Wizard CEO Gareb Shamus, in an interview on a Comic Geek Speak podcast, said Monday that there will be no Wizard World show in Atlanta in 2006.  ICv2 first reported the show a couple of weeks ago (see 'Wizard World Atlanta 2006'), which brought a response from Shelton Drum of Heroes Aren't Hard to Find (see 'Shelton Drum of Heroes Aren't Hard to Find on 06 Convention Dates'), who was upset over the conflict with the dates of his annual convention in Charlotte.  This caused a firestorm on fan site message boards, with some creators saying they would choose Heroes Con over Wizard World (see 'Shelton Drum of Heroes Con on Response to 06 Convention Dates'). 

 

With the choice to delay the start of an Atlanta Wizard World until at least 2007, presumably with dates that do not intersect with Drum's show, Shamus avoids a conflict with a long-running show in the region, but more importantly keeps the good will of creators, exhibitors, and fans with whom Wizard wants good relationships on numerous levels.  This move also removes the conflict with the Origins game show and Anime Expo, which are also planned for the weekend originally announced for Wizard World Atlanta 2006.