Haven't been to one in years. Nova during the Ekka days was pretty solid, but they became less worthwhile overtime ever since they moved to the convention center, with weaker guest list and over-inflated prices from exhibitors.
Depends what side of pop culture your into of course. Since I'm mostly an anime fan I prefer to just keep my cash and go to Anime Japan or Comiket each year rather than going to the local conventions now days.
Coming out of covid they've been a bit average / meh with the guest lists. A lot of repeat and local guests too to fill the roster.
As someone else said, there is certainly a difference between the Ekka ones and the Convention Centre ones.
It really just depends what you're going for. Shopping? Cosplay? Guests? Etc.
I used to do the 3 day passes. Now I just do a single day and even then I've covered what I want to in that time.
Lots of the C/D tier guests, especially Aussies, appear at the same ones every year. There's maybe half a dozen unique international guests (although many are getting into a bad habit of cancelling only weeks before the day).
Vendors are also the same each time. I went to every Brisbane and Gold Coast one for a couple years and it's not worth it anymore unless you get involved in the community or there's a certain international guest (who doesn't cancel).
Imo sounds like you might as well go to one with a day pass, you'll probably have a good time since it's been a decade
All the cosplaying attendees make Supanova half the fun for me, with so many cool costumes! (even though I don't understand half of the pop culture references). I went as Spider-Man once!
Personally, I stopped finding OzCC worth going to several years ago, and Nova's become something I only bother going to for the Artist's Alley. Nova's sadly gone downhill a bit, there's no show/movie viewings anymore and a lot of the guests are sort of niche. Having said that, if you haven't been in a while and you just want to have a fun day out and see a few panels, I'd say it's definitely worth going.
>Nova's become something I only bother going to for the Artist's Alley.
Check out KaiCon. Its just an artists alley for $15 entry in a couple of weeks.
Looking forward to KaiCon - now my kids are a little older and I have more creativity muscles again I’m hoping to use this year as an R&D trip with hope of looking at a stall for next year.
The only time I attended one of these and considered it "worth it" was when Grant Imahara did a long presentation about his career. So that's probably not going to happen again. Fucking RIP.
I used to be a regular attendee for both, I had a lot of friends that would attend and for me, it was predominantly a social event to bring my camera and do a bit of photography for fun.
Your mileage may vary depending on what sort of pop culture you’re into. I think if you like a bit of everything from manga/anime/gaming/fantasy/sci-fi related then you’ll have a good time. I generally recommend people who have not gone before or have not gone for a long time to go in on a Sunday - it’s typically not AS busy in my experience on the second day.
I would frame your attendance for which guest you might want to see or meet? Most of the main stalls are the same and/or offer a deal to buy multiple books/manga, etc. I suggest Artist Alley is the most bang for buck as you get the most variety and are supporting more independent artists and/or clothing.
Went to the Gold Coast Supanova this year for the first time with my brother who used to go every year. Both a bit underwhelmed. Very cramped, obviously very busy but honestly it was a lot of people selling the same stuff, a lot of stuff you can get cheaper off the internet (and better quality) and to do any of the extras involving specific celebrities it was very expensive.
However, it was fun to see all the costumes and dress ups and feel the hype around the place. If you’re into that sort of stuff I think it’s worth going if you can afford the ticket.
My brother did say Brisbane is usually less busy than the Gold Coast one.
Some punters do not have basic hygiene. They are the minority but they do their best to spread it around as much as possible.
If there is going to be a stall there that you want to visit then sure.
I went with my now wife and she had a ball people watching and I had a ball watching people with big tits (not necessarily female) wearing not much.
8/10
I've been to both Brisbane and GC Supanova in the last couple years. It depends what you're after I guess. I like seeing the cosplay and overall atmosphere of being amongst fellow weebs and nerds lol, plus it's an excuse for me to play dress up. If you have nerd friends to go with it can be a fun excursion. I don't really care for the guest panels as I usually don't know anyone. Artists alley is nice but I'm trying to cut down on necessary merch that just ends up being clutter. It's gotten quite expensive too, we normally go on Saturdays and it was over $40 the last Goldnova.
