Salt Lake Comic Con Salt Lake City Ut September 21
A bi-annual event, the Salt Lake Comic Con is one of the heaviest hitting fandom gatherings in the world. It draws big names like Val Kilmer and Christoper Lloyd , and stars from pretty much every fantasy or science fiction movie youve heard of. A stacked calendar of workshops, exclusive screenings, photo opps, panels and parties with authors, artists, animators should keep you busy, but if not, theres always the sci-fi speed dating!
Twitchcon Long Beach Ca October 20
A haven for gamers of all ilks, Twitch has become one the biggest meetingplaces for video game culture in the world, and TwitchCon is its blockbuster convention that brings together every niche of gaming, comics, and entertainment for a three day spectacular with major gaming tournaments, panels on everything from streaming to music production, charity gaming marathons, dance parties, and serves as the nexus of game streaming culture around the country. And yes, as youd expect, the whole thing is streamed live. The producers of TwitchCon, ReedPop, are convention experts and hold comic cons all over the world, from San Diego to India.
Comic Book And 5 Anime Conventions You Have To Attend In 2020
We’ve found some must attend comic book and anime conventions for 2020 that aren’t SDCC or NYCC.
Another year, another con season. We guarantee everyone is preparing, whether it’s checking the pre-sale or buying materials for cosplay. Most conventions cater to either comic books or anime. Even if you’ve never been you’ve probably heard of San Diego Comic Con and New York Comic Con before.
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Conventions are large fan gatherings, with celebrity photo ops, autographs, and panels on their schedules. They feature different vendors and artists . In between buying comic books or receiving an autograph from a star, conventions are jam-packed with other activities like cosplay contests and arcade games. Here are the comic book and anime conventions you can’t miss in 2020.
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What’s Happening At San Diego Comic
San Diego Comic-Con is going to have a different feel this year. Marvel Studios, which has pretty much had a stranglehold on SDCC buzz for the last few years, is skipping the 2015 event. Instead, expect for announcements and surprises from franchises like The Hunger Games, Fox’s X-Men, and Warner Bros.’ Justice League to dominate the weekend’s news.
How Many People Attend Cons
Hundreds of thousands. Here’s a look at attendance figures for comic-cons in San Diego, New York, and the up-and-coming Seattle/Emerald City over the years. You’ll notice that San Diego has had a sustained 100,000-plus audience since 2006:
A note on the graph: San Diego Comic-Con reports its attendance as “130,000+” while New York Comic Con rounds to the thousands. We plugged in 130,000 as San Diego Comic-Con’s numbers. New York Comic Con considers itself the “second-largest comic book and pop culture event in the country.”
There are many reasons why comic conventions have gained so much steam in the last few years, including mainstream pop culture being inundated with comic book projects, more people being interested in comic books, and so on.
San Diego Comic-Con’s constant popularity has probably affected the profile of other conventions, too. In terms of attendance, there are people who can’t make it to San Diego year after year, so they instead attend conventions closer to their homes. In terms of business, higher-ups who work on movies or television shows might seek out other conventions like New York’s or Emerald City’s if those cities are a better fit for the projects they’re pushing or if they’re backing projects that aren’t as huge as The Avengers.
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Make sure that you check schedules and the website ahead of time and that you create a game plan regarding panels and other special events that you want to attend when you go to a convention. It’s easy to let time fly by and you just might miss seeing Neil Gaiman talk about his experience writing for Doctor Who! Also be sure to calculate some lead time into panel attendance- especially if you want to see someone particularly noteworthy or famous speak- as often long lines form ahead of time and only the early birds are able to make it in before meeting rooms reach capacity.
Dragoncon Atlanta Ga September 1
This Labor Day Weekend, over 75,000 superfans of every niche genre and subculture of comic culture will descend on Atlanta for DragonCon, which launched in 1987 and has become a major nodal point in the alt-con circuit. DragonCon It styles itself as the meetingplace of fantasy, from comics to cosplay to wrestling and puppetry and its annual paradewith fans decked out in the most imaginative and inventive attire imaginableis one of the most surreal sights you may ever see at any sort of convention.
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Can A Convention Ever Be Too Big
This is one of the biggest complaints you’ll hear from devout comic convention-goers. These events have capacity limits, and when you get to the big two New York and San Diego those limits will be hit, and people will be shut out. Tickets to the bigger cons are a hot commodity, and draw the attention of scalpers who sell the tickets for inflated prices.
In 2014, New York Comic Con’s passes sold out in minutes. Those passes were resold on sites like eBay and StubHub for higher prices. San Diego Comic-Con regularly sells out in minutes, as well. That sucks for fans.
But there’s also a cultural dilemma. Because Hollywood has gotten so involved, you might have some diehard Twilight fans show up to a convention for one event, while actual comic book fans, ostensibly the people the convention is designed for, get turned away.
