You're listening to Later with Moe Kelly on demand from KFI AM six forty Wimmo Kelly.
Monk A six.
We're live everywhere on YouTube and the iHeartRadio app at Instagram. Comic Con Revolution returns this weekend May seventeenth and eighteenth at the Ontario Convention Center with amazing guest appearances and cast reunions, legendary comic book creators, iconic voice actors, world class photo ops at a curated mix of vendors and exhibitors. There's nothing quite like Comic Con Revolution, and tickets for the eighth annual Comic Con Revolution are on sale now.
You can go to Comic Conrevolution dot com. But joining me in studio right now is the founder and creator of Comic Con Revolution, Drew Selden. We welcome him back to the show. Tell us about this Inland Empire's largest comic and pop culture event ever.
Absolutely well again, it is great to be back. This is truly one of my favorite things about coming back.
Year after year.
You and I get to sit down for about an hour, hang out, talk comics, talk pop culture.
It's just fantastic and it's always new.
When I say it's always new It feels like we haven't talked about it before, but in talking about it, I think it's always good to remind people Comic Con Revolution serves a specific audience, no pun intended, but we're talking about the Inland Empire where people historically customarily may not have thought about that being a gathering point.
Yeah.
Absolutely, which is also one of the reasons that Comic Con Revolution was born in the England Empire. We were looking eight years ago for a spot to do a show, and you know, we had to find a location that was under serviced. We had to find a location that had a building. We had to find a location that had lots of people. We also had to then find a weekend that worked no other regional cons. It all magically came together this weekend before Memorial Day at the
Ontario Convention Center in the Inland Empire. And you know, this started as a one day show in twenty seventeen. We had a few thousand people show up. Now we're in year eight. The whole building is going to be jam packed. There's going to be, you know, tens of thousands of people there. It's going to be just a tremendous tremendous weekend. You told some of the story, you
didn't tell all the stories. We've talked many times over the year, but I remember talking about the impact of the pandemic on comic cob Revolution and how, quite frankly, you might not have made it to year eight.
Yeah, it was.
It was definitely touch and go, I mean with everybody, especially in the events bass. We came out here in March. I mean we were actually in the air when the whole world shut down on March twelfth or whatever it was of twenty twenty. I fell asleep. My partner's waken me up, screaming at me, dude, dude, We're gonna be stuck in California forever. The world is shutting down.
Sports is over.
They canceled the NTAA storming. This literally all happened while we were in the air and having no idea, I said, how long can this last? We're going to have the show in May? What are you guys kidding me? Obviously
we did not. We buckled down, we contracted, we made every move we could to make sure we were still going to exist, and then in December of twenty one, we were the first show back anywhere to have a post pandemic comic con, and people were so excited and just chomping at the bit to be back, to be out, to be doing the thing again.
I know there are people who are listening and that now people who are watching by YouTube and Instagram who've never been to any con, any convention. How would you explain to them the joy, the allure, the experience. So the experience is the way we do.
It is a family friendly comic con convention, pop culture event. We keep it as non risque as possible. We tell our cause players, which are the people who dress up. I think before you dress up. We do want everyone to feel comfortable when they're walking around the floor. We offer kids twelve and under free admission with a paid adult ticket, So again we understand what's going on in the world and that these little things can help a lot. But if you've never been to a comic convention, why
come to this one. Well, we have a tremendous guest list, which is being spearheaded by a small villcast reunion.
I mean you super yeah, yeah, yeah.
I told you we were going to do better than last year, and I had to deliver. Tom Welling is coming. You can't have a small Ville union. We have Superman, all right, Erica Durance, Lois Lane is coming, Michael Rosenbaum, the Evil Lex Luthor, Jonathan Kent, John Schneider. Uh, They're all coming out. They're going to be hosting a panel, they're going to be doing photo ops, they're going to be sign and autographs. And for me, this is a personal one because I was a huge fan of the show.
When you have one Superman, you can't not have another. Brandon Routh is also coming, So in addition to Tom being there, if you're a Superman, yeah, if you're a big Superman guy, you can meet both of them, take a photo op with both of them.
So that's top level stuff.
You know. If you are an avid comic collector, we're going to have Mark Bagley's going to be there, Chris Pacala is going to be there. Ron Limmy is going to be there. You know, you kind of name it. If you have never been to a con before, why come to this. It's a great fun pop culture event. Maybe you're a video game fan. We've got Nolan North, who was Nathan Drake and Uncharted. Everyone's heard of Halo.
