Comics Professionals Reconsider US Convention Attendance
The comics world has been following the saga of R. E. Burke, a creator imprisoned by ICE for three weeks before finally being sent home to the UK this week. Burke had been travelling in the United States, staying with host families in return for performing domestic chores for them. When she tried to enter Canada, intending to travel there under a similar arrangement, she was told that this violated the terms of her tourist visa. After being turned away, she was detained by US authorities. It is suspected, but not yet confirmed, that this was because the hosting-for-chores arrangement was also deemed by ICE to violate the terms of her US visa.
Richard Bruton at Comicon.com notes possible implications for professionals travelling to North American conventions:
The problem: like Becky’s situation of staying with families for board and lodging for chores, what used to be generally ignored in the past looks like it won’t be in this new regime.
Because the standard format for visiting comic creators at a comics show is that they may appear and, as guests, get their accommodation provided by the show, possibly even flights.
Additionally, once they’re at the show, there’s the opportunity to sell their wares. This is obviously more likely with artists, who can sell commissions and sketches at shows to punters for cash. But both writers and artists can be involved in the selling of their books at shows. It could be that the publisher will sell them a number of copies and ship them to the show for the creators to sell. Or it may be that the creator will appear at the tables for the publisher and books will be sold in their presence.
And you can obviously see where this is going, can’t you? All of that is very much illegal on as a visiting alien on a tourist visa in the USA and Canada.
Bruton misidentifies ESTA as a visa. ESTA, the Electronic System for Travel Authorization, is just a computer system recording details of people travelling to the US under the Visa Waiver Program. The waiver applies to anyone travelling to the US for up to 90 days for tourism or business from a country which has made a reciprocal agreement with the US.
However, visitors should be doing things that would otherwise be allowed under the B-1 business visa or the B-2 tourism visa. Legitimate business includes attendance at “a scientific, educational, professional, or business convention or conference”, while tourism includes participation in “social events hosted by fraternal, social, or service organizations”.
The list of things not permitted on the B-1 and B-2 visas includes:
Employment
Paid performances, or any professional performance before a paying audience
Here things get murky. Is what a typical professional convention guest does business, or is it work? Bruton concludes that it may not matter:
The biggest problem with the business ESTA comes at border security, where the person dealing with you has absolute authority to allow you in or to deny entry or even detain you. And it’s their understanding of the rules and of what you’ve told them you’re doing that matters. It doesn’t matter what the US Embassy have told you, doesn’t matter if it’s meant to be legal on an ESTA, if they don’t understand that, if they think it’s not allowed, you could be in trouble.
What may make it matter even less are stories of people such as Fabian Schmidt, Rasha Alawieh, and Mahmoud Khalil, in custody or already deported despite having all their paperwork in order.
In Brief
The previously announced tentative bid to hold Smofcon in the Washington, DC area in 2026 will not go forward in any form, in-person or online. No other bids for 2026 have yet been spotted.
Midwest Gaming Classic (Milwaukee, Wisconsin, April 4-6) has added Carolina Ravassa, Erik Lawrence, Jonah Ray, Ahman Green, Reuben Langdon, Dan Southworth, Brian Hanford, and Faye Kingslee.
Anime Central (Rosemont, Illinois, May 16-18) has added Nicholas Roye, Mela Lee, Faye Mata, Chiu Yun, Osmond Pi Ting, Yu-Che Hsieh, and Jen-Jia Huang.
Trek Long Island (Hauppauge, New York, May 30-June 1) has added James Kerwin.
Origins Game Fair (Columbus, Ohio, June 18-22) has added Andrew E. C. Gaska.
Anime Festival Orlando (Orlando, Florida, June 20-22) has added Ricco Fajardo.
SunnyCon Anime Expo (St. James Park, UK, June 27-29) has added Lele.
Nickel City Comic Con (Buffalo, New York, June 27-29) has added Danny Trejo.
Florida Supercon (Miami Beach, Florida, July 18-20) has added Michelle Ang and Dee Bradley Baker.
ATL Comic Convention (Atlanta, Georgia, July 18-20) has added Lou Diamond Phillips and Ernie Hudson.
Terrificon (Uncasville, Connecticut, August 8-10) has added Tracy Wiles, Ethan Sacks, and Skottie Young.
MGSCon (Ontario, California, August 23) has added Neil Ross.
FanX Salt Lake (Salt Lake City, Utah, September 25-27) has added Thomas Lennon and Michael Rooker.
