Central Canada Comic Con (C4) was an annual

fan convention A fan convention (also known as a con or fan meeting) is an event in which Fan (person), fans of a particular topic gather to participate and hold programs and other events, and to meet experts, famous personalities, and each other. Some also inc ...

held in

Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

. The Central Canada Comic Con was Central Canada's largest convention celebrating the best in comic books,

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

, gaming, anime, fantasy, horror and pop culture.

History

This show began to grow in 1994 as a simple weekend trade show called the Manitoba Collector's Expo. Back in 1994 it showcased everything from sports cards to antiques to toys and

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

s. As times changed, so did the event, and in 2000 it became the Manitoba Toy & Comic Expo, dropping the antiques and reducing the sports cards. In 2006, the show expanded as the Manitoba Comic Con, and brought in attendees from all over Manitoba and

North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

. The show focused on toys, comic books, gaming, anime, and local artists. In 2007 it brought in the media aspect with

David Prowse David Charles Prowse (1 July 1935 – 28 November 2020) was an English actor, bodybuilder, strongman and weightlifter. He portrayed Darth Vader in the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy and a manservant in Stanley Kubrick's 1971 film '' A Clockw ...

, Richard Hatch and

Margot Kidder Margaret Ruth Kidder (October 17, 1948 – May 13, 2018) was a Canadian and American actress and activist. She amassed List of Margot Kidder performances, several film and television credits in her career spanning five decades, including her bes ...

. In 2008, the convention moved to the

Winnipeg Convention Centre The RBC Convention Centre Winnipeg (formerly the Winnipeg Convention Centre) is a major meeting and convention centre located in Downtown Winnipeg, downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It has five levels including indoor parking for 729 vehicles, ...

with guests like

Lou Ferrigno Louis Jude Ferrigno Sr. (; born November 9, 1951) is an American actor and retired professional bodybuilder. He won an IFBB Mr. America title and two consecutive IFBB Mr. Universe titles, and appeared in the documentary film '' Pumping Iron'' ...

Jeremy Bulloch Jeremy Andrew Bulloch (16 February 1945 – 17 December 2020) was an English actor. In a career that spanned six decades, he gained recognition for originating the physical portrayal of Boba Fett in the '' Star Wars'' franchise, appearing as ...

LeVar Burton Levardis Robert Martyn Burton Jr. (born February 16, 1957) is an American actor, director, and television host. He played Geordi La Forge in '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' (1987–1994), Kunta Kinte in the ABC miniseries ''Roots'' (1977 ...

Erica Durance Erica Durance (; born June 21, 1978) is a Canadian actress known for her roles as Lois Lane in the superhero television series ''Smallville'' (2004–2011) and as Dr. Alex Reid in the medical drama series ''Saving Hope'' (2012–2017). She has al ...

Justin Hartley Justin Scott Hartley (born January 29, 1977) is an American actor, television producer, and director. He has played Fox Crane on the NBC daytime soap opera '' Passions'' (2002–2006), Oliver Queen on the WB/ CW television series ''Smallvill ...

Charlie Adler Charles Michael Adler (born October 2, 1956) is an American voice actor and voice director. He is known for his roles as Buster Bunny on ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', the Bigheads on ''Rocko's Modern Life'', Ickis on ''Aaahh!!! Real Monsters'', Doc ...

and

John de Lancie John Sherwood de Lancie, Jr. (born March 20, 1948) is an American actor, best known for his role as Q in various ''Star Trek'' series, beginning with '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' in 1987 and leading up to the third season of '' Star Tre ...

Wizard World Wizard Entertainment Inc., formerly known as Wizard World, was a producer of multi-genre fan conventions across North America. The company that became Wizard Entertainment began in 1991 as Wizard Press, the publisher of the monthly magazine ''Wi ...

purchased the convention shortly after the 2010 show, but dropped out in June 2011. In 2013 C4 received the "Winnipeg Tourism Marketing Campaign (under $2500) Award of Distinction", presented to a tourism individual, organization, business or marketing consortium in recognition of a creative or innovative marketing campaign. In April 2019, C4 announced that it would not hold a show in 2020. The convention ceased operations after its operator, River City Conventions, announced their closure on September 24, 2019. In November 2019, CapeFlow Productions, organizers of Montreal Comiccon and Ottawa Comiccon, announced that it would host Winnipeg Comiccon at the RBC Convention Centre beginning in 2020, inheriting C4's previous late-October scheduling. The inaugural event was postponed to 2021 due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

Event history

References

{{Reflist

External links

Central Canada Comic Con
Comics conventions in Canada Culture of Winnipeg Defunct comics conventions Recurring events established in 2006 2006 establishments in Manitoba Fall in Canada