Connecticut convention in New Haven

The Yale Daily News wrote about a convention held in New Haven, CT:

New Haven Comic and Collectible Spectacular descended again upon New Haven, organized by comic aficionado Tom Fiore at the Annex YMA Club bingo hall. Collectible vendors, visiting artists and professional comic collectors manned booths from wall to wall, selling posters, Funko Pops, eclectic mementos, vintage comic books and signed artwork.

“I’ve been doing shows since 1985 [and the New Haven] show for the past eight years,” said comic seller Jonathan Scungio over his bins of rare comics, some prices marked in the thousands.

The Spectacular began in 2006, shortly before the birth of Tom Fiore’s daughter, who helped behind the ticket booth at the entrance on Sunday. Fiore’s family wasn’t the only one present. Droves of parents and children milled between the booths of the Spectacular, poking through action figures and plush cartoon characters.

Fiore was inspired by comic book fairs he attended as a kid to create the Spectacular. The children weaving between the stands on Sunday reminded Fiore of the joy events like these brought him.

Beneath the unused bingo scoreboard and among rows of comic books from his childhood, Fiore remarked on the legacy of his passion for collecting comic books and the Spectacular.

“It’s liberating. I do hope that this catches on and people continue it. People have gone off and run their own shows that started by coming here and setting up,” said Fiore.

Well it's great to know children are attending this particular convention. But it's to be hoped the comics marketed at the convention actually are suitable for children, and don't emphasize LGBT propaganda like certain items today do. And when it comes to collecting, again, it should be for the reading value, not the monetary. If convention organizers would emphasize those points, they could make things a lot easier.