Rhode Island Comic Con

Rhode Island Comic Con
Status Active
Genre Comics
Venue Rhode Island Convention Center[1]
Dunkin' Donuts Center[2]
Location(s) Providence, Rhode Island
Country United States
Inaugurated 2012[3]
Attendance 81,000 in 2016[4]
Organized by Altered Reality Entertainment LLC.[1]
Website
www.ricomiccon.com

Rhode Island Comic Con (RICC) is a three-day comic convention held during November at the Rhode Island Convention Center and Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island.[1][2] The convention was Rhode Island's first Comic Con.[3] Organizers also run Terror Con, a horror convention at the same location.[4]

Programming

The convention typically offers artists, celebrity guests, cars, comic book authors, a costume contest, gaming, kids-con, professional wrestlers, vendors, video game tournaments, and voice artists.[1][3][5][6] In 2013, the convention also hosted several wedding ceremonies.[6]

History

Rhode Island Comic Con held its first event in 2012 at the Rhode Island Convention Center and took two years to prepare.[3] David Anders, Anthony Michael Hall, Madison Lintz, Jett Lucas, Nichelle Nichols, Chanel Ryan, and Raphael Sbarge could not make it to the 2013 convention due to the 2013 Los Angeles International Airport shooting.[7][8] A Halloween party was held on Friday before the convention in 2014.[1] The fire marshal shutdown RICC temporarily on Saturday due to over capacity caused by poor attendance flow.[9][10] Rhode Island Convention Center has a maximum occupancy of 17,000 and attendance at the time of shutdown was over 20,000.[11][12] It was the first time in Rhode Island Convention Center history a shutdown due to over capacity occurred.[9][12] An estimated 1,500 or more attendees were unable to enter the convention.[9][13] Many were attendees who left the convention but could not re-enter.[11][14] The attendees in line suffered from poor weather conditions and chants for refunds began.[15][16][17] Attendees were later allowed to enter in small groups (100 people) or could exchange tickets for Sunday.[9][13] Refunds were later issued for attendees who purchased tickets but could not enter the convention.[17][18] Crowding was also caused by the convention's 50 percent growth, not using all available space, and the convention center not being prepared for attendees to stay so long.[17][18] Sunday did not experience the same levels of crowding and ticket sales were capped.[19][20]

Prior to the 2015, RICC changed its press policy due to concerns that it limited negative free speech about the event.[21] The convention made several changes to prevent overcrowding issues in 2015. The changes included expanding to the Dunkin' Donuts Center, increasing to three days, ticket scanning to accurately know attendance figures, a 17,000 ticket sales cap per day, and increased vendor food supply.[2][22] Carrie Fisher cancelled her 2015 appearance due to illness.[2][23] Jorge Elorza, the mayor of Providence, participated in the Comic Con's opening ceremony.[24] Saturday's ticket sales for Rhode Island Comic Con stopped at 10:30 a.m.[25] The convention in 2015 had over 500 volunteers.[22] Before 2016's convention, Kate Beckinsale canceled her appearance due to work commitments.[26] Friday and Saturday tickets sold out for the 2016 convention.[27] "Rhode Warrior", the conventions comic book, launched at the 2016 event.[28][29] Due to issues with photo ops after 2016, a different company is being used in 2017, and the convention is adding space in the Omni Hotel.[4][30]

