Big Apple Comic Con Turns 20

iStock Editorial/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Saturday marks the 20th annual Big Apple Comic Con in New York City.

Mike Carbonaro, one of the most prolific comic collectors in the world, founded the convention, and tells ABC Radio the event is special because he tries “to make it at a place where everybody can get to whatever they want to.”

This year’s guests include the convention’s usual compliment of notables from the worlds of comics, TV, movies and pop culture, including wrestler and actor Roddy Piper, Walking Dead actors Moses Moseley and Theshay West, martial artist and Power Rangers actor Jason David Frank, and more comic artists and dealers than ever.

Carbonaro says he’s seen some changes as geek culture has gone more and more mainstream — thanks in no small part to the success of superhero movies like The Avengers, and TV shows like Gotham and Arrow.

The convention lets fans of all kinds get together — and that was intentional, Carbonaro explains.

“I was one of the first guys in the 90s — when we started Big Apple 20 years ago — to try to insert…not just the comic books. Add the wrestlers, add the models, add the Star Wars actors, have the celebrities. Bring in the comic artists….And then the [superhero] films come along and just take everything to the next level and all of a sudden, you have everyone coming in costume to the contest and that’s amazing.”

The event takes place at the Penn Plaza Pavilion in Manhattan.


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