The Big Apple Comic Con is a New York City

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

convention, the longest-running comic book/

speculative fiction Speculative fiction is a term that has been used with a variety of (sometimes contradictory) meanings. The broadest interpretation is as a category of fiction encompassing genres with elements that do not exist in reality, recorded history, nat ...

/pop culture convention in New York City. It was started by retailer Michael "Mike Carbo" Carbonaro in March

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 800, causing the plane to crash and killing everyone o ...

in the basement of the St. Paul the Apostle Church.Johnston, Rich
"Big Apple Comic Con Moves to New Yorker Hotel With a Christmas Convention For December 14th,"
''Bleeding Cool'' (November 26, 2019). During its heyday from 2001 to 2008, the Big Apple Comic Con often featured multiple shows per year, with a large three-day "national" convention held in November, usually held at the

Penn Plaza Pavilion The Hotel Pennsylvania was a historic hotel at 401 Seventh Avenue (15 Penn Plaza) in Manhattan, across the street from Pennsylvania Station and Madison Square Garden in New York City. Opened in 1919, it was once the largest hotel in the wor ...

. The show was owned by

Wizard Entertainment Wizard Entertainment Inc., formerly known as GoEnergy and Wizard World, is a producer of multi-genre fan conventions across North America. The company started as the holding company for Strato Malmas' interests in the energy business. Gareb Sham ...

from 2009 to 2013, but was reacquired by Carbonaro in 2014. 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 Convention" was revived by Carbonaro for its March 2015 show. Though it primarily focuses on comic books, the convention features a large range of

pop culture Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' ...

elements, such as books, cinema,

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

/fantasy, television,

animation Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

manga Manga ( Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is ...

, toys, horror,

collectible card game A collectible card game (CCG), also called a trading card game (TCG) among other names, is a type of card game that mixes strategy game, strategic deck building elements with features of trading cards, introduced with ''Magic: The Gathering'' in ...

s, video games,

webcomics Webcomics (also known as online comics or Internet comics) are comics published on a website or mobile app. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers, or comic books. Webcomics can be co ...

, and

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

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 overseen by "Captain Zorikh" Zorikh Lequidre.Romberger, James and Heidi MacDonald
"This weekend’s Big Apple brings comics history to programming with Royer, Fradon and more,"
''The Beat'' (April 11, 2018). 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 or do free sketches.

History

Antecedents

Major comic book conventions in New York City prior to the Big Apple Comic Con included

Dave Kaler Dave may refer to: Film, television, and theater * ''Dave'' (film), a 1993 film starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver * ''Dave'' (musical), a 2018 stage musical adaptation of the film * Dave (TV channel), a digital television channel in the ...

Academy Con The Academy of Comic-Book Fans and Collectors (ACBFC) was the first official organization of comic book enthusiasts and historians. Active during the 1960s, the ACBFC was established by Jerry Bails, the "father of comics fandom". A vital player in ...

, which ran annually from 1965 to 1967;

Phil Seuling Philip Nicholas Seuling (January 20, 1934 – August 21, 1984) was a comic book fan convention organizer and comics distributor primarily active in the 1970s. Seuling was the organizer of the annual New York Comic Art Convention, originally held i ...

Comic Art Convention The Comic Art Convention 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, ...

, which ran annually from 1968 to 1983 (Seuling died in 1984); and the large annual

Creation Creation may refer to: Religion *''Creatio ex nihilo'', the concept that matter was created by God out of nothing *Creation myth, a religious story of the origin of the world and how people first came to inhabit it *Creationism, the belief that ...

conventions, usually taking place over the weekend following

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden ...

from 1971 to 1987. (Creation sometimes put on as many as a half-dozen smaller New York City shows per year).Grant, Steven
"Permanent Damage: Issue #43,"
''Comic Book Resources'' (July 10, 2002). From 1993 to 1995, promoter Frederic Greenberg began hosting Great Eastern Conventions shows annually at venues including the

Jacob K. Javits Convention Center The Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, commonly known as the Javits Center, is a large convention center on Eleventh Avenue between 34th Street and 38th Street in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, New York City. It was designed by architect James I ...

. (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."

Birth of the show

On February 29, 1996, just two days before it was to start, Fred Greenberg cancelled what had been advertised as a larger-than-usual Great Eastern show, scheduled for March 2–3 at the

New York Coliseum The New York Coliseum was a convention center that stood at Columbus Circle in Manhattan, New York City, from 1956 to 2000. It was designed by architects Leon Levy and Lionel Levy in a modified International Style, and included both a low bui ...

