Convention Review: Supanova Melbourne & Sydney 2018

G“Day Crusaders,

This is Dodgy in the mix showcasing not one but 2 conventions Down Under. First one in April was held in Melbourne Victoria and the other in June in my home city Sydney New South Wales.

Supanova is an Australia-based Pop Culture Convention which started since 2000, annually fans from all over the country get to meet their favorite tv actors, voice actors and comic creators as well visit a vast number of vendors.

Supanova Melbourne was held Friday the 20th until Sunday the 22nd of April 2018 at Melbourne Showgrounds. Melbourne, Victoria is a one hour flight from Sydney or 12 hours by car.

I travelled from plane, The distance from Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport to the city is approximately 30-40 minutes and in order to there its best to purchase a Star bus return pass that will get safely from the airport to the city and back again.

Melbnova didn“t fail with the TV/Movie guests featuring Doctor Who“s Peter Capaldi, Pearl Mackie and John Barrowman, Smallville“s Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum and Alan Tudyk, Michael Jai White and many more. The Comic book talent is jam-packed with local talent including Tom Taylor, David Yardin, Jon Sommariva and Dean Rankine with international guests Art Adams, Joyce Chin, Mike Grell and Al Barrionuevo.

Supanova Sydney was held Friday the 15th until Sunday the 17th of June 2018 at The Dome at Sydney Olympic Park which was once the center of the Olympic Games. The preferred mode of transport is via train due to the simplicity because most lines around Sydney lead to Olympic Park.

Just like Melbnova, Sydnova had a decent list of TV/Movie guests such as legends Chuck Norris, Kathleen Turner and Richard Dreyfuss as well as legends of the small screen Stephen Amell, Finn Jones, Matt Ryan among many others. The Comic talent included the usual suspects of the local comic talent as well as international creators Scott Williams, Alex Sinclair and Ben Stenbeck.

The Verdict:

Melbnova: The venue opened on Friday from 5pm, we lined up almost an before entering the convention to discover the main venue would not be opened until Saturday which meant the only areas of the convention we could participate in was a comic creator seminar and guest panels which meant we had to wait outside for over an hour outside and the Melbourne weather was not friendly which forced us to call it a night. My attitude was at least we got theÂ wristbands so tomorrow we don’t have to line up, there was a guy behind us who said “I paid $105 dollars for f**king nothing!”Â

Although Friday wasÂ disappointing, Saturday and Sunday were amazing as we did not have to lineup and only show the wristband. The atmosphere was at typical con level, cosplayers out in force and geeky t-shirts galore. As a fan, we lined up for autographs from Peter Capaldi and Alan Tudyk and photo opportunities with Tudyk also with Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum. The volunteers showed true passion and resiliency in ensuring there was order with the level of fans waiting in line to meet their heroes.

The Melbourne Showground has individual buildings for cosplay competitions, workshops and theatres to tailor for the number of people who attended the convention.

Sydnova: The convention was opened on Friday, business as usual unlike Melbourne. It is a great opportunity for fans to come in and meet creators and get stuff signed as it is quieter as some people are working, Saturday and Sunday are busier. Just like Melbourne, there’s something for everyone, gamers area, VR Jurassic Park games

For a number of years Supanova has been held at The Dome in Olympic Park. Over the years, there has been an increase of people attending Sydnova which made the normally large dome began to feel mighty small. Since last year there have been other venues nearby opened to house Artist Alley and Cosplay shows.

From word of mouth from comic creators, they have found it hard to make money from the positioning of Artist Alley away from the actual convention itself. Inside the con there are a fair number of comic vendors who are selling comics like hotcakes, the comics being sold are published by the big 2 whilst indie comic creators are missing out of these sales. I personally feel the vendors should be in the same building as Artist Alley so people who actually buy comics published by the big 2 can check out the local talent as an alternative.Â

Although I am happy overall with the two conventions I attended, in my true form I am a Comic Fan first and foremost. I always feel robbed by the quality who come into the country. This could benefit fans as well as the local creators who would be able to rub shoulders with industry veterans and legends.

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Author Profile

Shane Tydeman

The Wonder from Down Under,
Dodgy is a senior contributor to Comic Crusaders. Co-Host of The Yeah-Nah Wepa Show! An advocate of indie comics and is creator of Indie Comics podcasts Flipside Focus, Sunderkatz and Think Indie Podcast!

An unapologetic movie fan, NBA fan, action figure, trading card fan! Also an advocate for Depression awareness!