Wizard (Shamus) Buys Paradise Comicon

[VintageComics]

i think its a good thing and a bad thing , now they will be fighting to get big names , this is bad because in the end they will prob be with in a few months of each other and well some of us can only afford to go to one convention a year. It is a good thing because now bigger names might have a chance of coming, names that hobbystar could not get will now come. I have been to every fanexpo for the last 8 year i ll admit i will prob go to this one next year to see how it is , compare them but i think if any one thinks this is going to be any thing like paradises were there not even close. This con will be just like hobbystars , same over crowding , same things that people hated about it. Another question is where will they have it, guarunteed Hobbystar will try every thing to not let them in the convention center so the question is where will they go.

 

I'm looking forward to it for once ontario comic fans are getting what they deserve lots of choices .

 

Another thing i'm with every one else look at the names of the cons, its not wizard world chicago any more its chicago comic con , the wizard convention brand is dead or dying so this will most likely stay Toronto comiccon

 

I hear a lot of good things from dealers who used to frequent Toronto years ago. Toronto was quite the place for comics. I remember as a kid having literally dozens of comic shops to choose from for vintage stuff. I too am glad that there is some "action" on this side of the border. Maybe we can pull some of those bigger dealers like Bob, Ted and Ritter back up here who have stayed away the last little while.

 

 

[Ares]

Is this a sign they are conceding Chicago? (And shifting their personnel's attention to Toronto?)

 

This would mean they wouldn't necessarily have to lay off even MORE staff I guess...

 

 

 

I was at Paradise comics today and Peter Told me he will still be there to help them run the show so it will still have that home touch we love

[VintageComics]

Peter is just such an amazing guy. He's easy and good to talk to and yet has a devoted following. Can't say enough good about the guy. I hope this works out in his best interests. I'm sure with a new baby here raising a family and doing everything gets tough to do.

 

R.

 

 

[agro23]

I thought cons fighting with each other went out in the early 80's.

[Subliminal]

I wonder does this mean only one con per year from Wizard/Paradise and no more one day fan shows and the cottage show the rest of the year

[SolitaireOne]

Hey, it's the one big 'Con' I hit yearly. (thumbs u

 

Could shake things up a bit!

[Ares]

I wonder does this mean only one con per year from Wizard/Paradise and no more one day fan shows and the cottage show the rest of the year

 

I think they only bought the Toronto Comicon and not the Paradise conventions business

[Subliminal]

Well if we can get both that is gr-r-reat!

[The Question?]

 

uhhhhhhhhh, The death knell, for the Toronto con...imo!!!!!

[THE_BEYONDER]

HobbyStar has been trying to put the Paradise Con out of business for years with their shenanigans. I'm hoping Wizard puts HobbyStar out of business.

[Subliminal]

Me too. I never liked those guys. Last year was my first visit.

[KEY ISSUES Comics]

This sounds like great news for Toronto comic fans if we will finally get greater recognition as an international comic convention destination.

 

Maybe even CGC will cross the border now to attend.

That's what I'm hoping for! Submitting books via mail is muchas $$$!!!!!

[rob_allan]

This sounds like great news for Toronto comic fans if we will finally get greater recognition as an international comic convention destination.

 

Maybe even CGC will cross the border now to attend.

That's what I'm hoping for! Submitting books via mail is muchas $$$!!!!!

 

On-site grading would be nice. Even with the discount for submitting through Paradise that I get, I don't submit unless I REALLY want to because I don't want to be apart from my books for 6 months. But if they had on-site grading at a 'con, I'd probably take whatever the limit is in to them. Would love to slab my Iron Man run.

 

-Rob-

[Tiziano]

HobbyStar has been trying to put the Paradise Con out of business for years with their shenanigans. I'm hoping Wizard puts HobbyStar out of business.

 

So Chris, let me get this straight. You would want a U.S (Wizard) company to come in and put a Canadian company (Hobbystar) out of business. Costing locals jobs or layoffs. Not mention the businesses in and around the downtown core. Like the half dozen hotels will fill up every year. Restaurants, bars and other business.

That's not very Canadian of you!!!

 

 

[THE_BEYONDER]

HobbyStar has been trying to put the Paradise Con out of business for years with their shenanigans. I'm hoping Wizard puts HobbyStar out of business.

