The Avengers and Justice League are super hero teams that come together when the worlds need them most. While Northern Virginia isn’t in danger of an alien invasion, a group of event organizers are teaming up to come to the rescue of NoVA pop culture fans with a number of conventions celebrating the stories and individuals they love. One of these conventions is All Star Comic Con, which is kicking off its inaugural year at Sheraton Tysons Hotel in Tysons Corner from June 15-17.
One of three conventions launching in 2018—Fairfax, VA Comicon and Fairfax Comic Con are also new to the area—All Star wants to continue to grow the community that has been enlivened by Awesome Con over the last few years, but with some slight differences.
“We’re really kind of a mom and pop con in a way,” says Michael McNutt, the co-founder and organizer of All Star along with Kevin Bednarz.
“There’s Awesome Con, amazing event, it’s huge,” adds Bednarz. “We might not want to get that big. We want to be intimate.”
Don’t confuse that goal with an inability to provide quality content; they have sold out with vendors and certainly haven’t been shy about their programming. Celebrity appearances will include Susan Eisenberg, the voice actress for the animated Wonder Woman; former NoVA resident Austin St. John, the original Red Power Ranger; Summer Bishil from SyFy’s The Magicians; Michael Biehn from Terminator, Aliens and Tombstone; comic book writer Jason Aaron and artist Sorah Suhng; Washington Redskins punter Tress Way; and hip hop dance icon Adolfo “Shabba Doo” Quiñones. They will also show independent movies, conduct eSport tournaments, as well as comic con staples like comic book collections.
In assembling the schedule, McNutt and Bednarz went with a general strategy. “It’s ‘Stuff We Like Con’,” explains McNutt. Others seem to like it too, Bednarz is currently estimating nearly 5,000 visitors over the weekend.
Though all these new cons may seem like they should be competing, it has been a much more collaborative effort thus far.
“We know the organizers of all those conventions, we all interact,” says Bednarz. “There’s enough niche market and I think everyone will find their place.”
“If we all are smart, we space ourselves from January until October, each of us can eat,” adds McNutt. “That’s hopefully what we’re all working toward. … And we’re tapping into that energetic idea; that audience that’s in Northern Virginia, D.C. and Maryland.”