Event Calendar
Weekend of March 21-23
MidSouthCon 40, Olive Branch, Mississippi, USA
Geek/Art CONfluence, Syracuse, New York, USA
46th International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts, Orlando, Florida, USA
Wild Wild West Steampunk Convention 13, Tucson, Arizona, USA
World Steampunk Exposition, Lafayette, Louisiana, USA
Thaitails 2025: Gleaming Gala Night (anthropomorphic), Nonthaburi, Thailand
Furnal Equinox (anthropomorphic), Toronto, Ontario, Canada
GameStorm 25, Portland, Oregon, USA
WittCon XX: Steve vs. Sherman (gaming), Springfield, Ohio, USA
Gary Con XVII (gaming), Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, USA
NerdCon (gaming), Robinson, Illinois, USA
Braunschweig Spielt (gaming), Braunschweig, Germany
MidWinter ‘25 (gaming), Haugesund, Norway
COSCON XXXV (RPGs), Butler, Pennsylvania, USA
Ambercon US (diceless RPGs), Livonia, Michigan, USA
SIMCON 46 (boardgames), Rochester, New York, USA
Hotlead (miniatures gaming), Stratford, Ontario, Canada
Zenkaikon (anime), Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA
Anime Arizona, Glendale, Arizona, USA
Isekai Anime Con, Sandy, Utah, USA
Tora-Con 2025 (anime), Rochester, New York, USA
AnimeJapan 2025, Tokyo, Japan
ExpOtaku Almería 2025 (anime), Almería, Spain
SFW 16 (media), Great Yarmouth, UK
Cult Classic Convention (media), Bastrop, Texas, USA
Shoufu-Con (media), Lansing, Michigan, USA
Fan Expo Cleveland (media), Cleveland, Ohio, USA
CarrierCon 2025 (media), Alameda, California, USA
Colorado Anime Fest 2025, Denver, Colorado, USA
Salute to the Women of Sci-Fi (media), Burbank, California, USA
Weekend of March 28-30
AuthorCon 5 (books), Williamsburg, Virginia, USA
Tell-Tale Steampunk Festival, Pikesville, Maryland, USA
Motor City Furry Con: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Furry Con, Ypsilanti, Michigan, USA
Golden State Fur Con: Urban LA (anthropomorphic), Los Angeles, California, USA
Paradice (gaming), Worthing, UK
Circle DC (gaming), Washington, DC, USA
Great Plains Game Festival, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
Ludinord (gaming), Mons-En-Barœul, France
Alamo City Game Convention, San Antonio, Texas, USA
Tennessee Game Days Spring 2025, Franklin, Tennessee, USA
Scrum Con (wargaming), Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
Adepticon 2025 (wargaming), Schaumburg, Illinois, USA
GOBfest (boardgames), Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Charger Con (video games), Huntsville, Alabama, USA
LAN All Night Eleven (LAN gaming), Grapevine, Texas, USA
FreeCon 21 (anime), Tallahassee, Florida, USA
Anime Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Manga-Comic-Con, Leipzig, Germany
Nadeshicon (anime), Québec City, Québec, Canada
Anime Detour: Syndicates and Spies, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Triad Anime Convention, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
Anime New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
Karoshi-Con (anime), DeKalb, Illinois, USA
SwampCon 2025: Your Cup of Tea! (anime), Gainesville, Florida, USA
ZAPP! Con 6 (comics), Wayne, New Jersey, USA
Fluke 2025 (independent comics and zines), Athens, Georgia, USA
GalaxyCon Richmond (media), Richmond, Virginia, USA
ETSU-Con (media), Johnson City, Tennessee, USA
Island FanCon (media), Langford, British Columbia, Canada
Atlantic Entertainment Expo (media), Charlottetown, PEI, Canada
Sci-Fi on the Rock (media), St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada
PeoriaCon 2025 (media), Peoria, Illinois, USA
WonderCon 2025 (media), Anaheim, California, USA
Supanova 2025 – Melbourne (media), Ascot Vale, Australia
Power On Con (Captain Power), Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
Vampire Fan Weekend (Vampire Diaries), Allen, Texas, USA
Weekend of April 4-6
Roscon-2025, Moscow, Russia
Fandom Fest of Southwest Michigan, Benton Harbor, Michigan, USA
Windy City Pulp and Paper Convention, Lombard, Illinois, USA
FilKONtario (music), Markham, Ontario, Canada
13 Gears (steampunk), Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Furry Down Under 2025: Gods & Monsters (anthropomorphic), Surfers Paradise, Australia
Marmalade Dog 27 (gaming), Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA
FallsCon 25: Journey Into the Cosmos (gaming), Wichita Falls, Kansas, USA
Play (gaming), Bologna, Italy
Game On Expo, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
MEPACON (gaming), Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, USA
Roll Initiative Con (gaming), Ewijk, Netherlands
Gondreville est ludique (gaming), Gondreville, France
Festival Draconis 2025 (gaming), online
Long Island Tabletop Gaming Expo 2025, Garden City, New York, USA
FriendCon Spring 2025 (gaming), Portland, Maine, USA
Havoc XXXIX (miniatures gaming), Marlborough, Massachusetts, USA
Seven Hills: Generations (RPGs), Sheffield, UK
Midwest Gaming Classic (video games), Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
RetroCon Saar Level 14: Childhood Heroes (retro video games), Völklingen, Germany
