It’s getting to be that time of year again when there are the big conventions being held. There are a ton of conventions that happen all around the US and the world that range from just the small town shop renting out a space in the local motel to the large ones that bring out A-list celebrities and hold thousands of people. Now that summer is pretty much here the conventions have started and it’s time to pick the ones to go to.

Now for me picking them is a pretty simple task, money. Do I have it and if so do I have enough to go to the one(s) I want to go to? So far it’s usually no to both of those questions. It’s almost like Christmas, I have the money months before it arrives, after it’s over, and I try to save it; yet for some reason when it gets here I don’t have it. That is, I don’t have the money to go to the big ones with all the celebrities, artists, and writers. I do however try to go to some of the smaller ones that happen here in my city each year to get my fix in and with that being said I want to give a little list of some of the conventions that I know about that’s happening. I’ll start with one that is already going on this weekend so for those who read this in time (today May 29, 2010 and May 30, 2010) that live in or around Pigeon Forge TN you might could make it there.

First up is Adventure Con. This year it’s being held at the Pigeon Forge Convention Center in Pigeon Forge, TN instead of at Knoxville, TN. Price to get in is $17.60 for a day pass or $26.85 for a weekend pass (not sure how they came up with the cents on the prices of it this year but to me it’s kind of odd to have it at .60 and .85). Now I don’t know how busy it will be this year but I do have a friend that’s there right now and he says it’s been steady all day. He also said it’s been a good year for it and the people there have been pretty cool. At the convention there are such celebrities James Best (Rosco P. Coltrain from Dukes of Hazzard), Billy Dee Williams (Lando from Star Wars), and many others. There are also a bunch of comic artists and writers that will be attending like, Gary Friedrich (creator of Ghost Rider), Marv Wolfman, and well a bunch more. This convention is a fun one to go to, and I speak from experience because I’ve been to it a bunch of times. There’s always someone there that I want to get an autograph from and there is always tons of comics and toys that I want to buy. Though be warned the autographs are usually not free from the celebrities and prices range anywhere from $10 to up to $45 (though I only saw the $45 once and it was for Adam West (who will be at another convention that I will list little down on here) but for the most part the rates are around the $25 to $35). One of the reasons I like going to these smaller conventions is because they  don’t get as many people to them so finding some of the harder to find and rare items are a little easier and have less people to fight for, as well as being kind of cheap. One example is a Star Wars figure that my friend has been wanting to get from the Clone Wars cartoon that was a special figure that you had to buy 5 other figures and then pay for to get it. He found this figure at Adventure Con and was able to get it at a fraction of the cost it would have taken to do the whole mail away for it. I would rank Adventure Con between a B- to an A- depending on what guests are there and the prices they charge for autographs.
http://www.adventurecon.com/guests.php

Next up is ConCarolinas, which happens in Charlotte, NC June 4-6 2010. Prices are: $35 at-the-door: $40, kids 12 and under in free with paying adult. This convention is an all around con that has sci fi fantasy to comic’s attractions and items. There will be a costume contest, zombie walk, Klingon karaoke, and a lot more of activities going on.  It’s a lot of fun with all the workshops, cosplay people, and most importantly the free autographs. That’s right this one actually has some guests that will sign for free. It’s worth checking out if you live close to the Charlotte area.
http://www.concarolinas.org/

While you’re in the Charlotte area going to see the ConCarolinas, you might want to check out the Queen Cities own decent sized convention, Heroes Con.  Heroes Con happens on June 4-6 as well in the city of Charlotte, NC and will have a ton of guests there, way too many for me to list. It’s a big one for the southeast side of the US and it’s a lot of fun to go to. Tickets are $15 for a day and $30 for the weekend. There will be guest that do autographs for free but most will charge, though it’s not much. I know I went to it one year to see Rosario Dawson and get her autograph, which I only had to play $10 for but she signed 4 different things and even got on top of the table to take a photo with me. So Heroes Con is a blast to go to and is another worth checking out.
http://www.heroesonline.com/heroescon/tickets/

Now for the big one, the Wizard World Philadelphia Comic Con. This one happens in Philadelphia, PA on June 11-13, 2010. This one is the big one with the really big name stars like Bruce Campbell, Patrick Stewart, and a whole slew of guests. I won’t get into ticket pricing because there is way too many different ways you can go, like a Bruce Campbell VIP package that gets you exclusive Bruce Campbell stuff, and there are others like it. Though I did see in the Wizard magazine if you get a subscription to the magazine you will get a free ticket, so that might be worth checking out if you like the mag.
http://www.wizardworld.com/home-pa.html

Well, that’s it for the convention news front, thought I would at least bring up some about the comic cons happening before it was too late.