You've got master Chief. Steve Downs would be there, his AI companion in All the Games, Cortana Jen Taylor is going to be there. If that doesn't float your boat, maybe you're a big wrestling fan. Booker t is going to be there. What mc foley's going to be there, Mickey James is going to be there. Soray is going to be there. So these are all w W e Icon's legends. Hall it Ernie Hudson's going to be there, three hundred film and television credits.
The guy just Ghostbusters. Yeah, listen, he was, but he was in so much more. I've seen some stuff will turn you white.
We have if you're just a cartoon person, an anime person. We've got the cast reunion of Teen Titans and Teen Titans Go h Phineas and ferb is coming back. So we had Perry the Platypus last year, de Bradley Baker. This year, we're bringing the boys in, Vincent and David.
And you can see this on our YouTube cyblecast. Right now we're scrolling all the guests, which are who are going to be at Comic Com Revolution.
Yeah, I saw Rachel Lee Cook's going to be there.
Oh boy, Rachel and Tower are going to be doing a little Josie and the Pussycats kind of reunion, which you'll be fun, you know. So like I said, there's all that aspects of it. And then we have programming throughout the whole weekend, and yeah, you can hear the celebs talk about the shows they were on. Or if you are into cosplaying, you know how to cosplay, how to make your costumes better, how to do this if
you want. If you're an artist and you want to learn how to get your books looked at or how to get your portfolio, there's going to be stuff about that. We have a big cosplay contest on Saturday night for all the adults, and we have one on Sunday afternoon just for the kids, so you know, everyone's not you know, competing for one prize, the big grand prize. This year, in addition to our Championship Belt which we give out
every year. Uh, we partnered with I Fly and we're going to give it away the flying experiences, so it kind of you know, addresses a superhero, become a superhero, learn how to fly. We have Starcars coming, so if you know you want to see Kit or the general Lee or the ECDO one. They're all going to be parked outside, which are characters in and of themselves. Absolutely, I'm iconic vehicles. I mean the generally is certainly an
iconic vehicle. Kit bumblebee again, all of it. If you really just want to come there and not do any of that, we're gonna have a ton of food trucks.
So just come and eat. That sounds good enough sometimes.
Yeah, So, like I said, it's it's really it's got something for everybody. And I know that's such an overused cliche statement, but it really does. And if you're a novice and you've never been to one, it's it's not gonna be overwhelming. It's gonna be enough of an intimate setting and enough room for you to not feel like this is ridiculous. I don't know what I'm doing here. You can just walk around people watch and explore. If you need to get your books graded, we're gonna have
SWAU there authenticating. We're gonna have CGC. You're gonna be able to get your book CGC graded and sent them out if you want. You know, we have high end comic dealers. We've got uh Funko pop dealers. We've got toy dealers, a huge artists. Dolly, there's just so much to do.
I hate to jump in there because we've gotten everyone all riled up now and I said, we're gonna be giving away some passes.
Do you want to give it some now or some later?
Or do none now and all later.
Listen, it's you, It's yours. The name of the show is Later with Mo Kelly. You tell me you're good. Let's do some now. How many pairs you want to give away?
Right now? It's up to you.
By Let's give away three pairs?
Three pairs? Okay?
Ok?
Let's say call her five six and seven if you'd like to go to Comic Con Revolution this weekend May seventeenth May eighteenth at the Ontario Convention Center. Call he number five six and seven. The passes are yours for you and a guest.
Is that correct?
Absolutely?
Caller five six and seven.
You and a guest will be going to Comic Con Revolution this weekend May seventeenth and eighteenth at the Ontario Convention Center. We'll have more with Drew Selden and more about Comic Con Revolution in just a moment.
You're listening to Later with Mo Kelly on demand from KFI AM six forty.
It's later with Mo Kelly. We're talking about Comic Con Revolution, which is this weekend May seventeenth and eighteenth at the Ontario Con Center. And if you want to get tickets, you don't have to wait for us. You can go to Comic Conrevolution dot com right now. But while you're doing that, you can also listen to me and Drew Selden as we talk about Comic Con Revolution, and Drew, I just let you kind of go there because you
can tell us about it better than anyone. And I did want to get in a way, but I'm quite sure you see all ages. Some people have this perception of cons It's only for thirty five year old geeks and nerds who have no life. It's not a family event. And I want to disabuse, disabuse people of that notion. Oh definitely, we listen. I'm here.
