♦[BIZ] Why Every Artist Should Table at a Comic Con at Least Once

If you're teaching, presenting, or tabling at a con—assume chaos. Then structure for it. Being adaptable is a valuable skill. It's also where magic happens.

Comics Conventions are beautiful zoos. Animals abound and chaos reigns supreme. Ours had in-aisle activities, packed tables full of amazing student work, and dual creations workshops. Our sunday workshop ran back to back, chairs scraping, scissors flying, and parents herding little costumed munchkins around, and somehow, it all worked. Why? Because we prepped. We had tiers of activities ready.

Brooklyn Comic Convention 2025. Energy and Engagement. ©2025 CMH

3 Lessons from the Art Students League of New York Booth at Brooklyn Comic Con 2025

1. Conventions are more than marketing—they're empathy machines.

When a kid walks up to your table and asks for a sketch or looks at your stickers, they're not just "engaging with your brand," they're connecting. They're inviting you into their comics story. Tabling creates moments, genuine eye contact, smiles, bursts of enthusiasm, and the feeling of being seen. Conventions are about connection. Building new bridges and reinforcing old ones.

Comic creators forget this sometimes. The story you tell at the table is just as important as the story you're trying to sell on the page.

2. You're not just running a booth—you're running a micro-community.

Our table was sandwiched near cosplay chaos, and at one point, the roof was literally leaking onto our neighbor's zines. We lent them a table. No one asked. We just did it. Later, when the rush slowed, artists swapped sketches with cosplayers, traded stories, and brought art to life.

You learn fast: your booth isn't just yours. It's part of a whole ecology. Help out, be kind, make room. It pays dividends. Even if it didn't, it still pays to be a kind human being. We need more of those.

3. Chaos is the test—and the training ground.

Our Sunday "kids day" turned into something of a beautiful zoo. We had three age-level mask workshops running back to back, chairs scraping, scissors flying, and parents herding little muchkins around, and somehow, it all worked. Why? Because we prepped. We had tiers of activities ready.

If you're teaching, presenting, or tabling at a con—assume chaos. Then structure for it. That's where the magic happens. I left a critical item at home, but my partner covered my butt and delivered it just in time. (THANK YOU!)

Final Takeaway: Why You Should Try It

I don't care if you're a pro artist with a publisher deal or a student with a homemade zine: if you want to grow as a storyteller, table at a con. Even once.

You'll learn how to read faces. You'll learn how to pitch. You'll learn how to fail and recover—gracefully, if you're lucky.

And if you're like me, you'll rediscover why the stories we tell matter at all.

Because some kid in a red-flecked fox mask is waiting to hear one.

Charles Merritt Houghton

10 June 2025

BONUS CHECKLIST FOR PAID SUBSCRIBERS

Let me know your entries. What's critical on your checklist?

PORTABLE COMIC CON TABLING CHECKLIST

For Artists, Educators, and Small Press Exhibitors

(Prioritized and categorized for practical packing and smarter setup)