Considerable rumblings began surfacing on the internets last weekend during Mid-Ohio-Con 2010 but it's now official -- Wizard World has assimilated Mid-Ohio-Con into the Wizard Collective, making them the new showrunners for 2011. Some dreaded the news, others saw potential for growth, but one thing is certain...There is no stopping them; Wizard World will soon be here. And I, for one, welcome our new insect overlords and their delightful press release:
Wizard World Acquires Mid-Ohio-Con
Wizard World Mid-Ohio Comic Con Set for October 22-23, 2011
Headline Guests Adam West, Burt Ward, Rob Liefeld Announced for 2011
NEW YORK and COLUMBUS, Ohio, November 13, 2010 – Gareb Shamus, CEO of Wizard Entertainment, today announced the acquisition of Mid-Ohio-Con. The show will make its inaugural appearance on the Wizard World Tour circuit on the weekend of October 22-23, 2011 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, OH.
“The acquisition of Mid-Ohio-Con gives us an even stronger presence in the key Midwest market,” said Shamus. “We are excited to have the opportunity to build from the great foundation of Mid-Ohio-Con, which has consistently delivered the best in comics, celebrity and pop culture entertainment for 30 years running.”
“We are thrilled to join the Wizard World Tour,” said James Henry, Managing Director of Mid-Ohio-Con. “We are excited to work with Gareb and the Wizard World team to produce Mid-Ohio Comic Con and we are confident that this partnership will result in a show that will delight fans, creators and exhibitors alike in 2011 and beyond.”
Wizard World Mid-Ohio Comic Con announced its first slate of guests for 2011, which includes Batman stars Adam West and Burt Ward as well as fan-favorite Image Comics creator Rob Liefeld. “I'm in,” said Liefeld. “I've never been to Mid-Ohio before....make it a big deal!” Stay tuned for additional headline guest announcements in the coming months.
Mid-Ohio-Con is one of America’s longest-running and most successful comic book and pop-culture conventions, carrying on a fun and family-oriented tradition of bringing fans of all ages together with leading comic book writers and artists, film and television stars and creators, and publishers and retailers from across the nation.
2010 marked Mid-Ohio-Con’s 30th anniversary show which included guests of honor David Finch and Adam Hughes along with featured media guests Michael Berryman and Lou Ferrigno and more than 100 creators from the worlds of comics, film, gaming and television. The show had record attendance and has received acclaim from exhibitors, fans and guests as the best in its long history.
Join tens of thousands of fellow fans as they converge at the Greater Columbus Convention Center at Mid-Ohio Comic Con to celebrate the best in pop culture. Columbus’ Comic Con brings it all - Movies, Comics, Toys, Video Gaming, Games, TV, Horror, Wrestling, MMA, Original Art, Collectibles, Anime, Manga, & More! This is Ohio’s longest running and most widely attended Comic Con! Brought to you by the group who produces the most widely attended Comic Con tour!
It's only been one week since the 2010 Mid-Ohio-Con and already considerable changes can be seen on the Wizard World site for the 2011 convention. Some slightly-higher profile media guests have been announced -- Adam West and Burt Ward from the '60s Batman television series, along with Walter Koenig, Chekov from the original Star Trek and Bester from Babylon 5. Also, comics professionals Phil Jimenez, Mike Grell and Rob Liefeld have been listed, making this the first time ever that Jimenez and Liefeld will appear at Mid-Ohio-Con.
Unfortunately, the really bad news is on Wizard World's Mid-Ohio-Con ticket page, where the price for a 2-day weekend ticket has now jacked up to $40 from 2010's $25 at the door, and the new price of $25 for a Saturday or Sunday single-day ticket. There's also a note at the bottom that says "Save $5 by ordering your ticket in advance," which makes me wonder if the full price at the door will be $45 for both days and $30 for one day.
Obviously, we're only a week into building up for the 2011 con, so I'm sure there will be much more news to come down the road.