HOW TO GO
What: Cincinnati Comic Expo
Where: Duke Energy Convention Center, 525 Elm St., Cincinnati
When: Sept. 18-20, 3-8 p.m.; Friday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Saturday; 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday.
Cost: $20-$30 (single day), $55 (weekend), $5 (youths aged 8-12 and special events). Children 7 and younger are admitted free.
More Info: www.cincinnaticomicexpo.com
Unlike the Cincy Comicon, a related event that occurred recently, the Cincinnati Comic Expo Sept. 18 to 20 at Duke Energy Convention Center is unabashedly commercial, devoted as much to overall pop culture as comic books.
“Our attendance has grown by leaps and bounds,” said Matt Bredestege, administrator for the Expo. “In 2010, we had 1,800 people. Last year, we had 16,000. The fans like how it’s a big show but it has a small show feel. It’s locally supported and organized, not a corporate thing. Obviously, you can’t listen to everybody. If you ask 4,000 people, you’ll get 4,000 different ideas on how to run a show. But our name is getting out there year after year, which leads to bigger names and guests.”
Some of those bigger names include 1980s movie star, Steve Guttenberg, Sean Astin (“Lord of the Rings”), Robin Lord Taylor (“Gotham”), Ian Ziering (“Beverly Hills 90210,” “Sharknado”), and the original Batman and Robin, a.k.a. Adam West and Burt Ward. Bredestege reminded us that these appearances are often subject to change.
“There are always production schedules to work around,” he said. “‘Gotham’ is filming right now, but because it’s filmed in New York, it’s close enough so that (Robin) can fit it into his schedule. On the reverse side, Katrina Law (“Spartacus,” “Arrow”) was just cast into a movie that starts production on Sunday, so she’ll be doing one day instead of the (originally scheduled) two.”
Bredestege said the Steven Guttenberg connection was a surprise, given that he has appeared at only one other event of this type. Guttenberg recently starred in the TV movie, “Lavalantula,” a ‘Sharknado’-type film about a volcano eruption that spews fire-breathing giant spiders onto Los Angeles.
“We worked with a rep of his last year, and he told (Guttenberg) about our show,” he said. “He’s doing the sequel to ‘Lavalantula’ this summer. They’re campy movies, but a lot of people are watching them and talking about them on social media. His agent reached out to us, and of course we said ‘yes.’”
On the comic book side, Bredestege said the biggest draws in 2015 will be Neal Adams (“Batman,” “Superman”), Mike Zeck (“The Punisher”), and Allen Bellman (“Captain America”).
“Bellman is 90 years old, and still drawing and doing original work,” Bredestege said. “He’s one of the last Golden Age artists who are still out there. He’s a fan favorite.”
The usual supplemental activities and events will also be available, with an occasional twist. For the first time, the Expo is incorporating the annual Cincinnati Zombie Walk, where people can dress up as their favorite undead and shamble their way to the Freestore Food bank to donate one non-perishable food item. The theme for the geek prom this year is “Enchantment Under the Sea,” to commemorate the 30th anniversary of “Back to the Future.” There will be the usual tabletop gaming, and the kids’ zone is also growing.
“Our owner has four kids, so he wanted a kids’ zone so there’s something for the whole family, not just artists and collectors,” Bredestege said. “It started as a corner but now it takes up a good portion of the floor. Kids can play with Nerf archery sets and pretend they’re Hawkeye, or throw a Captain America Frisbee at a cutout of Red Skull. Some of the games are fair-like, but we also have drawing stations to keep it comic-centric, art-associated. We want to get kids to draw.”
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