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After a few false starts, Gareb Shamus/Wizard World’s slate of media conventions has announced an expansion to Atlanta, date and venue TBA. The new Atlanta Comic Con Wizard World Convention takes over the Atlanta Comics Convention, which is run by retailer Wes Tillander. The show will expand from its present one-day status to a full-blown three-day affair.

For those of you keeping score, the Wizard World lineup as it now stands:

Wizard World Comic Con Tour:
March 26-28, 2010,Toronto Comic Con, Direct Energy Centre
April 16-18, 2010, Anaheim Comic Con, Anaheim Convention Center
June 11-13, 2010, Philadelphia Comic Con, Philadelphia Convention Center
August 19-22, 2010, Chicago Comic Con, Donald E. Stephens (Rosemont) Convention Center
October 7-10, 2010, Big Apple Comic Con, Pier 94
November 12-14, 2010, Austin Comic Con, Austin Convention Center
Atlanta Comic Con, TBD
New England Comic Con, TBD

As you can see, the roster is getting busy, and more venues are under consideration.

Also, Dork Shelf has a podcast interview with Gareb Shamus on the Toronto con.

Gareb Shamus announced today that he acquired and will produce the Atlanta Comic Convention, now renamed Atlanta Comic Con Wizard World Convention.

“The spirit of the Atlanta convention was very much in line with our own shows. The fans in Georgia appreciate the festival feel of this show,” Shamus, CEO of New York-based Wizard Entertainment said. “The fans here are savvy, and they are ready for the evolution of their con.”

Founded in 1994 by 20-year comic veteran Wes Tillander, the Atlanta Comic Convention showcases comics, cards, prints, gaming artwork, videos, toys, manga, anime, statues, new artists, book signings and much more.


“Giving fans a little of everything is something I’ve been doing for years,” said former owner Tillander. “There are so many facets of this industry that comics fans appreciate and expect to see as part of a show. With Wizard producing the show, I know that mixed presentation idea will really thrive.”

Tillander will consult on Atlanta Comic Con to maintain the local traditions of the event. Wizard will expand the show from a one-day format to a three-day weekend format, while many aspects of pop culture will continue to be represented. Atlanta Comic Con fans can expect a high-energy show with a festival atmosphere recognized and enjoyed by fans everywhere.

Dates and venue will be announced shortly.

1 COMMENT

  1. I like the whole “Department of Redundancy Dept.” vibe of calling it “Atlanta Comic Con Wizard World Convention.” Also, here’s hoping Shamus isn’t stupid enough to try to kill Heroes Con again.

  2. For those making book:
    MegaCon is held in March (March 12th-14th, 2010) (WW-Toronto two weeks after)
    Heroes Con is held in June (June 4-6, 2010) (WW-Philly is the week after)
    Dragon*Con is held during Labor Day (September 3 – 6, 2010)

    If the WWC staff is smart, they will schedule the show in a month without another WWC show. That means January, February, May, July (CCI:SD), September (Dragon*Con), December. December is the holiday season and unlikely. I would suggest February or May. February places it five months after Dragon*Con, the optimal date for scheduling guests.

  3. I enjoy the ACC since it is only one day and you can get in for a few buck to pick up some back issues. Will it now cost $25+ to get in?

  4. The ACC is a one-day dealer-room show, but they do it at least a couple times each year. I’ve gone regularly the past two or three years. It’s held in one modestly-sized room at the Marriott, so it’s hardly in the same category as the big shows mentioned here. This is like turning a corner drug store into a Wal-Mart. The more proper contemporary comparison would be the defunct Atlanta Comics Expo, which actually had known writers and artists in the house as well as booths for publishers (e.g., the local guys from Top Shelf). I fail to see how the ACC and this new thing would be related at all, really, other than there no longer being an occasional small show for people to hit for back issues and bargain collections.

    Admission is $5 at the ACC, by the way, and they always have a $2-$3 coupon on their website. Sadly, I’m guessing those days will be gone soon.

  5. “The spirit of the Atlanta convention was very much in line with our own shows. The fans in Georgia appreciate the festival feel of this show,” Shamus

    What? While I enjoy Wes’ con, it is hardly a festival. I still think this is Shamus just eliminating the competition (small though it may be). I hadn’t even thought about admission prices. The more I think about this, the sadder I become.

  6. Yeah, that the last three folks said.

    This show is a great inexpensive ($4 with the online coupon!) one day show good for wandering around a conference room to pick up some cheap old back issues and maybe run into Bob Burden. What exactly does Shamus want to do with this show? It is what it is and if he makes it any bigger and screw with its format, it will be Dragon Con II, and who the hell wants that?

    Rich Says:
    01/19/10 at 1:14 pm
    This is like turning a corner drug store into a Wal-Mart.

    Rich nailed it.

  7. I’m excited for a larger convention in the Atlatna area. I’ve never been to a Wizard show and am anxious to see what they do for Atlanta. I think the problem that Atlanta Comics Expo and Atlanta Supercon ran into was that it takes a long time for a show to catch on here for whatever reason. So this gives the WIZARD show the benifit of tapping into an existing database of dealers & comic fans who already attend the Atlanta Comic Convention. They won’t have to start from skratch on getting the word out. I recently got an email from Mr. Tillander of the Atlanta Comic Convention. He wanted the word about this deal clarified. WIZARD only bought one of his four shows, so he can still put on 3 one day shows a year on his own as they always have been. He says that he is conviced of WIZARD’s desire to put on a really good show here and not step on the toes of established cons. The dates they are looking at are either in July or December. This means the usual Super Bowl show is still scheduled next month as well as 2 others during the year. I was intrigued about the reaction from HeroesCon and got a twitter response from them. The people of Heroes Arn’t Hard To Find have set up a few tables at the Atlanta Comic Convention for many years. I wondered how this might change. They say they are for whatever is best for Atlanta, but remain skeptical of WIZARD. I beleive there is plenty of room here for DragonCon, 3 of the one day Atlanta Comic Conventions, HeroesCon a short drive away, and the new Atlanta Comic Convention Wizard World. This is great news to me.