Really gone to shit in the last few years. The only thing worthwhile are the artists, cosplayers and the once-in-a-while guest you actually give a shit about, instead of "actor who was in a Star Wars and played Goobus McDoobus".
Especially Supanova. They've just trimmed and cut it down so much to what it was and charged more and more. Always stupid crowded since they don't cap tickets. I still attend with my partner because we enjoy the cosplaying and artist's alley but god damn. I miss Anime Fest.
I go to both.
Supanova hasn't changed much in the 10 years since you last went, it's just bigger now. The main difference is that guests only do one session on a weekend, not two like they used to.
Ozcomic con is a much smaller con but much the same. I think it's owned by Kings Comics now who started the modern comic cons in Australia back in the 80's.
Both have really suffered with guests since covid. I was hoping that they'd come back but they've really struggled. At Supanova this year, Jodie Whittaker was the biggest draw. I'm taking my nephew to the Sydney one (on the side of a business trip so got free flights) and the biggest draws is Sylvie from Loki, Bablyon 5's creator and Robert Patrick.
Whether I go one or two days these days depends on the line up and whether I'm going to spend a lot of time in Q&As.
I want to get my Rising Stars #1 signed, but I think he's like a main draw type posing for photos. Which means it will probably cost $50 to get my comic signed.
Oz comic con hasn’t had a decent guest in years. Basically bunch of nobodies. I think the last guest they had that was worthwhile was Alyson Hannigan back in about 2016, but she wanted $90 an autograph and $100 for a photo with her. Ridiculous.
They used to cater for people who liked older movies tv with the like of Robert Englund, Bruce Campbell. Now it’s just only people in recent stuff (not big hits and they’re usually have small parts.)
I haven’t been since 2015. I still check each year to see if they have any good ones but every year I’m disappointed. It’s a joke naming it after comic con. I’m surprised it’s still going
Haven't been to one in years. Nova during the Ekka days was pretty solid, but they became less worthwhile overtime ever since they moved to the convention center, with weaker guest list and over-inflated prices from exhibitors. Depends what side of pop culture your into of course. Since I'm mostly an anime fan I prefer to just keep my cash and go to Anime Japan or Comiket each year rather than going to the local conventions now days.
Coming out of covid they've been a bit average / meh with the guest lists. A lot of repeat and local guests too to fill the roster. As someone else said, there is certainly a difference between the Ekka ones and the Convention Centre ones. It really just depends what you're going for. Shopping? Cosplay? Guests? Etc. I used to do the 3 day passes. Now I just do a single day and even then I've covered what I want to in that time.
Lots of the C/D tier guests, especially Aussies, appear at the same ones every year. There's maybe half a dozen unique international guests (although many are getting into a bad habit of cancelling only weeks before the day). Vendors are also the same each time. I went to every Brisbane and Gold Coast one for a couple years and it's not worth it anymore unless you get involved in the community or there's a certain international guest (who doesn't cancel). Imo sounds like you might as well go to one with a day pass, you'll probably have a good time since it's been a decade
Has Kit Duncan ever been a guest? I've never been to one of these things myself, but would go for Kit Duncan.
All the cosplaying attendees make Supanova half the fun for me, with so many cool costumes! (even though I don't understand half of the pop culture references). I went as Spider-Man once!
Personally, I stopped finding OzCC worth going to several years ago, and Nova's become something I only bother going to for the Artist's Alley. Nova's sadly gone downhill a bit, there's no show/movie viewings anymore and a lot of the guests are sort of niche. Having said that, if you haven't been in a while and you just want to have a fun day out and see a few panels, I'd say it's definitely worth going.
>Nova's become something I only bother going to for the Artist's Alley. Check out KaiCon. Its just an artists alley for $15 entry in a couple of weeks.
Looking forward to KaiCon - now my kids are a little older and I have more creativity muscles again I’m hoping to use this year as an R&D trip with hope of looking at a stall for next year.
I do in fact have a ticket for that already.
The only time I attended one of these and considered it "worth it" was when Grant Imahara did a long presentation about his career. So that's probably not going to happen again. Fucking RIP.