My daughter's in the room with me, so I am your daughter's grown up in this studio. She has actually she just graduated college, so congratulations to her.
Yes she did. I remember if she was yay hi to a GRASSHOPPERA that was last year.
But she's but no, it so again, and my partners were, we're all family men, and it's an important aspect. Being able to do stuff with your kids. If you know the world allows for it and you know it's something you can do, is amazing. We like to put on a show that again, is not just for the hardcore comic collector. It's for anyone who wants to come out and experience something either new or something that they love.
And if you can bring your kids for free if they're twelve and under, it listen, if you if you buy an adult ticket, you can bring your kids twelve and under for free, so it makes it more affordable and and spend the money on the show floor, you know, get them that superhero T shirt they want, Get them you know that pop figure that they want, Let them have an autograph with somebody or a photo op. I mean that that's amazing. You know, those are core memories.
That's the kind of stuff that you know you want to take with you when you leave there.
So it's it's again.
But if you are a hardcore, we've got plenty of stuff there that's going to keep you busy as well, whether it's the comic artist getting your book signed, whether you've got stuff that you need to get a praise and you know, sell buy.
Uh.
If you've never been to one again, it's it's a it could be a great first time to experience it because you're going to get everything a big con has to offer at a more intimate setting.
How has it, and this is a semi personal question, how has Comic Con Revolution impacted your relationship with your daughter?
I think I know, but I want to hear from you.
Well, I turned her into a geek, so I apologize for that, but she she has far surpassed me in so many ways, whether it's gaming or her knowledge of stuff. And to be honest with you, I I often bounced guest ideas off of her because she definitely has her finger on the pulse of things. So it's it's a it's something we share a love for all aspects of it.
And again I asked her and I brought some of her friends out as well to work last year, because again they're they're they're the future of the business, my customer base, of the whole thing, so it's great to get real feedback.
I love this success story. That's my phraseology because it wasn't supposed to be. If you looked at it from thirty thousand feet up, as the cliche goes, you would think, okay, well, it's not Memorial Day weekend, so it's not a high traffic weekend. It's not in San Diego or La, it's not in the big city per se. There's nothing to where a person could point to and say that's going to survive or that's going to be successful. Then you
throw in the pandemic. Everything was working against you on paper. So that's why I'm so appreciative of this success story. Looking back, though, is there anything you would do differently?
Well, the whole reason that my partners Mike James and I started Comic Con Revolution was because we did want to do something differently. We all met working for other people, putting on their cons, and you know, everybody who works for somebody always says, well, you know, if I was doing it and I was in charge, I would do this. That's why I'm doing radio No exactly right, And that's
really where the ideas them from. There were so many things that we wanted to do our way, and whether they were right or wrong, they were our way, and we've refined them over the last you know, eight years because some of them, unfortunately were not the right way. But but you you know, you live and learn, and Comic Con Revolution is a love letter to the industry, to pop culture, to the creators, to the artists, to the storytellers because of how much joy they bring to everybody.
So that's that's, that's part of what the whole show is about.
Comic Con Revolution is this weekend May seventeenth and eighteenth at the Ontario Convention Center in the Ie. You want your tickets, got to get them right now for the eighth annual Comic Con Revolution. Go to comic conrevolution dot com. Buy an adult prize ticket, get a free ticket for children under the age of twelve. I don't know if you'd be able to beat that deal anywhere. We'll have more,
but you sell it in just a moment. It's Later with mo Kelly kfi AM six forty Live everywhere in the iHeartRadio app, YouTube, and Instagram.
You're listening to Later with mo kel on demand from KFI AM six forty.
It's Later with mo Kelly KIM six forty.
We're live everywhere in the iHeartRadio app, YouTube, and Instagram. At mister Mokelly on YouTube and Instagram if you want
to see the show right now. In the middle of a conversation with Drew Seldon, as we talk about Comic Con Revolution, which is coming to the Ontario Convention Center this weekend the seventeenth and eighteenth, we went over the amazing guest appearances which are scheduled cast reunions, talking about the small villecast reunion, which I think might be at the top of everyone's list, and Drew, I don't know if there's anyone who enjoys what he does more than you,
with the exception to me, I think I got the best job in the world.
You might be a close second.
