Wizard Entertainment’s Gareb Shamus has acquired Toronto Comicon from Paradise Conventions.  This is the second regional show Shamus has picked up in recent months; he acquired Big Apple Conventions in April (see “Wizard CEO Acquires Big Apple Con”).  Paradise’s Peter Dixon will continue to be involved with the show. 

Paradise had run annual events as Toronto Comicon and Paradise Toronto Comicon until this year, when it announced that it would skip its annual show and resume its schedule in 2010.  Paradise said on its Website that the reason for the cancellation was the lack of availability at its venue on any weekend other than July 4th. 

Other Toronto comic conventions include Fan Expo Canada, an annual multi-media show held in August; Toronto ComiCON, smaller events also run by Hobbystar, the organizers of Fan Expo; and Toronto Comics Arts Festival, organized by the Beguiling’s Chris Butcher.  A Toronto ComiCON event was held in April, Toronto Comics Arts Festival was held in May. 

No show dates for the first Toronto Comicon under new management have been announced, but it is expected do debut in 2010.