Great Eastern Conventions, Inc. was an entertainment company which produced comic book conventions, most actively during the years 1987-1996. In

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

, the Great Eastern shows filled the gap between the mid-1980s demise of the annual

Comic Art Convention The Comic Art Convention was an American comic book fan convention held annually New York City, New York, over Independence Day weekend from 1968 through 1983, except for 1977, when it was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and 1978 to 1979, ...

and Creation Conventions, and the establishment of promoter Michael Carbonaro's annual Big Apple Comic Con in 1996. From 1993–1995, Great Eastern hosted two New York City shows annually at the

Jacob K. Javits Convention Center The Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, commonly known as the Javits Center, is a large convention center on Eleventh Avenue between 34th Street and 38th Street in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, New York City. It was designed by architect James ...

. In addition to running shows in the Northeastern United States, Great Eastern also ran shows in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to t ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...

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, and

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. Great Eastern was founded in

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democrati ...

by New Jersey-based promoter Frederic Greenberg.Doten, Patti. "Comics convention a real draw," ''Boston Globe'' (21 Jan 1995), p. 23.

History

Greenberg, a comic book fan himself, began hosting conventions in 1977 after he discovered that there weren't regular shows in his area.Reuter, Nancy
"Comic Books Are Serious Business To The Devoted,"
''Philadelphia Inquirer'' (Feb. 15, 1987). From 1983–1987, Great Eastern hosted monthly conventions in

Mount Laurel, New Jersey Mount Laurel is a township in Burlington County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a suburb of Philadelphia and part of the South Jersey region. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 41,864, reflecting an increase of ...

, routinely drawing between 150 and 175 people. Originally based in Boonton, New Jersey, by 1989 the company had moved its offices to Ringoes, New Jersey. By 1990, Great Eastern was running one-day shows weekly throughout the Northeastern United States, as well as larger shows in cities likes San Francisco, Tampa, and Atlanta. Their June 1990 convention at the New York Penta Hotel was billed as "the biggest show of the year." Great Eastern hosted comic book conventions in

South Florida South Florida is the southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the other two are Central Florida and North Florida. South Florida is the southernmost part of ...

from 1990-1994. Venues included the Howard Johnson Hotel—

North Miami Beach North Miami Beach (commonly referred to as NMB) is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. Originally named "Fulford-by-the-Sea" in 1926 after Captain William H. Fulford of the U.S. Coast Guard, the city was renamed "North Miami Be ...

, the Marriott Hotel—

Coral Gables Coral Gables, officially City of Coral Gables, is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The city is located southwest of Downtown Miami. As of the 2020 U.S. census, it had a population of 49,248. Coral Gables is known globally as home to the U ...

, and the Marriott Hotel— Hialeah Gardens. Featured guests varied based on availability, such as

Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Publications which w ...

, Todd McFarlane,

George Pérez George Pérez (; June 9, 1954 – May 6, 2022) was an American comic book artist and writer, who worked primarily as a penciller. He came to prominence in the 1970s penciling ''Fantastic Four'' and '' The Avengers'' for Marvel Comics. In the 198 ...

, Rob Liefeld, Jim Starlin, John Beatty, Pat Broderick,

Martin Nodell Martin Nodell (November 15, 1915 – December 9, 2006) was an American cartoonist and commercial artist, best known as the creator of the Golden Age superhero Green Lantern. Some of his work appeared under the pen name Mart Dellon. Biography ...

, Joe Staton, Mike Zeck, Dick Giordano. Great Eastern pulled out of South Florida after 1994 as a result of after-effects from

Hurricane Andrew Hurricane Andrew was a very powerful and destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that struck the Bahamas, Florida, and Louisiana in August 1992. It is the most destructive hurricane to ever hit Florida in terms of structures damaged ...

's impact in August 1992. In 1992, Great Eastern Conventions partnered with '' Cerebus'' creator

Dave Sim Dave Sim (born 17 May 1956) is a Canadian cartoonist and publisher, best known for his comic book '' Cerebus'', his artistic experimentation, his advocacy of self-publishing and creators' rights, and his controversial political and philosophica ...

in promoting small conventions in over 20 U.S. locations, including Indiana, Oregon, Texas, as well as in South Florida. From 1993–1995, Great Eastern hosted two large-scale conventions annually at the

, which were dubbed "The New York Comic Book Spectacular." The February 1994 show was affected by a large winter storm which forced about one-fifth of the special guests to cancel their appearances. Great Eastern mounted a "Philadelphia Comic Book Spectacular" in October 1994; Greenberg was soon sued by David Greenhill, promoter of Philadelphia's Comicfest '93, for scheduling the Philadelphia Comic Book Spectacular the same weekend as Greenhill's planned Comicfest '94.Newswatch: Greenhill Sues Great Eastern and Wizard," ''The Comics Journal'' #172 (Nov. 1994), p. 40. Despite their large fan attendance and expansive venues, Great Eastern's large shows were criticized by many within the industry for pandering to dealers and spectacle. As frequent participant Evan Dorkin stated, "The New York shows are extremely unfriendly to both creators and fans. . . . There is limited programming, limited professional appearances at these shows." In March 1996, Greenberg, at a very late point, cancelled what had been advertised as a larger-than-usual Great Eastern show, scheduled to be held at the New York Coliseum on 59th St. & Columbus Circle."Newswatch: NYC Comics Convention Cancelled, Fans Irate," ''The Comics Journal'' #185 (Mar. 1996), pp. 18-19. As a substitute event, comic book retailer Michael Carbonaro and others on the spur of the moment mounted the first Big Apple Comic Con. Greenberg and Great Eastern Conventions disappeared from the fan convention circuit from that moment forward.

Publications

Greenberg also published two magazines which covered the comics industry, ''Comic Book Week'' (est. 1993) and ''Comic Talk''. In mid-1993 he had to cut down the frequency of both publications due to the slowdown in the industry."Newswatch: Comic Book Week on Hiatus," The Comics Journal #161 (Aug. 1993), pp. 27-28.

Dates and locations

References

{{reflist Entertainment companies of the United States Companies based in Hunterdon County, New Jersey 1977 establishments in New Jersey Defunct comics conventions Entertainment companies established in 1977 Conventions in New Jersey