Not that long ago, the convention circuit would have been easing into hibernation around this time of year, with the former Mid-Ohio Comic Con -- held over a typically frigid Thanksgiving weekend in Columbus -- signaling the unofficial end of the season, leaving the remainder of the year to scattered one-day dealer shows.

However, nowadays once-sluggish October and November now boast pretty full schedules, and this weekend is no exception, with Detroit Fanfare in Dearborn, Michigan, Alamo City Comic Con in San Antonio, Texas, and Cola-Con in Columbia, South Carolina.

Described as "just bigger, better and more geared to the fans of all ages," the fourth annual Detroit Fanfare has expanded to take over the Adoba Hotel of Dearborn/Detroit (formerly the Hyatt Regency Dearborn). "There’s two full rooms of nothing but comics and the entire south end of the hotel’s dedicated to the periphery of the comics culture in what we call the Bizarre Bazaar," convention founder Dennis Barger Jr. tells the Press & Guide. "We’re keeping it separate but still within our convention. People who love the entire culture will have the whole first floor to enjoy and the comics purists will have the north end.”

This year's guest list includes Jeremy Bastian, Norm Breyfogle, Jeffrey Brown, Jamal Igle, Ben McCool, John Ostrander, Whilce Portacio, Eric Powell and Jeff Smith. Detroit Fanfare begins this evening and continues through Sunday.

Alamo City Comic Con, which kicked off just now, scored the cover of the alternative weekly the Current, which declares the inaugural event announces "to the world that San Antonio is ready for a higher form of nerd." The lineup is solid, particularly for the first year, with the likes of Rob Liefeld, Arthur Suydam, Marat Mychaels, Mark Texeira, Ale Garza, Angel Medina, Neal Adams, Herbe Trimpe and James O'Barr.

Cola-Con, meanwhile, mixes comics, hip hop and alternative culture with a lineup that includes Steve Epting and Ed Piskor. Details are, well, non-existent on the event's website, but you can find out more in The State.