“When I launched Long Beach Comic Con back in 2009, my hope was simply to create a meaningful and enjoyable event for fans of all ages, and give something back to the comic community that supported me for many years,” said Martha Donato, President of MAD Event Management. “To be sitting here today, planning for our 10th edition, and reflecting on all we’ve accomplished in those years, is both humbling and energizing.”
It’s been ten years since the first annual Long Beach Comic Con and this year they are celebrating with Black Panther, DC Super Hero Girls, Deadpool, Guardians of the Galaxy, Static Shock, X-Men, Battlestar Galactica, Power Rangers and the Emmy-nominated Twin Peaks for fans of TV, Movies, Comic Books, Wrestling and Cosplay. LBCC diverse selection that welcomes people from all walks of fandom also want to show love with the STEM educational Space Expo and the GeekFest Film Festival! AND they want to nurture C in Long Beach Comic Con with a comic book industry-only companion event before LBCC for industry vets and newcomers to connect. This year the Long Beach Comic Con at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, California is September 8-9, 2018!
I’m excited to attend LBCC and enjoy my first love of comic books/graphic novels. I’m hoping to buy a few that I grew up loving (PowerPac, Amethyst) as well as getting to know new books from independent artists that I haven’t seen. This year’s Guest of Honor, Eisner Award-nominated comic book writer and novelist Christopher Priest (Black Panther, Static Shock) is making his Long Beach Comic Con debut this year and I’m SHOOK! I LOVE LOVE LOVE Static Shock and Black Panther (Wakanda FOREVER) so can’t wait to hear him talk about his career and (fingers crossed) a live action Static Shock after the success of Black Panther. LBCC is giving attendees the opportunity to see new characters from Aspen Comics, Prism Comics, Top Cow and AfterShock that has an exclusive LBCC #1 edition cover a cover by interior artist Wesley St. Claire (who will be attending the show as a special guest) of their new series BEYONDERS with Charon Comics, Los Comex and Valiant Comics (in partnership with Los Angeles-area retailer The Comic Bug). They have a great list of guests that fans will be excited to see and hear on panels! they include acclaimed cartoonist Jaime Hernandez, legendary writer Marv Wolfman, Dean Haspiel and Jonathan Ames (co-creators of the landmark graphic novel The Alcoholic), DC Super Hero Girls artist Yancey Labat, Border Town co-creator Eric M. Esquivel, Deadpool artist Scott Koblish, The Magic Glasses co-creator Melina Chavarria, My Little Pony artist Tony Fleecs, comics/animation writer Mairghread Scott (Guardians of the Galaxy) and many others. Long Beach Comic Con will additionally host over 250 vendors, celebrity guests and several renowned cosplayers. The full list of confirmed special guests is available here: http://longbeachcomiccon.com/
In addition to the comic programming, this year’s festivities will include:
- LBCC’s Cosplay Contest: The West Coast’s most inventive and artistic costuming wizards show off their fantastic talents and compete in a variety of fun categories for a grand prize.
- KnokX PRO Wrestling Ring: Where comics and pro wrestling collide — featuring pro-wrestler RIKISHI!
- GeekFest Film Festival: Two solid days of indie movie bliss, often with the filmmakers themselves on hand.
- Comic Creator Conference: A September 7th event designed to connect professional comic creatives with other high-level industry professionals to empower them with exclusive and personal insight, as well as provide access to decision makers, peers, publishers, and other leaders within the industry. Note that this event has a separate fee for entry and is open to industry professionals ONLY.
- Space Expo: A con-within-a-con experience that’s all about space exploration! Featuring experts in their respective scientific fields, kids (or big kid adults) can have fun with science-based interactive experiments! Space Expo’s Guest of Honor is Herbert Jefferson Jr, who portrayed Lt. Boomer on the classic series Battlestar Galactica.
Long Beach Comic Con tickets are on sale NOW. Follow on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for more details on upcoming limited VIP packages, photo ops and more announcements about new guests and programming. Kids 10 and under get in FREE! For additional information go to LongBeachComicCon.com and for tickets go to lbcc2018.eventbrite.com.
About MAD Event Management LLC
MAD Event Management functions as an owner/operator of several events of many sizes and provides expert consultant services to companies seeking to establish, grow or improve their event business. We have years of experience managing all aspects of live events, including large scale consumer and trade shows, meetings, conferences and exhibitor execution. MAD owns and operates several pop culture conventions: Long Beach Comic Expo and Long Beach Comic Con, Long Beach, CA; New Jersey Comic Expo, Edison, NJ; C3: Comic Creator Conference; and C3: Havana, Cuba Edition. For more information, visit www.madeventmanagement.
About Author
