Diamond Partners for 2nd Annual In-Store Convention Kick-Off Store Event

December 04, 2015

In March 2015, Central Florida-based Coliseum of Comics attempted something that no one had before: kicking off the convention season with a full day of streaming live convention-style interviews, announcements and question & answer panels, broadcast for eight hours exclusively in more than three dozen participating stores across the country.

Coliseum CEO Phil Boyle announced today that the innovative event In-Store Convention Kick-Off will return next year on Saturday, March 5^th, 2016, this time in collaboration with Diamond Comic Distributors.

“Bringing Diamond into the mix opens the In-Store Convention to many more retail outlets in 2016,” said Boyle. “Last year was a successful test and we want to expand and improve on that success for the next broadcast.”

“Comic shops are the focal point of our industry, connecting creators with fans on a weekly basis,” said Diamond President & CEO Steve Geppi, “and we’re delighted to support an event which showcases them in such an exciting and innovative way.”

According to Boyle, the partnership plans to expand the Convention Kick-Off’s reach to several hundred stores for its second go-round, and with increasing interest from both publishers and retailers, they expect thousands of fans to participate nationwide throughout the day.

Exciting changes have been made from last year’s presentation, with the Convention Kick-Off team bringing in stand-up comedian and Geeks of Comedy member Kevin White to host the event. An experienced sound mixer is also being brought in to ensure quality sound, and equipment upgrades are being made to handle the higher volume expected for this year’s event.

Announcements will be made soon regarding participating publishers and talent. The inaugural event featured presentations from DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, Image, Valiant, IDW and Boom! Studios, and appearances by Brian Michael Bendis (Avengers, Jessica Jones, Powers), Shannon Watters (Lumberjanes), Dan Didio (co-Publisher of DC Comics), Cullen Bunn (Deadpool, Sinestro, The Sixth Gun), and James Tynion IV (Batman & Robin Eternal, Batman/TMNT, The Woods).

For more information or to be an event sponsor, contact Phil or Ryan Boyle by phone at 407-816-8002 or by e-mail at ryan@coliseumofcomics.com. Interested fans looking for updates and information about participating stores, publishers and guests can go online to conventionkickoff.com, on follow their Twitter at @InStoreKickOff, or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/conventionkickoff.