  8. Gareb Shamus is insane. He keeps putting shows in areas that already have established and successful events, and all of this comes after many of the shows he already had failed. Wizard World Texas failed, Wizard World L.A. failed, and Wizard World Boston failed. So what does he do? He buys Big Apple Con (a con which was ENDING by the way) even though New York Comic-Con was already rockin’ and rollin’, he starts Anaheim Comic Con because Long Beach Comic-Con was a successful event last year, and he announces Austin Comic Con despite the Dallas Comic Con being a long-running successful show in Texas. Now he’s going to do a show in Atlanta, despite DragonCon owning the city already??? What is trying to do? Does Wizard think we forgot that their Texas and L.A. shows failed miserably? All he is succeeding at is diluting the convention fan’s funds, and forcing them to choose. This is just BAD business. I sincerely HOPE he fails and goes away forever. The magazine is a joke now anyway. I go to a lot of shows during the year, including San Diego, DragonCon, Dallas Comic Con, Emerald City Comicon, and I’ll most likely be a regular at Long Beach Comic-Con after the great time I had at last year’s show. I don’t need more shows to choose from, and I already dislike the Wizard con practices. Gareb, do us all a favor, and just GO AWAY.

  9. Got this email from Tillander via his convention mailing list this morning that clarifies some of this:

    HELLO EVERYONE,
    IF YOU HAVENT HEARD WIZARD HAS BOUGHT ONE…..ONE ….OF THE ATLANTA COMIC CONVENTIONS 4 SHOWS A YEAR….THEY ARE GOING TO PUT A SHOW EITHER IN JULY OR DEC…THEY ARE LOOKING NOW FOR A DATE… THE WIZARD SHOW WILL BE CALLED THE “ATLANTA COMIC CON..WIZARD WORLD” AND WILL BE A 3 DAY SHOW.

    .MEANWHILE ,
    WE ARE STILL GOING TO HAVE OUR OTHER REGULAR 3 SHOWS PER YEAR…..THE FEB 7TH 2010 SUPERBOWL SUNDAY SHOW IS STILL ON….DEPENDING ON WHEN WIZARD SECURES THEIR DATE OUR OTHER SHOWS WILL BE AROUND APRIL/MAY, JULY, AND NOV/DEC….IF WIZARD CHOOSES TO DO A JULY SHOW…OUR SHOWS WILL BE FEB 7TH, 2010…APRIL/MAY AND NOV/DEC…..THEY ONLY BOUGHT ONE SPACE IN OUR SEASON.
    AT THE END OF THIS EMAIL , IM GOING TO INCLUDE THE SECTION OF THE CONTRACT I SIGNED /WITH SHAMUS DETAILING THE SITUATION AND MY INVOLVEMENT WITH THE WIZARD SHOW.
    WIZARDS /SHAMUS’S NEWS RELEASE WAS THE WORST WORDED / CONFUSING STATEMENT ANYONE COULD MAKE…
    WIZARD DID NOT BUY THE ATLANTA COMIC CONVENTION…THEY BOUGHT INTO JUST ONE SHOW PER YEAR…AND I AGREE THE HELP THEM WITH THEIR 3 DAY SHOW…..
    WIZARD SOUNDED SINCERE ABOUT TRYING TO DO A GOOD SHOW IN ATLANTA AND NOT STEPPING ON TOES LIKE THE PAST WIZARD CREW (I.E. HEROES CONVENTION) …I PLAN TO DO WHAT I CAN TO KEEP THEM TO THEIR WORD…BUT I HAVE A GOOD FEELING ABOUT THE WIZARD AGREEMENT AND THEIR PLANS FOR THE ATLANTA SHOW , OR I WOULDNT HAVE MADE THE AGREEMENT IN THE FIRST PLACE…

    SORRY FOR ALL THE CONFUSION

    AGAIN THE SUPERBOWL SUNDAY FEB 7TH , 2010 SHOW THE JOSEPH MICHAEL LINSNER AS THE GUEST IS STILL ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    BELOW IS THE ACTUAL SECTION OF THE CONTRACT EXPLAINING THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF THE AGREEMENT …I WANT ALL RUMORS SQUASHED AND ALL FIRES PUT OUT!! SO READ THE AGREEMENT BELOW…AND I WILL SEE YOU ALL FEB 7TH, 2010…WE WILL PUT SOMETHING ON THE WEBSITE MAKING SURE EVERYONE , NOT ON THE EMAIL LIST ALSO GETS THE WORD…BUT IF YOU COULD, PLEASE TELL EVERYONE WHO ASKS …WE ARE STILL HERE AS LONG AS YOU GUYS AND GALS WANT US!! THANKS FOR 16 GREAT YEARS !!

    WES TILLANDER
    http://www.ATLANTACOMICCONVENTION.COM

    HERE IS THE ACTUAL WIZARD CONTRACT SECTION

    ….It is understood and agreed that Tillander shall be permitted to continue to promote , host, or otherwise run his current comic convention show in its present form. More specifically, it is understood that Tillander shall be permitted to continue to run his current comic convention show, known as Atlanta Comic Convention, and that Tillander shall be entitled to continue to promote said show no less than four occasions in a calendar year and Tillander shall be permitted to continue the name “Atlanta Comic Convention” along with the symbols and marks of the ACC…