A Brief and Incomplete History of Comic-Cons (10/24)

Comic cons have come a long way since the first “official” comic book convention took place in New York in 1964 with just over 100 attendees in a hotel conference room sitting on folding chairs.  

Originally, these conventions focused primarily on comic books and the surrounding culture, where comic book fans could meet creators, artists, experts, and one another to discuss story arcs, cover art, and buy and sell back issues.  Today, most of them have grown into multi-day events that include numerous pop-culture and entertainment elements, including comic books, sci-fi, fantasy, horror, anime, manga, toys, animation art, collectibles of every stripe, card and video games, graphic novels, professional wrestling, and cosplay (costume play, where fans dress up as fictional characters from  movies, TV shows, comic books, or video games), as well as movie and television series previews and panels.

The most well-known and influential annual comic cons are in San Diego (July) and New York (October).  In addition to being a marketplace to buy and sell comic books and other pop-culture items, these have also become major marketing events – TV and movie stars and producers join panels geared to generating buzz, which their publicity machines try to make sure spill over to the general public. 

Anything related to superheroes or sci-fi tend to have a significant presence at these events.  On the TV front in recent years, anything sci-fi, fantasy, horror, or even peripherally pop-culture related, on broadcast, ad-supported and premium cable, or streaming platforms, have received strong buzz at these conventions.  

 San Diego Comic Con (SDCC), doing business as Comic-Con International, is a public-benefit non-profit organization.  It was founded back in 1970 as The Golden State Comic Book Convention.  It initially drew around 300 people.  It has since grown into a four-day, multi-genre, mega event.  Originally a convention designed to showcase comic books and sci-fi/fantasy, studios did not see it as having any value for marketing their upcoming projects.  Attendance steadily grew throughout the 1980s and 1990s, and stabilized at around 30,000-40,000.  There were numerous other annual conventions that were contained in their own universes – Star Trek, Star Wars, Dr. Who, etc. – which limited the growth of the San Diego show.

The early-to-mid 2000s saw the Star Wars prequels, the expanding Marvel movie universe (and its broadening fan base), edgier original ad-supported scripted cable series, and premium cable hits.  The 2010s and 2020s saw the emergence of streaming services.  As movie and TV studios provided sneak peaks of upcoming projects, and major stars began attending panel discussions, attendance started to grow dramatically. 

In 2004, SDCC took over the entire San Diego Convention Center, and by 2006, had reached 130,000.  In 2015, the year the highly anticipated Star Wars: The Force Awakens movie debuted, SDCC drew its highest attendance ever, at 170,000.  Since then, most counts place its annual attendance at 130,000+, which is the maximum capacity of its current venue.  It remains the most publicized and influential event of its kind.

The 2020 and 2021 conventions were canceled due to the pandemic, and a digital streaming event was held in its place.  A smaller in-person “San Diego Comic Con Special Edition” was held in November 2021 (which was quite controversial).  Proof of vaccination was required and masks were mandatory.  The regular convention returned in July 2022.

The 2023 event took place in the midst of WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, and was a more subdued affair with far fewer panels and less major studio participation and celebrity appearances than usual.   SAG-AFTRA members were prohibited from participating in promoting their projects, so they couldn’t be involved in most panels.

 It was back to full force in 2024 – although notably, Star Wars and Netflix have mostly skipped Comic-Con recently (they have their own fan events – Lucasfilm’s Star Wars Celebration and Netflix’s Tudum).  The SDDC’s contract with the city runs through 2026, and there have been rumors that the organizers might consider moving it to other cities (and venues that can hold even larger crowds).

Here’s a brief rundown of the major TV show-related panels and presentations at the past three years at San Diego Comic Con.  While the production studios typically host these events, I’m listing them based on the network or streaming service that airs them:

