Cleveland's Genghis Con Returns for its 15th Year Celebrating Comics, Art, Zines, Illustrators and Community

Exhibitors feature comics, zines, prints, shirts and more. Credit: Breanna Kulkin

Genghis Con Cleveland, the small press and independent comic convention that has grown from humble beginnings to one of the largest conventions of its kind in the Midwest, returns on Dec. 1 to the Pivot Art Center in Ohio City.

Showcasing more than 80 cartoonists, zinesters, printmakers, authors and illustrators, attendees will exhibit their work and talk about their creative processes.

Created in 2009, the annual event celebrates the independent print community thriving throughout the Greater Rust Belt region and beyond.

“We’re here to show people that being a comic artist doesn’t mean that you have to work for Marvel or DC to be successful,” says Sequoia Bostick, the team lead of the Genghis Con committee.

Outside of being an artist and part of the Genghis Con committee, Bostick – who graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Art – is also a community outreach manager. Bostick emphasized the importance of gaining a bigger audience within the city, leading to the partnership with the Community Arts Center.

“[Genghis Con is] just providing a space for people who are interested in comics and art to see what’s out there,” says Bostick. “A lot of the artists that we invite to these shows aren’t mainstream artists, so this is giving them an opportunity to show their work to the community.”

Leading up to Genghis Con – three Sundays before the awaited event – free workshops will take place. Free events are being offered in the leadup to the main event. This upcoming Sunday, Nov. 17, Bostick will be leading a class on how to create a one-page comic, and on Sunday, Nov. 24, attendees can learn how to make their own zine.

This year’s Genghis Con will feature two special guests – Shelly Bond, a comic book editor who’s known for her work with DC Comics’ Vertigo, and her husband Phillip Bond.

Genghis Con takes place on Dec. 1st at the Pivot Art Center from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Find more information about the annual event at their website: genghiscleveland.com.

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