L.A. Comic Con
L.A. Comic Con is a three-day multi-genre convention held annually in downtown Los Angeles, California. L.A. Comic Con is one of the largest independent conventions in the United States and encompasses several categories, including comic, horror, sci-fi, anime, gaming, and pop culture, with a particular focus on the local Los Angeles community.
| L.A. Comic Con | |
|---|---|
Former logo as Stan Lee's Comikaze | |
| Status | Active |
| Genre | Speculative fiction |
| Venue | Los Angeles Convention Center |
| Location(s) | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Country | United States |
| Inaugurated | November 5, 2011 (as Comikaze Expo) |
| Most recent | December 1, 2023 |
| Next event | October 4, 2024 |
| Attendance | 123,000 in 2019 |
| Website | www |
The convention was founded as Comikaze Expo in 2011 by Regina Carpinelli and her two younger brothers, fans of geek culture from Temecula, California. The convention went through several rebrandings – first to "Stan Lee's Comikaze Expo" and then "Stan Lee's LA Comic Con". L.A. Comic Con is also known as "LACC" and is often described as "A convention created by fans, for fans."
Originally founded as an event to showcase local Los Angeles talent, the first Comikaze Expo in 2011 primarily featured local artists, comic book publishers and dealers, and various celebrity appearances including horror icon Elvira. The convention has grown since then to include a wider variety of entertainment and popular cultures including fantasy, horror, comic books, manga, western animation, toys, and video games. The Con has grown in size every year, starting with 35,000 attendees in 2011 and expanding to over 123,000 attendees in 2019. The convention has drawn big names to match its big crowds, with celebrities like Elijah Wood, Ron Perlman, Gabriel Iglesias, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and Gerard Way attending in years' past.