In total honesty, this is probably my favorite convention. And not just because I live 10 miles away and don't have to buy a hotel room. It's always less crowded than Comic-Con and more comic oriented than Movie oriented. Comic-Con has certainly drifted into the land of big name Movies and Promoters. Which as a shameless hunter of free swag isn't necessarily a bad thing. But there's something about meeting people like Tim Sale, Mike Mignola and Greg Rucka in a much smaller setting that's somehow more intimate.
I'm just about to buy my tickets which is a decade old ritual. Normally this marks the beginning of Con season, but the hype around comic-con has slightly distorted that since I now have to purchase next years Comic-Con tickets about 2 weeks after returning home from Comic-Con. Ah how life changes.
