ComicsPRO, the comics retailers’ association, will hold a virtual Open House on October 5 and 6, 2023, that will include industry updates, information from publishers and others, and its 2023 industry awards. The event is free and open to all; registration and the full schedule are available on the ComicsPRO website.

The Open House will kick off with a ComicsPRO status report by President Jenn Haines, followed by the industry awards and a State of the Industry presentation by Kristen McLean of Circana BookScan. That will be followed by presentations by over 40 publishers and other vendors to the direct market, most between 5 and 15 minutes, spread out across the two days. There will also be a panel on “The Present and Future of Manga,” moderated by manga expert Deb Aoki, with participants from four manga publishers, on October 6.

The nominees for the 2023 ComicsPRO Industry Appreciation Awards are Jackie Estrada, Matthew Rosenberg, Skybound Entertainment, Adrian and Damian Wassel, and Jessica Wells. The ComicsPRO Industry Memorial Award Nominees for 2023 are John Romita Sr, Allen Spiegel, Don Thompson, Mel Thompson, and Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson. In addition, the Board is presenting a special “Unsung Hero Award” to the late retailer Miryam Ramos.