Comic book convention

[2][3] Early conventions were small affairs, usually organized by local enthusiasts (such as Jerry Bails, known later as the "Father of Comic Fandom", and Dave Kaler of the Academy of Comic-Book Fans and Collectors), and featuring a few industry guests.

[10] Internationally, the world's largest comic book convention, in terms of attendees, is Japan's Comiket (first held in 1975), which boasts an annual attendance of more than half a million people.

In 1961 or 1962, Jerry Bails was vital for the formation of the Academy of Comic-Book Fans and Collectors (ACBFC), the first official organization of comic book enthusiasts and historians.

The academy's first order of business was to administer the Alley Awards, which traced their origin to "a letter to Jerry dated October 25, 1961", by fellow enthusiast (and future comics professional) Roy Thomas, in which he suggested to Bails that his fanzine Alter-Ego create its own awards to reward fandom's "favorite comic books in a number of categories" in a manner similar to the Oscars.

Comics historian Bill Schelly notes that the Alley Tally and "even larger fan meetings in Chicago ... helped build momentum" for these earliest conventions.

[15] A one-day convention organized by 16-year-old Bernie Bubnis[20] and fellow enthusiast Ron Fradkin,[15] official guests of the Tri-State Con included Steve Ditko,[21] Flo Steinberg,[20] and Tom Gill.

[27] With Kaler's management, the academy produced three successful "Academy Con" shows in New York during the summers of 1965–1967,[28][29][30] attracting industry professionals such as Otto Binder, Bill Finger, Gardner Fox, Mort Weisinger, James Warren, Roy Thomas, Gil Kane,[20] Stan Lee, Bill Everett, Carmine Infantino, and Julius Schwartz.

Taking over for the Academy Con, Brooklyn native and school teacher Phil Seuling hosted the International Convention of Comic Book Art at the Statler Hilton Hotel in New York City on July 4–7.

In England, Phil Clarke produced Comicon '68 (British Comic Art Convention) at the Midland Hotel, Birmingham, from August 30 to September 2, 1968.

During the early 1970s, conventions were initiated in almost every major American city (and some minor ones), as well as in London, with Comic Mart, a bimonthly trade show which ran regularly until the mid-1980s.

[42] The Creation Convention debuted in 1971, organized by 14-year-old Queens schoolboys Adam Malin and Gary Berman,[43] and held over Thanksgiving weekend at the New Yorker Hotel, in New York City.

[46] From that time until the late 1980s, Creation Entertainment continued producing large annual conventions in New York City, usually occurring the weekend after Thanksgiving.

I remember [him] calling me in New London, [Connecticut], where I was sitting there as chairman of the board of Croft Publishing Co. My secretary said, 'There's a Mr. Seuling on the phone and he's talking about a comics convention.

[citation needed] 1974 also saw the first OrlandoCon, organized by regional chairman of the National Cartoonists Society Jim Ivey; guests included C. C. Beck, Roy Crane, Hal Foster, Ron Goulart, and Les Turner.

In August 1979, FantaCo Enterprises publisher Thomas Skulan produced FantaCon '80 at The Egg convention center, Empire State Plaza, in Albany, New York.

(The New York show featured a special tribute to Marvel Comics' 25th anniversary; guests included Stan Lee and Jim Shooter.

Held June 16–19, official guests include Curt Swan, Jerry Ordway, George Pérez, Marv Wolfman, and Julius Schwartz.

[74][75][76] Wizard's 2010 "North American Comic Con" tour included shows in Toronto, Anaheim,[77] Philadelphia,[78] Chicago, New York City, Austin, and Boston.

[See List of comic book conventions] These pop-cultural gatherings attract tens of thousands of fans and generate millions of dollars in revenue every year.

A primary emphasis of commercial events is meeting celebrities, such as actors of television shows and movies, professional wrestlers, glamour models, etc.

While famous actors like William Shatner of Star Trek are paid tens of thousands of dollars per convention, minor and obscure bit players pay to set up booths to sell autographs and memorabilia.

Reasons for this include: In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, both WonderCon and Dragon Con were canceled, and San Diego Comic-Con moved its programming online.

They also serve the interests of authors, editors, and other publishing professionals, providing opportunities for networking, promotion, and a convenient location for contract negotiations and other business meetings.

It is an area where creators display and sell their work (including original art), take commissions, sign autographs, and interact with fans.

At North American conventions, a hospitality suite is often provided as a room reserved for minor refreshments, quiet conversation, and a place to rest briefly.

Traditionally, conventions held a costume contest called a masquerade, where persons go on stage and compete for nominal prizes based on their skill in assembling and presenting genre-inspired outfits.

From press coverage of comic book and anime conventions has arisen the widespread tendency of fans in general attendance at the con to dress as their favorite characters in elaborate costumes (known as cosplay) that are time-consuming and/or expensive to assemble.

[102] (Peace-bonding is a conspicuous lock, tie, or mark which makes or identifies something unusable, such as a weapon, and shows that the owner's intentions are purely peaceful.)

Simulated or costume props may require conspicuous marks, such as bright ribbons or zip ties, to show that security has deemed them safe to be carried.

Many conventions have video rooms in which genre-related audiovisual presentations occur, typically commercial Hollywood movies, genre television show episodes, and anime.