Whether you’re a convention veteran or nervously anticipating your first venture into nerdom, smaller gatherings like Northeast Comic Con (held from March 15 – 17 at the Regency Hotel in Boxborough), are the perfect place to see where the now booming business got its start.

NECC is one that hosts a small gathering of dedicated fans. Guests included Chris Rankin (Percy Weasley in the Harry Potterfranchise), Nicholas Brendon (Xander in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) and Gilbert Gottfried (the iconic voice behind Iago the Parrot in Disney’s “Aladdin”). In the Dealer’s Room, The Harry Potter-inspired store Oliver’s Wands and Wizarding Wares in Maynard hosted a vibrant booth, as well as a few indie comic book stores like One Stop Shop in Clinton. Author Sam Miserendino in the Artist’s Alley showcased his books “If You Give a Bunny a Beer” and “If You Give a Bear a Bong”; another room was dedicated entirely to handmade puppets from famous movies and TV shows of the 80s.

NECC is a one-man show put together by Gary Sohmers, a very enthusiastic brightly-clothed man with a razor-sharp eye for valuable memorabilia. Conventions are a lot more work than they seem (infamous failures like Tanacon and the infamous Dashcon are proof living proof) but Sohmers has years of experience as well as endless enthusiasm. I had the privilege of getting a moment to ask him a few questions about his innovative history in the world of convention and even planning (interview has been edited for clarity).

Q: What motivated you to create/run NECC in particular?  

Gary: As a dealer and appraiser of collectibles, back in the late 20th Century there was a missing element in the “show” circuit for an event that encompassed all forms of pop culture collectibles into one event.  My motivation was to buy and sell more records, toys, comics, and other fun stuff from my youth, and meet others who wanted to do the same.

Q: Do you attend or help run other conventions in the area?  

G: I’ve been told that I created the entire genre when I began producing the NorthEast Collectibles Extravaganza back in 1985, and when we brought Adam West in 1986, we were the first show to feature a Comic Book TV Star at a collectibles event. Adam West [most famous for playing the iconic Batman in the 60s on ABC] did his final convention appearance at one of my shows just prior to his death in 2017. In 1990, I produced the first “Lost In Space” cast reunion at the Collectibles Extravaganza at the Bayside Expo Center in Boston which drew over 10,000 attendees.

Q: Is this your full-time job or is it more of a hobby? What do you love about doing it?

G: I have many jobs … producing experiences is my passion, having produced over 1,000 concerts and over 250 consumer shows such as ComicCons. Having been dealing in pop culture collectibles for about 50 years and appearing for 13 seasons on the PBS TV program “Antiques Roadshow” as an expert in the field. I still appraise items for people for tax, insurance, knowledge and donation purposes, sell rare items for consignors through auctions and occasionally buy items or collections for resale. My love of producing and pop culture has given me the distinction of being known as “The King of Pop Culture,” anointed by radio talk show icon David Brudnoy because of my ability to appear on hundreds of hours of radio over the past 35 years doing my own “psychic appraisals” … no, I can’t see what you’re holding, but I can tell you what it is and what it’s worth from your description.  Oh yeah, I have a musical I wrote which I hope will hit Broadway someday soon currently in production called “Beasties: A Sci-Fi Rock Opera.”

Q: How have you seen comic conventions change since working on or attending your first convention?   

G: Of course, everything changes, and change can be good and bad.  The amount of “comic cons” these days is overwhelming and makes division of a consumers discretionary income between all these opportunities a challenge as the influx grows, with some being just hit and run profit productions in a hotel … many are very niche-specific or location-regional mini-events, and on the other side, the big city events are expensive and crowded … most people choose their events based on the celebrity guests or if their friends are going.  We produce a low-cost admission, high-value experience family event.  At the NorthEast ComicCons, we try to offer a lot of entertainment for the admission, including music and comedy shows, and leave a lot of money in consumers’ pockets to spend with vendors.  We only work to get celebrities who are nice people and charge a low enough fee to be reasonable for all fans. Plus, free parking.  

If you’re looking for an event that allows you a taste of a convention weekend without the massive price tag — or just want a chance to talk to one of the most interesting local faces in the convention and collectible circuit — Northeast Comic-Con is a great option. If you don’t enjoy large crowds but still want to get out and meet like-minded people, something like this is a great place to start. And if you’re sad that you missed it this year, don’t worry — NECC returns November 29 and promises, yet again, to be “guaranteed not boring.”