San Diego Comic Con 2022 TV Panels

ABC	Abbott Elementary, The Rookie, The Rookie: Feds (new)
CBS	Ghosts
CW	Riverdale, Gotham Knights (new)
FOX	Bob’s Burgers, The Simpsons, American Dad, Family Guy, The Great North, Krapopolis
Adult Swim	Smiling Friends, Rick and Morty, The Vindicators (new), Primal, Tuca & Bertie
AMC	The Walking Dead, Tales of the Walking Dead (new) Interview With the Vampire (new)
Cartoon	Sesame Street Mecha Builders (new), Muppets in the Sesameverse (new), Batwheels
Disney Channel	The Ghost and Molly McGee, Hamster & Gretel (new), Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur (new)
Freeform	Motherland: Fort Salem
FX	What We Do In The Shadows, Mayans, MC, Archer
FXX	Little Demon
Nickelodeon	SpongeBob SquarePants, The Patrick Star Show, Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years
SYFY/USA	Chucky, Resident Alien
TNets	AEW: Heroes & Villains
HBO	House of the Dragon (new)

 

Apple TV+	For All Mankind, Invasion, See, Mythic Quest, Severance, Foundation
Disney+	What If…?, X-Men ’97, Marvel Zombies, The Mandalorian, National Treasure: Edge of History (new), Solar Opposites, The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder (new)
HBO Max	Harley Quinn, Our Flag Means Death
Hulu	The Orville: New Horizons, Koala Man (new), Solar Opposites
Netflix	The Sandman (new), Stranger Things, Lost in Space
Paramount+	Evil, Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Lower Decks, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Wolf Pack (new), Beavis & Butthead (new), Rugrats
Peacock	Vampire Academy (new), The Resort (new)
Prime Video	Paper Girls (new), The Wheel of Time, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (new), The Expanse
Shudder	Queer for Fear

 

 

San Diego Comic Con 2023 TV Panels

CBS	Ghosts
FOX	The Great North, Bob’s Burgers, Family Guy
Adult Swim	My Adventures With Superman, Teenage Euthanasia, Rick and Morty
AMC	The Walking Dead Universe
FX	What We Do in the Shadows, Archer
TBS	American Dad
Starz	Heels
Apple TV+	Peanuts projects (new)
Hulu	Solar Opposites, Futurama
Max	Max original animation
Paramount+	Star Trek Universe
Peacock	Twisted Metal (new), The Continental (new)
Prime Video	Good Omens, The Ineffable, Invincible

 

San Diego Comic Con 2024 TV Panels

ABC	Abbott Elementary, The Rookie
CBS	Ghosts, Tracker
CW	Superman & Lois
FOX	Krapopolis, Universal Basic Guys (new), The Great North, Bob’s Burgers, The Simpsons
Adult Swim	Common Side Effects (new), Rick & Morty: The Anime (new), My Adventures With Superman
AMC/AMC+	Snowpiercer, The Walking Dead: Dead City, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol, Interview With a Vampire, Mayfair Witches
Comedy	Everybody Still Hates Chris
FX	What We Do in the Shadows
Nickelodeon	SpongeBob SquarePants
TBS	American Dad
Syndication	WOW: Women of Wrestling
MGM+	From
HBO	The Penguin (new)
Showtime	Dexter: Original Sin (new)
Apple TV+	Silo
Disney+	Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Dr. Who
Hulu	Solar Opposites, Futurama
Max	Harley Quinn, Kite Man: Hell Yeah! (new)
Netflix	Star Trek: Prodigy
Paramount+	Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (new), Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Star Trek: Lower Decks, Starfleet Academy (new)
Peacock	Teacup (new), Those About to Die (new)
Prime Video	The Boys, Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power, Invincible, Hazbin Hotel, The Legend of Vox Machina, Sausage Party: Foodtopia, Batman: Caped Crusader
TBA	Venus Prime (new)

 

The New York Comic Con (NYCC), now produced and managed by ReedPop, started in 2006, and was initially much smaller than the San Diego convention (and took place in February).  It was located in the main exhibition hall of the Jacob Javits Center, with a capacity of 10,000.  Many more attendees than anticipated showed up (roughly 33,000), and fire marshals had to lock down admissions until enough people left to make space for new folks.  I was there, and it was a real mess.  Over the next few years, the event took over more space in the Javits Center and attendance started to grow.  But over the next few years, it was still nowhere near San Diego Comic Con levels.

