“Bigger and better” is the mantra for planning the second annual St. Pete Comic Con on January 7-8, 2023, at the Coliseum. There are more celebrity guests and activities as well as additional auditorium space for contests and panels.

“We’re doing more of everything,” said Dewey Caruthers, St. Pete Comic Con organizer who also runs Anime St. Pete and Holiday Cosplay Tampa Bay. “More space, more celebrity guests, more panels, and more activities are all part of our plans for 2023,” he said. 

St. Pete Comic Con 2023 features three big-time anime voice actors, three nationally-known comic artists, and four high-profile guest cosplayers. In addition, panels will be held across the street at The Sunshine Center, which includes an auditorium for larger attended topics. “We listened to fans last year and expanded to include bigger and better rooms for panels and other programming,” he said.

And the convention features five contests with $1,500 in cash prizes. Like last year, there are two cosplay contests (Craftsmanship on Saturday and Runway on Sunday). And new competitions include a lip sync contest, and a Tiktok film festival.

Tickets are available for St. Pete Comic Con 2023, and early bird prices till October 1 are single day for $20, and weekend pass for $30.

more on the guests

Anime voice actors

  • Jacob Hopkins voices Gumball from the Amazing World of Gumball, and Fushi from to Your Eternity
  • Valeria Rodirguez voices Sucrose from Genshin Impact, and Parona from To Your Eternity
  • Chris Hackney who voices Illumi from Hunter x Hunter, and Dimitri from Fire Emblem: Three Houses.

Comic artists and authors

  • Mike Grell is a legendary comic artist widely known for Green Arrow The Longbow Hunters as well as for Green Lantern, Iron Man, and Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes.
  • Christopher Jones is best known for his work on Young Justice, Avengers Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, and Doctor Who.
  • Third comic artist announcement coming soon.

guest cosplayers

  • @Star_cos22, from Orlando, is known for intense makeup and cosplaying obscure characters, and in less than two years they has become wildly successful on TikTok.
  • @Dark.Lady.Cosplay, from Tampa, is a prolific World of Warcraft cosplayer, having brought more than 25 characters from the popular game to life.
  • @AmazonCosplayer, from Fort Lauderdale, is Florida’s tallest heroine cosplayer who stands at 6-feet 3-inches portraying characters like Wonder Woman and Red Sonja.
  • @SailorScoutsJax, from Jacksonville, is a popular cosplay group that spreads the Sailor Moon vibe throughout comic and anime conventions in Florida.

St. Pete Comic Con 2022 labeled a “super-success” by local news media

Learn more about why the St. Pete Catalyst called St. Pete Comic Con 2022 a “super-success,” one of many news articles about last year’s event. And for an in-depth view, check out Florida Cosplay Digital Magazine’s special edition on St. Pete Comic Con 2022.