NYCC Artist Alley vs. Show Floor - Our Experience with Two Tables!
Lifeline Comics had TWO TABLES at New York Comic Con! What was our experience in Artist Alley versus the Show Floor?
Hi Lifeline Comics Readers!
It’s been a minute since our last regular post — and with good reason! We’ve been tied up with two tables at New York Comic Con! Now we’re excited to report to you about our experience tabling in both Artist Alley AND as Exhibitors on the Show Floor!
We’ll also talk about our Crossover Art Print between Witches of Oz and Like Father, Like Daughter, our experience at Exxxotica Edison, Agatha All Along, FX’s English Teacher, the Wizards of Waverly Place sequel series, and MORE!
Let’s get into it!
Lifeline Comics Has a Website!
Kat: Since creating Lifeline Comics, Phil and I’s biggest mission has been to make a website. We want a place where our readers can find everything in one place: our shop, news, and contact information.
That day has finally come thanks to our friend and webmaster, Brant Fowler of Last Ember Press. He made the site even better than we could ever imagine!
New York Comic Con
Lifeline Comics was at New York Comic Con the weekend before last! Let’s talk about everything that came out of our home-town show!
Artist Alley vs. Exhibitor
Phil: Lifeline Comics had TWO TABLES at New York Comic Con this year! We were tabling in Artist Alley AND Exhibitors on the Show Floor.
The Costs
Phil: Let’s start by talking numbers. Tabling in both locations came with a lot of upfront costs.
For starters, we have the booth costs. NYCC has an above-average Artist Alley cost. And the Exhibitor Space was more than five times the cost of the Artist Alley table. We also needed plenty of equipment to table in two spaces - including new display banners, comic racks, cash boxes, cork boards for our pins, Square Readers for payment, etc. These were the costs before we walked through the door on the first day of the convention.
An unexpected big expense that came on Day 1 was Exhibitor Wi-Fi. Turns out, it’s really hard to get cellular service on the show floor. So purchasing Wi-Fi specifically for Point-of-Sale was a necessary expense — several hundred dollars for just one device. Add in the costs of travel (thankfully not huge since we’re local to New York, but we had to use a few parking garages when we drove in transporting comics), the cost of food/drinks, and the cost of labor — because we had to bring in four employees to man the Exhibitor Booth.
All of this is to say: two spaces at New York Comic Con was BY FAR our most expensive show to date. Even more expensive than travel cons where we needed to account for airfare and hotels.
Our Revenue
Despite the HUGE cost of our dual tabling experience at NYCC…we DID make back the money. And we turned a profit.
But there are some very interesting observations to be made when you look closer.
Firstly and perhaps most interestingly: Artist Alley had higher Revenue than Exhibitor. You read the right: REVENUE. Not just profit, but actual sales dollars in Artist Alley were higher than those in Exhibitor. The difference wasn’t a massive amount (just a couple hundred dollars), but this was a really big surprise for us — especially since we tabled in Artist Alley two years ago and made much less Revenue back then than we did this year. We’ll dive into why we think this is a bit later on.
Obviously, Artist Alley PROFIT was MUCH higher than Exhibitor. It stands to reason that Artist Alley making more Revenue than Exhibitor at nearly five times lower the cost means that the bulk of our profit that weekend can be attributed to Artist Alley. But both locations did turn their own profit — even if the Exhibitor profit was a lot more modest after accounting for all costs associated with Exhibiting.
There were always sales. When Artist Alley was lulling in traffic/sales, Exhibitor was booming. And vice-versa, for pretty much the whole weekend.
Average Purchase in Exhibitor was higher than Artist Alley. People who bought things in Exhibitor tended to be more willing to spend money than Artist Alley. Once again, the difference wasn’t enormous. But it was certainly noticeable. About 65% of our Mystery Box sales (the highest-cost items we had at the show) came from the Exhibitor Floor.
We’ve got the numbers down. Now let’s dive into the ways that having two tables affected the perception of Lifeline Comics at NYCC.
The Coca-Cola Effect
Kat: New York Comic Con is such a BIG convention that the show floor and artist alley have different audiences. The people who check out the show floor may never get to artist alley and vice versa.
But a theory we didn’t think about until we were doing the show were the people who did end up seeing us at both the show floor and artist alley.