In 2013, when single-day passes for Thursday (the first day of the four-day event) were available for the first time, attendance topped 130,000, putting it on par with the San Diego show (in attendance, but not yet in the number of all-star panels or influence).  In 2014, attendance hit 151,000, making it the largest show in North America.  In grew  to 180,000 in 2017, and reached a high of more than 250,000 in 2018 and 2019.  The 2020 show was canceled due to COVID.  As was the case with the SDCC, a virtual event was held.  It returned in a somewhat subdued in-person convention in 2021.  All attendees over the age of 12 were required to show proof of vaccination.  Attendance was estimated at 200,000 in 2022 and 2023. 

Since the SDCC takes place in California, it has traditionally had a much larger presence of Hollywood studios and all-star panels.  But that has been gradually changing.  While the SDCC is in July, the NYCC is in October, just as the fall TV season is getting underway, and right before any holiday theatrical movies.  Panels are presented in various locations in Manhattan, with the main show continuing at the Jacob Javits Center.

Here’s a brief rundown of the major TV show related panels and presentations at the New York Comic Con during the past three years.  Note that there were fewer TV panels in 2023 – while the writers’ strike ended right before the convention, the schedule had already been set, and the actors’ strike was still in effect.

New York Comic Con 2022 TV Panels

CBS	Ghosts
CW	The Winchesters
Fox	Krapopolis
Adult Swim	My Hero Academia
AMC	Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches (new), The Walking Dead
BBCA	Dr. Who
Cartoon Network	Batwheels
Disney Channel	Big City Greens, The Owl House, Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur (new)
FX	Kindred (new)
MeTV	Svengoolie and Friends
SYFY/USA	Chucky, Reginald the Vampire (new)
HBO	His Dark Materials
Showtime	Let The Right One In (new)
Starz	Outlander

 

Disney+	The Mysterious Benedict Society, American Born Chinese (new), Moon Knight
HBO Max	Pennyworth: The Origin of Batman’s Butler, Velma, Doom Patrol, Titans
Hulu	Koala Man (new), The Paloni Show! Halloween Special! (new), Solar Opposites, Only Murders in the Building
Paramount+	Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Prodigy, Transformers: EarthSpark (new), Wolf Pack (new)
Peacock	One of Us is Lying, Vampire Academy
Prime Video	The Legend of Vox Machina, Good Omens, The Wheel of Time, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, The Peripheral (new)
Netflix	Ultraman, Oddballs (new), The School for Good & Evil (new), Manifest, Wednesday (new), The Midnight Club (new)
Crunchyroll	Chainsaw Man (new)

 

New York Comic Con 2023 TV Panels

Fox	Krapopolis (new), Grimsburg (new)
Adult Swim	Rick and Morty, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Smiling Friends
AMC/AMC+	The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon (new), Orphan Black: Echoes (new)
Disney Channel	Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur,
FX	Archer
MTV	RuPaul Drag
SYFY/USA	Chucky
Starz	Shining Vale

 

Apple TV+	For All Mankind, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (new), The Changeling (new)
Disney+	Goosebumps, Percy Jackson and the Olympians (new), Daredevil: Born Again (new)
Hulu	Futurama, Goosebumps
Max	Max Original Animation, Our Flag Means Death
Paramount+	Evil, Star Trek Universe
Prime Video	Invincible
Crunchyroll	Dr. Stone, My Hero Academia, One Piece

 

New York Comic Con 2024 TV Panels

CBS	Ghosts, Elsbeth
Fox	The Simpsons, Grimsburg, Universal Basic Guys (new)
NBC	Saturday Night Live
Adult Swim	Rick & Morty, Women Wearing Shoulder Pads, Common Side Effects, YOLO: Rainbow Trinity (new), Lazarus (new)
AMC/AMC+	Mayfair Witches, Walking Dead: Dead City, Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol (new)
Cartoon Network	Teen Titans Go!
Disney Channel	Phineas and Ferb
FX	What We Do in the Shadows
Nickelodeon	SpongeBob SquarePants, Max and the Midknights (new)
SYFY	Wynonna Earp
HBO	The Penguin (new), Dune: Prophecy (new), The Franchise (new), House of the Dragon
Starz	Outlander, Sweetpea (new)

 

