This article needs additional citations for verification .(October 2021) |
Big Apple Comic Con (BACC) | |
---|---|
![]() New York City's Original Comic Con | |
Status | Active |
Genre | Comics Popular culture |
Venue | New Yorker Hotel (2018–present) Penn Plaza Pavilion (2004–2018) Metropolitan Pavilion (2000–2003) St. Paul the Apostle Church (1996–2003) |
Location(s) | New York City, New York |
Country | United States |
Inaugurated | March 2, 1996 |
Most recent | Mar. 25-26, 2023 [1] |
Next event | Nov 23, 2024 [2] |
Attendance | 8,000 (2018) [3] |
Organized by | Michael Carbonaro (1996–2009) Wizard Entertainment (2009–2013), Big Apple CC Corp (2014 to present) |
Website | Official website |
Now in its 28th year the Big Apple Comic Con is the longest-running comic book/speculative fiction/pop culture convention in New York City. It was started by retailer Michael "Mike Carbo" Carbonaro in March 1996 in the basement of the St. Paul the Apostle Church. [4] Having grown out of the church, between 1999 to 2008, the Big Apple Comic Con often featured multiple shows per year, with a large three-day "national" convention held in November, at the Metropolitan Pavilion and later at the Penn Plaza Pavilion. The show was sold to Wizard Entertainment in 2009 but was reacquired 2014 by Big Apple CC Corp (owned in part by Mr.Carbonaro) in 2014. Mr. Carbonaro says Wizard could not produce a successful show in NYC.
Over the course of its history, the convention has been known as the Big Apple Convention, the Big Apple Comic Book Art, and Toy Show, and the Big Apple Comic Book, Art, Toy & Sci-Fi Expo; with the larger three-day November shows known as the National Comic Book, Art, Toy, and Sci-Fi Expo, the National Comic Book, Art, and Sci-Fi Expo, and the National Comic Book, Comic Art, and Fantasy Convention. In 2014, the name "Big Apple Comic Con" was revived by Mr. Carbonaro for its March 2015 show.
In 2018 the Big Apple Comic Con moved from the decaying Penn Plaza (last show 2018) to the recently renewed 1929 Art Deco masterpiece New Yorker Hotel (now the Wyndham hotel).
Though it primarily focuses on comic books, the convention features a large range of pop culture elements, such as graphic novels, cinema, science fiction/fantasy, television, animation, anime, manga, toys, horror, collectible card games, video games, webcomics, and fantasy novels. Along with panels, seminars, and workshops with comic book professionals, the Big Apple Comic Con often features previews of upcoming films, and such evening events as the costume contest hosted b y "Captain Zorikh" Lequidre. [5]
The convention regularly hosts hundreds of artists, exhibitors, and film and television personalities in a huge floorspace for exhibitors. The show includes autograph and photo op opportunities with all of the guests, as well as the Artists' Alley where comics artists can sign autographs and sell their work.
