Borgs and Jokers and Furries, oh my! Chris King is living up to the spirit of the iconic Superheroes that he promotes every month with his local charity based COMIC-CON-PLUS which many people have been showing their geek off at. Its Jacksonville’s version of the BI-MON-SCI-FI-CON and has been fairly successful at its attempt in proving there is a market for a stable con scene in Jacksonville. One factor in the success of COMIC-CON-PLUS has been corralling vendors that offer what many fans have been missing out on at comic conventions of late … COMICS! The other factor, it all goes to benefit his non-profit organization that is focused on assisting the homeless.
Few have tried valiantly to put Jacksonville on the Con map, but even with a bursting marketing budget and top dollar celebrities most have not outlasted their first initial success to carry on in any tradition. But his started small and offered a die-hard fan base a rare outlet to build on along with the support from practically every comic shop in town. Yet, in the midst of this relative triumph, our hero faces a dilemma with the costs of such a production zapping his powers and hindering the forward momentum of his cause.
So, our intrepid hero has taken the Con on the move and is searching for a new not-so-secret headquarters. I talked to Chris to find out its future.
What inspired you to create Comic-Con-Plus?
"I am an artist, and I also needed some type of fund raiser for my non-profit for the homeless, so I combined my two talents of art/comics and the non-profit."
When was your first Comic-Con-Plus?
"June/July of 2009."
Give us a brief description of what the Comic-Con-Plus experience is like.
"We have a wide selection of dealers/vendors that sell anything and everything from 50¢ comics to expensive rare comics. Also action figures and every kind of toy, memorabilia and collectible. We giveaway dozens of prizes in raffles. When you pay for admission you get a ticket, and the ticket is used for the raffles. We give out passes to places like Dave & Busters, Adventure Landing and food from CiCi’s pizza and SONIC. We have free shaved ice and cotton candy for the little kids and offer hot dogs and sodas for sale."
Comic-Con-Plus is hosted by The Least of My Brethren, a nonprofit organization focused on assisting the homeless, which is also your project, correct? Tell me more about that and what does it do to help the homeless?
"The way my non-profit operates is; we wander the streets of Jacksonville and surrounding areas looking for people sleeping under bridges, in back alleys, and in doorways and give them food, a change of clothes and other things such as soap and toiletries. We also support many local shelters by finding and donating food and clothes."
The costs at the hotel your Con was being held at was cutting too deep into the expenses, so you're moving it. What is the plan?
"The hotel was putting me in the red every time. We will be at the Glynlea Grace Methodist Church for 2 more shows at the most, we need to find a place where we can have it on Sundays, since most of our best customers can only come on Sundays, its their only day off during the week!"
When are the next shows?
"January 27th, 3pm to 8pm at UNF in the Student Union Building ROOM 3806 and February 6th, 10am to 3pm at the Glynlea Grace Methodist Church.
Is there a cover charge and how much?
"$5 entry."
Is there an age limit?
"No age limit."
To keep up with dates and locations or reserve a vendor table for Comic-Con-Plus, or discover more about the Least of My Brethren mission visit http://comicconplus.webs.com/