, which the fan press had suggested"Newswatch: NYC Comics Convention Cancelled, Fans Irate," ''The Comics Journal'' #185 (Mar. 1996), pp. 18-19. might herald a successor to the 1968–1983

.Cloos, Art
"The Main Event: Convention Recap: Big Apple Comic Con"
''Scoop'' (after Sept. 26, 2021). On the spur of the moment, comic book retailers Michael Carbonaro, Vince Gulla, and Vincent Zurzuolo, all of whom had planned to sell their wares at the Great Eastern show, mounted a substitute convention in the basement of the Church of St. Paul the Apostle.Pate, Bria
"Mike Carbonaro Retiring From Convention Promoting with Final 2012 NYCBM Show,"
Convention Scene (Mar. 30, 2012). The gathering — dubbed "ChurchCon,"Rafferty, Brian M
"Fantasy runs rampant,"
QNS (October 31, 2002). "

Hallelujah ''Hallelujah'' ( ; he, ''haləlū-Yāh'', meaning "praise Yah") is an interjection used as an expression of gratitude to God. The term is used 24 times in the Hebrew Bible (in the book of Psalms), twice in deuterocanonical books, and four tim ...

Con," or "The Show Must Go On"Miller, John Jackson
"Capital Sale Tops Turbulent Year: The Top 10 Comics News Stories of 1996,"
''Comics Buyer's Guide'' #1210 (Jan. 24, 1997). Con — attracted over 4,000 attendees, most of whom had been planning to attend the scheduled Great Eastern Show. Thus was born the Big Apple Comic Con, thereafter produced exclusively by Carbnonaro.

Growth

After the success of the initial 1996 show, Big Apple scheduled six separate conventions in 1997."Six Big Apple Cons Set for '97," ''Comics Buyer's Guide'' (Jan. 31, 1997), p. 8. In 1998, Big Apple held three conventions, in March, April, and October. 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",Frankenhoff, Brent. "Big Apple Blossoms into National Comic Book, Comic Art, and Toy Show," ''Comics Buyer's Guide'' (Oct. 22, 1999), p. 24. held at the

Metropolitan Pavilion The Metropolitan Pavilion is an exhibition venue located in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1992, the venue offers four loft event spaces in one location. The Metropolitan Pavilion is situated next door to the ...

on West 18th Street in Manhattan.MacDonald, Heidi
"The monsters did tend to obscure the fauns and woodlings,'"
''The Beat'' (Nov. 17, 2008). The National Expo brought "together the National Comic Book, Comic Art and Fantasy Convention and the New York Toy, Sci-Fi and Collectible Show;"CBR Staff
"NYC Comic Book Museum presents Golden Panel Awards, 'Heroes Among Us' exhibited,"
CBR (Oct. 23, 2002). 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.

Heyday

By 2004 (which saw four separate shows), the convention had moved to the

at the Hotel Pennsylvania. Big Apple Comic Con was characterized as being in "growth mode" in 2005–2006, with five shows per year and an average attendance of about 8,000 guests per show.

Acquisition by Wizard Entertainment

In 2009, the Big Apple Comic Con was purchased by Gareb Shamus of

; Michael Carbonaro was retained as a senior adviser."April 9: Wizard Entertainment CEO Acquires Big Apple Con," ''The Comics Journal'' #299 (August 2009), p. 22. The first show under Wizard was held October 2009 at Pier 94 in Manhattan. 1010 WINS. New York. October 16, 2009, broadcast. The acquisition of Big Apple 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. 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 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. History The New York Comic Con is a ...

, run by

Reed Exhibitions RELX plc (pronounced "Rel-ex") is a British multinational information and analytics company headquartered in London, England. Its businesses provide scientific, technical and medical information and analytics; legal information and analytics; ...

.MacDonald, Heidi
"Big Apple/Con Wars wrap-up,"
''The Beat'' (Oct. 19, 2009). After a public outcry, Wizard later moved the dates of its 2010 New York convention to October 1–3. Wizard held a new "Wizard World New York City Experience" show on June 28–30, 2013.

New York Comic Book Marketplace

In 2009, Michael Carbonaro established his own independent one-day convention known as the New York Comic Book Marketplace which ran annually through 2014. 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.Calmixx (March 28, 2012)
"Another Comic Book Era Comes to a Close..."
GeekPropaganda. The guest of honor was

Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Publications which ...

; other guests included

George Pérez George Pérez (; June 9, 1954 – May 6, 2022) was an American comic book artist and writer, who worked primarily as a penciller. He came to prominence in the 1970s penciling ''Fantastic Four'' and '' The Avengers'' for Marvel Comics. In the 198 ...

, Joe Sinnott, Dick Ayers,

Carmine Infantino Carmine Michael Infantino (; May 24, 1925 – April 4, 2013) was an American comics artist and editor, primarily for DC Comics, during the late 1950s and early 1960s period known as the Silver Age of Comic Books. Among his character creations are ...