Major comic book conventions in New York City prior to the Big Apple Comic Con included Dave Kaler's Academy Con, which ran annually from 1965 to 1967; Phil Seuling's Comic Art Convention, which ran annually from 1968 to 1983 (Seuling died in 1984); and the large annual Creation conventions, usually taking place over the weekend following Thanksgiving from 1971 to 1987. (Creation sometimes put on as many as a half-dozen smaller New York City shows per year). [6] From 1993 to 1995, promoter Frederic Greenberg [7] began hosting Great Eastern Conventions shows annually at venues including the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. (Great Eastern also ran shows in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts.) Other companies, including Dynamic Forces, held New York City conventions, but all were on a smaller scale than the Seuling shows. Changes in the industry, popular culture, and the resurgent city itself since the troubled 1960s and '70s made large-scale comic-book conventions difficult to hold profitably. Jonah Weiland of ComicBookResources.com also noted that "... dealing with the various convention unions made it difficult for most groups to get a show off the ground." [8]
On February 29, 1996, just two days before it was to start, Fred Greenberg cancelled [9] what had been advertised as a larger-than-usual Great Eastern show, scheduled for March 2–3 at the New York Coliseum, which the fan press had suggested [10] might herald a successor to the 1968–1983 Comic Art Convention. [11]
On the spur of the moment, comic book retailers Michael Carbonaro, Vince Gulla, [11] and Vincent Zurzuolo, [12] all of whom had planned to sell their wares at the Great Eastern show, [9] mounted a substitute convention in the basement of the Church of St. Paul the Apostle. [12] The gathering — dubbed "ChurchCon," [9] "Hallelujah Con," or "The Show Must Go On" [13] Con — attracted over 4,000 attendees, most of whom had been planning to attend the scheduled Great Eastern Show. [10] Thus was born the Big Apple Comic Con, [9] thereafter produced by Mr. Carbonaro. [11]
After the success of the initial 1996 show, Big Apple scheduled six separate conventions in 1997. [14]
In 1998, Big Apple held three conventions, in March, April, and October.[ citation needed ]
In November 1999, (after a typical March show held at the Church of St. Paul the Apostle), Big Apple inaugurated the three-day "National Expo", [15] held at the Metropolitan Pavilion on West 18th Street in Manhattan. [16] The National Expo brought "together the National Comic Book, Comic Art and Fantasy Convention and the New York Toy, Sci-Fi and Collectible Show;" [17] the larger annual National shows were held every year from 1999 until 2008; other shows (until 2004) continued to be held at the Church of St. Paul the Apostle.
Over the years, the Big Apple con attracted many comics creators and pop culture figures. [4]
By 2004 (which saw four separate shows), the convention had moved to the Penn Plaza Pavilion at the Hotel Pennsylvania. [18] [19] [20]
Big Apple Comic Con was characterized as being in "growth mode" in 2005–2006, with five shows per year [21] and an average attendance of about 8,000 guests per show. [22]
In 2009, the Big Apple Comic Con was purchased by Gareb Shamus of Wizard Entertainment; Michael Carbonaro was retained as a senior adviser. [23] The first show under Wizard was held October 2009 at Pier 94 in Manhattan. [24] [25]
The acquisition of Big Apple Comic Con was part of a concerted push by Wizard's CEO Gareb Shamus to dominate the North American convention circuit, including acquiring the Paradise Comics Toronto Comicon. [26] [27] As part of that strategy, Wizard initially scheduled the 2010 Big Apple Comic Con for October 7–10, the exact same dates as the previously scheduled 2010 New York Comic Con, run by Reed Exhibitions. [28] [29] After a public outcry, Wizard later moved the dates of its 2010 New York convention to October 1–3. [30]
Wizard held a new "Wizard World New York City Experience" show on June 28–30, 2013. [31]
In 2009, Michael Carbonaro established his own independent one-day convention known as the New York Comic Book Marketplace which ran annually through 2014. [12]
Though not branded as a "Big Apple Convention" and not affiliated with Wizard World, some might consider the next iteration of the Big Apple Comic Con to have been held on March 31, 2012, at the Penn Plaza Pavilion. It was Michael Carbonaro's third New York Comic Book Marketplace, and (prematurely) announced as Carbonaro's final convention. [12] [32] The guest of honor was Stan Lee; other guests included George Pérez, Joe Sinnott, Dick Ayers, Carmine Infantino, Jim Steranko, Irwin Hasen, Mike Royer, Arthur Suydam, Bob McLeod, Rich Buckler, and Johnny Brennan, and Captain Zorikh's costume contest. [33]
Mr. Carbonaro held another NYCBM at the Hotel Pennsylvania on April 13, 2013. [34]