There were a number of sales that we saw convert because people had the second chance to support our books when they saw our booth a second time. Advertising is just as important as the initial profit and we saw this in real time.
I like to call this the Coca-Cola effect! When you’re walking Time Square and you see a Coca-Cola sign, you aren’t going to run into the next pizza shop desperate for a coke. But next time you’re looking for a soda - you may be like “well, I’ve been hearing a lot about this Coca-Cola”. You haven’t been hearing about it. You’ve just been advertised to. It creates a subconscious brand loyalty.
Seeing our booth multiple times at a pop culture mecha like New York Comic Con, allows people to see us as a “big brand”. Oh yeah, I’ve heard of Lifeline Comics! I want to support them.
Other Creators Took Notice
Kat: The two booths did their job because A LOT of creators noticed! We had a handful of writers/artists wanting to know how the experiment treated us (hence this post).
It allowed for talking points, and to build excitement around the Lifeline Comics brand as both 2 comic creators and as a publisher.
The Ebbs and Flows of Traffic
Kat: Something we’ve noticed about big cons like this is that sales don’t really start to pick up until the afternoon. The mornings tend to be slow, BUT with two tables when one spot had slower pockets of traffic the other table was doing better.
It seemed like the show floor and artist alley had different popular times. The show floor tended to do better in the morning and towards the end of the day, while artist alley had a really strong flow in the middle of the day.
Where to Sit?
Phil: In the beginning, we went back-and-forth on the best way to position ourselves, Kat and Phil. Our original place was that we would be split up for the entire weekend, with one of us always being at the Exhibitor Booth with our employees and the other in Artist Alley.
We quickly learned that this wasn’t the ideal layout. Artist Alley is where fans, publishers, and fellow creators go to connect directly with you. So other than occasional check-ins to get a feel for the Exhibitor Space, Kat and I quickly adjusted such that we both manned the Artist Alley table while our employees managed Exhibitor themselves.
We got to have a lot of great conversations in Artist Alley (including some exciting Work-for-hire stuff we can’t tell you about just yet), so we definitely think we made the right choice!
So Was It Worth It? Would We Do It Again?
Phil: The short answer: Yes, we would do it again.
The reason we purchased the two spaces at New York Comic Con was to advertise our comics and increase visibility of our brand. And in that area, the two spaces at NYCC were a massive success.
We were fortunate to turn a profit in both locations, but at the end of the day that wasn’t our primary goal. Our goal was to pick up new readers and new fans. And with the two spaces, we’re confident we pulled in at least double the number of new fans that we might have with only one space.
Meeting with Sam from Kickstarter
Kat: One of my favorite things about conventions like San Diego Comic Con and New York Comic Con, is being able to catch up with friends. Sam runs the comic book side of Kickstarter and is one of my favorite people in the biz. I’m glad we were able to squeeze a dinner into our jam packed schedule to talk shop and geek out about our favorite fandoms.
Cosplays We Saw
Kat: And we can’t forget our cosplay gallery:
We even saw a handful of Wicked/Wizard of Oz costumes!
Our Live Campaigns - with a FREE Exclusive Crossover Art Print!
Phil: In case you missed it, we have two Kickstarter Comic Campaigns live right now!
Like Father, Like Daughter: The Five Stages of Grief #1
“The world's only superhero is DEAD! Can his teen daughter fill his shoes? PART ONE: DENIAL!“
The Witches of Oz #1-2
“Glinda's Origin Story REVEALED! Glinda & the Wicked Witch visit the RUBY PALACE. Will Glinda’s secrets ruin their chances of romance?“
Support both campaigns for a FREE Exclusive Art Print!
If you pledge to both campaigns at a Physical Level (getting some Rewards shipped to you), you’ll get the below Crossover Art Print by LFLD Artist Tango!
Don’t miss out on the exclusive print!
Night Wolf Cross-Promo!
Kat: Speaking of Crossovers, Like Father, Like Daughter not only has a crossover print with Witches of Oz, but also with Rob Multari’s Night Wolf!
Backing both projects Physically gets you another Crossover Art Print by Evan Scale.
“After discovering his werewolf lineage, a young man is reluctantly thrown into a supernatural war.”
Exxxotica
Phil: The weekend after New York Comic Con, we hit Exxxotica Edison for the first time!
