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43-636: The Mid-Ohio Con was founded in 1980. In 2010, the convention was acquired by Wizard Entertainment . The Mid-Ohio Con was founded in 1980 by voice actor and announcer Roger A. Price. Over the years, Price used the show to raise money for various charities (frequently the March of Dimes ), raising a total of over $ 1,000,000. (Price himself was a polio survivor.) Initially, the convention was held in various venues throughout central Ohio before settling in Columbus, where it has been located since 1993. The 1985 show, held at

86-529: A Tony Isabella roast . The 1998 show was promoted in the panels of Tom Batiuk 's syndicated newspaper strip, Funky Winkerbean , in which one of the characters journeyed to the show to search for a long-lost Hopalong Cassidy comic book. In 2000, the show expanded and moved to the Hilton Columbus Hotel at Easton Town Center . The 2002 and 2003 conventions featured special karaoke parties hosted by actor Andy Hallett . Both parties raised money for

129-508: A "Wizard World New York Experience" focused on "celebrities, creators, sports stars, music, exhibitors, parties and other attractions" — very little comics content. The rest of Wizard's 2013 convention schedule included Portland, St. Louis, Philadelphia, Wizard World Chicago , Ohio Comic Con , Nashville, Austin, and New Orleans. In September 2013, Wizard World announced seven new stops for the 2014 tour: Sacramento, Louisville, Minneapolis, Atlanta, San Antonio, Richmond, and Tulsa. Wizard gave up

172-518: A "major offensive against Reed Exhibitions ' New York Comic Con ," Wizard scheduled "three East Coast shows in a row — the New England Comic-Con in Boston on October 1-3, Big Apple the same weekend, and the new New Jersey Comic-Con the weekend after, on October 15-17." The 2010 Big Apple Comic Con was scheduled for October 7–10, the same dates as the previously scheduled New York Comic Con. After

215-540: A competitive advantage over these comic cons because they do not have our economies of scale and operating efficiencies.... Further, the size of our Comic Cons and the volume at which we produce them give us the leverage to negotiate discounts on such things as hotels and other travel expenses.... We also believe that the size and volume of our Comic Con tours create a barrier to entry of new industry participants because, due to their size, such new industry participants would find it difficult to enter into certain markets, such as

258-430: A complete set of the available variations. Collector editions are another way of supporting collectables. They typically are produced in limited amount and contain additional content that can be valuable for a collector. This practice is mostly popular in video games . Early versions of a product, manufactured in smaller quantities before its popularity as a collectable developed, sometimes command exorbitant premiums on

301-431: A costume contest. Traditional events include hours of programming on all aspects of comic books and pop culture. For many years, comics writer/editor Tony Isabella was the show's panel programming director. A popular event for a number of years (c. 1995–2001) was the panel game show Comic Book Squares, based on Hollywood Squares . In Comic Book Squares, hosted by Joe Edkins, a group of comics industry "celebrities" sat in

344-430: A possible increase in value. In a financial sense, collectables can be viewed as a hedge against inflation. Over time, their value can also increase as they become rarer due to loss, damage or destruction. One drawback to investing in collectables is the potential lack of liquidity, particularly for very obscure items. There is also a risk for fraud. Digital collecting takes place in the blockchain , and it got popular at

387-713: A price guide to comics and action figures in the back of the magazine.) With its high-end production values and embodiment of the comic speculator boom, Wizard was an instant hit, with a monthly circulation of more than 100,000 copies (although by early 2006, circulation was down to around 50,000). The magazine also spawned several ongoing magazines dedicated to similar interests, such as InQuest Gamer (launched 1995), for collectible game cards; ToyFare: The Toy Magazine , for toys and action figures (launched 1997); Anime Insider (launched 2001) for anime and manga; and Toy Wishes (launched 2001) for mainstream toy enthusiasts. On January 24, 2011, after 20 years of publication,

430-567: A public outcry, Wizard ended up moving the dates of its 2010 New York convention to October 1–3. (Additionally, the planned Wizard 2010 New Jersey convention was canceled.) Despite Wizard World's setbacks in Atlanta/Charlotte and New York City, by late 2010, it was apparent that the company's strategy was to blanket the U.S. with Wizard conventions, including buying previously existing small-scale shows in various locations. Wizard went public in 2011; its financial statements proved that it

