Fans dress up as their favorite characters at the first Shanghai Comic Convention on May 17. Photos: CFP

Fans of comics and manga will be thrilled to learn that ReedPOP, the team behind New York Comic Con in the US, is preparing to bring a similar comic convention experience to Beijing. 

After successfully holding the first ReedPOP comic convention in Shanghai this May, the pop culture event producer began plans for a similar outing in China's capital next June. A second Shanghai Comic Convention (SHCC) is also scheduled for next November, the team announced Thursday afternoon in Beijing.

ReedPOP, a division of Reed Exhibitions, hosted its first convention in New York (known as New York Comic Con or NYCC) in 2006. Over the following nearly 10 years, NYCC has seen its audience out-grow that of San Diego Comic Con, while also expanding venues to places around the world such as France, Australia and India.

Featuring major names from the comics industry, exhibitions and interactive events, the 2015 SHCC offered fans opportunities to purchase comics, take place in cosplay competitions, showcase their own work and meet face-to-face with creators at panels.

According to the ReedPOP Beijing team, the first SHCC brought in 14,114 fans from Shanghai and other cities, a large percentage of which came from Beijing.

Although he hasn't attended any of China's comic conventions, Lance Fensterman, founder of NYCC and senior global vice president at ReedPOP, does see China Joy as "a great video game show."

"I've been to several editions of that and admire what they built. Seeing that event inspired us, because you can see the passion that fans have. Video game fans and pop culture fans are kind of the same," Fensterman said, adding that they have been to several different comic events in Asia and have noticed that while fans are different from place to place, they all have something in common.

"You see the same passion and you see the same desire to express their passion."

Viola Zhang, a female fan from Wuhan in Central China's Hubei Province, told the Global Times that she has been to the ComiCup in Shanghai and the Golden Age Expo in Beijing as well as SHCC.

"My biggest impression [of SHCC] was that it had a very good atmosphere. You never get tired of talking to people and the mood is always very happy," Zhang recalled.

"I think it was great that a host could create an environment like that. Though there were omissions and all kinds of unhappy mistakes, that's understandable."

The twenty-something had spent about 1,500 yuan ($235) on books and taking pictures with guests, proof that SHCC is more for adults than kids. Her satisfaction with the experience has left Zhang looking forward to attending again. Like many fans, she hopes to see some Star Wars related content next time.

"We don't know what Lucasfilm will decide to do but obviously we have a very good working relationship with them. So we hope to see some very exciting content from Star Wars at the upcoming comic cons," Mary Franklin, ReedPOP senior event director, said, admitting that she is also a fan of Star Wars.

Comparing ReedPOP comic conventions with similar events in China, Fensterman said: "We are a very global organization and that allows us to have diverse content and diverse guests. We are also part of a very professional organization, Reed Exhibitions. Our events are very high quality, very well organized, well-funded and what sets us apart is the quality of the experience we offer."