Well, thank you, But as I always tell everybody, we certainly don't do this for the money because with you know, most passion things, there isn't any We love this and it's a way to bring what we love to everybody else who loves it as well. You know, the first part of the word fanatic is fan and bringing them out to get to meet somebody who idolize their work
that you love their TV show. You know, you think I invested you get in a series that runs for ten years or a series that runs for four years, or a movie that you just can't stop watching on whether it's Netflix or you know, streaming whatever streaming service, and the idea that you get to have that moment where you get to tell them and they look at you and they smile and they thank you for being
a fan, because they all do it. I mean they this the people who come to these shows, the celebrities, the talent, the artists, the voice actors, the you know, the movie stars, the TV stars. They come because think about being able to meet people who appreciate you and what you did for them. You know, again, it was a TV show ran for however long, so like I said, it's a special moment and to be able to help facilitate that is awesome.
But when you talk about a TV show, you're talking about something or somebody who was allowed into your home. You spent time with, even though it might have only been in one direction. You spent time with the person. You might have been going through a breakup, but that was your comfort food, watching that show or watching that movie over and over again, and they become like family members in a certain way.
As weird as it may sound.
No, it's one hundred percent, or maybe you're cheering for your favorite wrestler like Booker t. Yes, you know, you never know, but yes, the idea of that is something. And maybe a certain episode got you through a rough patch, like you were saying, you know, your dog was sick that day, and you watched your show and it gave you a laugh, and it gave you that escape for the hour. Again, that's not something that you can take lightly, because we all need.
It and it stays with us for life, as evidence by the continuous connection we have with these shows, these actors, these memories. I mean, we all love nostalgia, but it's not just anything that is in our past.
It's specific things which touch us in a certain way.
Definitely, and and even this is why also we do family stuff, and there's just a full on spectrum of there's stuff for mom, there's stuff for dad. There's stuff for little Joey and little Susie and and the whole thing.
So again, whether it's the cartoon that your kids watched incessantly over and over again while they were growing up and now they still take it with them, or again, your favorite show or a comic book you read back in you know, the early two thousands that the yes, well you and I go back, but not everybody goes that about but you know, and you're gonna get to meet the person who wrote it and say to them, Hey, I read this book so many times and for this reason,
it's stuck with me. And like, there's a Marve Wolfman is going to be there. And Marv Wolfman worked on a storyline that read did the DC Universe when when the Infinite Crisis stories and he was part of a book and the cover sticks with me today. And this cover was done in the eighties and it's Superman holding a dead Supergirl with all the heroes in the background from all across the multiverse, and it's something that it's such an iconic image to me, and it's forty years old,
but whenever I see it, it takes me back. It makes me think, I pause, I look at it for a second, and like I said, it's just things like that happen at these shows, and there's so many elements to it.
One more time before we let you go. How can people get their tickets? Where can they get their tickets? And what is the advantage of maybe buying an adult ticket? Sure, so comic conrevolution dot com. Get your tickets, You can look at all the programming, you could set your weekend schedule. You can order autographs in advance, you can arrange your photo ops in advance. You can also do all of that on site of the advance in advance. You can also do all of that on site at the show.
If you do buy an adult ticket again, as we mentioned, you get twelve and under children in for free. What else is on there?
All the information related to everything that's going on that weekend, whether it's signing up for the cosplay contest because you want to strut your stuff across the stage, or if you just want to go and watch. You know you're you're looking to again, set your full on schedule. I want to make sure I hit the Smallville panel. My kids want to make sure they hit the Phineas and Third panel. We also want That's kind of important.
Because you will lose stuff, get lost in the in the calendar, and you may miss some stuff.
Right, and you don't want to and again you don't want to say to yourself, oh, I can't believe we were walking the floor and we missed this panel. So look at it. It's all there everything's on Comic Conrevolution dot com. You can map out your entire weekend of fun.
Too, Selden.
I know that you've impressed some people in this studio, which we're trying to make sure that she gets there this weekend, and I know that you have changed people's plans for this weekend. They're going to make sure that they are at Comic Con Revolution, which is this weekend May seventeenth and eighteenth at the Ontario Convention Center in the heart of the Ie the Inland Empire Truth. Thank you for always coming through and thank you for what you do.
Thank you for having me. You know I love coming out. We're gonna do it again next You're right, I can't wait.
You're listening to Later with Moe Kelly on demand from KFI AM six forty