Conventions

The second Special Edition: NYC comics-only show from ReedPop runs June 6-7 at Pier 94, and ReedPOP has just announced the first guests: Amy Reeder, Chris Claremont,...

Last week, to little or no fanfare, a new convention, ComiqueCon, launched in Dearborn, Michigan with a primary focus on celebrating female comics creators and being a positive space for female fans.

Sean Gordon Murphy, a creator no stranger to speaking his mind, has offered a Creators Rights at Conventions , which includes lots of positive stories, but also some rules that suggest some not to great experiences.

It isn't primarily a comic-con, but Salt Lake City Comic Con's FanX starts today, a three day show with a focus on nerdlebrities: Glen and Beth will be there; Walter White Jr will be there; Jamie Lannister will be there, Judge Doom, Doctor Who and even Princess Leia! A few comics guests as well, including Neal Adams. And a LOT of SF authors—Utah is actually the nerdiest state, and there's a lot of support for this kind of material.

There's a CAF (comic arts festival) born every minute! Here's a new one, the New South Fest in Austin. They have a tumblr and a FB page, and some art...and exhibitor applications are now open. The plan is an outdoor books and comics event to be held June 6th, 2015 at the French Legation Museum in Austin, Texas. "Our goal is to celebrate independent literature, alternative comics, small presses, and print culture. New South will be highly curated, focused, fresh, and irreverent."

UPDATE: Oops should have dug a little more. This event seems to be run by Danithan Mejia of the Foxing Review, website under construction.

Whew the comics arts festival circuit news is flowing thick and fast; we're in the middle of application season and hearts and minds are turning to tabling. And the CAFs are answering back with news.

WizardWorld has announced a new Chicago-based show with the Wizard World Comic Con Presents Fan Fest Chicago on March 7-8 at Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont. In contrast to pricier Wizard shows, the event will be $25 for the weekend and $15 for either day, and people who sign up for VP or four day registration at the regular August show get in free.

Some details on the logistics of the new venue for this year's MoCCA Festival have been announced. The show itself is moving to Center...

It's possible you missed it last year, but New York Comic-Con has a secondary convention, starting last year in early Summer, called Special Edition. Touted as the comics-only convention for New York (and greater) fans, initial response was mixed. It was announced late, but the guest lineup was strong. It fell on Father's Day weekend, but the tickets weren't expensive. It seemed like people were optimistic about the first iteration of the event. Unfortunately, attendance wasn't exactly what you'd call great. Saturday was acceptable according to a number of exhibitors I talked to but Sunday was completely dead, maybe 200-300 attendees over the full day. I saw many exhibitors pack up early to beat the traffic home - not a heartening sight. I wasn't sure if they'd continue the event, but hey - with ReedPop's bankroll, why not?

Might Comic-Con International actually move from San Diego? Comic-Con International has yet to sign a contract for 2017 and 2018, and it looks uncertain whether...

Despite a Twitter non-denial denial, from owner Renee George, Wizard World has confirmed they have acquired the long running Pittsburgh Comicon, to be held September 11-13 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. “We are excited to have acquired the long-standing and popular Pittsburgh Comicon from Renee,” said John Macaluso, Wizard World CEO. “We are excited to inject the Wizard World flavor in the Pittsburgh market, a city we’ve been wanting to expand to for many years. We are looking forward to seeing all our fans in September!”

The Small Press Expo, to be held this year Sept. 19-20, isn't a fully curated show. About half the booths are grandfathered in, but the rest are open in a "lottery" that is nerve-wracking but ultimately fair. While curated shows like TCAF and CAB present a sleek line-up, it's good to have some element of the random for one premiere CAF. REgistration is open from February 1-15 and the rest of the process is laid out in an announcement. "What to expect when you're expecting to table."