Jim Demonakos, the founder of Emerald City Comicon in Seattle, explained to me that what drives Emerald City’s con is whether the fans are happy. His rule is that the fan experience dictates capacity.
“You can grow as big as you want as long as you’re still delivering a good product to your fans,” he said. “So really, what is too big? When you’re creating an experience, that is overall negative.”
ECCC has grown exponentially in the past few years and welcomed an estimated 70,000 people in 2014 the event is expecting around 80,000 in 2015.
Emily Expo Events All Over Canada
Up in the Great White North, the Emily Expo series of events stretches from Calgary to Saskatoon with four events a year that celebrate science fiction and entertainment, and draws some of the biggest names in the game. This years Calgary event hosted Peter Capaldi , Billy Dee Williams , Kristian Nairn , actor John Cusack, and comic legend Stan Lee for a series of Q+As, meet-n-greets, photo opportunities with major stars.
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Rhode Island Comic Con
Its the biggest con in the smallest state. Rhode Island Comic Con is known for getting amazing celebrity guests. Last year, they had Evanna Lynch , Joonas Suotamo , and the entire voice cast of My Hero Academia. And those were just a few on the roster. In fact, RICC hosted Carol Spinney’s last con appearance before he passed away earlier this month.
The show floor spans both venues of Dunkin Donuts Center and the state’s Convention Center with different types of art and handmade items. The con hosts two afterparties. Having a badge earns guests perks around the area, such as discounts and freebies at local stores and restaurants.
Congratulations To Our Eccc Cosplay Champs
The Honest Cosplayer is heading to C2E2 to represent Emerald City Comic Con in the US Circuit Final Crown Championships of Cosplay.
1st place: The Honest Cosplayer as Queen Xenomorph
2nd place: Ginger Armadillo Costumes as a Bard from Dungeons and Dragons
3rd place: Lily Bean Cosplay as Spider’s Associate from Destiny 2: Forsaken
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Comic Conventions You Should Attend At Least Once
Every comic fan needs to experience these amazing conventions at least once in their lives.
Comic Conventions of various sizes are held almost every weekend in the United States. Fans, collectors, and families flock in search of items to fill their collections. Sometimes they’re drawn by specific artists and/or celebrities. Sometimes they just want to share their love of emulating their passion with cosplay. Nevertheless, they flock to a place that gives their hobby a sense of community.
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There are those conventions that are larger and draw thousands of fans at a time. Over the years, pop culture has infiltrated comic book conventions, as have toys, gaming, anime, merchandising, and crafting. This list is of those conventions that retain a sense of dedication to comics, even if it might seem to be a token to its origins.
Top 12 Things To Do At An Anime Convention Or Comic Convention
If you have not attended a comic convention or anime convention, you have not lived. I kid you not. These events are some of the most enjoyable, cathartic, interesting, inspiring, and exhausting activties in which one can engage.
Believe me. I have jumped off cliffs and out of planes. I have traveled the world climbed mountains in China, snorkeled in subterranean caves in Mexico, visited holy caves in Japan, and snacked on the perfect creme brulee in Paris. And never have I experienced anything quite so overwhelming as a anime/comic con.
Below is an outline of 12 awesome things to do at comic and anime conventions. These are, of course, only some of the many, many awesome things you may experience should you ever attend one. If you’re a seasoned convention-goer, I hope you feel as warmly about these activities as I do. If you’re a convention virgin, I hope I may inspire you to take the plunge.
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The 10 Best Comic Con In North America
If theres one thing that the explosion of Comic Conventions all over the world has proved, its that any industry with an active and engaged audience of fans is a great candidate for large scale events, festivals, and conventions. Comic conventions have grown from a little niche of the events world into one of the drivers of the events space, and convention centers all over the United States and Canada are full of the nerdily-inclined meeting up and celebrating their own little corner of the entertainment world. While all such gatherings are on pause for the time being, and as screening tools help industries slowly reopen, we may take some time to look back on the greatest hits. Here are our 10 best comic con in North America.
What Is A Comic
When people talk about a “comic-con,” they’re usually talking about a comic convention an event where comics fans, creators, and experts congregate to attend panels, go to parties, and participate in discussions that are all centered on some aspect of comics.
The first comic convention, according to Pop Matters, was an event called “Comiccon ’64” held in New York City in July of 1964. Science fiction conventions started gaining popularity in the 1980s. The first San Diego Comic-Con, the most-attended comic convention in the country, was held in 1970.
In more recent years, these conventions have become more popular, and at some cons, like San Diego Comic-Con, the subject areas have expanded from comics to cover television shows, movies, and other forms of art and fiction that are more mainstream.
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Blizzcon Anaheim Ca November 3
Now in its 12th year, BlizzCon is an annual video game convention held by Blizzard entertainment, where the culture of classic Blizzard Entertainment franchises like Warcraft, StarCraft, Diablo, and Overatch are celebrated for two days in the California autumn by 25,000 attendees. The convention has historically been the site of major announcements in the gaming industry and beta releases of upcoming releases, and offers fans or orcs and zergs alike a chance to bask in their gaming for a whole weekend. The closing night has even featured concerts by everyone from Metallica to Foo Fighters, Ozzy Osbourne, and Linkin Park. Tickets for this years edition are sold out, but you can still buy a Virtual Ticket and watch right from your homeperhaps while gaming?
