Room Rate for Charlotte Comicon August 20…CC2 is for the August 19th block with a rate of $139: http://group.embassysuites.com/comicconvendors
Also, reservations can be made online or over the phone without the above links. Here are the instructions for that process.
Going online to www.embassysuitesconcord.com – 1. Make a Reservation; 2. Select Dates of your stay; 3. Add Special Rate Codes; 4. Group Code for whichever block desired.
Calling the hotel direct @ 704 455 8200 and speaking to our reservations department; please give the agent the dates needed and your desired group code.
Calling 1 800 362-2779 and let the reservationist know that you’re looking to book with the desired group code and for what dates.

Here is a glance at what we will have going on for Charlotte Comicon:

Saturday August 19th–Unofficial Pre-show Event:

Charlotte Comicon Unofficial Mixer and Karaoke Party at Lucky Lou’s Tavern 5124 Park Rd. Charlotte. 9pm until… Come enjoy some of the best food in Charlotte, shoot some pool, cornhole, enjoy the enclosed patio, and as always THE BEST karaoke in town courtesy of Chubby’s Karaoke and the infamous KJ TRY. This is a great way to meet up with your friends and plan your Comicon shopping adventures! Please Note: This is a 21< mixer.

Sunday August 20th–Charlotte Comicon 2017 Summer Show:

Comics and Toys in ONE ROOM: Open 10am-5pm! 21,000 square foot ballroom! Come meet all of our incredibly talented artists and writers, and our special guests! Shop some of the best deals you’ll find on comic books, collectibles, and toys!

Cosplay Stage located in room off main hall: Open 10:30am-5pm

Costume Contest–Registration and Judging will be open on-site from 11am-1:30 sharp-No Exceptions!

Prizes will be awarded at the Cosplay Stage immediately following the final panel at 3:30pm.

Panel Schedule on Main Stage:

10:45am: Dusk Series: Season 2
Ronald Rossman and the cast of the Dusk Series are back! Join them for the Premiere of the Dusk Series: Season 2 Trailer, followed by a Q&A session and a special performance by the Dusk Series composer.

12:00pm: Marvel Comics: Page to Screen
Dan Johnson returns as moderator of this special Marvel panel to discuss the many adaptations of the MCU. Featuring a Q&A with actors Kent Wagner, Mike Mundy, and Jim Mack McGee (They’ve collectively appeared in films such as Captain America: Civil War, Ant-Man, Spiderman: Homecoming, Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 2, and more!)

1:15pm: The Walking Dead: Stage to Screen
SuperKerri will act as moderator for this panel featuring actor Tim Parati (TWD’s Dr. Carson) as well as returning favorites, Jeremy Ambler and Lauren Henneberg. They will be discussing skills learned working on non-film productions (taking direction, improvisation, costuming, makeup effects, lighting and set design, stunt work, and so forth), the importance of theater in our communities and schools (hey, it helped King Ezekiel form the Kingdom, right?). And of course, a Q&A about working on The Walking Dead.

2:00pm: The Dark Tower: The Art of Adaptation
Join GMan (WalkerBaitProductions) and TinyYourHost (Monkey Caviar) as they discuss Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series and both its graphic novel and film adaptations. Discussion points also include the latest trend of adapting classic literature into graphic novels, other non-superhero related graphic novels that were adapted to film, representation of comic violence vs. movie violence, and casting choices that rocked fans.

2:50pm: The Psychology of Cosplay
Join our panelists, Kalliste Cosplay, Rachel Star, and SuperKerri, in this discussion about the reasons we need “heroes”; why cosplayers choose to embody specific characters, how we relate to them, how we use cosplay as a means to overcome our own physical, mental, and emotional challenges, and how we can become heroes to others through personal acts of bravery both large and small. [The cosplay contest awards will immediately follow this discussion]

Note: Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the door, cash only. Please bring exact change where possible to help expedite the admission process. If you purchased a ticket via our website during our online pre-sale, you will need to go to the Will Call table adjacent to our ticket table. Be prepared to provide your name, email address and an ID to claim your tickets. There will be concessions available on site, cash only, provided by the venue. Parking is free. If you are taking photos at our show (amateur, cell phone, or professional) please be courteous, ask permission (especially where minors are concerned) and use our hashtag when sharing them on social media: #charlottecomicon

Thank you! See you at the show!