473-505: A secondary market and sometimes became the subject of "collectable crazes". Eventually many collectable items came to be sold separately, instead of being used as marketing tools to increase the appeal of other products. To encourage collecting, manufacturers often create an entire series of a given collectable, with each item differentiated in some fashion. Examples include sports cards depicting individual players, or different designs of Beanie Babies . Enthusiasts will often try to assemble

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516-554: A squarish setting, answering comic book and guest-related trivia questions while contestants (selected members of the audience) won prizes. Like most comic book conventions, the Ohio Comic Con features a large floorspace for exhibitors, including comic book dealers and collectibles merchants. The Ohio Comic Con includes an autograph area, as well as an Artists' Alley where comics artists (as well as writers, models, and celebrities) sign autographs and/or sell or do free sketches. With

559-462: A week after the announcement of the losses, Macaluso resigned as CEO and was replaced by John D. Maatta. In 2018, Wizard World was renamed Wizard Entertainment, Inc. In 2021, after selling its last few conventions to FanExpo, Wizard Entertainment essentially ceased to exist. Wizard started as a price guide to comics but evolved into focusing squarely on pop culture, specifically targeting young adult males. (The magazine ultimately featured

602-732: A weekend attendance of over 58,000 people. In May 2002, Wizard branched out from Chicago and produced Wizard World East at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. And in 2003 the company produced Wizard World Texas, adding Wizard World Los Angeles in 2004 and Wizard World Boston in 2005. In 2007–2008, Wizard held conventions in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago , and Texas. In 2008 , Wizard began adding an academic forum called "Wizard World University," integrating scholarly panels into its conventions, beginning with

645-639: Is a collectable that is old. A curio is something deemed unique, uncommon, or weird, such as a decorative item. A manufactured collectable is an item made specifically for people to collect. A manufactured collectable (often referred to as a contemporary collectable) is an item made specifically for people to collect. Examples of items commonly sold as collectables include plates , figurines , bells , graphics , steins , dolls , and art . Some companies that produce manufactured collectables are members of The Gift and Collectibles Guild. Special editions , limited editions and variants on these terms fall under

688-431: Is also big business is memorabilia , which includes collectables related to a person, organization, event or media, including T-shirts, posters, and numerous other collectables marketed to fans; but also includes ephemera from historical, media, or entertainment events, items that were meant to be thrown away but were saved by fans and accumulated by collectors. Collectibles have become a huge market globally coupled with

731-439: Is in the form of prizes (items of nominal value packaged with or included in the price of a retail product at no additional cost) and premiums (items that can be "purchased" by redeeming coupons, boxtops , or proofs of purchase from the product along with a small fee to cover shipping and handling). Also, collectables have played an important role in tourism, in the form of souvenirs. Another important field of collecting that

774-643: The American Diabetes Association . The 2005 edition of the show, held at the Hilton Columbus Hotel at Easton Town Center, later became known for being the site of a sexual assault by Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF) director Charles Brownstein . The incident was reported to the police at the time, and 15 years later led to Brownstein's resignation from the CBLDF. In 2006, the Mid-Ohio Con increased in size again and moved to Battelle Hall , part of

817-555: The Greater Columbus Convention Center . In January 2008, founder Price announced he was retiring, and his company R.A.P. Promotions would entertain offers for the convention. In May 2008, the show was acquired by James and Bill Henry of GCX Holdings and merged with Jamie and Teresa Colegrove's Ohio Comic Con. By then, the show had been struggling a bit, and GCX invigorated new life into it, as well as working closely with Columbus-area comics creators. In November 2010

860-682: The March of Dimes " (a reference to the Mid-Ohio Con's ongoing support for the March of Dimes). The Price character dies in The Star Brand #14 but is later reborn as a temporary holder of the Star Brand. Altogether, the character appears in six issues of The Star Brand . Wizard Entertainment 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 ,

903-641: The Rare Pepe or the CryptoPunks are amongst the first cases of digital collectibles. Digital collecting also applies to digital artworks . The urge to collect unusual and fascinating objects is primeval and not limited to humans ( bowerbird , pack rat ). The Renaissance Cabinet of Curiosities was an antecedent both of modern museums and modern collecting. The earliest manufactured collectables were included as incentives with other products, such as cigarette cards in packs of cigarettes . Popular items developed

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946-468: The holding company GoEnergy, it became a publicly traded company known as Wizard World . At the same time, it abruptly canceled Wizard magazine and its other remaining publication, ToyFare , to focus on its convention business. Shamus was pushed out as company CEO in late 2011; his position was taken in March 2012 by John Macaluso. In 2015, the company lost $ 4.25 million in revenue and cut back from 25 to 19 convention events in 2016. Less than

