Convention season can bring out the best in fandom. It can also bring out the worst.
This summer, Dread the Hall H 2026 is ready to explore both sides of convention culture through a collection of horror and satire stories, and AIPT can exclusively reveal pages from one of its most delightfully absurd entries: “The Concluder.”
Written by Jordan Hart (Ripple Effects, Dread the Halls) and illustrated by Marianna Ignazzi (Catwoman, Self Help), “The Concluder” introduces a new champion dedicated to protecting convention attendees from some of fandom’s greatest villains: line jumpers, price gougers, giveaway hoarders, and anyone else determined to make a convention experience miserable.
According to the creators:
“Line jumpers. Price gougers. Free giveaway hoarders. Convention killjoys be warned! Patrolling the show floor this summer is the superpowered protector of all congoers — THE CONCLUDER! Written by Jordan Hart (Dread the Halls, Ripple Effects) and illustrated by Marianna Ignazzi (Catwoman, Self Help), “The Concluder” gives attendees, exhibitors, and staff the champion they deserve while bringing justice to those who would disgrace the con!”
While many of the stories in Dread the Hall H 2026 lean into horror, “The Concluder” takes a more superhero-inspired approach to convention chaos. The story imagines a world where the worst offenders on the show floor finally face consequences from a masked champion dedicated to protecting fans, exhibitors, and staff alike.
“If the Great Lakes can have their own Avengers, I figured comic convention attendees should have their own super-powered protector, too,” said writer Jordan Hart. “Exaggerating those rare moments of bad behavior on the show floor to instantly serve justice was so much fun.”
Artist Marianna Ignazzi embraced the convention setting as an opportunity to fill the pages with visual details that longtime attendees will appreciate.
“Working on ‘The Concluder’ was an incredible experience,” said Ignazzi. “I wanted every page to feel alive through expressive visuals. It was also so much fun to ‘wander’ through the comic con setting, slipping in little references here and there — on a backpack, a t-shirt, or a poster.”
That attention to detail makes the story feel like a love letter to convention culture, even as it pokes fun at some of the habits and frustrations familiar to anyone who’s spent a weekend navigating crowded aisles, long lines, and exclusive merchandise hunts.
The story appears in Dread the Hall H 2026, the latest installment of the annual convention-themed horror anthology from Hart and Syzygy Publishing founder Chris Ryall. Returning for another year of convention chaos, the oversized one-shot transforms familiar fan experiences into increasingly bizarre and terrifying scenarios.
This year’s edition features interconnected stories from Ryall, C.P. Wilson III, Tom Williams, Hart, Luana Vecchio, and Marianna Ignazzi. The anthology takes aim at everything from convention-exclusive collecting mania and celebrity culture to overnight camping, endless lines, and the strange rituals that emerge whenever thousands of passionate fans gather under one roof.
While many of the stories lean heavily into horror, “The Concluder” feels like a loving tribute to convention culture itself. Every attendee has encountered someone who cuts in line, hoards freebies, or flips exclusives for outrageous prices. Hart and Ignazzi simply imagine a world where those offenders finally have someone to answer to.
Hart said the anthology draws inspiration directly from real convention experiences while pushing them to outrageous extremes.
“Each Dread the Hall H story centers on familiar convention experiences—celebrity panels, show exclusives, overnight sidewalk camping, sleep deprivation—and pushes them to absurd levels of satire and horror,” Hart said. “From a superpowered protector of attendees called the CONcluder to a literal board game about standing in line for an exclusive, I haven’t had more fun making a comic book.”
Ryall added that convention season remains the perfect setting for the anthology’s blend of celebration and horror.
“It’s that special time of the year once again—convention season!—and on every page of Dread the Hall H, we once again celebrate all that makes convention culture both exhilarating and slightly terrifying,” Ryall said. “And as with every issue of Dread, we’ve got some special things planned that push the potential of this con-thology into exciting and unexpected directions.”
Beyond the anthology stories, Dread the Hall H 2026 also includes “Conland,” a convention-inspired board game illustrated by Chris Anderson, along with parody advertisements inspired by classic comic book promotions.
Fans of Ice Cream Man, The Department of Truth, and convention culture in general will find plenty to enjoy when Dread the Hall H 2026 arrives July 22 from Syzygy Publishing and Image Comics.
Check out our exclusive preview pages from “The Concluder” below.
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