We’re getting ready for the ITHACON #48, and it’s looking to be another fun one. ITHACON is the nation’s 2nd longest running comic convention—right after San Diego Comic-Con—and it’s unique in many ways:

• It’s still a fan convention. The go-to phrase has always been that it’s “run by fans for fans”. None of the organizers are in it to turn a profit.
• Nobody ever told ITHACON that it’s not one of the big shows. Somehow, baked into the DNA, is a directive to run this event with the professionalism, customer service and grand vision of one of the large comic conventions. If you were to say ITHACON is like a major show, but without the crowds and parking fees, you wouldn’t be wrong.
• Topnotch guests come to ITHACON every year—and this year is no different. Many guests, like Louise & Walter Simonson and Roger Stern, have enjoyed their visits and return frequently. Recent returning friends/professionals include Mike Gold, Don Simpson and Dean Haspiel.
• New Guests for 2025 include:

• Don McGregor was celebrated in grand fashion last summer with a lifetime achievement Eisner and an Inkpot Award at SDCC. And this year, ITHACON’s got him!
• Matt Bors– This writer/artist/creator (also Eisner-winning comics editor and two time Pulitzer Prize Finalist in cartooning) is coming down from Canada to join us at ITHACON. As the current writer of the new Toxic Avenger and Justice Warriors comics, he’ll be part of the fun as he joins other AHOY stalwarts such as Tom Peyer, Frank Cammuso and publisher Hart Seely.
• Randy Elliot – I first loved his work when I discovered him as an inker at Valiant, but this talented artist has done so much since then. His current work as Scooby Doo comic is wonderfully fresh and nostalgic – somehow at the same time!

The full guest list is available here.

This show is supported by great publishers like Titan Books, AHOY Comics, Archie Comics, Waxing Gibbous, TwoMorrows Publishing, Dynamite Entertainment, and more. And that means that the first 250+ fans to order tickets online a gifted an awesomely overstuffed swag bag (valued at $40 to $90 retail). Order your tickets today here.

Want to learn more? A brilliant Ithaca College Student, Molly Heichel, penned this wonderful History of ITHACON for this year’s program book:

In 1976, armed with a $300 credit card limit and a dream, Bill Turner and the Comic Book Club of Ithaca organized the first ITHACON.

It wasn’t a grand affair, but it had heart and moxie. The team rented chairs and tables from Cornell University and setting up at Ithaca’s GIAC. They borrowed a van from a local electrician and personally transported everything for their one-day show. The inaugural convention showcased two guests from Marvel Comics, along with several local and regional guest artists. It also featured a film program, an amateur art contest, panel discussions and seminars, and, of course, the vendors’ room.

For the next 40 years, ITHACON’s venue changed multiple times, ranging from the Women’s Community Center to an office supply building. In 2014, the convention found a permanent home at Ithaca College under the leadership of a committee headed by Carmela Merlo and Professor Katharine Kittredge.

As the nation’s second-longest running comic convention, ITHACON is a show that has always punched above its weight, attracting an impressive list of professional guests over the years,. These guest included (but are not limited to) ; Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, Walter Simonson, Al Milgrom, Murphy Anderson, Al Williamson, Brett Blevins, Louise Simonson, Curt Swan, Michael Kaluta, Terry Austin, Jim Shooter, June Brigham, Tom Mandrake, Jan Duursema, Tom Lyle, John Byrne, Tom Peyer, Roger Stern, Steve Ellis, Jamal Igle, David Gerrold, J.G. Hertzler, Sid Friedfertig, Craig Yoe, Frank Cammuso, Hart Seeley, Mike Gold, Dean Haspiel, Don Simpson, Matt Bors, Stuart Moore, Don McGregor and so many more.

Along the way, the planning committee collaborated with the Ithaca College School of Business and Ed Catto to create ITHACON: Promotion and Managing Conventions. In this one-of-a kind course, students are offered a hands-on opportunity to understand conventions and trade show organizations.

The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 marked the first interruption in the long-running series of ITHACONS preventing ITHACON 45 from taking place as planned in March of that year. In 2021, the ITHACON Committee at Ithaca College devised a creative alternative by organizing an online convention, ITHACON at Home. In-person conventions resumed in 2022, when ITHACON 45 was belatedly held.

As a registered tax-exempt nonprofit organization, ITHACON takes pride in being a convention created by fans, for fans. ITHACON offers a robust line-up of comics professionals, authors, entrepreneurs, vendor and publishers

We are excited to host you at ITHACON 48 and make you a part of our history. Welcome to ITHACON 48!

Hope to see you, along with Pop Culture Squad-ers Mike Gold and Bob Harrison April 5th and 6th in Ithaca, NY.