Is Comic Con Real
San Diego Comic-Con International, a multigenre entertainment and comic convention held annually in San Diego since 1970, is the standard bearer for U.S. comic-cons. According to Forbes, the convention is the largest convention of its kind in the world and is also the largest convention held in San Diego.
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Comicpalooza Houston Tx May 12
You cant talk comic conventions without talking Comicpalooza. The Houston event is the biggest comic-centric convention in the Southern United States, and brings together the worlds of comics, gaming, anime, sports, and movies. This years guests included Chuck Norris, Robert Englund , and the cast of Power Rangers old and new. With a film festival, gaming tournaments , and a huge mall of comics, merch, gear, and swag, Comicpalooza flies the nerd flag in Texas loud and proud.
What’s The Difference Between New York Comic Con And San Diego Comic
The main difference between the two, and really what sets San Diego apart from all other comic conventions, is how connected SDCC is to Hollywood and its many marketing teams. SDCC’s watershed moment of Hollywood saturation came in 2010, when Robert Downey Jr. introduced the cast of The Avengers to assembled fans, two years before the movie even hit theaters. But the convention’s pop culture dominance has been growing since the late 2000s, when SDCC began hosting the casts of TV and film properties like Glee and Twilight. Though many of them had nothing to do with comics, they would come to the convention and promote their work, much to fans’ delight.
Even though New York Comic Con has grown more and more popular, it has a lower profile. In terms of scale, the biggest event at New York Comic Con tends to be the annual panel for The Walking Dead, whose cast members pay a visit to the convention every year.But even The Walking Dead is no Avengers.
This lack of Hollywood hype for New York Comic Con translates to more attention paid to smaller projects and more of a focus on comics news.
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Walker Stalker Con All Over The World
Some people really love The Walking Dead. No, we mean, like really. Walker Stalker Cona roving series of events that has trekked from Tulsa to London to Australiais all about zombies, in particular those found walking scenes in the beloved AMC TV show The Walking Dead. Appearances by cast members are a regular occurrence, and thousands of zombified fans show up in their most morbid regalia and live out their undead fantasies. Theres even a Walker Stalker Cruise! Upcoming editions include Atlanta, New Jersey, and Tulsa, Oklahoma.
How Can I Watch Walking Dead Comic Con 2020
Fans can watch The Walking Dead panel at Comic-Con at Home by visiting the Comic-Con YouTube page. Links are also available on the Comic-Con International websites schedule page. You can also set a reminder on the panels unique page so that as soon as it goes live on YouTube you will get a notification.
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How Did Cons Get So Popular
There are a lot of reasons. Something like the cast of The Avengers appearing is guaranteed to put a lot of butts in seats, and it also puts pressure on other movies and studios to promote themselves at comic conventions.
But probably the most important factor for the growth of comic conventions is that nerd/geek culture has gone mainstream. It isn’t just comic book fans who know about the Guardians of the Galaxy now, and it’s not just geeks who know about the Dark Knight. Liking comic books or superheroes has become like having a favorite band, and comic conventions are like concerts.
You also have to consider the marketing that goes into these conventions. People running the events want to make money at least as much money as they’re putting in. And in order to get people to attend, you have to advertise and get the word out. Having big names on a poster helps a lot in that regard.
“Marketing is the most important job there is when it comes to a public event,” Ben Penrod, who founded Awesome Con, told me, explaining that he spends four to five hours per day on marketing. “That’s not to downplay the amount of work that goes into making the event happen, but none of that matters if people don’t show up.”
Stalk Your Favorite Artists
The Artist’s Alley of any comic or anime convention is where the real action is. If you are familiar with major illustrators, you will certainly get a kick out of meeting some of them in person and perhaps getting some signed, original work for your personal collection.
You will also likely enjoy browsing through the work of more obscure artists- they offer everything from fun fan fiction to awesome original pieces. No matter what, you will find no shortage of talent and artistic stimulation and inspiration!
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Is There More Than One Comic
Yes. There are comic conventions all around the country, but San Diego Comic-Con trademarked “Comic-Con” in 2005 and has threatened legal action against other conventions that use “Comic-Con” in their names. Last August, SDCC sued Salt Lake City Comic Con, claiming that SLCCC had piggybacked on its “creativity, ingenuity, and hard work,” and deceived the public about the convention.
In response, SLCCC pointed out that there were multiple conventions or “comic-cons” that existed before the 2005 trademark.
The bottom line here is that there are multiple conventions, there are different companies behind each one, and there’s a lot of value in them. If there weren’t, why would San Diego Comic-Con apply for a trademark?