989-513: The 2014 show. Mid-Ohio Con founder Roger A. Price has appeared as a comic book character in Marvel Comics . In The Star Brand #12, written and penciled by frequent Mid-Ohio Con guest John Byrne , Price is introduced as a Red Cross worker (using a cane, married to Jane Price, and living in Mansfield, Ohio , as in real life) who also claims to be "director of the north central Ohio division of

1032-581: The Mid-Ohio Con for the next twenty years, ultimately publishing the work of over 100 creators ranging in age from ten to sixty. By 1993, the show had moved to the Hyatt Regency and Greater Columbus Convention Center. The 1994 show featured an auction and a costume contest/dance party, both benefiting the Columbus Ronald McDonald House . The 1996 show featured a "Small Press Expo." The 1997 show moved to Columbus' Adam's Mark Hotel and featured

1075-784: The Mid-Ohio Con was acquired by Wizard Entertainment for $ 77,500. In 2012 it was renamed the Wizard World Ohio Comic Con . For 2015, as Wizard was expanding further into Ohio with the new Wizard World Cleveland Comic Con , the Columbus show was renamed the Wizard World Columbus Comic Con . The last scheduled Wizard World Ohio Comic Con was held in October 2019; no new dates have been scheduled. Along with panels, seminars, and workshops with comic book professionals, there are portfolio review sessions with top comic book and video game companies, and such evening events as

1118-1046: The New York market after 2013 due to the dominance of the New York Comic Con; in 2014 the Big Apple con was reacquired by its founder, Michael Carbonaro. The explosion in Wizard-produced conventions brought accusations that the entertainment behemoth was deliberately trying to push its competitors out of business. On the other hand, many praised Wizard's professional and standardized approach to producing conventions. In 2015, Wizard produced 25 conventions but lost $ 4.25 million in revenue. The 2016 schedule, cut back to 19 events, included Wizard cons in Portland, Cleveland, Las Vegas, St. Louis, Madison, Minneapolis, Des Moines, Philadelphia, Sacramento, Albuquerque, Columbus , Orlando, Chicago , Richmond, Austin, Tulsa, and Pittsburgh. By 2018,

1161-642: The November convention in Arlington, Texas. Beginning in 2005 , Wizard CEO Gareb Shamus made a concerted push to dominate the North American convention circuit. First, Wizard announced that it would be holding a comic book convention in Atlanta from June 30–July 2, 2006, the same dates on which the long-running Charlotte, North Carolina -based Heroes Convention was scheduled to take place. This caused an outcry amongst

1204-544: The Richland County Fairgrounds in Mansfield, Ohio , featured the announcement of John Byrne 's relaunch of the Superman books. (Byrne made regular appearances at the convention from 1981–2004.) In 1988 small press publisher Bob Corby premiered the first issue of Oh, Comics! , a 40-page minicomic featuring the work of twelve Ohio small press artists. Corby produced new issues of Oh, Comics! in conjunction with

1247-429: The category of manufactured collectables and are used as a marketing incentive for various types of products. They were originally applied to products related to the arts—such as books, prints or recorded music and films—but are now used for cars, fine wine and many other collectables. A special edition typically includes extra material of some kind. A limited edition is restricted in the number of copies produced, although

1290-403: The comic book community, as Atlanta is only a four-hour drive from Charlotte, and several comic book creators voiced concerns about an attempt by a large, corporate event to force out an independent comic book convention. As a result of the outcry, many prominent creators signed up to appear at HeroesCon 2006 rather than the competing Wizard con. Wizard ultimately announced that it would postpone

1333-584: The company announced that Wizard would cease print publication and become an all-digital magazine called Wizard World , launching in February 2011. At that point Wizard Entertainment also ceased publication of its sister magazine, ToyFare . In 2000 , Wizard founder Shamus forayed into the world of actual comic book publishing, creating the imprint Black Bull Entertainment , featuring several well-known creators, including Mark Waid , Chris Eliopoulos , Nelson DeCastro , and Garth Ennis . The first Black Bull title

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1376-406: The company was producing thirteen annual conventions around the U.S. The COVID-19 pandemic hit Wizard Entertainment hard — as it did the convention business worldwide. Most 2020 conventions scheduled for after mid-March of that year were canceled, and many moved online in 2021. Wizard World held only six in-person conventions in 2021, and that August the company announced it would be selling

