I attended Baltimore's Comic Con this weekend, and looking back I have to ask myself if I felt like it was worth the price of entry. To be fair, BCC offers locals a chance to meet some artists and see what the publishers (big and small) have lined up for the coming months. However at least half of the space is dedicated to retailers (the nomadic comic sellers of the convention circuit) and is it fair to have us pay for publishers to advertise to us, on our time? And the artists charge for most things too... so what are you really getting for your entry fee?

Conventions like SPX offer us a chance to see things that are actually exclusive and/or hard to find. They also offer 'the little guy' (new and upcoming artists and self publishers) a chance to present themselves to the public at an affordable price. Even though you are still just buying a pass to a dealer's room, does this feel more reasonable?

On the other hand, it's not uncommon to pay for extras at gaming conventions. Origins and Gen con both charge you to play in most games, and even enter certain game rooms in addition to your door fee. Sure, the dealer's halls are big, and you can play a lot for free at major publishers' booths, but does that alone justify the fee?