Event history

Dates Location Attend. Guests
November 3–4, 2012 Rhode Island Convention Center
Providence, Rhode Island		15,000 (est)[3] or 16,000[22]Nicholas Brendon, John de Lancie, Quinton Flynn, Jason David Frank, Gil Gerard, Dan Gilvezan, Mark Goddard, Richard Hatch, Walter E. Jones, Tom Kane, Peter Mayhew, David Orange, Robert Picardo, Claudia Wells, Billy West, David Yost,[31] Jim Duggan, Lee Meriwether, Ian Robb, Jake Roberts,[3] Dirk Benedict, and Walter Simonson.[32]
November 2–3, 2013[6][33] Rhode Island Convention Center
Providence, Rhode Island		17,000[9]Robert Axelrod, Nakia Burrise, Nicki Clyne, Jason David Frank, Gil Gerard, Barbara Goodson, Yaya Han, Alan Harris, Ernie Hudson, Walter E. Jones, Larry Kenney, Riki "Riddle" LeCotey, Jason Narvy, Jessica Nigri, Ethan Phillips, Robert Picardo, Paul Schrier, Dana Snyder, Catherine Sutherland, Burt Ward, Adam West, David Yost,[34] Joe Chin, Danny Glover, Howard Finkel, Simon Fisher-Becker, Gremlina, C. Thomas Howell, Keith Johnson, Terry Kiser, Marty Kove, Andrew McCarthy, Kevin Nash, Julie Newmar, Marky Ramone, James Tolkan, Rikishi, Jonathan Silverman, Catherine Mary Stewart, Larry Storch, Claudia Wells, Billy Dee Williams, William Zabka,[7] Nicholas Brendon, Rusty Gilligan, Richard Hatch, Tawny Kitaen,[6] John Amos, Yvonne Craig, and Jimmie Walker[33]
November 1–2, 2014 Rhode Island Convention Center
Providence, Rhode Island		30,000 (est)[35] or 47,000 (est)[36]Karan Ashley, Colin Baker, Michael Biehn, Eliza Dushku, Gigi Edgley, David J. Fielding, Anthony Michael Hall, Richard Horvitz, Walter Koenig, Peter Mayhew, Eddie McClintock, Vic Mignogna, Samantha Newark, Nichelle Nichols, Ray Park, John Rhys-Davies, Saul Rubinek, William Shatner, Mark Sheppard, Orli Shoshan, Rikki Simons, Austin St. John, George Takei, Veronica Taylor,[37] John Coppinger, Seth Gilliam, Michael Kingma, Michael Rooker, Scott Wilson, Matthew Wood,[5] Neal Adams, Jim Beaver, Belle Chere, Abby Fellows, Alaina Huffman, Destiny Nickelsen, Jonny Ruckus, Jim Steranko, Steven Williams, Rick Worthy,[38] and Karen Allen.[13]
November 6–8, 2015 Rhode Island Convention Center
Dunkin' Donuts Center[2]
Providence, Rhode Island		60,000[4]Karan Ashley, Linda Ballantyne, Gregg Berger, Jon Bernthal, Jeremy Bulloch, Dean Cain, Steve Cardenas, Kevin Conroy, Peter Cullen, Jim Cummings, Debi Derryberry, Michael Dorn, Terry Farrell Jason Faunt, Lou Ferrigno, Karen Gillan, Katie Griffin, Doug Jones, Walter E. Jones, Alex Kingston, Riki "Riddle" LeCotey, Daniel Logan, Charles Martinet, Gates McFadden, Vic Mignogna, Jason Momoa, Samantha Newark, Trina Nishimura, Brian O'Halloran, Toby Proctor, David Prowse, Susan Roman, Christy Carlson Romano, Michael Rooker, Marina Sirtis, Austin St. John, Frank Welker, Scott Wilson, Henry Winkler,[39] Selma Blair, Barbara Eden, Seth Gilliam, Tom Kenny, Ron Perlman,[2] EG Daily, Will Friedle,[40] Chris Claremont, Orlando Jones,[41] Jon Bernthal, Drea DeMatteo, Bill Fagerbakke, Amy Jo Johnson, Tim Murphy, Emilio Rivera,[42] Curtis Armstrong, Garrick Hagon, Richard Harmon, Ryan Hurst, Ralph Macchio,[43] Kristy Swanson, and Larry Thomas.[22]
November 11–13, 2016 Rhode Island Convention Center
Dunkin' Donuts Center
Providence, Rhode Island		81,000[4]Neal Adams, Kristin Bauer van Straten, John Beatty, Michael Bell, Millie Bobby Brown, Brett Dalton, Arthur Darvill, Kevin Eastman, Jason Faunt, Jason David Frank, Gil Gerard, Rusty Gilligan, Summer Glau, Michael Golden, Geof Isherwood, Stan Lee, Rob Liefeld, Jason Narvy, Nolan North, James O'Barr, Paul Schrier, Brent Spiner, Mark Texeira, Doug Walker, Billy Dee Williams, Renee Witterstaetter, Billy Zabka,[44] Gal Gadot, Ric Flair,[45] Mark Boone, Alexandra Breckenridge, Bob Camp, Katie Cassidy, Kim Coates, Alice Cooper, Michael Cudlitz, Jon Heder, Michael Koske, Josh McDermitt, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Jeremy Palko, Tara Reid, Christian Serratos, and Christian Slater.[29]
November 10-12, 2017[46] Rhode Island Convention Center
Dunkin' Donuts Center
Providence, Rhode Island

