Phoenix Comicon
Coordinates: 33°24′N 112°06′W / 33.4°N 112.1°W
| Phoenix Comicon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Status | Active |
| Genre | Comics, Anime, Manga, Sci-Fi, Fantasy |
| Venue | Phoenix Convention Center |
| Location(s) | Phoenix, Arizona |
| Country | United States |
| Inaugurated | 2002 |
| Attendance | 55,313 in 2013 |
| Website | |
| http://phoenixcomicon.com/ | |
Phoenix Comicon (formerly Phoenix Cactus Comicon) is an annual comic book convention held in Phoenix, Arizona. Started in June 2002, PCC has held comic related panels, programming events, art contests, and autograph signings for all ages.[1] The first Phoenix Comicon was held in June 2002. It was a one day only convention for six hours held in Ahwatukee, Arizona. Admission was $3 per person and there were 432 attendees, along with a few local creators and exhibitors. In 2013, the convention was held at the Phoenix Convention Center in downtown Phoenix, Arizona, and set an attendance record of 55,313.
Originally showcasing comic books, science fiction/fantasy and film/television, and related popular arts, the convention has expanded over the years to include a larger range of pop culture elements, such as horror, anime, manga, animation, toys, collectible card games, video games, webcomics, and fantasy novels.
Statistics
| Date | Location | Admission | Attendance | Special Guests | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1[2] | June, 2002 | Ahwatukee, AZ | $3 | 432 | None |
| 2[3] | April, 2003 | Glendale, AZ | Unknown | Unknown | None |
| 3[4] | April, 2004 | Glendale, AZ | Unknown | Unknown | None |
| 4[5] | April, 2005 | Glendale, AZ | Unknown | Unknown | Todd Nauck, Marv Wolfman |
| 5[6] | September 23–24, 2006 | Mesa, AZ | $25 until Aug 31; $30 until Sep 15; $35 door ticket | 2,600 | Christine Auten, Greg Ayres, Josh Blaylock, Johnny Yong Bosch, Shannon Denton, Eyeshine, Christy Lijewski, Jen Quick, Armand Villavert Jr. |
| 6[7] | January 27–28, 2007 | Mesa, AZ | $25 for 2 days; $20 Sat; $15 Sun; $8 gaming-only | 3,200 | Shannon Denton, Crispin Freeman, Tiffany Grant, Matt Greenfield, M. Alice LeGrow, Angel Medina, Vic Mignogna, George Pérez, Jen Quick, Amy Reeder Hadley |
| 7[8] | January 26–27, 2008 | Mesa, AZ | $25 for 2 days; $20 Sat; $15 Sun | 5,200 | Maral Agnerian, Greg Ayres, David Beaty, Jeremy Bulloch, Svetlana Chmakova, Luci Christian, Shannon Denton, Walter Koenig, Jeph Loeb, Peter Mayhew, Ed McGuinness, Dawn "Kaijugal" McKechnie, Angel Medina, Michelle Ruff, Armand Villavert Jr., Mark Waid, Wil Wheaton, Andrew Wheelan |
| 8[9] | January 23–25, 2009 | Mesa, AZ | $25 until Sep 30; $30 until Jan 21; $35 weekend; $20 Fri; $25 Sat; $15 Sun | 7,000 | David Beaty, Lou Ferrigno, Tiffany Grant, Erin Gray, Matt Greenfield, Reuben Langdon, Yuri Lowenthal, Tara Platt, Christophe Tang, Wil Wheaton |
| 9[10] | May 28–30, 2010 | Phoenix, AZ | $30 until May 25 $35 weekend; $20 Fri; $30 Sat; $15 Sun | 13,988 | Stan Lee, Wil Wheaton, Lou Ferrigno, LeVar Burton, Felicia Day, Jonathan Frakes, Genie Francis, James Marsters, Philip Tan, Greg Capullo, Mike McFarland, John Scalzi |
| 10[11] | May 26–29, 2011 | Phoenix, AZ | $30 until December 31, $35 until May 25 $40 weekend; $25 Fri; $35 Sat; $20 Sun | 23,001 | Stan Lee, Wil Wheaton, Leonard Nimoy, George Takei, Sandeep Parikh, Jeff Lewis, Cassandra Peterson, Billy Dee Williams, Paul McGillion, Todd McFarlane, Max Brooks, Bruce Boxleitner, Jaime Paglia, Aaron Douglas, Alex Albrecht, Kristin Bauer van Straten, Vic Mignogna, Kazha, Brina Palencia, Ernie Hudson, John Scalzi, Cherie Priest, Robert J. Sawyer, among others |
| 11[12] | May 24–27, 2012 | Phoenix, AZ | $35 until December 31, $40 until May 24 $45 weekend; $30 Fri; $35 Sat; $20 Sun | 32,127 | William Shatner, Ed Asner, George Pérez, Greg Horn, Yvonne Navarro, Jeff Mariotte, Jeremy Bulloch, Vic Mignogna, Kazha, Arthur Suydam, Gil Gerard, Erin Gray, James A. Owen, Gini Koch, Billy Tucci, Weston Ochse, Tony Amendola, Stuart Immonen, Kathryn Immonen, Brent Spiner, Levar Burton, Michael Dorn, Marina Sirtis, Colin Ferguson, David Finch, Garth Ennis, Craig W. Chenery, Casper Van Dien, Dina Meyer, Lou Ferrigno, Jon Bernthal, among others |