We tabled next to Pat Shand, which was such a pleasure. We always love getting the chance to hang out with Pat and talk shop.
We had a great time selling the Exxxotica 2024 Exclusive Covers that we Kickstarted earlier this year with Pat.
Unfortunately for both of us, Kat and I both ended up falling sick following NYCC. It really caught up with us over the weekend and we ended up having to pack up early and miss the Sunday of the show.
But we had a great time. Especially on Friday, which was “Ladies Night” and women got into the show for free. It was great seeing all the love for our Mature Sapphic Romance books!
What have we been up to?
Between all the Cons and the Kickstarters, let’s talk about some of the fun stuff we’ve been up to!
Meet Phil’s New Cat: Oliver
Phil: My fiancé, Julius, has been wanted to get a second cat for about a year now. And last weekend, amidst all of the craziness of New York Comic Con and Exxxotica, we finally had this perfect kitten join our family.
We named her Oliver. Julius doesn’t care that she’s a girl. He’s always wanted an orange kitten named after Oliver & Company.
She’s eight weeks old, super friendly, and LOVES my glasses.
Her introduction to our first cat, Molly, is going slowly but well. There’s still a bit of hissing and growling, but they can already co-exist in the same room.
I’m sure there will be plenty of Oliver across my social media in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for that.
Liberty Game 2!
Kat: What a WNBA Season! And what a time to be a New York sports fan. Earlier this month, I was able to hit up Game 2 of the Lynx and Liberty playoff game.
We had perfect seats to watch Ellie the Elephant…oh and the game!
Can’t wait to see what the Liberty and the rest of the WNBA bring to the game for the 2025 season, but for now let’s revel in the triumphs of 2024.
“Oh, Mary!” on Broadway
Phil: We had the pleasure of seeing Oh, Mary! on Broadway a couple of weeks ago. This irreverent historical comedy about the lives of Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln is a favorite of our friend Thalya, so we decided to treat her to another showing of the play for her birthday.
And, oh man, I don’t remember the last time I laughed so hard at a live performance. Nearly every line in this play is laugh-out-loud hysterical. So many crazy quotable lines and jaw-dropping hilarious twists. It’s profane, goofy, and perfect.
We also loved how queer the show was — with lead performance of Mary being a drag performance, and with the plot of the show focusing a lot on Abraham Lincoln’s sexuality.
I have a feeling I’ll be seeing this show again soon. It is just too funny not to see a second time.
Maggie Rogers Concert
Kat: The week leading into New York Comic Con was a busy one. The day before set up, I took the drive to Philly to see one of my favorite artists - Maggie Rogers - at the Wells Fargo Center.
Little known fact: Maggie Rogers actually has a Harvard degree in live performances. She puts her whole body and soul into a performance with super crisp vocals and a style of dancing that can make anyone just let go and truly feel her music.
Media
Let’s discuss some non-comics media!
Wizards: Beyond Waverly Place
Kat: I’m always hesitant when I hear a beloved show is getting a reboot/relaunch. Is it just a money grab? Will it have the same heart? Does time between the original and remake change its charm?
Wizards of Waverly Place does some of its own “magic” to allow the show to have the same energy as it’s predecessor, all while feeling like a new entity. Beyond Waverly Place is at its best when Alex and Justin get to interact with each other, but with Selina’s Gomez’s busy schedule we only get to see that shine in the first episode.
The show focuses more on the kid’s hijinks, which has a solid enough foundation in the pilot. They introduce an interesting plot with the show’s new lead, Billie (she’s actually one of the stronger actors). It has the potential for her to grow as a character, but especially as an honorary Russo, all while Wizards’ more serialized storytelling kicks in.
I’m not going to lie, as an adult without kids, I much rather watch an Alex & Justin reboot, but if you have kids in your life Selina Gomez and David Henrie find a good balance between pleasing the old and new generation.
Listen to my Legendary Ladies podcast where we go more in depth about the show!
Agatha All Along (Season 1)
*Minor Spoilers*
![Rio Calls Agatha Out in 'Agatha All Along' Episode 8 Sneak Peek [Exclusive]](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bZNt!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb1bd2ad0-ad88-4d49-a958-59937455852c_1400x700.jpeg "Rio Calls Agatha Out in 'Agatha All Along' Episode 8 Sneak Peek [Exclusive]")
Phil: We talked about the premiere two episodes of Agatha All Along a few newsletters ago. But with the season having just reached its end, I had to come back to talk about all nine episodes as a whole.
