Comics / Comics News

Professionals Call for Boycott of Dragon*Con

By Philip Schweier
January 30, 2013 - 08:55

Horror author Nancy A. Collins and former Swamp Thing writer Stephen Bissette are among the geek culture professionals who have called for a boycott of Atlanta’s Dragon*Con. This stems from child molestation accusations aimed at Dragon*Con co-founder Ed Kramer.

Kramer, 51, helped establish the convention more than 25 years ago. Dragon*Con draws close to 50,000 attendees to the Atlanta convention each Labor Day weekend.

Though no longer directly associated with the convention, Kramer receives dividends from the event – more than $150,000 in 2011, according to Atlanta Magazine. This revenue has fueled Kramer’s legal battles, allowing him stay out of jail for more than a decade.

Bissette has urged writers, artists and film celebrities “to cut off the flow of money” to Kramer, “who has been using the 150K+ a year he receives each year from Dragon*Con to avoid trial and manipulate the justice system.”

After being charged in August 2000 for allegedly sexually abusing two teenage boys, a head injury combined with other health issues led to his release on $75,000. A few days later, he was arrested on second molestation charge but after claims of assault by a deputy, was placed under house arrest. Kramer was indicted again after a yet another violation but health issues led to multiple delays and modifications to the conditions of his bond.

Since then, Kramer has been able to file motion after motion to stall his criminal case for more than a decade. In September 2011, Kramer was arrested in Connecticut on a bond violation and spent more than a year fighting extradition to Georgia.

Collins writes, “No matter what Dragon*Con does or says, funds from the convention will continue to go to Edward Kramer until either he dies or the corporation that runs the convention dissolves and reincorporates under another name.”

Kramer has filed two lawsuits against co-founder Pat Henry and DragonCon/ACE Inc. Despite attempts to buy out Kramer’s stake in Dragon*Con, Collins feels convention organizers have failed to adequately sever ties with Kramer.

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12