 

So Chris, let me get this straight. You would want a U.S (Wizard) company to come in and put a Canadian company (Hobbystar) out of business. Costing locals jobs or layoffs. Not mention the businesses in and around the downtown core. Like the half dozen hotels will fill up every year. Restaurants, bars and other business.

That's not very Canadian of you!!!

 

 

What can I say? I'm a karma kinda guy. HobbyStar has used all kinds of BS tactics to put the Paradise Con out of business.

[Guardian Comics]

But when that same Canadian company tried to put another Canadian company out of business, that is more fair

 

As well as restricting CDN businessmen by making them choose one Con or the other?

 

I have nothing but respect for the Hobbystar show and it's directors, but public perception is that it is the "big, bad, conglomerate", whether warranted or not.

 

Bringing class acts such as Kevin Boyd to the fold has definitely been a feather in Hobbystars cap :thumbsup:

 

Jim

[VintageComics]

But when that same Canadian company tried to put another Canadian company out of business, that is more fair

 

As well as restricting CDN businessmen by making them choose one Con or the other?

 

I have nothing but respect for the Hobbystar show and it's directors, but public perception is that it is the "big, bad, conglomerate", whether warranted or not.

 

Bringing class acts such as Kevin Boyd to the fold has definitely been a feather in Hobbystars cap :thumbsup:

 

Jim

 

If Hobbystar forced exhibitors to choose between the two venues that is a BS move no matter where you live. Is that true?

[THE_BEYONDER]

But when that same Canadian company tried to put another Canadian company out of business, that is more fair

 

As well as restricting CDN businessmen by making them choose one Con or the other?

 

I have nothing but respect for the Hobbystar show and it's directors, but public perception is that it is the "big, bad, conglomerate", whether warranted or not.

 

Bringing class acts such as Kevin Boyd to the fold has definitely been a feather in Hobbystars cap :thumbsup:

 

Jim

 

If Hobbystar forced exhibitors to choose between the two venues that is a BS move no matter where you live. Is that true?

 

There's a thread about it somewhere. Aman sent letters to dealers telling them that if they set up at the Paradise Con......they were no longer welcome to set up at his show.

[Tiziano]

But when that same Canadian company tried to put another Canadian company out of business, that is more fair

 

As well as restricting CDN businessmen by making them choose one Con or the other?

 

I have nothing but respect for the Hobbystar show and it's directors, but public perception is that it is the "big, bad, conglomerate", whether warranted or not.

Thanks we all work very hard for the comic fans of Toronto/Canada

 

Bringing class acts such as Kevin Boyd to the fold has definitely been a feather in Hobbystars cap :thumbsup:

 

Kev rocks!!! We are very happy to have him on our team!!!

Been friends with Kev for a long him, great guy!!

 

 

 

Jim

[Kevin Boyd]

When I surrendered my half of the Paradise show in July 2007 (and ended my role as show organizer) and shortly afterwards was offered (and accepted) a job with HobbyStar for Fan Expo Canada 2007 and subseqent comic events all of that stuff came to an end.

 

Yes, there is bad blood between the shows, and my intention was to bring much of that to an end within our community. Nobody needs this kind of in-fighting, and it's un-Canadian in nature. Unfortunately, it will take years to heal some of those wounds - as evidenced by some comments being made here. However, the past is merely prologue and Tiziano and I've been focused on making Fan Expo and the smaller Toronto ComiCONs strong events for comic book fans and I'd like to think that it shows and that people who actually attend the events see that. We're just trying to do our jobs to the best of our abilities.

 

Paradise ran a show in 2008 without any tricks or interference from HobbyStar and the same thing would have happened again this year if Peter had found a venue with a date that he liked... we've had almost 2 full years without any of this Toronto Con war talk that is suddenly resurfacing with this announcement.

 

And yes, Fan Expo Canada is a big event for the city of Toronto - hotels, restaurants, etc. all benefit from the 50,000+ fans that will attend the Fan Expo in 2009. We've even received money from the city to do outreach to communities in Ontario outside of the GTA to come and check it out. Fan Expo Canada is a MAJOR summer tourist attraction. This year, Fan Expo Canada will have more publisher support than most conventions ever get - including Marvel, DC, Aspen, Boom!, Avatar & Udon.