Apple TV+	Shrinking,
BritBox	Passenger (new)
Disney+	Phineas and Ferb, Goosebumps: The Vanishing (new)
Hulu	Futurama, Goosebumps: The Vanishing (new)
Max	Creature Commandos (new)
Paramount+	School Spirits, Star Trek: Lower Decks, Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Section 31 (new)
Peacock	Hysteria! (new)
Prime Video	Cross (new), Secret Level (new)
Netflix	The Fall of the House of Usher
Crunchyroll	Various anime

Other Comic Cons

There are many other annual comic-con-style events throughout the U.S.  Most of them include comic books, graphic novels, manga, anime, tabletop and video games, sci-fi/fantasy, horror, professional wrestling, webcomics, movies, and television, in addition to celebrity panels, seminars, workshops, and opportunities for photos and autographs with actors and artists.  Here are some of the largest conventions.

Fan Expo is a group of conventions operated by Fan Expo HQ, a unit of Informa plc.  Most of its events are run under the Fan Expo banner, which stems from its namesake, the Toronto-based Fan Expo Canada.

Informa acquired the Dallas Comic Con in 2014, MegaCon in Orlando in 2015, Boston Comic Con in 2016,  Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo in 2017, and the Denver Pop Culture Con in 2021.

In 2021, Informa Acquired Wizard Entertainment’s conventions, widely known as Wizard World.  Wizard World produced between 15 and 20 smaller, multi-genre conventions across the U.S. throughout the year.  While attendance figures are hard to come by, they generally drew anywhere from 10,000 to 100,000 attendees – the largest one being the Chicago event in August.  All the Wizard World comic cons combined generated between 200,000 and 750,000+ attendees annually, depending on how many conventions are held in a particular year.

The highly popular Wizard magazine was founded in 1991.  Wizard purchased the Chicago Comic Con in 1997 and rebranded it Wizard World Chicago, as it expanded from its core publishing business into comic-book conventions.  In 2002, Wizard World expanded to Philadelphia, and then rapidly added other cities to the mix.  By 2011, the company discontinued its print division to focus exclusively on its convention business.

Over the years, Wizard World has had some financial difficulties, and the number of conventions it held fluctuated year-to-year – from a high of 25 events in 2015 to 13 in 2018, and just six in 2021  –

Chicago, Cleveland, New Orleans, St. Louis, Philadelphia, and Portland, which were rebranded as Fan Expo. 

In 2024, Fan Expo events in the U.S. include, New Orleans (Jan.), Portland (Jan.), Cleveland (April), Philadelphia (May), Dallas (June), Boston (June), Denver (July), Chicago (Aug.), and San Francisco (Nov.), as well as MegaCon Orlando (Feb.).

Megacon Orlando is the largest comic convention in the Southern U.S.  With an estimated 190,000 attending the four-day event in February 2024, it is now the second largest comic convention in North America (behind only the New York Comic Con).

Fan Expo Denver (formerly Denver Pop Culture Con) is held in July and is the largest Fan Expo branded comic con, attracting more than 100,000 attendees over its four days. 

Fan Expo Chicago (formerly Wizard World Chicago) takes place in July or August, and is one of the largest comic cons in the U.S., setting a record of more than 75,000 attendees over three days in 2024.

Fan Expo Dallas (formerly Dallas Comic Con) is a three-day event in June that typically draws more than 60.000 fans, and focuses on comic-book writers, artists, and publishers. 

Fan Expo Boston (formerly Boston Comic Con) is one of the largest comic conventions on the East Coast, drawing more than 55,000 attendees over three days in August.

Fan Expo Philadelphia (formerly Wizard World Philadelphia) is usually in May and attracts more than 50,000 fans annually.

Fan Expo San Francisco is in Nov./Dec. and draws 35,000+ fans, while the New Orleans (Jan.), Portland (Jan.), and Cleveland (Mar.) shows each draw more than 30,000 (the latter three were formerly Wizard World events).

Here are some of the other major comic-con and pop-culture events in the U.S.

The D23 Expo (renamed in 2024 to D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event) is a biennial three-day event organized for members of D23: The Official Disney Fan Club.  It is usually held between July and September.  The event was founded in 2009 (D is for Disney, and 23 is for 1923, the year Walt Disney founded the company).  D23 includes exclusive first looks at upcoming Disney projects (including anything Star Wars, Pixar, and Marvel, or premiering on Disney+), celebrity appearances, memorabilia trading, exclusive merchandise, and various fan contests.  D23 started out with a booth at the San Diego Comic Con in 2009, before the first D23 Expo.  It steadily grew, with 100,000 people attending the 2017 event, which rose to 140,000 in 2022.