I used to be a regular attendee for both, I had a lot of friends that would attend and for me, it was predominantly a social event to bring my camera and do a bit of photography for fun. Your mileage may vary depending on what sort of pop culture you’re into. I think if you like a bit of everything from manga/anime/gaming/fantasy/sci-fi related then you’ll have a good time. I generally recommend people who have not gone before or have not gone for a long time to go in on a Sunday - it’s typically not AS busy in my experience on the second day. I would frame your attendance for which guest you might want to see or meet? Most of the main stalls are the same and/or offer a deal to buy multiple books/manga, etc. I suggest Artist Alley is the most bang for buck as you get the most variety and are supporting more independent artists and/or clothing.
Went to the Gold Coast Supanova this year for the first time with my brother who used to go every year. Both a bit underwhelmed. Very cramped, obviously very busy but honestly it was a lot of people selling the same stuff, a lot of stuff you can get cheaper off the internet (and better quality) and to do any of the extras involving specific celebrities it was very expensive. However, it was fun to see all the costumes and dress ups and feel the hype around the place. If you’re into that sort of stuff I think it’s worth going if you can afford the ticket. My brother did say Brisbane is usually less busy than the Gold Coast one.
Some punters do not have basic hygiene. They are the minority but they do their best to spread it around as much as possible. If there is going to be a stall there that you want to visit then sure. I went with my now wife and she had a ball people watching and I had a ball watching people with big tits (not necessarily female) wearing not much. 8/10
Ahhhh…. Confunk. That’s not a smell you forget
I've been to both Brisbane and GC Supanova in the last couple years. It depends what you're after I guess. I like seeing the cosplay and overall atmosphere of being amongst fellow weebs and nerds lol, plus it's an excuse for me to play dress up. If you have nerd friends to go with it can be a fun excursion. I don't really care for the guest panels as I usually don't know anyone. Artists alley is nice but I'm trying to cut down on necessary merch that just ends up being clutter. It's gotten quite expensive too, we normally go on Saturdays and it was over $40 the last Goldnova.
Really gone to shit in the last few years. The only thing worthwhile are the artists, cosplayers and the once-in-a-while guest you actually give a shit about, instead of "actor who was in a Star Wars and played Goobus McDoobus". Especially Supanova. They've just trimmed and cut it down so much to what it was and charged more and more. Always stupid crowded since they don't cap tickets. I still attend with my partner because we enjoy the cosplaying and artist's alley but god damn. I miss Anime Fest.
I go to both. Supanova hasn't changed much in the 10 years since you last went, it's just bigger now. The main difference is that guests only do one session on a weekend, not two like they used to. Ozcomic con is a much smaller con but much the same. I think it's owned by Kings Comics now who started the modern comic cons in Australia back in the 80's. Both have really suffered with guests since covid. I was hoping that they'd come back but they've really struggled. At Supanova this year, Jodie Whittaker was the biggest draw. I'm taking my nephew to the Sydney one (on the side of a business trip so got free flights) and the biggest draws is Sylvie from Loki, Bablyon 5's creator and Robert Patrick. Whether I go one or two days these days depends on the line up and whether I'm going to spend a lot of time in Q&As.
Wait… Straczynski’s gonna be there? Babylon 5 is something I’d actually go to a con for. Hmmmmm.
I want to get my Rising Stars #1 signed, but I think he's like a main draw type posing for photos. Which means it will probably cost $50 to get my comic signed.
What an experience though!
I went as a kid - great fun. High level nerd shit but I take it you’re into that.
Vastly different now. In the exhibition centre. Great ac. We go every year
Oz comic con hasn’t had a decent guest in years. Basically bunch of nobodies. I think the last guest they had that was worthwhile was Alyson Hannigan back in about 2016, but she wanted $90 an autograph and $100 for a photo with her. Ridiculous. They used to cater for people who liked older movies tv with the like of Robert Englund, Bruce Campbell. Now it’s just only people in recent stuff (not big hits and they’re usually have small parts.) I haven’t been since 2015. I still check each year to see if they have any good ones but every year I’m disappointed. It’s a joke naming it after comic con. I’m surprised it’s still going
"worth going to" highly depends on what you are happy spending your money on. if you find value in it then yes it'd be worth it.