Here is a glance at what we will have going on for Charlotte Comicon:

Saturday March 11th–Unofficial Pre-show Event:

Charlotte Comicon Unofficial Mixer and Karaoke Party at Lucky Lou’s Tavern 5124 Park Rd. Charlotte. 9pm until… Come enjoy some of the best food in Charlotte, shoot some pool, darts, cornhole, enjoy the enclosed patio, and as always THE BEST karaoke in town courtesy of Chubby’s Karaoke and the infamous KJ TRY. This is a great way to meet up with your friends and plan your Comicon shopping adventures! Please Note: This is a 21< mixer.

Sunday March 12th–Charlotte Comicon 2017 Spring Show:

Comics and Toys in ONE ROOM: Open 10am-5pm New Venue! 21,000 square foot ballroom! Come meet all of our incredibly talented artists and writers, and our special guests! Shop some of the best deals you’ll find on comic books, collectibles, and toys!

Cosplay Stage now located in room off main hall: Open 10am-5pm

Costume Contest–Registration and Judging will be open on-site from 11am-1:30 sharp!

Group Cosplay Photos will be taken beginning at 1:45pm. at the Grand Staircase in the hotel lobby. After our photographer has taken the Group Photo, we welcome other photographers to set up mini-photo shoots with our cosplay guests (with their permission, of course). Feel free to take your photos indoors or outdoors, but please be mindful of your surroundings, keep the photos “clean”, and respect our host hotel and venue.

Prizes will be awarded at the Cosplay Stage at 3:30pm.

Panel Schedule on Main Stage:

11:00am: African-American Superheroes
Black superheroes like Luke Cage and Cyborg may be popular today in graphic novels and Hollywood adaptations, but little-known trailblazers like Ace Harlem and Lion Man helped pave their road to stardom during the era of segregation. Join Back Issue magazine editor Michael Eury for the presentation “African-American Superheroes: The First Black Heroes of Comic Books and Comic Media,” an all-ages, trivia-filled journey through an important era of American and pop-culture history.

12:20pm: Presentation to the Red Circle Foundation

12:30pm: CosFamily Feud! If you wish to compete in the ‘Feud’, drop your name in the bucket at the judges table in the cosplay room anytime until 12:15. Names will be drawn at random to comprise 4 teams of 5 players on each. As Bane would say, “Let the games begin!“

1:45pm: Coscraft on the Cheap!

It really doesn’t take as much money, time, and materials as you might think to create incredible costumes and props. Join coscrafter Cheralyn Lambeth as she shows how you can build your own creations–from Ghostbusters proton packs to Marty McFly from Back to the Future–from thrift store finds and recycled/repurposed items found around the house!

Note: Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the door, cash only. Please bring exact change where possible to help expedite the admission process. If you purchased a ticket via our website during our online pre-sale, you will need to go to the Will Call table adjacent to our ticket table. Be prepared to provide your name, email address and an ID to claim your tickets. There will be concessions available on site, cash only, provided by the venue. Parking is free. If you are taking photos at our show (amateur, cell phone, or professional) please be courteous, ask permission (especially where minors are concerned) and use our hashtag when sharing them on social media: #charlottecomicon

Thank you! See you at the show!

It really doesn’t take as much money, time, and materials as you might think to create incredible costumes and props. Join coscrafter Cheralyn Lambeth as she shows how you can build your own creations–from Ghostbusters proton packs to Marty McFly from Back to the Future–from thrift store finds and recycled/repurposed items found around the house.

This panel will take place at 1:45pm on the main stage in the cosplay room.