OKiCon Tulsa (anime), Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
Ithacon 48 (comics), Ithaca, New York, USA
Romics (comics), Rome, Italy
Angers Geekfest #6 (media), Angers, France
FACTS (media), Ghent, Belgium
RodCon (media), Cedar Falls, Iowa, USA
SC Comicon, Greenville, South Carolina, USA
Hill Country Comicon, New Braunfels, Texas, USA
ASU NerdCon (media), Boone, North Carolina, USA
Fanfaire NYC (media), New York City, New York, USA
Philip K. Dick Film Festival, New York City, New York, USA
Armageddon Expo Christchurch (media), Christchurch, New Zealand
Awesome Con (media), Washington, DC, USA
Bedford Who Charity Con 10 (Doctor Who), Bedford, UK
Weekend of April 11-13
Fantaxia/Italcon 51 (Italian national sf convention), Genoa, Italy
LuxCon 2025 (Luxembourgish national sf con), Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
Virtual Can*Con, online
HAL-CON 2025, Kawasaki City, Japan
Fantasy-Con (fantasy), Vienna, Austria
Corflu 42 (fanzines), Newbury, UK
Jack Williamson Lectureship 2025: Worlds Beyond, Portales, New Mexico, USA
221B Con (Sherlock Holmes), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Woods Flock (anthropomorphic), Spencer, Tennessee, USA
Texas Furry Fiesta: Murder on the TFF Express (anthropomorphic), Dallas, Texas, USA
Furcationland 2025: Fuzzytown Fair (anthropomorphic), Portland, Maine, USA
UBCon XXXIV (gaming), Buffalo, New York, USA
HandyCon 16 (gaming), Milton Keynes, UK
Mayhem III: The Mayhem Revolution (gaming), Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA
Tabletop Utopia 3 (gaming), Hartford, Connecticut, USA
DayCon (gaming), Kettering, Ohio, USA
Ratinger Spieletage (gaming), Ratingen, Germany
Conpulsion 2025 (gaming), Edinburgh, UK
Keks-Con 8 (RPGs), Hannover, Germany
Chaosium Con USA (Chaosium games), Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
VGM Con: Dimensional Riff (videogames/music), Plymouth, Minnesota, USA
J-Tsoon6 (anime), Talinn, Estonia
Sekaicon (anime), Newark, Ohio, USA
Mang’Azur (anime), Toulon, France
Atlantic Entertainment Expo (media), Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
El Paso Comic Con, El Paso, Texas, USA
Comic-Con Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
Yellow City Comic Con, Amarillo, Texas, USA
Fangaea (media), Mission Valley, California, USA
Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Creation Boston (media), Boston, Massachusetts, USA
CyPhaCon 2025 (media), Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA
Supanova 2025 – Gold Coast (media), Broadbeach, Australia
PortmeiriCon (The Prisoner), Portmeirion, UK
Dairycon 2025 (Transformers), Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, USA
Mid-week convention: Olamot, Tel Aviv, Israel
Weekend of April 18-20
Reconnect (UK national sf convention), Belfast, UK
Minicon 58, Bloomington, Minnesota, USA
Norwescon 47: Through the Cosmic Telescope, SeaTac, Washington, USA
ConStellation 13: So Say We All, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
Pawske Party (anthropomorphic), Oslo, Norway
Las Vegas Fur Con 2025: Ad Vegastra, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Fauntastic: Lati's Mewstery Dungeon (anthropomorphic), Lyon, France
CODCON XXVIII: Pieces of Twenty-Eight (gaming), Glen Ellyn, Illinois, USA
Fastaval (gaming), Hobro, Denmark
GothCon (gaming), Göteborg, Sweden
Who’s Yer Con (gaming), Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
EyeCon 2025 (gaming), North Ryde, Australia
Jeu au Boute (boardgames), Chertsey, Québec, Canada
TAGCON (boardgames), Pasco, Washington, USA
Nashville Tabletop Day 2025 (boardgames), Nashville, Tennessee, USA
Conquest 2025 (RPGs), Melbourne, Australia
EyeCon 2025 (RPGs), North Ryde, Australia
CoMo Retro Con (retro video games), Columbia, Missouri, USA
WeebCon (anime), Irving, Texas, USA
MTAC Another World! (anime), Nashville, Tennessee, USA
Kanpai!Con (anime), Omaha, Nebraska, USA
KokoroCon (anime), Nottingham, UK
The AniMeet, Lusaka, Zambia
Anime Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Comic- und Manga-Convention Münster, Münster, Germany
Mobile Bay Anime Festival, Daphne, Alabama, USA
Sakura-Con 2025 (anime), Seattle, Washington, USA
ExpOtaku Vitoria-Gasteiz 2025 (anime), Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
Middle East Film & Comic Con, Abu Dhabi, UAE
My-Con (media), Orlando, Florida, USA
Armageddon Expo Wellington (media), Wellington, New Zealand
Puerto Rico Comic Con, San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA
Ratha Con (media), Athens, Ohio, USA
Sci-Fi Scarborough (media), Scarborough, UK
Wicked Comic Con, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
German Film Comic Con, Dortmund, Germany
HorrorCon Germany (horror media), Rust, Germany
Star Wars Celebration Japan, Chiba, Japan
BABSCon 2025 (My Little Pony), Burlingame, California, USA
Event Calendar
“Spreadsheets of empire” (The Guardian, hat tip: lsanderson)
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