Just arrived from Chicago today, and I had a pleasant surprise waiting for me. Tom Spurgeon (of The Comics Reporter) and Heidi MacDonald (of The Beat) had some nice things to say about the ComicMix coverage of Wizard World Chicago.

From The Beat:

Lots of rumors flying after this weekend’s Wizard World Chicago, but we need to track ‘em down before rnning them. In the meantime, over at Comicmix, Rick Marshall provided excellent all-around coverage of the event, nailing the vibe and the seating chart

From The Comics Reporter:

Rick Marshall provides on-the-ground analysis of Wizard World’s flagship Chicago show — one, two, three — of the kind that’s invaluable when it comes to drawing conclusions about a show that don’t depend on pre-existing wisdom. Marshall notes that Avatar invested heavily in the show with significant reward, Marvel’s booth operations were carried out with great enthusiasm, and that the show itself seemed desperate for a renewed sense of identity.

I was using this show as a test for a few new angles on covering comic conventions, in the hopes of determining the best way to make use of our resources and provide information/context that both casual and hardcore comic book fans might not otherwise be able to find on the ‘Tubes. With everything going on lately in the comics scene, I think there is definitely a void in a few different areas that ComicMix is more than capable of filling.

Between our Editor-in-Chief Mike Gold, who worked for years in both print and broadcast news, our “media goddess” Martha Thomases, who also worked for years as a writer for various publications (including The Village Voice), and my own experience as a writer/reporter for various print news outlets on the local, state and national levels, we certainly have the pedigree to view the comics industry from a journalist’s perspective first and foremost. I’m lucky to have experienced journalists like Mike and Martha supporting my decisions on the news and editorial side of ComicMix, so it was nice to see this grand experiment complimented by some of the people who have been covering the comics industry (and doing a great job of it) for many years before I had the audacity to give it a go myself.