Paradise Comicon Toronto
Encyclopedia
The Paradise Toronto Comicon was an annual comic book
convention held in Toronto, Canada between 2003 and 2008. It was sold in 2009 to Wizard Entertainment
owner Gareb Shamus and will be relaunched as a Wizard event in 2010.
From 2003-2007 the subtitle for the event was "A Celebration of Comic Books, Graphic Novels, Manga
and Sequential Art
". During those years the event was scheduled to run over 3 days (Friday through Sunday). In 2008 the convention was a two-day event (Saturday and Sunday).
Features have included: exhibitor room for commercial selling of related goods, a corporate area for companies to promote their projects, an Artist Alley area for comic book creators, a guest area for invited guests of the convention, panel room for discussions on various aspects of comic books and creators, workshops and children's programming. In previous years the convention was the home to additional special events programming such as Women of Comics Symposium and the Joe Shuster Awards
.
The event was run by Paradise Comics
, a Toronto
comic book
store. Staff from Paradise Comics
put on one-day comic book
conventions in Toronto
since the early 1990s. In November 2003 they held their first 3 day event. In 2004 it was held in mid-June. In 2005 and 2006 it was held in late April, in 2007 it was held in June and in 2008 it was held in mid-July (July 12-13, 2008). On occasion Paradise has also held one-day shows at the Hilton and Holiday Inn on King (now the Toronto Hyatt Regency).
From 2003-2007 the Convention was held at the National Trade Centre (now called the Direct Energy Centre, located at Exhibition Place
(home of the historic Canadian National Exhibition
). Hall size varied at that location, and the convention's largest hall rental was Hall C in 2006-7, which is 58315 square feet (5,417.6 m²).
In July 2007, in a controversial move, Paradise Conventions co-owner and organizer Kevin Boyd resigned from/abandoned the convention to work for Hobbystar Marketing as the Canadian guest and programming coordinator for Fan Expo Canada
and other Toronto Comicon
events. Boyd claimed at the time that "The convention business was not successful so I decided it was time to end it. I worked on it for five years and did not receive any money for time spent on the big convention.".
In 2008 it moved to the Holiday Inn on King, a smaller venue (21,000 square feet) that is closer to downtown Toronto.
In 2009, it was announced that the show would be on hiatus in 2009 due to scheduling concerns.
On June 24, 2009, via Press release, Gareb Shamus, owner of Wizard Entertainment
, announced that he had purchased the event from Paradise owner Peter Dixon, who would remain involved in the show in some form, in a manner similar to Wizard's purchase of the Big Apple Con. The former comic book-only show will be retooled as a multi-genre event similar to other Wizard events in Philadelphia, Chicago and New York and relaunched in 2010.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
convention held in Toronto, Canada between 2003 and 2008. It was sold in 2009 to Wizard Entertainment
Wizard Entertainment
Wizard Entertainment, formerly known as Wizard Press, was a New York-based publisher of Wizard and ToyFare magazines, along with various special issues for each magazine and the annual Toy Wishes holiday guide....
owner Gareb Shamus and will be relaunched as a Wizard event in 2010.
From 2003-2007 the subtitle for the event was "A Celebration of Comic Books, Graphic Novels, Manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
and Sequential Art
Sequential art
Sequential art refers to the art form of using a train of images deployed in sequence to graphic storytelling or convey information. The best-known example of sequential art is comics, which are a printed arrangement of art and balloons, especially comic books and comic strips.The term is rarely...
". During those years the event was scheduled to run over 3 days (Friday through Sunday). In 2008 the convention was a two-day event (Saturday and Sunday).
Features have included: exhibitor room for commercial selling of related goods, a corporate area for companies to promote their projects, an Artist Alley area for comic book creators, a guest area for invited guests of the convention, panel room for discussions on various aspects of comic books and creators, workshops and children's programming. In previous years the convention was the home to additional special events programming such as Women of Comics Symposium and the Joe Shuster Awards
Joe Shuster Awards
The Joe Shuster Awards are given out annually for outstanding achievements in the creation of comic books, graphic novels and webcomics by Canadians, there are additional awards for Retailers and Publishers. The full name is the Joe Shuster Canadian Comic Book Creator Awards.The Joe Shuster Awards...
