comic fans help!

[bookjunkie1990]

Hi!
I'm a college student doing a research paper which involves the Comic-Con convention in San Diego. I'd like to ask anyone who has been to it a few questions about it, and would much appreciate the replies:
1. How big of a comic book fan are you? Are you partial to any one type of comic group or comic book sect?
2. How many comic book conventions have you gone to, and which ones did you feel were the most influential or the "best"?
3. Have you been to Comic-Con? How would you describe it? Tell me about your experience, people you encountered, and events you enjoyed.
4. Do you belong to any particular group of hardcore comic book fans? If so, please tell me about it.

These are just suggestion questions. If you have anything else you'd like to tell me about the San Diego Comic-Con convention or about your love of comics or anything that relates to being a comic book fan, please feel free to tell me!
Thank you!

P.S. even if you haven't been to any conventions, please just give me comments about your love of comics! Any help would be appreciated.

[Nitz the Bloody]

Answers for your project...

1.) Huge comic fan, with a massive collection of graphic novels and trade paperbacks ( would be even larger, but I give the books I no longer plan on reading to Goodwill ), several pieces of paraphrenalia like action figures and T-Shirts, and an active " life " on comic-related message boards. My particular interests are kind of a schizophrenic mix between superhero comics and horror/sci-fi comics ( with a lot of it being the stuff in-between like Grant Morrison and Warren Ellis ).

2.) Been to ComiCon in San Diego 2001-2005, then went again this year. No other conventions, though I always stop at the comic store first when I'm in a new area.

3.) The first few years it felt like a private Mecca, as though I was at the one place on Earth where there were a substantial number of fellow pop-cultural misfits. This year, with all the TV, movie, and video game companies coming as well, it felt like Woodstock, complete with large crowds and weird odors. Different experience, but still worth attending.

4.) I tend to oscillate between the hardcore MU fan and the intellectualized Vertigo fan, and though my demeanor tends to favor the latter, the places where I actually post favor the former.