondering how much I'd get out of it, having only ever attended the anomalous, fabulous, frustrating, much-missed, doomed example of the form that was Nine Worlds, but...well, that turned out to be more than enough to follow along. Contributions range from big names (Bendis, teaming up with Oeming again, reminding me how funny he can be when he's not being utterly misused on the wrong superhero books or taking years between issues of his own stuff) to young people you've never heard of trying to be fun!!! while offering earnest advice, and at least making it as far as endearing. The most trying entry was probably the old-timer still getting excited by the bargains he picked up half a century ago, because what has that to do with my life; the one which most affected me, inevitably, was the convention dancefloor reminiscences of Kieron Gillen, because not at Thought Bubble, but I've seen what that man can do with a disco, so that's my generation's nostalgia, which is obviously far more poignant and important.
• 
  Cale

  This is a smorgasbord of stories and insights into the Comic Con culture, presented in both graphic and text forms, from a variety of perspectives. It's better than average quality for a collection, with pieces like Anthony Oliveira's "A Queer Guide to Comic Con" (which also is helpful for non-Queer visitors) and Bryan Hill's "The Outsider" being high points to me among the written pieces, and Kieron Gillan & Julia Scheele's "Thought Bubble" my favorite of the graphic pieces. But there are a lot of good to great selections to choose from - the weakest piece wasn't bad, it just sounded like a newspaper article. I appreciated the variety of perspectives provided, both on the level of attendees, exhibitors, and press and also on the LGBTQ and Minority spectrums - Hope Nicholson did a very good job at aiming for full representation, which definitely enhanced the quality of the book. I'd strongly recommend this to anyone who is a fan of cons and also to someone who has never gone - it does a good job of selling the experience without sugarcoating it.
• 
  Nadina

  So I found this in the adult graphic novels section at the library. The title sounded cool and so I checked it out.
  I was a bit disappointed when I realized it was half comics and half short stories (well I guess prose is what I realized as I was reading (prose and comics...that was pretty good planning for a title though I did miss that).
  So I ended up reading through the comics first. Most of them were pretty good, some of them were not surprising, others gave an inside look at the world of conventions that I wasn't aware of. I mean all of them gave a look into the convention world that I am not really a part of, but some aspects were cool to read, others I just couldn't relate to.
  I then went on to read the prose passages, there were a couple of good ones, and a couple of relatable paragraphs. I found others to be quite tedious however.
  Honestly, I feel very indifferent about this in the end, and I can not say either way if I would recommend it or not.
• 
  Lex Ophiuchus

  Another delightful collection of essays from editor Hope Nicholson. While I prefer her first two, this one had some good stuff.
  
  Though the stories by Tim Seeley and Bud Plant… Oof. Those were tough to get through. Plus I’m always confused when an otherwise feminist, queer, and inclusive book includes content by creators like Tim Seeley. To go from writers who explore how it feels to work in male-dominated fields (being underestimated, excluded, and objectified) to how Seeley portrays women in the most male-gazey way. Just weird.
  
  I’d rather conclude with some fantastic ones! A Queer Guide to Comic Con, A Writer in Artist Alley, Crunch, The Pastel Take Away, Mistakes Were Made, Cree Supergirl, and Dino Rumble.
• 
  Shannan

  It was nice getting an insider/industry perspective on cons in this format, because while I attend them, I've never vended or been a guest, and it changes the experience quite a bit. I love this format of a mix of comics and essays, because it breaks things up and makes it so if you're feeling just like reading the comics, you can, or vice-versa. The diversity of voices and experiences (except that basically everyone mentioned hand sanitizer, which I thought was hilarious) was very heartwarming to read. Also, there's some pretty solid advice in there!
• 
  Danielle

  Similar to
  The Secret Loves of Geek Girls, this was cute but not something I'd probably come back to. It made me nostalgic for all the cons that were canceled this year, but the stories were definitely a mix between sweet and not memorable.
• 
  Kai Charles(Fiction State Of Mind)

  A collection of illustrated and prose stories centered around the fun and craziness of comic conventions. I laughed a lot at these stories since many of them recount experiences I've witnessed, Despite the trials the convention community is something that is hard to let go of if you ever step into it. A great read.
• 
  Bookbabble

  If you’ve ever been to a comic-con and wanted to know what it’s like on the other side of the booths and tables, this is the book for you! This is a beautifully curated anthology of stories from people in the industry.
• 
  Anna Goldberg

  This prose and comics anthology read like a yearbook of fondly remembered convention experiences, mostly to do with San Diego Comicon, but others included as well. It was the perfect book to read as i console myself after Emerald City Comic Con was postponed due to Covid-19 this year.
• 
  Dax

  While I enjoyed many of the stories and got the warm fuzzies of being reminded of my past con experiences, there was nothing really moving or amazing. I do feel like this is the book for you if you want to get into creating comics or working the con scene.
• 
  Michael

  Make a comic or write a book. Pick one.
• 
  Aurora

  I enjoyed this collection! A good way to get hyped for convention season starting up again.
• 
  Jennifer Abella

  This was a nice view of cons from pros' perspectives. It made me miss the fun and serendipity and chaos of comic cons (but not the physical closeness of crowds).
• 
  Sesana

  A collection of essays and personal experiences about cons, some prose, some comics. Overall, I liked the comics better than the prose. Really I showed up for Randy Milholland's comic (I've been reading Something Positive since he had a day job) and was happy with the slate of creators across the board.