Mr. Carbonaro, as front person for the newly formed Big Apple CC Corp reacquired the convention from Wizard in 2014. The first show after regaining the BACC name, dubbed the "20th Anniversary Return of the Big Apple Convention," was held March 7, 2015, at the Penn Plaza Pavilion. [35] In December of 2015, BACC partnered with Frank Patz to produce the New York Winter Comic & Sci-Fi Expo, was held at the Resorts World Casino New York in Jamaica, New York. [36] [a]
With the holiday-themed December 2019 iteration of the show, the Big Apple Comic Con moved locations to the New Yorker Hotel. [4] [38] The 2020 show, scheduled for April 4–5, was canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. [39] On July, 17th 2021 the BACC "25th Anniversary Prequel" was the first in-person comic convention held in New York City as it reopened after the pandemic, and September 25–26, the Big Apple Comic Con held its Silver Anniversary show; [40] [41]
Since post Covid 2012, now a fixture of the New Yorker Hotel, the BACC has hosted 5 events beginning March 26, 2022, an annual "Christmas Con" in December (in 2024 called "Holiday Con"), and (along with promoter Laz Rivero) the first Big Apple Trading Card Show, held on January 29, 2022, at the New Yorker Hotel. The trading card show featured baseball, football, basketball, Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering cards, and more. [42]
Comics creator Evan Dorkin was a critic of the Big Apple Con. [16] He singled out the November 2008 show in particular as "the worst convention I've ever had the displeasure to sit through", for the lackluster celebrity guests, the lack of floor plan guides for attendees, inconsistently-functioning restrooms, elevator, and escalators, the poorly performing volunteer staff, and an overall seedy, flea market atmosphere of rude dealers, creators inattentive to fans, and attendees who were disproportionately male. Dorkin, who vowed never to return to the venue, also singled out the cramped space of the venue, in particular Artist's Alley, which he speculated may have constituted a fire hazard. [43]
Similarly, journalist Heidi MacDonald criticized the Penn Plaza Pavilion location as "eight pounds of sh-t in a five-pound bag." Journalist Rich Johnston said the conventions held there were "a little cramped and hot, but I still thoroughly enjoyed [them]." [4]
Dorkin was describing his personal experience at an event in 2008, before the sale of the Big Apple Comic Convention to Wizard. Ms. MacDonald who is a great friend of the BACC, and a guest at the 2024 event, was describing the convention space, and how it was choking the potential of the show.
Mr. Carbonaro, who apologized to Mr. Dorkin at the time, has said that one of the key reasons for the sale to Wizard World was the lack of quality space available for comic book conventions in NYC, and issues with the management of the Penn Plaza.The return of the newly reformed BACC to the Penn Plaza in 2015 included the 18th floor of the Pennsylvania Hotel and a revamped relationship with Penn management. Still unsatisfied, the BACC had its first show in the New Yorker in 2017 and moved out of the Penn Plaza definitively in 2018.
Fans positive response to the BACC, offers a good idea of the excitement, fun, and intimate atmosphere of a comic convention that caters to contact and really having time to meet the guests. 82% of fan responses on the shows Facebook page are positive.
Roland Edwards writing on the BACC Facebook page in 2019: "I was impressed by how well big name guests like William Shatner and Kathleen Turner were treated...The venue is intimate and conveniently located near mass transit. The small staff of volunteers kept up with the demand. The vendors I spoke with at the end said they had a good show (made money)."
Dan Rovira, also on the BACC Facebook in 2019: "I have been going to the Big Apple Con for some 9 years and I have always found it to be terrific . . . the guest artists for comics are superb. I am looking forward this March to attend. I highly recommend this outstanding convention."
Tidarut Hansub-Udom in 2021 wrote: "It was my first time going and I had a lot of fun. Great vendors, artists, guests, panels and gaming area. Everyone is very friendly, which makes the environment more accepting for all attendees."
BACC's move to the New Yorker was a sea change for the event. Spacious, but intimate, scrupulously (Wyndham) clean the response from guests and audience has been overwhelmingly positive. Ming Chen, "I just love the Big Apple Comic Con," Jim Steranko a regular guest at the show since the days of St Paul's Church: "It is my favorite real comic con."
This section is missing information about dates, venues, and guests.(February 2013) |
The Harvey Awards are given for achievement in comic books. Named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman, the Harvey Awards were founded by Gary Groth in 1988, president of the publisher Fantagraphics, to be a successor to the Kirby Awards, which were discontinued in 1987.
Wizard Entertainment Inc., formerly known as Wizard World, was a producer of multi-genre fan conventions across North America.