1419-422: The convention events business to FanExpo , with the final Wizard World Chicago show occurring in October. Collectibles A collectable ( collectible or collector's item ) is any object regarded as being of value or interest to a collector . Collectable items are not necessarily monetarily valuable or uncommon. There are numerous types of collectables and terms to denote those types. An antique

1462-549: The end of 2020 with the NFT craze of 2020-2021 . Collectors can buy, trade and exchange digital items (NFTs) usually associated with images or artworks. These items are usually bought using cryptocurrency , although many marketplaces have made it possible to purchase NFTs using standard credit cards as well. Just like in physical collecting, items can hold value due to different reasons, but they are not necessarily monetarily valuable, rare, uncommon or aesthetically pleasing. The Curio Cards ,

1505-738: The larger metropolitan cities. Wizard's 2011 convention calendar included "a show-a-month schedule" and guest-lists of "nerd-lebrities of various levels of fame,... turning their shows into autograph-focused events." Ultimately, however, Wizard scaled back its 2011 operations to seven shows — New Orleans, Toronto , Big Apple (New York), Philadelphia, Mid-Ohio , and Austin — ultimately canceling scheduled conventions in Los Angeles, Miami, Atlanta, and Central Canada . In addition, previously announced new Wizard conventions in New Jersey, Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Nashville never materialized. Wizard skipped New York altogether in 2012 , returning in 2013 with

1548-450: The number may be arbitrarily high. Manufacturers and retailers have used collectables in a number of ways to increase sales. One use is in the form of licensed collectables based on intellectual properties , such as images, characters and logos from literature, music, movies, radio, television, and video games. A large subsection of licensing includes advertising, brand name, and character collectibles. Another use of collectables in retail

1591-750: The planned Atlanta convention until 2007. In 2009 , Wizard canceled its Texas event and postponed the Los Angeles convention. That spring and summer, however, Shamus/Wizard acquired the Paradise Comics Toronto Comicon and the Big Apple Comic Con , New York City's longest-running comic book, science fiction, fantasy, horror, and pop culture convention. Wizard Entertainment's 2010 planned North American Comic Con tour included city stops in Toronto , Anaheim, Philadelphia, Chicago , New York City , Boston, New Jersey, and Austin. As part of

1634-614: The publisher of the monthly magazine Wizard . That company evolved into a multi-title publishing company with diversified interests in branded products and related convention operations. By 2011, the company had discontinued its print division to focus exclusively on its convention business. By 2015, the company had expanded to producing 25 annual conventions around the U.S. In 2021, Wizard sold its convention events business to FanExpo . Gareb Shamus founded Wizard magazine in January 1991 shortly after he graduated from college. The company

1677-413: The rise in application of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT) which are now used as a medium for digital collectibles sales. The collectables market size in 2020 was $ 360 billion with an estimated increase of 4% by 2028. Digital collectibles may become a reliable revenue stream for creators as NFTs evolve and spread. Collectables can be items of limited supply that are sought for a variety of reasons, including

1720-554: The show's 2010 acquisition by Wizard Entertainment, according to comics writer Dara Naraghi, complaints arose almost immediately about the change in atmosphere. Whereas once the show was known as relaxed and congenial, and guests were easily accessible to fans, the Wizard-run show forged an aesthetic that Naraghi found to be louder, brasher, and more expensive. Writer J. J. Ulm of the Columbus Free Press had similar complaints about

1763-456: Was doubling down on dominating the North American convention market: The majority of our target audience is male-oriented and are major buyers of many types of entertainment and media.... We believe that this male demographic consists of tens of millions consumers in the United States and has hundreds of billions in spending power.... Our competitors are local one-time event comic cons. We have

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1806-558: Was originally based in Congers, New York . Wizard magazine was successful, and the company expanded its publishing operations with more magazines devoted to other elements of the collectible industry. Wizard purchased the Chicago Comicon in 1997 to expand from its core publishing business into trade/consumer conventions. In early 2011, the company made some major corporate transitions. First, through an arrangement with Strato Malamas of

1849-554: Was the limited series Gatecrasher: Ring of Fire . Black Bull's titles included: Black Bull published comics through 2005. Wizard purchased the Chicago Comicon in 1996 ; the renamed " Wizard World Chicago " was the template for a new kind of convention that shifted its focus from actual comic books to ancillary elements of pop culture fandom: celebrity performers, films, television, video games, and toys – "comic conventions" almost in name only. By 2006, Wizard World Chicago boasted

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