Jim Steranko James F. Steranko (; born November 5, 1938) is an American graphic artist, comic book writer/artist, comics historian, magician, publisher and film production illustrator. His most famous comic book work was with the 1960s superspy feature " ...

, Irwin Hasen, Mike Royer, Arthur Suydam, Bob McLeod,

Rich Buckler Rich may refer to: Common uses * Rich, an entity possessing wealth * Rich, an intense flavor, color, sound, texture, or feeling ** Rich (wine), a descriptor in wine tasting Places United States * Rich, Mississippi, an unincorporated comm ...

, and

Johnny Brennan Johnny Brennan (born December 1) is an American actor, voice actor, comedian, and writer, known as the creator of the Jerky Boys, which released a series of prank phone call CDs, between 1993 and 1999. He appears as himself as a member of the ...

, and Captain Zorikh's costume contest.Romano, Lauren (March 27, 2012)
"Stan Lee and the New York Comic Book Marketplace Come to NYC"

Yahoo! News Yahoo! News is a news website that originated as an internet-based news aggregator by Yahoo!. The site was created by a Yahoo! software engineer named Brad Clawsie in August 1996. Articles originally came from news services such as the Associate ...

. Carbonaro held another NYCBM at the Hotel Pennsylvania on April 13, 2013."Mike Carbo's NYCBM"

LiveJournal LiveJournal (russian: Живой Журнал), stylised as LiVEJOURNAL, is a Russian-owned social networking service where users can keep a blog, journal, or diary. American programmer Brad Fitzpatrick started LiveJournal on April 15, 1999, a ...

. Retrieved March 17, 2013.

Reacquisition by Mike Carbonaro

Carbonaro reacquired the convention from Wizard in 2014. (By 2017,

, held annually at the

, had grown to rival that of

San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is ...

, making it the dominant New York City-area comic convention.) The December 2015 edition of Carbonaro's convention, titled the New York Winter Comic & Sci-Fi Expo, was held at the Resorts World Casino New York in

Jamaica, New York Jamaica is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is mainly composed of a large commercial and retail area, though part of the neighborhood is also residential. Jamaica is bordered by Hollis to the east; St. Albans, Springf ...

, and was co-produced by Carbonaro and Frank Patz.Krawitz, Alan
"Winter Con Festival Draws Thousands of Sci-Fi and Comic Fans to Casino,"
The Forum (December 9, 2015). With the holiday-themed December 2019 iteration of the show, the Big Apple Comic Con moved locations to the New Yorker Hotel."Big Apple Christmas Con holds holiday party Dec.14,"
''Amsterdam News'' (December 5, 2019). The 2020 show, scheduled for April 4–5, was canceled due to the

COVID-19 Pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. The 2021 show, held September 25–26, was the Big Apple Comic Con's Silver Anniversary show; it was also the first in-person comics convention held in New York City since the pandemic. In 2022, Carbonaro hosted another iteration of the Big Apple Comic Con (on March 26, 2022); he also hosted (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 A trading card (or collectible card) is a small card, usually made out of paperboard or thick paper, which usually contains an image of a certain person, place or thing (fictional or real) and a short description of the picture, along with other ...

show featured

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

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basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

Pokémon (an abbreviation for in Japan) is a Japanese media franchise managed by The Pokémon Company, founded by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures, the owners of the trademark and copyright of the franchise. In terms of what each of thos ...

, Magic: The Gathering cards, and more."BIG APPLE TRADING CARD SHOW to host largest trading card show in New York City History this Saturday, January 29th!"
''Yahoo! Finance'' (January 24, 2022).

Criticism

Comics creator Evan Dorkin was a critic of the Big Apple Con. 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 A flea market (or swap meet) is a type of street market that provides space for vendors to sell previously-owned (second-hand) goods. This type of market is often seasonal. However, in recent years there has been the development of 'formal ...

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.Dorkin, Evan (November 16, 2008)
"National Tragedy"
. LiveJournal Similarly, journalist Heidi MacDonald criticized the

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 hem"

Official Radio show

The Big Apple Con has an official Radio show called "It Came From The Radio" which is a weekly syndicated radio show on both terrestrial and online radio stations. The show is also available on 45 different podcast places such as IHeart Radio, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
It Came From The Radio
The show has been hosted by Sunburst Creator Mark Torres since its inception and currently has 3 additional co-hosts: Senior Correspondent Charlie Saladino, Model, Actress, Stand up Comedian and Producer El Man Jenny Feldy, and Dominic Sparano

Dates and locations

References

External links

*
Captain Zorikh's Costume Contest
{{Coord, 40.750634, N, 73.992703, W, format=dms, type:landmark_scale:10000_region:US-NY, display=title Recurring events established in 1996 1996 establishments in New York City Culture of Manhattan Comics conventions in the United States Conventions in New York City