AAA shaped up to be one of my favorite MCU properties to date. I loved the tricks, the trials, the songs, the coven, the look. Everything. I loved it all. And I loved the way that everything began to tie together in Episodes 7-9, giving the early episodes a ton of rewatch value based on the new information we learned in the final stretch.
Talking about the miniseries episode-by-episode, I mentioned in my last review that I found Episode 1 to be a little bit slow (mostly due to the long cop plot motif), but that Episode 2 won me over with the introduction of the coven. Episodes 3-5 were a little middle-of-the-road for me. There was plenty of witchy fun and I liked the dynamic of the coven. But none of the episodes blew me away.
And then we hit Episodes 6 and 7. The former gave us the backstory we all knew was coming for the Teen, but did so in such an engaging and fun way. And then Episode 7 — which I think most of the fandom (myself included) has decreed the best episode of the series — put the focus on Patti LuPone’s Lillia to deliver such a heartwarming, funny, tragic, and unique episode of television. And Episodes 8-9 delivered lots of emotions and twists that cemented Agatha as an absolute triumph.
I really appreciate that Agatha Harkness remained a villain throughout the series. So often, these “villain-centric” stories seek to just make everybody the same edgy antihero type of character. But Agatha remained a villain through-and-through. And not a boring villain. One with pathos and layers who ended up becoming one of the most unique characters (hero or villain) to come out of the MCU to date. My only criticism of Agatha’s character is that I would’ve liked to see more justification for example why she needs/wants to kill witches. I feel like we only really scratched the surface of the “why” of it all.
And all of those promises early on that AAA would be the gayest MCU series to date weren’t lying! It was great seeing such queer energy from a mainstream superhero property.
While Agatha All Along doesn’t quite reach the emotional heights of WandaVision, it remains a worthy sequel that couldn’t have been released at a better time. Such a treat to behold.
English Teacher (Season One, 2024)
Phil: A comedy about a Gay English Teach in Austin, Texas who navigates the social and political complexity of the modern day.
The first season of English Teacher is both funny and diverse. I really love that every episode was memorable in its own right, with a unique setting or plotline that makes it easy for all eight episodes in the season to stand out individually.
The entire cast is a lot of fun, but especially series lead Evan Marquez. He’s such a refreshingly authentic and comedic representation of a gay man in his thirties in 2024. I love that he’s both noble/admirable, but also deeply flawed. Once or twice, he’s maybe a little too flawed (looking at the opening joke of Episode 8). But most of the time, his flaws are hilarious and really work for the show (looking at the moment we got to actually see the “peck on the cheek” kiss that made parents complain about Evan being a gay teacher).
There’s one specific joke in Episode 5 that literally has me on the floor laughing. Like, “can’t breathe, pause the TV” kind of laughing. It was the funniest thing I’ve seen from a comedy show in a long time. If you’ve seen English Teacher, all I need to say is “Stone Face”.
I really hope English Teacher gets renewed for a second season. It’s rare that you get a debut for a comedy show that is as funny as this one. It really shows that this is a passion project for creator and star Brian Jordan Alvarez. He deserves at least one more year with this character!
Comics
Let's discuss some comics we've enjoyed recently!
As always, we’ll spotlight an Indie Book, a DC/Marvel book, a Live Kickstarter book and a Webcomic!
INDIE COMIC: Tin Can Society (Image Comics/Giant Generator)
Kat: I love when you get a comic on whim and it blows the pants right off ‘ya! I didn’t have any expectations for Tin Can Society, and I didn’t know much about it when I picked it up, but after reading the first issue I was already sucked into the world.
Peter Warren and Francesco Mobili’s Tin Can Society is about a group of childhood friends that get stuck in a murder mystery when one of their friend’s turned Iron Man is murdered…by one of their own. The comic expertly explores its ensemble, all while creating intrigue for its main murder mystery.
What makes this series unique is that the superhero aspect almost feels like an afterthought. The series rather focus on interpersonal relationships and disability consciousness, which helps this indie comic stand apart from the crowd and skyrocket towards the top of my pull list.
