A customer shops at Packrat Comics, located in Hilliard at 3872 Lattimer St. Packrat Comics is set to host a Comic Con kickoff party at noon on Sept. 20.
Credit: Kim Dailey / Lantern reporter
The friendly neighborhood comic shops are celebrating in their own way for this weekend’s Wizard World Ohio Comic Convention.
Local comic stores are holding events and deals in celebration of the Wizard World Ohio Comic Con coming to Columbus this weekend.
Packrat Comics in Hilliard, located at 3872 Lattimer St., is hosting a kickoff party for the convention Friday at noon. Packrat Comics’ owner Teresa Colegrove said there will be a cookout, a costume contest and art contest.
“We’ve got several of the artists attending the show joining us for some food, fun and an opportunity to meet their fans without the table between them,” she said. “It’s not a place for autographs or sketches, just a casual environment to kick off the fun weekend.”
There will also be a room set aside in Packrat Comics Friday through Sunday where people can buy comics starting at 50 cents and discounted toys.
Colegrove said Packrat has hosted a kickoff party since the convention was called the Mid-Ohio Comic Con.
“After people spend the day traveling, it’s become a nice spot for people to meet before the show starts,” Colegrove said.
Other stores will be celebrating as well.
Heroes and Games on permanently located on the first floor of the convention center is set to host a Magic: The Gathering prerelease event, debuting the “Theros” card set on Saturday at midnight and again at noon.
Cory Simms, store manager at Heroes and Games, said since the store, located at 400 N. High St., is a Magic: The Gathering tournament store, they are able to have prereleases of card sets.
“We’re expecting probably about 10 to 15, 20 people at the midnight prerelease,” Simm said. “We’ll probably have a lot more at the noon prerelease.”
Simms said in order to play at the noon event, attendees must have a ticket to the convention, but the midnight prerelease event is open to the public.
Heroes and Games is also scheduled to hold a text-to-win contest, where participants can text a word to a phone number that enters them in to win a prize. Simms said the prize has yet to be determined.
Jeff Stang, store manager of the Laughing Ogre at 4258 N. High St., about three miles north of OSU’s campus, said the store is slated to have a 20 percent off discount sale starting Saturday, and adding 10 percent off to each week from this weekend until Nov. 1.
Ryan Seymore, owner of Comic Town at 1249 Morse Road, nearly eight miles from OSU’s campus, said the store is set to have a 20 percent off discount on any back issues and trade paperback comics this weekend.
“We are also sponsoring (comic book) artist Sean Forney in the artist ally at the con,” Seymore said.
The Wizard World Ohio Comic Con starts Friday at 3 p.m. at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Tickets for the event can be purchased through the events website or on site at the convention center. Tickets prices for the convention vary per day.