.
The event was run by Paradise Comics
Paradise Comics
Paradise Comics is a comic book store located in Toronto, Canada. The owner and proprietor is Peter Dixon. The store's manager is long time comic book fan Doug Simpson. Paradise Comics is known primarily as being an excellent source of silver age, 1970s, 1980s and CGC graded comics...
, a Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
store. Staff from Paradise Comics
Paradise Comics
Paradise Comics is a comic book store located in Toronto, Canada. The owner and proprietor is Peter Dixon. The store's manager is long time comic book fan Doug Simpson. Paradise Comics is known primarily as being an excellent source of silver age, 1970s, 1980s and CGC graded comics...
put on one-day comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
conventions in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
since the early 1990s. In November 2003 they held their first 3 day event. In 2004 it was held in mid-June. In 2005 and 2006 it was held in late April, in 2007 it was held in June and in 2008 it was held in mid-July (July 12-13, 2008). On occasion Paradise has also held one-day shows at the Hilton and Holiday Inn on King (now the Toronto Hyatt Regency).
From 2003-2007 the Convention was held at the National Trade Centre (now called the Direct Energy Centre, located at Exhibition Place
Exhibition Place
Exhibition Place is a mixed-use district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, by the shoreline of Lake Ontario, just west of downtown. The 197–acre area includes expo, trade, and banquet centres, theatre and music buildings, monuments, parkland, sports facilities, and a number of civic, provincial,...
(home of the historic Canadian National Exhibition
Canadian National Exhibition
Canadian National Exhibition , also known as The Ex, is an annual event that takes place at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada during the 18 days leading up to and including Labour Day Monday. With an attendance of approximately 1.3 million visitors each season, it is Canada’s largest...
). Hall size varied at that location, and the convention's largest hall rental was Hall C in 2006-7, which is 58315 square feet (5,417.6 m²).
In July 2007, in a controversial move, Paradise Conventions co-owner and organizer Kevin Boyd resigned from/abandoned the convention to work for Hobbystar Marketing as the Canadian guest and programming coordinator for Fan Expo Canada
Fan Expo Canada
Toronto, Canada's Fan Expo Canada is an annual multigenre fan convention. It was founded as the Canadian National Comic Book Expo in 1994 by Hobby Star Marketing Inc...
and other Toronto Comicon
Toronto Comicon
#Toronto Comicon, Comic Con or Comic-Con are slang ways of saying Toronto Comic Book Convention and a few companies have used the term to promote comic book conventions in the city of Toronto, Canada.Examples:...
events. Boyd claimed at the time that "The convention business was not successful so I decided it was time to end it. I worked on it for five years and did not receive any money for time spent on the big convention.".
In 2008 it moved to the Holiday Inn on King, a smaller venue (21,000 square feet) that is closer to downtown Toronto.
In 2009, it was announced that the show would be on hiatus in 2009 due to scheduling concerns.
On June 24, 2009, via Press release, Gareb Shamus, owner of Wizard Entertainment
Wizard Entertainment
Wizard Entertainment, formerly known as Wizard Press, was a New York-based publisher of Wizard and ToyFare magazines, along with various special issues for each magazine and the annual Toy Wishes holiday guide....
, announced that he had purchased the event from Paradise owner Peter Dixon, who would remain involved in the show in some form, in a manner similar to Wizard's purchase of the Big Apple Con. The former comic book-only show will be retooled as a multi-genre event similar to other Wizard events in Philadelphia, Chicago and New York and relaunched in 2010.
