Comicons, or conventions of comic fans, are best known for throngs of costume-clad attendees and access to the industry’s best comics creators.
But renowned illustrator and North Carolina Comicon co-owner Tommy Lee Edwards is trying to expand the convention to mirror the kind of event that he dreamed about attending when he was a novice artist. New elements in this year’s convention feature panels geared toward education and professional development and encourage conversations about the growing diversity in the comics and animation world.
Special features this year include panels and workshops with John Barrowman of Doctor Who and Arrow and a film fest with exclusive premieres of a new Kung Fu Panda short film and a new animated action-comedy called The Vindicator.
Host Frank Stasio talks to creators Tommy Lee Edwards, Fiona Staples and Brockton McKinney about their work and the growing genre of cross-platform storytelling.
