Went to a local comic shop's signing event and noticed something about the crowd

I stopped by Big Brain Comics in Minneapolis last Saturday for a signing with a smaller indie artist. Figured it would be just a handful of diehards like me. But I saw maybe 15 people waiting, and like half of them were just scrolling on their phones the whole time. One guy didn't even look up from his screen when he got his book signed. Has anyone else noticed comic fans acting super distracted at events lately?

3 comments

3 Comments

max_schmidt771d ago

Honestly, zarat37 called it right when they said people treat signings like picking up a package. I actually read a piece in some indie comics blog that talked about how phones have turned personal moments into just another task on a to-do list. The author mentioned this one guy at a convention who asked the artist to sign his phone case without ever making eye contact or saying thanks. It's like people forgot these creators are real humans drawing for hours to make a living. If you can't put the phone down for 30 seconds to actually talk to someone who drew a thing you like, why even bother showing up?

zarat372d ago

Read a thing online about how people are treating signings like they're just picking up a package instead of meeting the creator. It's weird because I remember waiting in line for a Joe Madureira signing years ago and everyone was buzzing, asking about his process and stuff. Now you see folks just staring at their phones, missing the whole point of even being there. Maybe it's just me but putting the phone down for five minutes seems like basic respect for the artist who took time to be there.

fionanguyen2d ago

Huh, you know what, I used to be one of those people who’d say "it’s fine, they’re just busy." But you’re right, it’s totally different when you actually put the phone down. Your post kind of changed my mind on that.