Black superheroes like Luke Cage and Cyborg may be popular today in graphic novels and Hollywood adaptations, but little-known trailblazers like Ace Harlem and Lion Man helped pave their road to stardom during the era of segregation. Join Back Issue magazine editor Michael Eury for the presentation “African-American Superheroes: The First Black Heroes of Comic Books and Comic Media,” an all-ages, trivia-filled journey through an important era of American and pop-culture history.

This panel will take place at 11am on the main stage in the cosplay room.

Join us at our Spring Show on March 12, 2017 for what promises to be an hour of ridiculousness and prizes, as we play Cosplay Family Feud!

To be a contestant, drop your name in the contestant box located at the Cosplay Judges table. Sign-ups will be available until 12:15pm at which time we will begin drawing names at random.

20 names will be drawn, comprising 4 teams (5 on each). And then the game will begin by 12:30 on the main stage.

The first two teams will face off in 3 rounds of Family Feud. Points are doubled in round 2 and tripled in round 3. The team with the most points at the end of the third round wins.

The second two teams will face off in the same manner. The two winning teams will then get to compete in the Speed Round to determine a Cos-Family Feud Champion!

All of the category questions were posted in an online survey, in which 50 people participated in providing answers. This event is presented by Charlotte Comicon and WalkerBaitProductions, and will be hosted by SuperKerri.

NEW COSPLAY DIVISIONS! With the constant increase in participation (and many returning competitors), and the varying ages that we see at each show, Charlotte Comicon has added new divisions for the Costume Contest. As of 2017, our Adult division will be divided into Pro/Am registrations. Our Kids and Teens divisions will also be split into Best Female and Best Male. This will allow us to acknowledge even more of the amazing cosplayers we see at our shows! After our Guest Judges have made their choices, the prizes will break down as follows:

Kids <12: Best Female $15 and Best Male $10

Teens 13-17: Best Female $15 and Best Male $15

Adults 18<: 1st Place PRO/AM $50 each; 2nd Place PRO/AM $20 each; 3rd Place PRO/AM $15 each. Winners in the PRO-division will also receive free admission to the next Charlotte Comicon show. Additional prizes may also be given in addition to those listed, as we love surprises!

Honorable Mentions: Special recognition will be given to Best Group/Duo; Best Crossover/Hybrid; and one Hero’s Choice per age group, (as chosen by CCC Staff).

PLEASE NOTE: The cut-off time for Costume Contest Registration is 1:30pm! This will allow adequate time for our judges to review the entries and make their final decisions. We had nearly 200 registered competitors at our last show, and expect even more this time. Setting a cut-off time for registration will allow us to streamline the process and provide a better experience for all of our guests.

• Registration With Judging: On-site at the stage from 11am through 1:30pm- You will have one-on-one discussion time with your division judge at the time of registration. As always, our judges will select a Top 10 in each division, based on overall scores tallied during registration/judging period. The audience then votes for the final winners. Hero’s Choice awards are chosen by our staff. Pro-Division Award winners will be selected by the Judges. 

Our Pro-Division is intended for those competitors who fit one or more of the following criteria:

1. Skilled cosplayers with cosplay experience, recognition and/or awards.
2. Professional actors and actresses or groups who perform outside the convention circuit are required to compete at this level.
3. Professional costumers, seamstresses or people who take commissions for creating costumes, props or other clothing are required to compete at this level for Construction.
4. Anyone who has won awards at one an award at our shows in the Adult division.
5. An individual who has achieved “Master” status at any other major convention.
6. Anyone who chooses to compete in this division may do so.

