If you’re the kind of comic con attendee that wants to get into the comic book business, get your pitch ready. Here is my list of the most awaited comic cons coming up in 2017.
Cosplayers may find many of the comic cons on this list welcoming. Though I’ve tried to pick only the conventions where comics get center stage. San Diego and its ilk are not on this list, if only for the reason that they’re notoriously hard to get into. Or move around in.
U.S. Comic Cons
WonderCon
(Mar 31- Apr 2, 2017)
This comic con in Anaheim, CA is running as I write. If you’ve already made it there, you’ll find it’s a fantastic place for American comics, anime screenings, cosplay and movies. Ticket prices are quite inexpensive starting at $20. It doesn’t have San Diego Comic Con’s intensity. But it has the same quality of vendors, a huge list of exhibitors including small and independent publishers, a packed Artist’s Alley, and fan club tables. Everyone should be happy at WonderCon 2017. Panels include Writing 101, Comic Book Law School, The Webcomics Gathering, Writing for Animation and lots of other exciting stuff for comic creators.
MegaCon, Orlando
(May 25-28, 2017)
Heroes Con
(June 16-18, 2017)
Small Press Expo,Bethesda, MD
(September 16-17)
New York Comic Con
(Oct 5-8, 2017)
Wizard World Comic Con,St. Louis
(Apr 7-9, 2017)
Fan Expo Canada
(Aug 31-Sept 3, 2017)
International Comic Cons
If you’re anywhere abroad during these international conventions, or can fly out for them, do check out these comic cons with an international flavor.
MCM London Comic Con
(May 26-28, 2017)
This is the UK’s biggest pop culture event. If you ignore the celebrities and get to the comic tables, you’ll find a host of exciting European comics from publishers of all sizes. If you’re ever in London around the time of the comic con, I highly recommend it for a look at how comics work across the Atlantic.
Comiket, Tokyo, Japan
(Aug 11-13, 2017)
Comiket is a huge bi-monthly comic market for lovers of manga. If you can read Japanese, or are such a die-hard fan that the language barrier doesn’t matter, you can check out the world’s largest manga market. You’ll find a lot of self-published work or Dojinshi as well as the usual commercial manga, anime and games. It’s a huge, crowded event and some people line up for days to get inside though things are changing.