At 24th Granite State Comicon, downtown’s role grows
Chris Proulx is already planning next year’s Granite State Comicon, even though this year’s doors haven’t opened yet.
“It’s a lot of work, and sometimes a lot of crazy coordinating,” Proulx, who opened Double Midnight Comics in 2003 and held the inaugural Granitecon that year as a one-room comic book show, said in a recent Zoom interview.
It’s grown into its 24th edition, happening in Manchester Sept. 18 through Sept. 20 at the DoubleTree Hotel and SNHU Arena. With next year marking the event’s 25th anniversary, Proulx is already promising “some big things.” This year’s edition leans into an idea that’s been building since the state’s biggest arena joined the fun three years ago.
“We’ve kind of been working on making Manchester the third venue,” Proulx said. “How do we keep the fun going while we can expand things?” The answer has been letting downtown businesses in on the action. What started with Diz’s throwing a themed night a few years back has grown into more after-hours programming than ever for the event.
There’s a comedy show at Harpoon Brewery (covered elsewhere in this edition), a drag night at Hop Knot, cartoon-themed karaoke at the Shaskeen and crafting at Make It Pop Studios. It’s capped by the new Dirty Shirley Pub Crawl, organized by Bookery and built around the buzzy Dungeon Crawler Carl franchise.
Organizers are also coordinating with the Amherst Street Arts Festival.
“We want our event to raise all ships,” Proulx said.
Growth brings logistical demands. As food trucks will line the hotel, organizers asked city officials about closing part of Pleasant Street. Police couldn’t shut the block down — “it’s one of the busiest times downtown,” Proulx was told — but accommodations were promised and will be a big help.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles remains an annual fixture.
Kevin Eastman, who created the comic with Peter Laird, is on a Saturday Mighty Mutanimals panel, after a Q&A with cast members from the 1990 film Kevin Clash (puppeteer for Master Splinter) and James Saito (Shredder). All weekend long in the gaming lounge, a new TMNT tabletop RPG is showcased.
Along with the half-shell heroes, there’s more homegrown talent in the spotlight this year.
Sci-fi streaming series Resonance, currently being produced at StudioLab in Derry, will debut its first 10 minutes at a panel that includes the all-local cast and crew in a Q&A. Proulx heard about the project through SNHU and urged director Rob Livie to attend GraniteCon.
“Show people what is being done here in New Hampshire,” he told him. “It’ll kind of blow your mind.”
For Livie, a television and digital media veteran who recently relocated to Manchester after he and his wife became empty nesters, it’s a dream project.
“Resonance is a story I’ve wanted to tell since I was a kid,” he wrote in an email. “An epic ’80s sci-fi adventure about five people from very different worlds who come to Earth hoping it holds the key to saving their own.”
Its central theme, he continued, “is this: ‘You are not my enemy.’” Another local effort is an indie animated series, Player vs. Trinity. A panel focuses on how the project developed from an idea to a YouTube premiere. It will offer insider guidance for anyone looking to make their own mark on the industry.
Celebrity panels this year include “Queen of the Nerds” Felicia Day and actor Lou Diamond Phillips, known for La Bamba and Young Guns. Photo ops and autographs can be booked at a price set by each guest’s team. While selfies are free, demand is intense. Last year, voice actor Roger Clark’s line grew so long that a queue system had to be built on the fly.
The weekend after GraniteCon, the national Local Comic Shop Day event happens, at Double Midnight and other locations, including Jetpack Comics in Rochester. The event, once modeled with a nod to Record Store Day and its exclusive releases, is shifting its identity toward community over collectibles, Proulx said.
“It’s more about how to get people in the shop for their first time and show off everything that we do.”
Granite State Comicon
When: Friday, Sept. 18, 3-8 p.m.; Saturday, Sept. 19, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, Sept. 20, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Where: Downtown Manchester, including DoubleTree by Hilton (700 Elm St.) and SNHU Arena (555 Elm St.)
Tickets: $21-$157 at granitecon.com
Featured photo: Granite State Comicon. Courtesy photo.