• by Karl Greenberg , October 9, 2009

The nexus of comics, animated films, entertainment, digital gaming, cross promotions and licensing around comics has become -- well -- ginormous, thanks to films like "Batman," "Spiderman," "Superman," "Blade" and "X-Men," as well as "Hell Boy," "Sin City" and "300."

Wizard Entertainment, a company that ties the various properties together around its publications, Web properties and a series of national conventions called Comic-Con, is coming to New York for three days starting next Friday. Gareb Shamus, CEO and founder of Wizard, says the Big Apple Comic-Con event will bring some 55,000 consumers and dozens of entertainment, toy, CPG and you-name-it brands under one roof on Pier 55. Still not impressed? William Shatner will be there, too.

Shamus tells Marketing Daily that Comic Con started 40 years ago as small events in San Diego and Chicago. Wizard bought the Chicago show 15 years ago, and has been able to grow that from 5,000 to 70,000 attendees in a four-day event. Now, Wizard runs five of the events that bring in some 250,000 people to Toronto, Philadelphia, Chicago, Anaheim, Calif., and New York.

He says that among 700 vendors, Disney, Lego, Hasbro and Wild Planet will be on hand to show new products. "From the toy perspective, the fourth quarter is especially important," he says. "For companies to display their products to fans -- let them see them in a fun, family, cool environment -- is critical."

Hasbro will have a contest dangling a chance to get scanned and "become" an action figure. Lego will show new products, but also picked up a Disney license and will show some of the fruits of that partnership. "The show is where companies offer a first look at products that aren't ready yet," he says.

The Wild Planet Toy Store will show Crayola's Crayon Town toys, Skeleflex Creature Construction set and Spy Gear toys. Shamus says Disney will show toys from the upcoming film "The Princess and the Frog," among other products.

The fan demographic of Comic Con fans has grown beyond its 18- to-34-year-old core. "Now it's growing because as guys are getting older, they are not giving up enjoying these characters they enjoyed as kids -- whether video games, toys or comics -- and as they age they are getting their kids involved, so we are seeing older guys bringing their kids," he says.

He adds that because Comic Con has also become a convention where celebrities sit on panels, sign autographs, demonstrate products and the like, it has brought more women than it had in the past. The New York event will include actors from SyFy's "Battlestar Galactica," and "Stargate" and the recent Warner "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra." Ray Park, who played Snake Eyes in the Paramount film, will play the role at the show as part of a promotion for the new Electronic Arts video game "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra."

Shamus says several studios will use the event to screen forthcoming movies. For example, Warner will screen "Trick R Treat" to promote its BluRay DVD release.