The final Fayetteville Comic Con will be held Oct. 19 and 20 at the Crown Expo Center. This Fayetteville Comic Con (www.fayettevillecomiccon.com) was started by Michael and Pam Chaudhuri in 2015 to bring a fan-focused pop culture “Con” to the Fayetteville community. After that initial success, the Chaudhuris produced an annual show for the next four years, ultimately transitioning ownership over the pandemic. Once back, FCC was a twice-annual pop culture convention held at the Crown Expo Center (http://www.crowncomplexnc.com/) in Fayetteville.
A Comic Con is a gathering of fans to celebrate the Comic Book culture and is often expanded to include Anime, Horror, Wrestling, Movies, or other related fandoms. Comic cons are often inclusive of cosplay, where attendees costume as their favorite characters.
A typical “Con” will include vendors selling themed merchandise, artists and craft people selling their creations, celebrity guests, panels, screenings, contests, concerts, tournaments, and exhibits. FCC is considered a mid-to-large convention, is one of the four largest in the state and one of the most popular in the southeast.
They pride themselves on delivering the “Seven C’s” of a quality convention: The Celebration of Comic Books, Collectibles, CosPlay, Creators and Celebrity Experiences, while always supporting local Charities.
Fayetteville Comic Con has been a fan-run show for years. Keith Gibbs answers a few questions about Comic Con.
What is the history of Fayetteville Comic Con?
"Fayetteville Comic Con was started in 2015 as a one-day show by Michael and Pam Chaudhuri, to fill a community desired need for a convention of this type. The initial success of that show led to the expansion to a full weekend show in October 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. I joined the team as a volunteer in 2016. As fans started asking for us to offer two shows a year, we planned and invested in that expansion for 2020, only to be halted by the COVID pandemic. I took over ownership of the show during this period. Even though we were unable to do any in-person shows in 2020, we were able to do a live virtual show in June of that year.
Once restrictions on social gatherings were lifted in 2021, we were the first show of our type in the southeast to return to a live show format, and we have offered two shows a year since. This final October show will be our eighth since the pandemic and our 13th live show overall."
Why choose Fayetteville as a venue for a Comic Con?
"At the time the show founders lived in Lumberton and the proximity of Fayetteville made it an obvious choice. The Crown Expo Center is one of the best venues in the southeast to hold an event and the desire was evident within the community. Local comic shops like Dragon’s Lair supported the introduction of a show and from there, we never looked back.
Fayetteville is a unique and special place, and the proximity of Fort Liberty meant that there was an opportunity to offer our service members an experience that they would need to travel to a larger city like Raleigh or Charlotte to experience. Comic books, film, video games, anime, wrestling and horror were all topics that soldiers and Fayetteville residents expressed interest in. Since the market probably would not support any show focused solely on any one of those topics, we threw them all together. We like to say that if it's geek we got it!"
What makes Fayetteville Comic Con unique?
"That is an excellent question. When Fayetteville Comic Con was founded, there were very few offerings of its size in the immediate area.
There were small comic book shows and toy fairs, but no large event that mimicked the definition people think of when they hear Comic Con. Before the pandemic, shows like Fayetteville Comic Con were spread out throughout the year and held in places like Raleigh/Durham, Charlotte, or Florence, all accessible to Fayetteville residents but not convenient.
Most comic book-focused shows are backed by comic bookstores with retail locations, and they focus primarily on comics. At the time large shows like Wizard World or Super Con that came to Raleigh were the offerings of companies that host conventions in multiple cities, allowing them to bring in big-name guests. Cosplay America and Animazement in Raleigh were the only other places focusing on anime and cosplay. In the development of our shows, we pride ourselves on being a fan-run show for fans. We promote the involvement of local fans as well as a focus on local talent. We give back to our community and celebrate the diversity in the geek culture that is found in Fayetteville.
We need our neighbors in the Cumberland County area to come out to our shows. They really are fun for the whole family, dynamic and exciting and offer something unique as an alternative to competing events like the Dogwood festival."
Contact Keith D. Gibbs, President, and CEO of Fayetteville Comic Con for further information. 919-607-9199. Fayettevillecomiccon.kdg@gmail.com.