• Official Charlotte Comicon Group Photo: 1:45pm  Grand Staircase in the hotel lobby. Our photographer  will be taking group photos of all the cosplayers, whether competing or not–all cosplayers are welcome to be in the group photos. Other photographers, amateur or professional, are welcome so long as they stay behind the lines and do not interfere with the convention shots. Photographers and guests are then welcome to take photos at their leisure, so long as they respect the hotel guests and management as well as hotel property and grounds. Thank you in advance for your cooperation
• Winners Announced: 3:30 on stage

Here is a glance at what we will have going on for Charlotte Comicon:

Saturday December 10th–Unofficial Pre-show Event:

Charlotte Comicon Unofficial Mixer and Karaoke Party at Lucky Lou’s Tavern 5124 Park Rd. Charlotte. 9pm until… Come enjoy some of the best food in Charlotte, shoot some pool, darts, cornhole, enjoy the enclosed patio, and as always THE BEST karaoke in town courtesy of Chubby’s Karaoke and the infamous KJ TRY. This is a great way to meet up with your friends and plan your Comicon shopping adventures! Please Note: This is a 21< mixer.

Sunday December 11th–Charlotte Comicon 2016 Winter Show:

Comics and Toys in ONE ROOM: Open 10am-5pm New Venue! 21,000 square foot ballroom! Come meet all of our incredibly talented artists and writers, and our special guests! Shop some of the best deals you’ll find on comic books, collectibles, and toys!

Cosplay Stage now located in room off main hall: Open 10am-5pm

Costume Contest–Registration and Judging will be open on-site from 11am-1:30 sharp!

Group Cosplay Photos will be taken beginning at 1:45pm. at the Grand Staircase in the hotel lobby. After our photographer has taken the Group Photo, we welcome other photographers to set up mini-photo shoots with our cosplay guests (with their permission, of course). Feel free to take your photos indoors or outdoors, but please be mindful of your surroundings, keep the photos “clean”, and respect our host hotel and venue.

Prizes will be awarded at the Cosplay Stage at 3:30pm.

Panel Schedule on Main Stage:

11:00am: Official release of the first teaser trailer for HARLEen QUINzel.
Meet Cast members, Screenwriter and Director/producer.
Special appearance by “Street Justice Batman”.
Other special appearances to be announced.
Signed prints available for modest donations towards production costs.

12:15pm: “The Runaway Bride” A very special event you won’t want to miss!

12:45pm: Inauguration of the Mayor of Charlotte Comicon! There will be a final opportunity to “vote” for mayor. “Votes” are $1 each and all proceeds benefit the non-profit charity Red Circle Foundation to support the families of fallen and wounded heroes. Who will win? The Joker or the Penguin?

501st Carolina Garrison will be taking collections all day for Toys For Tots.

Details of auction will be posted ASAP

Note: Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the door, cash only. Please bring exact change where possible to help expedite the admission process. If you purchased a ticket via our website during our online pre-sale, you will need to go to the Will Call table adjacent to our ticket table. Be prepared to provide your name, email address and an ID to claim your tickets. There will be concessions available on site, cash only, provided by the venue. Parking is free. If you are taking photos at our show (amateur, cell phone, or professional) please be courteous, ask permission (especially where minors are concerned) and use our hashtag when sharing them on social media: #charlottecomicon

Thank you! See you at the show!

Vic Carrabotta will join us at our Winter Show December 11, 2016. Carrabotta is an American comic-book artist and advertising art director whose career stretches to the early 1950s. His comic book art includes much work for Marvel Comics’ 1950s forerunner, Atlas Comics.

Early life and career

Born either in the New York City suburb of Eastchester or in the Eastchester neighborhood of the borough The Bronx, Vic Carrabbotta attended Catholic elementary school, followed by Manhattan’s High School of Music & Art and the Cartoonists and Illustrators School (later named the School of Visual Arts). Drawing since grade school, Carrabotta as a teen became friendly with fledgling professional comic-book artist Jerry Grandenetti, who lived near Carrabotta’s home and taught him inking,^[1] the step in the comic-book process where the pencil artist’s work is embellished with ink for stylistic and print-reproduction reasons.