L.A. Comic Con is one of the largest independent comic cons in the U.S.   Initially founded as Comikaze Expo in 2011 by Regina Carpinelli and her two younger brothers as an event to showcase local Los Angeles talent, the show has gone through several rebrandings – first to Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo, then Stan Lee’s L.A. Comic Con, to just L.A. Comic Con.  The three-day October event has grown every year, going from 35,000 attendees in 2011, to 124,000 in 2023.

Emerald City Comic Con, inaugurated in 2003, is a three-day event that takes place in Seattle, Washington in March or April.  It is the largest comic con in the Pacific Northwest, drawing roughly 100,000 attendees in recent years. 

Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2) is one of the more recent additions to the comic con circuit, run by ReedPop, the same folks who organize the New York Comic Con.  Taking place in March or April, it has been known for some unique big events, such as when they auctioned off items from the Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor movies.  The three-day convention drew 27,500 people to its first show in 2010, and has since grown to about 90,000 attendees.

ATL Comic Convention (formerly Atlanta Comic Con) is one of the largest comic conventions in the Southeast, billed as a “family friendly pop-culture event.”  The three-day convention typically draws more than 90,000 attendees.  It was held in the summer prior to 2023, moved to February for 2023 and 2024.  It will again be in July in 2025.

Dragon Con was founded in 1987 with 1,400 fans in attendance.  It takes place every year over Labor Day weekend, encompassing five hotels in downtown Atlanta, Georgia.  Originally a sci-fi and gaming convention, it added a Comics Expo in 1990 and robotic competition (“Robot Battles”) in 1991.   Dragon Con also hosted the International Starfleet Conference, and in 1999 introduced the first Miss Klingon Empire Beauty Pageant.  Since 2002, it also hosted Atlanta’s largest annual parade.  As of 2017, it became a five-day event, starting the Thursday before Labor Day.  Attendance peaked in 2019, when it drew more than 85,000 attendees.  Attendance declined sharply post-pandemic to just 42,000 in 2021, but rose back up to 72,000 in 2024.

Rose City Comic Con was founded by Ron and Paula Brister, who got the idea while on a road trip to the San Diego Comic Con in 2011.  The first Portland, Oregon convention was held in September 2012 with about 4,000 attendees.  The following year, it was co-funded and co-organized by Emerald City Comic Con and attracted 18,000 people.  The three-day event steadily grew and attracted about 70,000 people in 2019 (the last year with available attendance figures).

Planet Comicon in Kansas City, Missouri is the region’s largest pop-culture and comic book event, held over three days in March.  The locally-owned and independently operated event started in 1999 with 1,200 attendees and just one celebrity guest (the original R2D2).  It celebrated its 25^th anniversary in 2024, and now typically draws 60,000+ fans.

WonderCon is a three-day comic book, sci-fi, and film convention held in Anaheim in March or April (and typically gets 60,000 or so attendees).  It started in 1987, and in 2001 was taken over by Comic-Con International the company that runs the San Diego Comic Con.

Awesome Con debuted in 2013 with just 7,000 attendees.  It has grown to be one of the larger conventions on the East Coast (Washington, D.C.), attracting about 60,000 people in 2024.

Phoenix Fan Fusion (formerly Phoenix Comic Con) is a three-day event held in downtown Phoenix in May or June (most often on Memorial Day weekend).  It was founded in 2002 as the Phoenix Cactus Comicon, with only a few hundred fans in attendance and grew to a record-high of 106,000 in 2016.  Since then attendance has declined – to 80,000 in 2017 and 57,000 in 2018.  I haven’t seen attendance figures since then.

Motor City Comic Con is held in Novi, Michigan.  The three-day event, usually taking place in May, was founded in 1989 by comics retailer, Michael Goldman.  Attendance has steadily grown through the years – there were 18,000 attendees in 2012, 30,000 in 2013, 40,000 in 2014, 50,000 in 2015, 60,000 in 2018, and topped out at 70,000 for the 30^th anniversary event in 2019.