Notable events of 2004 in comics.
The Comic Art Convention (CAC) was an American comic book fan convention held annually New York City, New York, over Independence Day weekend from 1968 through 1983, except for 1977, when it was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and 1978 to 1979, when editions of the convention were held in both New York and Philadelphia. The first large-scale comics convention, and one of the largest gatherings of its kind until the Comic-Con International in San Diego, California, it grew into a major trade and fan convention. It was founded by Phil Seuling, a Brooklyn, New York City, teacher, who later developed the concept of comic-book direct marketing, which led to the rise to the modern comic book store.
The New York Comic Con is an annual New York City fan convention dedicated to Western comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, cosplay, toys, movies, and television. It was first held in 2006. With an attendance of 200,000 in 2022, it is North America's most attended fan convention. The New York Comic Con is a for-profit event produced and managed by ReedPop, a division of RX and Reed Elsevier, and is not affiliated with the long running non-profit San Diego Comic-Con, nor the Big Apple Convention, later known as the Big Apple Comic-Con, owned by Wizard Entertainment.
The Toronto Comic Con was an annual comic book convention held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It started in 2003 and was sold in 2009 to Wizard Entertainment owner Gareb Shamus. It was subsequently relaunched as a Wizard event in 2010. The event has been on hiatus since spring 2012.
Notable events of 2007 in comics.
Notable events of 2008 in comics.
The following events happened in the world of comics in the year 2003.
Notable events of 2002 in comics.
Notable events of 2011 in comics. It includes any relevant comics-related events, deaths of notable comics-related people, conventions and first issues by title.
Fan Expo Chicago, is a comic book convention held during the summer in Rosemont, Illinois, United States, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. It was traditionally a three-day event, but in 2006, it expanded to four days. It was founded in 1972 as Nostalgia '72, Chicago Comic Con and later as the Chicago Comic and Nostalgia Convention by a local dealer named Nancy Warner.
Notable events of 2012 in comics. It includes any relevant comics-related events, deaths of notable comics-related people, conventions and first issues by title.
The Wizard World Columbus Comic Con, formerly known as Mid-Ohio Con and then the Wizard World Ohio Comic Con, was a comic book convention held during the fall in Columbus, Ohio, United States, at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Initially held in early November, from 1994–2007 the Mid-Ohio Con took place on the first weekend after Thanksgiving. Normally a two-day event, in 2012 it expanded to three days.
Great Eastern Conventions, Inc. was an entertainment company that produced comic book conventions, most actively from 1987 to 1996. In New York City, the Great Eastern shows filled the gap between the mid-1980s demise of the annual Comic Art Convention and Creation Conventions, and the establishment of promoter Michael Carbonaro's annual Big Apple Comic Con in 1996. From 1993 to 1995, Great Eastern hosted two New York City shows annually at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. In addition to running shows in the Northeastern United States, Great Eastern also ran shows in Georgia, Florida, California, Oregon, Minnesota, and Texas.
The East Coast Comicon is an annual comic book fan convention that takes place in New Jersey. It began in 2011 as the Asbury Park Comicon, and took place in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Due to its expansion and the need for a larger venue, it was renamed the East Coast Comicon in 2015, and moved to the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, New Jersey.
Fan Expo Denver is a speculative fiction fan convention held annually in Denver, Colorado, United States. The event is a celebration of comics, books, movies, TV, gaming, and other pop culture.
A comic book convention or comic con is a fan convention emphasizing comic books and comic book culture, in which comic book fans gather to meet creators, experts, and each other. Commonly, comic conventions are multi-day events hosted at convention centers, hotels, or college campuses. They feature a wide variety of activities and panels, with a larger number of attendees participating with cosplay than for most other types of fan conventions. Comic book conventions are also used as a method by which publishers, distributors, and retailers represent their comic-related releases. Comic book conventions may be considered derivatives of science-fiction conventions, which began during the late 1930s.
The Chicago Alternative Comics Expo is a comic book festival usually held each June in Chicago.
SEE YOU IN 2024.