Dates and Locations
- 2003: March 23 - Toronto Hilton Hotel
- 2003: November 7-9 - Queen Elizabeth Building, National Trade Centre
- 2004: June 18-20 - Queen Elizabeth Building, National Trade Centre
- 2005: April 29-30, May 1 - Hall F, National Trade Centre
- 2006: April 28-30 - Hall C, National Trade Centre
- 2007: June 8-10 - Hall C, Direct Energy Centre
- 2008: July 12-13 - 2nd Floor, Holiday Inn on King
Guests of Honour
- 2003 Jim StarlinJim StarlinJames P. "Jim" Starlin is an American comic book writer and artist. With a career dating back to the early 1970s, he is best known for "cosmic" tales and space opera; for revamping the Marvel Comics characters Captain Marvel and Adam Warlock; and for creating or co-creating the Marvel characters...
and Michael William KalutaMichael William KalutaMichael William Kaluta, sometimes credited as Mike Kaluta or Michael Wm. Kaluta , is an American comic book artist and writer.-Early life:Born in Guatemala to U.S... - 2004 Will EisnerWill EisnerWilliam Erwin "Will" Eisner was an American comics writer, artist and entrepreneur. He is considered one of the most important contributors to the development of the medium and is known for the cartooning studio he founded; for his highly influential series The Spirit; for his use of comics as an...
and Dave SimDave SimDavid Victor Sim is an award-winning Canadian comic book writer and artist.A pioneer of self-published comics and creators' rights, Sim is best known as the creator of Cerebus the Aardvark, a comic book published from 1977 to 2004, which chronicles its main character in a 6,000-page self-contained... - 2005 Brian Michael BendisBrian Michael BendisBrian Michael Bendis is an American comic book writer and erstwhile artist. He has won critical acclaim for his self-published, Image Comics and Marvel Comics work, and is one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics, with his books selling consistently highly for over a...
, Warren EllisWarren EllisWarren Girard Ellis is an English author of comics, novels, and television, who is well-known for sociocultural commentary, both through his online presence and through his writing, which covers transhumanist themes...
and Jerry RobinsonJerry RobinsonJerry Robinson is an American comic book artist best known for his work on DC Comics' Batman line of comics during the 1940s.He was inducted into the Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2004.-Career:... - 2006 George PérezGeorge PérezGeorge Pérez is a Puerto Rican-American writer and illustrator of comic books, known for his work on various titles, including Avengers, Teen Titans and Wonder Woman.-Biography:...
and David Lloyd - 2007 Michael Golden, Terry MooreTerry Moore (comics)Terry Moore is a comic book author, graphic novelist and illustrator.He created the popular series Strangers in Paradise, and was involved in the founding of Homage Comics.-Biography:...
, Marv WolfmanMarv WolfmanMarvin A. "Marv" Wolfman is an award-winning American comic book writer. He is best known for lengthy runs on The Tomb of Dracula, creating Blade for Marvel Comics, and The New Teen Titans for DC Comics.-1960s:...
and Matt WagnerMatt WagnerMatt Wagner is an American comic book writer and artist, best known as the creator of the series Mage and Grendel.-Career:... - 2008 Herb TrimpeHerb TrimpeHerbert W. "Herb" Trimpe Herbert W. "Herb" Trimpe Herbert W. "Herb" Trimpe (b. May 26, 1939, is an American comic book artist and occasional writer, best known for his work on The Incredible Hulk and as the first artist to draw for publication the character Wolverine, who later became a breakout...
, Joseph Michael LinsnerJoseph Michael LinsnerJoseph Michael Linsner is an American comic book writer-artist-colorist best known for his mature-audiences supernatural character Dawn, who first appeared in Cry for Dawn #1 , self-published by his Cry for Dawn Productions....
, Greg LandGreg LandGreg Land is an American comic book artist, best known for his work on characters such as X-Men, Birds of Prey, and Fantastic Four.-Career:Greg Land first got a job with an independent publisher as the artist for StormQuest after advertising himself at a Mid-Ohio Con comic convention...
External links
- Old Official Site:http://www.torontocomicon.com
- Press Release announcing the sale of the show to Wizard: http://www.wizardworld.com/toronto.html
- New Wizard Site:http://www.wizarduniverse.com/toronto.html
- Sequential Spiltink article on Kevin Boyd leaving Paradise Conventions for Hobbystar http://sequential.spiltink.org/2007/08/toronto-convention-shocker-kevin-boyd.html