Comicpalooza debuted in July 2008 in Houston, Texas, to coincide with the release of The Dark Knight.  The inaugural event had just 500 attendees.  It has since been re-invented a number of times and grown tremendously, into a multi-genre event and one of Houston’s largest conventions.  It takes place over three days in May, June, or July, and attracts upward of 50,000 fans.

Big Texas Comic Con was first held in San Antonio, Texas in 2019, when several staff members of the Alamo City Comic Con (which had been around since 2013) decided to break away and form their own event.  In its heyday (2014-15), the Alamo City Comic Con reportedly drew more than 70,000 attendees.  The Big Texas Comic Con, which takes place over three days in October, is estimated to draw around 40,000-50,000 attendees.

HeroesCon was established in 1982 and takes place in June in Charlotte, North Carolina.  It’s organized by the Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find comic book store, and continues to maintain a primary focus on comic books, with an emphasis on artists, writers, and the creative process.  It attracts about 40,000-50,000 attendees annually.  It is “the largest independently owned comic book convention in the U.S.”

GalaxyCon (formerly known as Super Conventions or Supercon) is run by GalaxyCon, LLC, a privately owned company based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  It organizes comic book and anime conventions throughout the country, which it refers to as a “3-day Festival of Fandom.”  Current markets include, Austin, Texas (Sept. more than 50,000 attend), Raleigh, North Carolina (July 50,000+), Columbus, Ohio (Dec. 40,000), Richmond, Virginia (Mar. 30,000), San Jose, California (Aug. 20,000+), Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (May), and Des Moines, Iowa (Sept.).  In 2025, GalaxyCon is expanding to New Orleans (July) and St. Louis (Oct.).

GalaxyCon is big on marketing autographed celebrity photos and merchandise, and during the pandemic expanded to include virtual events so fans could meet and chat with celebrities, and get personalized autographs without needing to travel.  They continue to provide numerous virtual events.

Indiana Comic Convention takes place over three days in March.  It started in 2014 with about 20,000 attendees, which grew to roughly 55,000 in 2018.  I haven’t seen any post-pandemic numbers.

Twin Cities Con was created by Ben Penrod in 2021.  He founded comic cons in several other cities, including Awesome Con in Washington, DC.  It takes place in Minneapolis over three days in November, and draws roughly 30,000 fans.

There are also numerous medium and smaller sized local conventions across the country every year that draw anywhere from 5,000 to 20,000+ fans.  These smaller shows don’t get the same media attention as SDCC or NYCC, but they do have loyal followings.  They tend to focus more heavily on comic books, with an emphasis on creators (artists and writers).  They have a more intimate feel than some of the larger comic cons.  Here’s just a few of them.

The Supercon trademark now only applies to Florida Supercon, which occurs in July in Miami, and draws an estimated 20,000 fans.   It was sold to ReedPop in 2019.

Baltimore Comic Con started out as a one-day show in 2000, focusing primarily on comic book, extended to two days in 2002, and due to demand from attendees and exhibitors, went to three days in 2014, as it continued to grow in size and popularity.  Traditionally takes place in September, and typically draws 15,000+ fans.

Big Apple Comic Con is the longest-running comic-book/pop-culture convention in New York City, having started by retailer Michael Carbonaro in March 1996 in the basement of a church, with 4,000 attendees.  During its heyday (2001-2008) it featured multiple shows a year, with its big one in November.  The show was acquired by Wizard Entertainment  from 2009-13, but reacquired by Carbonaro in 2014.  It’s generally held in the fall and draws roughly 10,000 fans.

Albuquerque Comic Con is “the largest and longest running convention in New Mexico (15 consecutive years).”  It takes place in January with an estimated 10,000 attendees.

Nickel City Comic Con is Western New York’s largest pop-culture and comic book convention, attracting more than 10,000 fans to Buffalo for its summer and fall editions.  It began in 2016, but was inactive in 2020-2022, due to the pandemic.

Garden State Comic Fest celebrated its 10^th anniversary in 2024.  There’s a summer version is in Morristown, New Jersey in June and a “Winter Fest” takes place in Sussex County in January.  They do not make attendance figures available, but some estimates place it at 5,000+.