Nickel City Comic Con wrapped up its 10th anniversary celebration on June 28 after another successful weekend at the Buffalo Convention Center, bringing together comic book creators, actors, artists, cosplayers, and thousands of pop culture fans. While the convention featured an impressive lineup spanning film, television, wrestling, and comics, voice acting once again played a major role in the event’s appeal.
Among the weekend’s standout guests was Neil Fanning, the actor best known for providing the voice of Scooby-Doo in the live-action Scooby-Doo films released in 2002 and 2004. Fanning spent the weekend meeting fans, signing autographs, posing for photos, and sharing stories about bringing one of animation’s most recognizable characters to life.
His appearance highlighted the growing importance of voice actors at comic conventions, where audiences increasingly seek opportunities to meet the performers behind some of their favorite animated and video game characters.
Neil Fanning Celebrated Scooby-Doo With Fans
For many attendees, meeting the voice behind Scooby-Doo was one of the weekend’s biggest attractions.
Fanning’s portrayal helped introduce the beloved Great Dane to a new generation when Warner Bros. adapted the long-running animated franchise into live-action films. Although audiences saw a computer-generated Scooby-Doo on screen, Fanning’s vocal performance gave the character his familiar personality, humor, and unmistakable speech that fans had loved for decades.
Throughout the convention, visitors stopped by his booth to discuss the films, collect autographs, and recreate one of animation’s most recognizable catchphrases. Local coverage ahead of the event highlighted the excitement surrounding his appearance, and by the end of the weekend, Fanning had become one of several voice actors drawing steady lines of animation fans.
Comic conventions have become an important part of many voice actors’ careers, allowing performers whose work is normally heard rather than seen to interact directly with audiences. For characters like Scooby-Doo, those conversations often span multiple generations, with parents introducing younger family members to the same characters they grew up watching.
The convention also provided fans with the opportunity to learn more about the recording process behind the live-action films, offering a reminder that memorable animated characters rely just as much on vocal performance as they do on visual effects and animation.
Voice Acting Was Well Represented Across the Weekend
Neil Fanning was far from the only familiar voice welcoming fans during Nickel City Comic Con’s anniversary celebration.
Veteran performer Rob Paulsen returned with a résumé that includes Yakko Warner in Animaniacs, Pinky in Pinky and the Brain, Raphael and later Donatello in various Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles projects, as well as hundreds of additional animation and video game roles. Few voice actors have influenced modern animation as extensively as Paulsen, making his appearance a major attraction for fans across multiple generations.
Joining him was Jim Cummings, whose iconic career includes Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Darkwing Duck, Pete, and countless other animated characters. Cummings remains one of the industry’s most recognizable voice actors, and convention appearances continue to give fans a rare opportunity to meet the performer behind many Disney and television classics.
The guest list also featured Barry Gordon, remembered by many fans as the original voice of Donatello in the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series, alongside Cam Clarke, whose extensive career spans animation, anime, and video games, including numerous Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Transformers projects.
Together, the lineup demonstrated how conventions increasingly celebrate voice actors alongside on-screen celebrities. While television and film performers remain popular attractions, animation fans often travel specifically to meet the voices that shaped their favorite childhood characters.
Nickel City Comic Con Celebrated Ten Years
This year’s convention carried additional significance as Nickel City Comic Con celebrated its 10th anniversary.
Over the course of the weekend, the Buffalo Convention Center welcomed celebrity guests, comic creators, vendors, cosplay competitions, artists, gaming attractions, and family-friendly activities that reflected how much the event has grown since its debut. The anniversary edition brought together longtime attendees and first-time visitors while continuing the convention’s tradition of highlighting a wide variety of entertainment genres.
Voice acting remained an important part of that identity. Whether visitors came to meet Neil Fanning, Rob Paulsen, Jim Cummings, Barry Gordon, Cam Clarke, or other performers, the convention offered opportunities to connect directly with the people responsible for bringing animated characters to life.
As another successful Nickel City Comic Con comes to a close, the weekend reinforced a trend seen at conventions across North America. Voice actors are no longer supporting attractions. They have become headline guests in their own right, drawing enthusiastic crowds eager to celebrate the performances behind some of entertainment’s most enduring characters.