| 12[13] | May 23–26, 2013 | Phoenix, AZ | $40 until December 31, $45 until May 23 $50 weekend; $30 Fri; $35 Sat; $20 Sun | 55,313 | John Barrowman, Nichelle Nichols, J. Michael Straczynski, Bill Mumy, Claudia Christian, Jerry Doyle, Peter Jurasik, Jason Carter, Robin Atkin Downes, Andrea Thompson, Michael Forest, Tracy Scoggins, Julie Caitlin Brown, Mira Furlan, Walter Koenig, Pat Tallman, Stephen Furst, Cindy Morgan, Garrett Wang, Kristin Bauer, Amanda Tapping, Jewel Staite, Sam Witwer, Michael Rooker, Gigi Edgley, David Franklin, Dean Cain, Chandler Riggs, Laurie Holden, Yuri Lowenthal, Vic Mignogna, Tara Platt, Grant Imahara, Wil Wheaton, Chris Gore, Tara Strong, among others |
| 13[14] | June 5-8, 2014 | Phoenix, AZ | $40 until January 2, $60 until April 30, $70 until June 4 $85 weekend; $10 Thu; $20 Fri; $30 Sat; $20 Sun | TBA | Bruce Campbell, Don Rosa, Mark Bagley, Patrick Rothfuss |
The early years
2002
The first Phoenix Comicon was held in June 2002. It was a one day only convention for six hours held at a best western in Ahwatukee, Arizona. Admission was $3 per person and there were 432 attendees, along with a few local creators and exhibitors.
2003-2005
For our next three years the convention was held at the Glendale Civic Center. The size of the convention and the attendance were doubled from the previous year. The Sunday morning six hour length of the convention was maintained. The convention began to bring out some guests from out of state including Spider-Man artist Todd Nauck and comic legend Marv Wolfman. The Programming was increased to include Q&A's with our guests, How To workshops, and film trailer presentations.
Recent years
2006
September 2006 was the first time the convention was held at the Mesa Convention Center in Mesa, Arizona. It also became a 2 day convention, with Friday preview night, and had guests such as voice actors Johnny Young Bosche and Greg Ayres. The exhibitor room was dramatically expanded, as was the amount of programming offered. This was the first convention to expand beyond comic books into the greater pop culture community, including Anime, Manga, Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Cosplay. Attendance was over 2,600 people for the weekend.
2007-2009
The convention was held in January from 2007 to 2009, at the Mesa Convention Center. Attendance jumped past 3,200 and we further fulfilled the promise of being the signature pop culture event in the southwest. 2007 was also considered the conventions first foray into media guests, with Feedback, the winner of "Stan Lee's Who Wants to be a Superhero" attending. In 2009 the event was expanded to 3 days, with a Thursday preview night. It was also announced at the 2009 convention that due to an overwhelming attendance of around 7,000 people for that year, the convention in 2010 will be moving to the Phoenix Convention Center the next year, along with the dates changing to the end of May.
2010-2013
Beginning in 2010 the convention was held on Memorial Day weekend, at the Phoenix Convention Center and Hyatt hotel in Phoenix, Az. This change was due to the large increase in attendance, and the availability of funds to hold the convention in a larger venue. Bigger names, such as Leonard Nimoy, George Takei, and Stan Lee also began to attend the convention as special guests. Highlights of the 2013 event include the showing of the fan-based production, "Pilgrim of Eternity", a full length sequel to "Who Mourns for Adonais?".
2014-present
The convention's schedule was moved to the first week of June as opposed to Memorial Day weekend, due to the fact that a conflicting event had been booked years in advance at the Phoenix Convention Center.