ComicArtFans.com Announces National Launch of Indie Comics Creator Con (IC3)

Collectors Network Holdings, PBC, a Public Benefit Corporation that owns ComicArtFans.com (CAF), the global hub for everything related to original art from comic books and other narrative or visual storytelling art, announced today the launch of Indie Comics Creator Con (IC3) as a national platform of interconnected in-person, co-promoted, and virtual conventions.

IC3 will be an affordable, dynamic, reliable, and inclusive environment that brings together independent comic book creators, publishers, art collectors, and fans to celebrate and support unique and diverse creators in comics. IC3 is launching nationally with five annual shows in place and many more in development and expects to announce up to six more IC3 shows by the end of 2026.

IC3’s core tenets, mission, current shows, future development, and national partners may all be found on the new www.IC3.art website. Make sure to sign up to the IC3 newsletter to receive updates.

“This is a big day for all of us at CAF, as we love indie comics and conventions and believe that CAF is uniquely positioned to play an important role as an advocate for indie creators,” said Kasra Ghanbari, CEO of CAF. “Our website, features, tools, mobile app, art collector base, global professional network, YouTube channels, and promotional capabilities will all be actively brought to indie creators and publishers in order to materially support their creations through multiple new discovery channels, increased art sales, creator rights protection, and our national circuit of well-produced and attended indie comic book conventions. We want to thank our outstanding group of national partners for joining us from the start and contributing to making the American indie comic book scene thrive for many years to come.”

As part of its national launch, IC3 has added a new show in Jacksonville, Florida, on July 11, 2026, under a co-promotion partnership with First Coast Comic Con (FC3). FC3 is northeast Florida’s premier comic-centric event for creators, collectors, and fans. The combined IC3/FC3 show will be at the brand-new Jacksonville Fairgrounds Expo Hall and will enjoy 40,000 square feet of floor space with over 100 artists and 100 exhibitors with greater than 4,000 people expected to attend. Information on the show and ticket sales will be posted soon.

IC3 has now also been added to the Original Art Expo (OAX) show in Orlando, Florida. OAX is the premier narrative art-focused event in the world that exclusively showcases original comic book, illustration, collector card, comic strip, game, animation, and other visual storytelling art. IC3@OAX26 will focus on showcasing established and legendary independent comic book creators, as well as up-and-coming indie talent. More information on IC3@OAX26 attending artists may be found on the OAX site HERE, where you can filter the overall attending artist list by IC3@OAX artists.

Our annual IC3@New Haven show, which enjoyed two years at Southern Connecticut State University, has now been moved to Providence, Rhode Island and will be held at the Teamworks Warwick indoor soccer facility. IC3@Providence has been scheduled for September 26, 2026.

IC3 has also put in place national partnerships and co-promotion agreements with some of the best and most innovative people in the comics industry. Collectively, they cover creator, intellectual property, and product protection; multiple types of artist representation groups; community-based comic convention promotion; novel and curated indie comic book distribution; and grass-roots indie publishing. More information for each on the www.IC3.art site.

The Artist Bullpen is a creator-forward agency founded by two best friends, Zack Rosenberg and Sam York. They bring over 15 years of experience in talent representation and creative development, driven by a deep passion for visual storytelling and supporting good people. The agency’s mission is to champion and elevate creators—from established professionals to emerging indie talent—by curating a diverse spectrum of illustrators and artists, including Jesse Lonergan, Tommy Lee Edwards, Vanesa Del Rey, and Keyla Valerio. Their goal is to provide the support necessary for artists to advance the medium and achieve success in areas such as convention sales and online presence, ensuring creators are always uplifted.

Athenaeum Comic Art is a boutique art representation group dedicated to showcasing acclaimed and emerging voices in the independent and literary comics scene. Founded to bridge the gap between creators and collectors, it specializes in original comic art sales, offering fans and institutions access to unique pieces from award-winning graphic novels and influential works.

Cosmic Lion Productions, created by Eli Schwab, is an independent publishing company, Art rep, and idea house. CLP has published over 50 books since it started a little more than 5 years ago and shows no signs of stopping any time soon. Championing creators from all over the globe, CLP finds individuals with singularly creative ideas and brings them to the comic-loving reader. With Sci-fi action (Space Knights) and all ages horror (Frankie: Boy Monster) to Spi-Fi Action-Adventure anthologies (G.H.O.S.T. Agents) and an all-new Manga line, CLP continues to prove its tag line true, “Comix of every kind for every mind.”

Creative Contract Consulting (C3) is run by Gamal Hennessy, Esq. who is an author, attorney, and business consultant specializing in the comic book industry. He began his career as the general counsel for the anime company Central Park Media before moving to Marvel Comics to become their International Publishing Manager. After Marvel, he set up C3 to help independent creators and publishers protect their rights and revenue. Gamal is the author of The Business of Independent Comic Book Publishing, The Business of Freelance Comic Book Publishing, and the podcast The Business of Comics.

First Coast Comic Con brings fandoms to life by uniting the North Florida and surrounding communities in a welcoming, family-friendly celebration of comics, creativity, and pop culture. Our mission is to inspire imagination, support literacy, champion the craft of comic creation, and provide an immersive destination where fans, artists, and collectors can connect, discover, and share their passion.

POWER PULP is a creator-first comics collective reimagining how independent books reach the shelves. Acting as a curated distributor—not a publisher—we connect self-published creators with comic shops through a smarter, more equitable model. Each title remains fully creator-owned. We may look like a publisher, but we’re something else entirely—a collective force built to uplift original voices and bring boundary-pushing work to a wider audience. This is comics without compromise. Accessible. Independent. Unapologetically fun.

TDArt is a professional art representative and dealer with 25 years of experience in the comic book and art industry.  TDArt represents amazing artists from around the world who work on a wide variety of projects from superhero to fantasy art. TDArt’s mission is to share the importance of art in our lives and to foster a mutually beneficial experience between the artist and the collector. We believe art collecting is for any budget and is a great way for collectors to build wealth in a unique way that allows it to be enjoyed every single day.

Between the CAF website, deCAF mobile app on Apple’s App Store/Google Play, twice annual CAL virtual convention, CAF+ YouTube channel, and our OAX and IC3 show platforms, CAF has in place the central 24/7 hub, networking tools, educational materials, and events to assist and enable everyone from the first-time art collector and early career artist to the most seasoned art collector, art dealer, and professional published artist.