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Smith, Andy (October 30, 2014). "R.I. Comic Con offers a chance to mingle with sci-fi stars". Providence Journal. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Smith, Andy (November 5, 2015). "R.I. Comic Con is back and bigger, with plan to handle crowds". Providence Journal. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Hendricks, Jordan (November 5, 2012). "First R.I. Comic Con draws celebrities, gamers". Brown Daily Herald. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Monaghan, Bryan (February 8, 2017). "Rhode Island Comic Con makes a change for 2017". NBC10. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  5. 1 2 Weisberg, Tim (October 30, 2014). "Rhode Island Comic Con: 5 things you can't miss". South Coast Today. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Pelletier, Jenna (October 31, 2013). "Fantasy becomes reality as R.I. Comic Con swoops into Providence this weekend". Providence Journal. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  7. 1 2 Weisberg, Tim (November 10, 2013). "Reflections on an epic Comic Con". South Coast Today. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
  8. ↑ Salit, Richard (November 3, 2013). "Some celebrities a no-show at RI Comic Con due to shooting at LAX". Providence Journal. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Ziner, Karen Lee (November 1, 2014). "What's the attraction? Overcrowded R.I. Comic Con runs short on space". Providence Journal. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  10. ↑ Ponte, Erica (November 2, 2014). "Comic Con officials apologize for overcrowding". WPRI. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  11. 1 2 Ziner, Karen Lee (November 1, 2014). "Crowd at RI Comic Con swells to over 20,000, fire marshal not allowing anyone in". Providence Journal. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  12. 1 2 "Rhode Island Comic Con ticket holders turned away". ABC6. November 2, 2014. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  13. 1 2 3 Semon, Craig S. (November 7, 2014). "This year's Rhode Island Comic Con had it all". News Telegram. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  14. ↑ Lavien, Samatha (November 1, 2014). "Comic Con reaches capacity". ABC6. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  15. ↑ Kolb, Jeff (November 1, 2014). "RI Comic Con turns away ticket holders after exceeding capacity". NBC10. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  16. ↑ Ponte, Erica (November 2, 2014). "RI Convention Center hits capacity during Comic Con". WPRI. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  17. 1 2 3 Naylor, Donita (November 3, 2014). "Fans locked out of R.I. Comic Con in line for ticket refunds". Providence Journal. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  18. 1 2 Putman, Cierra (November 3, 2014). "Convention center says refunds available for RI Comic Con". NBC10. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
  19. ↑ Reyes, Gabriella (November 4, 2014). "In costume, thousands trek to Rhode Island Comic Con". Brown Daily Herald. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
  20. ↑ Putman, Cierra (November 3, 2014). "Convention center says refunds available for RI Comic Con TV". NBC10. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
  21. ↑ "NEW: RI Comic Con Apologizes for Attempting to Control Press Coverage". GoLocalProv. August 13, 2015. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
  22. 1 2 3 4 M. Grosvenor, Amanda (October 26, 2015). "The Geek Shall Inherit The Earth". Providence Monthly. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  23. ↑ "NEW: Carrie Fisher Drops Out of Comic Con Due to Illness". GoLocalProv. November 6, 2015. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
  24. ↑ Gugliotta, Tony (November 6, 2015). "Rhode Island Comic Con kicks off in Providence". WJAR. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  25. ↑ White, Matthew (November 7, 2015). "Rhode Island Comic Con sees more exhibits, better organization". WJAR. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  26. ↑ "Kate Beckinsale Cancels RI Comic Con Appearance". GoLocalProv. November 5, 2016. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  27. ↑ Anderson, Patrick (November 13, 2016). "R.I. Comic Con draws the good, the bad and the ugly to Providence". Providence Journal. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  28. ↑ Smith, Andy (November 9, 2016). "R.I.-inspired ‘Rhode Warrior’ comic to debut at Comic Con". Providence Journal. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  29. 1 2 Seoane, Valley (November 8, 2016). "Geeks unite: R.I. Comic Con has something for fans of every stripe". The Valley Breeze. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  30. ↑ Monaghan, Bryan (March 1, 2017). "RICC set to expand again, snags 'Daryl Dixon'". NBC10. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  31. ↑ "Rhode Island Comic Con 2012 Information". FanCons.com. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  32. ↑ Alvarez, Victor (October 31, 2012). "Geek heaven at the Comic Con". The Phoenix. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  33. 1 2 Rosenberg, Alan (September 13, 2013). "Comic Con: Rhode Island's 2nd annual pop-culture convention is not to be missed". Providence Journal. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  34. ↑ "Rhode Island Comic Con 2013 Information". FanCons.com. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  35. ↑ Bender, John (November 6, 2015). "Thousands Expected To Descend On Providence For RI Comic Con". Rhode Island Public Radio. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  36. ↑ Grimaldi, Paul (September 7, 2015). "Popularity of R.I. Comic Con spurs expansion, ticket changes". Providence Journal. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  37. ↑ "Rhode Island Comic Con 2014 Information". FanCons.com. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  38. ↑ Melo, Courtney (November 3, 2014). "Was Comic Con Too Popular - Fire Marshall and Social Media Less Than Pleased". GoLocalProv. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  39. ↑ "Rhode Island Comic Con 2015 Information". FanCons.com. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  40. ↑ "Voices of Batman, Spongebob Coming to RI Comic Con". GoLocalProv. September 23, 2015. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
  41. ↑ Cerrone, Alana (November 11, 2015). "Rhode Island Comic Con invades Providence". ABC6. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  42. ↑ Paulin, Benjamin (November 4, 2015). "'Incredible Hulk' actor Lou Ferrigno is coming to R.I. Comic Con". The Patriot Ledger. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  43. ↑ Damish, Steve (November 13, 2015). "Hollywood stars shine at Providence Comic Con, but for a price". The Patriot Ledger. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  44. ↑ "Rhode Island Comic Con 2016 Information". FanCons.com. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  45. ↑ "PHOTOS: Rhode Island Comic Con 2016". GoLocalProv. November 13, 2016. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  46. ↑ "Rhode Island Comic Con 2017 Information". FanCons.com. Retrieved July 1, 2017.

Coordinates: 41°49′27″N 71°25′1″W / 41.82417°N 71.41694°W / 41.82417; -71.41694

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