After serving in the United States Marine Corps from 1948 to 1951, where he performed with the Marine Band, Carrabotta worked in construction. Attempting to break into comic books, Carrabotta found himself turned away at several publishing houses, including by Stan Lee, editor-in-chief of Atlas Comics, the future Marvel. In a 2006 interview, Carrabotta credits industry legend Jack Kirby for his professional entrée, describing how Kirby turned him down for comics-studio work, but then upon finding Carrabotta’s pregnant wife in the lobby as he was seeing Carrobotta out, gave the struggling artist a break:

Jack was very nice. I was just a kid back then, only 21. As he walked me out, I said, “By the way, this is my wife, Connie.” Connie stands up and Jack does a double-take up and down because she’s pregnant…. He said, “Sit here a minute, I need to go back to my office.” He writes a note and seals it, and tells me to go back to Stan with the note. … [Upon doing so,] Stan said, “Jack says you’re a good artist.” I said, “Oh, I don’t know. Would you like to see my samples?” He says, “No, that’s OK. Jack says you’re a good artist. I’ll tell you what,” and he throws this script across the desk. He says, “I want this back in a week.”

That five-page story, “The House on the Hill” in Astonishing #13 (May 1952), led to a stream of regular work as a freelance penciler for Atlas Comics, with Carrabotta initially inking himself and later being inked by Jack Abel.

Atlas Comics

Drawing primarily for horror comics, Carrabotta did work for early issues of such Atlas anthologies as Adventures into Terror, Journey into Mystery (including issue #1), and Strange Tales prior to the imposition of the industry’s self-censorship Comics Code. He went on to do science-fiction/fantasy suspense stories for titles including Journey into Unknown Worlds, Marvel Tales, Mystic, Uncanny Tales, and others. Carrabotta was one of the few Atlas artists to regularly sign his work, aiding in compiling his bibliography.

After five years, Carrabotta and his wife moved from New York City to his wife’s hometown, Lone Star, South Carolina. Continuing to draw for Marvel long-distance, he expanded to such war comics as Battle, Battle Action, Battlefront, Battleground, and the aptly named War Comics; such Westerns as Apache Kid, Kid Colt: Outlaw, The Outlaw Kid, and Western Outlaws; the crime anthologies Caught and Police Action; the jungle title Jann of the Jungle; and the men’s adventure anthology Rugged Action.

Carrabotta also did a limited amount of work in the 1950s for Youthful Comics (Chilling Tales, Atomic Attack!), Fiction House (Planet Comics), and Lev Gleason Publications (The Amazing Adventures of Buster Crabbe, Black Diamond Western, fillers in Crime Does Not Pay and that company’s Daredevil).

Carrabotta’s last work before leaving comics in the wake of an industry downturn was a story in Gunsmoke Western #49 (Nov. 1958), though Carrobotta did return for a single Marvel comic during the period fans and historians call the Silver Age of comic books: the 17-page story “The Challenge of Cole Younger” in Two-Gun Kid #86 (March 1967), written by Gary Friedrich.

Marvel reprinted several Carrabotta stories in the 1970s, and one additional in the reprint-anthology miniseries Curse of the Weird #3 (Feb. 1994).

Later life and career

Upon leaving comics after a 1950s Atlas downturn, Carrabotta moved from South Carolina to Atlanta, Georgia, where he went to work for a printer, illustrating booklets. Segueing into advertising, he opened his own studio in Columbia, South Carolina, then returned to New York City, where he became senior art director at the Alden Advertising Agency. After being in and out of work, he briefly joined Mother Earth News Magazine in Henderson, North Carolina, before again returning to New York to be an art director at Reader’s Digest. From there he became an art director at the Atlanta office of the Manhattan advertising agency BBDO, specializing in storyboards.^[5] After winning an award for a Delta Air Lines project, he began freelancing as a storyboard and conceptual artist for several agencies, including Grey Advertising, McCann-Erickson, and Young & Rubicam, for accounts including Advil, AT&T, Coca-Cola, Jell-O, and Kenner Toys.

During the latter part of his advertising career, he and his family lived in Westport, Connecticut, but after remarrying, he and his new wife left the New York metropolitan area following the 9/11 terror attack of the World Trade Center and moved to Columbia, South Carolina. At some point afterward he spent three years in Los Angeles, California, where he worked on the Pirates Of The Caribbean movie posters.

**per wikipedia**