SNB at SDCC 2024 and Remembering John Cassaday (update 3.9.25)

UPDATED March 5, 2025

Long over due but here's the "SNB at SDCC  2024  -- " post started back in July 2024 with the photos added March 2025...

Sorry for the slowdown on posts since June of 2024. This is mostly due to some technical hardware issues that started last summer. Everything's fine. It just took a long time to get back on track.

Meanwhile... SNB was at SDCC at the usual booth 5012 space. Stuart saw many friends and colleagues. His email newsletter of 8.10.24 was his first announcement of the new arrivals from SDCC now at the store and on the website. Stuart writes this weekly newsletter himself. It's the best source for the latest news on SNB. You can sign up for the email newsletter at the link on the website (scroll all the way down on the website home page. Or use this cut-and-paste of the link here: https://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001HT_4jDa_Q_wr9MkttYf8IrlLs8tDOXvfCpbqB6je5GxZy9rM2TkKxl3RBIYBk5jbgEjBAP6dgW7dl_CrHk-NLOw0w52C9r8ofoGYRNSD2LbvUE7dXDOR5uufmMYdSmj5tu5b5hVkY4SFfWvFF1Nz9vYcUN0rr2r6

I may be adding more text for these photos later... but here's an album of SNB at SDCC 2024..

We started exhibiting at SDCC back in 1998!! Before the show was a pop culture phenomenon on the radar of the general public. The show has changed a LOT over the decades. We were part of a row of indie booksellers for many years... colleagues who are out of the business or no longer with us. Once non-industry friends and family started learning SNB is at comic con every year, the #1 question we get is: What do you dress up as?? We don't, but the news coverage sure has cemented that idea in the minds of the public. I do enjoy the cosplay., and while animals AREN'T supposed to be involved (or allowed on the convention grounds) there's always an exception...

Here are some views of the SNB booth...

At set-up/pre-show hours..

And in action...

I thought I had more photos of the booth during show hours... If I find some, I'll add them here. 

One of the best parts of SDCC, and why everyone still tries to go, is that everyone is there. Here are some booths of longtime artist friends and colleagues...

Liana Hee...https://www.instagram.com/lianahee/?hl=en

Brett Bean... https://www.brettbean.com/

Loter Inc. https://www.loter.com/

Someday Mouse ... https://www.somedaymouse.com/

Yes.. there are still comic vendors at comic con...

Stuart spends a lot of his time at SDCC scouting the exhibit hall floor for new finds, as well as catching up with old friends...

He's also getting better at taking lunch breaks!

I only attended for one day in 2024. Enough time to see friends and document the experience. 

I enjoyed the views all around. 

I think it will be WonderCon and LBX only for me from now own. The logistics of SDCC... getting rooms, booths, parking at the convention center, the long hours... make it difficult for attendees and exhibitors. WonderCon and LBX are much better on the logistics end.. and to me, even more fun than SDCC since so many of our longtime friends aren't attending/exhibiting anymore.  We all had a good run. But it's a different show now. The panels with the movie stars and show previews mean attendees spend long hours in those lines, and not shopping the exhibition hall. The demand by studios and large companies for floor space is just one factor driving up booth prices. The crowd is interested in "con exclusives" they can only buy at company booths.. and purchase to flip later on Ebay etc. None of these activities were part of the show decades ago. Everything evolves.

Many longtime exhibitors frequented Perry's Cafe, near Old Town San Diego. This cafe catered to truckers and its early morning hours meant SDCC exhibitors had a chance to grab a hot breakfast before heading to the con. It was bittersweet to catch local news stories announcing its closure in 2024...

All the exhibitors dream of taking a break after SDCC and enjoying some of the wonderful attractions in San Diego. Some get to.. but mostly the show is a week-long monster that takes a lot out of smaller vendors. Still, the show is iconic... and an important sales venue for many small businesses.

UPDATE 3.9.25

John Cassaday (12/14/71-9/9/24) was more than a Prince among comics professionals...he was a noble knight. Kind hearted. Self-taught. Celebrated by his peers. His passing (too young, from a heart attack) was a tragic loss that resonated in the community. The posts here are tributes from Facebook. They summarize his character. He will be missed. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/18/arts/john-cassaday-dead.html