MARVEL COMIC: Exceptional X-Men
Kat: As a lifelong Kitty Pryde fan, Exception X-Men is everything I ever wanted from a solo series. Eve L. Ewing and Carmen Carnero truly understand the character, and makes it their mission to allow this X-Men title be a character driven, introspective story that doesn’t leave teamwork behind.
The series focuses on Kitty’s emotional weight throughout her time as an X-Men (especially the darker strokes from the Krakoa age), all while giving a big warm hug to her past. She’s back in Chicago trying to make a normal life for herself. She’s not ashamed to be a mutant, but she’s also ready to take a step back from the X-Men.
But the X-Men isn’t ready to take a step back from her as the once youngest mutant becomes a mentor to her own set of young heroes. The comic does a wonderful job at balancing Kitty’s new responsibility to these kids all while exploring her life outside being a hero - including navigating online dating and childhood friendships.
Exceptional X-Men is a comic that truly gets me excited to head to the shop. I’ve not just fallen back in love with the X-Men, but the superhero genre as a whole!
WEBCOMIC: Two Losers From Earth (RELAUNCH)
“Winter and Nat, strangers to each other, have embarked on a touristy train ride to the moon and back in the hopes of escaping their problems on Earth. Neither of them really knows what to expect from the trip, but finding a new companion definitely wasn't in the plan.”
Phil: I talk about a lot of comics that I love in this newsletter. So I really want to place extra emphasis on just how much I really LOVE this one. It’s probably my favorite webcomic, and it’s one we’ve been saving to talk about on this newsletter.
I first discovered Two Losers From Earth when we were scouring webtoon for queer webcomics to feature in the first volume of our Rainbow Canvas anthology. This comic immediately jumped out to me because of its Sci-fi setting and creator Kosmokitart’s unique art style.
What I didn’t expect was just how much I would love the characters and themes of this comic. I love its earnestness, its voice, the way that it tackles heavy topics like physical/mental health and navigating the world differently abled. Like any good Sci-Fi story, it uses the semi-futuristic setting to inform character and theme. The love and passion of TLFE’s creator bleeds from every single page and every single panel.
The webcomic went on hiatus last year and recently relaunched with new art and a modified story, so this is the absolutely PERFECT time to get into it. Next time you’re looking for a new webcomic to read, I genuinely cannot recommend TLFE enough.
Read “Two Losers From Earth” here!
KICKSTARTER: Trick 'r Treat: Witching Hours
“An all-new Trick 'r Treat graphic novel anthology from Michael Dougherty!”
Phil: Here’s a thing you might not know about me: I LOVE Sam! The adorable mascot of Trick ‘r Treat is one of my favorite horror characters of all time. HE’S JUST SO CUTE 😱. He’s one of the few things in this world that immediately fires those “AWWWWW” synapses in my brains — like kittens, or baby pandas.
ANYWAY. When I learned that another comic adaptation was on the way helmed by franchise creator Michael Dougherty, you literally couldn’t stop me from backing.
I love horror. I love anthologies. And I love Sam. That’s really all that needs to be said. I wish there were some preview pages on the campaign to look through. But even without a preview, I can’t wait to read this one!
Check out “Trick ‘r Treat: Witching Hours” here!
In Closing
Thanks for reading this newest post!
We hope that you enjoyed the breakdown of our experience with two booths at New York Comic Con!
Be sure to check out our new Lifeline Comics Website for a new place to grab our library of comics. And don’t miss out on our current Kickstarter campaigns: LFLD: The Five Stages of Grief #1 and The Witches of Oz #1-2!
Subscribe above for biweekly updates on our future projects!
Buy Lifeline Comics on our Website!
Current Kickstarters:
Open Submissions [PAID WORK]: Asexual & Aromantic Anthology [Closes 11/24]
Next Cons/Events: TBA
Congrats on the show and on Oliver! Suddenly I read your brand as: Feline Comics. :D
Was waiting to read this! Glad both booths did well at the show, and great seeing both of you!
From my experience this year, it seems like Artist Alley gets a big rush at open (for those people looking to get commissions or remarques), and then picks up again around 3:30/4, with the middle of the day being the time that most people tabling go off and do other things (like paneling or doing commissions in the back). A lot of people had 11-1 and 4-6 slots listed at their tables.