Does anyone have info on events like Comic Con?

October 22, 2013 5:21 PM

My brother loves going to events like Comic Con, and I'm looking for resources to help him find other similar events, more inside

Okay, so my brother loves going to events like Comic Con. Just a little detail, my brother is a bit socially shy, and rarely goes out. The exception to this rule is when Comic Con arrives. This is great, because it motivates him to get out more. Normal situations don't seem to stimulate him, but these events make him happy. I know there has to be some sort of website or message board that would help me locate some events like this in our area. We are in metro Detroit, but my brother would travel for these types of events.

I want to be encouraging, especially since this is his interest that he truly enjoys. I guess I'm looking for either websites or message boards that track these type of events around the country. I'm thinking of similar as pollstar is to concerts, as ________ is to Comic Con/geek/nerdy events.

Thanks all, I know my brother would love any suggestions, and I want to be as encouraging as possible towards his interests.

posted by handbanana to Society & Culture (7 answers total)

Events For Gamers is obviously focused around gaming rather than comics but the Conventions and Fan Events tabs have a fair few. AnimeCons.com is another one with a pretty decent listing.
posted by Ghostride The Whip at 5:44 PM on October 22, 2013

Convention Scene lists everything (including one-off signings/etc.) but you can filter according to area/interest. It can be hard to wade through, but it's a good starting point.

What does he enjoy about Comic Con? Does he like comics or is there something specific he enjoys that he goes there for? (Like TV or gaming or anime or whatever?) That may narrow my answers a bit more.

I'm sure you know about Fanfare this weekend in Dearborn, but I've heard good things about the show from people who live in the area if you've never been.
posted by darksong at 5:57 PM on October 22, 2013

http://animecons.com/events/
http://www.conventionscene.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_science_fiction_conventions
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_anime_conventions
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_comic_book_conventions
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_gaming_conventions
http://www.upcomingcons.com/

Honestly, just googling "[anime/comic/science fiction/gaming] convention Detroit" will get you listings.
posted by telophase at 6:29 PM on October 22, 2013

As Darksong says, knowing what he likes about conventions would help to narrow things down a bit.

But the North American Science Fiction Convention, NASFIC, is in Detroit next year and might be of interest, again, depending on what he likes. (NASFIC is held in years when the World Science Fiction Convention or Worldcon is outside of North America, and next year it's in London.) And of course, there's DragonCon in Atlanta each year.

But it's hard to say without knowing more specifics. The degree to which geek interests do NOT necessarily overlap can be surprising--so, gamers, anime fans, cosplayers, comics readers, TV/movie fandom folks, and fans of science fiction books do not necessarily all attend the same cons, especially once you look beyond the giant ones each year.
posted by tiger tiger at 1:32 AM on October 23, 2013 [1 favorite]

Arisia is a very nice, all-inclusive, and not too overwhelming con that happens every January in Boston.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 5:28 AM on October 23, 2013

This is not a direct answer to your question, but PAX east tickets go on sale today sometime after noon. It is a 50/50 split of video and table top games.
posted by phil at 6:01 AM on October 23, 2013

And of course DragonCon in Atlanta over Labor Day weekend.

If you're just looking for another con.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 7:00 AM on October 23, 2013