Charlie’s TCG Event, hosted by veteran-owned Charlie’s Comic Con, will bring more than 60 vendors, a cosplay contest and food trucks to Tampa’s Egypt Shrine Center on Sept. 12. ORACLE PHOTO/AMARIS BAEZ

A veteran-owned Florida event company is bringing trading cards, collectibles, comics and other pop culture merchandise to Tampa in September, giving USF students an opportunity to connect with vendors, artists and other fans.

Charlie’s Comic Con, founded by Iraq War veteran Charles Nunez, will host “Charlie’s TCG Event” on Sept. 12 at the Egypt Shrine Center.

Nunez said the event will feature more than 60 vendor tables, a cosplay contest and food trucks.

He said the company began in 2023 after years of attending comic conventions and trade shows.
Although he had no previous experience promoting events, he decided to build a business around his interest in comics, trading cards and collectibles.

“I’ve always loved the culture — comic books, collectibles, trading cards, and everything that comes with it,” Nunez said.

Nunez joined the Air Force shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and he served in the Security Forces.

He was stationed at Edwards Air Force Base in California and deployed to Iraq in 2004 and Kuwait in 2005. After leaving the Air Force, he joined the Army and later served at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Nunez said his military experience taught him discipline, accountability and how to continue moving forward when faced with challenges.

“It was a lot of trial and error,” Nunez said. “I made plenty of mistakes along the way, but every time I made a mistake, I tried to learn from it, improve and keep moving forward.”

Since its first Comic Con event in January 2023, Nunez said the company has grown and become more structured.

One of the biggest challenges, he said, has been finding the right people to surround himself and the business with while maintaining communication.

Planning an event involves more than selecting a venue and filling tables with vendors, Nunez said.

He first looks at the event calendar to avoid competing shows in the same area. He also considers the venue’s accessibility, vendor load-in and load-out process, available square footage and the number of tables that can fit.

Nunez researches vendors to make sure their products fit the event, including trading cards, anime merchandise, comics, collectibles and other pop culture products.

“I’ve also built strong relationships with many of my vendors; a lot of them have done five or six shows with me, so there is trust there,” Nunez said. 

Promotion is another part of the process. Nunez said he works to make sure the company’s website appears properly in Google searches and submits events to online listings and calendars.

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For some USF students, local events centered around collectibles and pop culture provide a way to engage with interests they often follow online.

Anavut Synakorn, a sophomore studio arts major, has followed Pokémon since childhood and now collects Pokémon cards based on the artwork and characters they enjoy.

Pokémon is a popular Japanese media franchise that consists of video games, card games,  movies and television shows, according to its website.

“I mostly know a lot about K-pop and Pokémon, both having a large fanbase. I collect [cards of K-pop] groups I listen to, and for Pokémon, I collect cards for the artworks and Pokémon I really like,” Synakorn said. 

Synakorn said that as someone who has lived in the Tampa area for a long time, he has seen a strong and growing community surrounding pop culture and trading cards, but has seen the downside of the community as well.

“[With Tampa] being a big city, there are a lot of people who are into this culture,” he said. “But at the same time, there are always people who would ruin this for others or try to make a profit rather than actual love.”
Synakorn attended Metrocon in Tampa in 2024 with friends and said the group spent most of the day at the convention.

Metrocon is an anime convention based in Florida that typically happens over a three-day span between the months of July and August, where people can cosplay and attend themed activities, according to its website.

“I can go [and] support artists I know, and I can also go support new artists I have never heard of, or artists who are starting their business[es],” Synakorn said.

Synakorn said after hearing about Charlie’s TCG Event, he can see a lot of positive and fun things coming from it. 

“A lot of people really do not have this opportunity to attend these events, and it is important to build a safe place for people to express their interests and hobbies,” Synakorn said.

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Autumn Layton, a senior biomedical anthropology major, says that she has been into trading cards and pop culture since a young age, due to her sisters.

“I collect Pokémon cards, anime figures and manga, although it is a smaller collection due to how expensive some of this stuff can be,” Layton said.

Layton said she has been to four conventions so far, and each one has been an amazing experience. 

“I made a lot of friends and spent a lot of money on new figures and manga and even got to meet a voice actor I’ve been dying to meet, Jonah Scott,” Layton said.

Layton says that when she is looking for conventions to attend, she typically does research on when and where the conventions are happening. 

“I try to stay away from the ones that are in hotel lobbies and usually attend ones hosted in bigger areas,” Layton said. “Those have a lot more to offer and have larger groups of people to meet,” 

Layton said that one of the best parts about these events is meeting new people who share the same hobbies.

“I have met a lot of friends through these events,” Layton said. “[I] even have an art Instagram account to post my cosplaying moments from the [events], which also gets attraction because of these kinds of things,”

Layton said that it’s nice to make these sorts of connections and friendships because it lacks judgment and she feels free to share her passions with people who are similar to her. 

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Nunez also said Tampa has a large trading card and pop culture community, with collectors, vendors, shops and events throughout the area.

He also said conventions can introduce young people to entrepreneurship while giving fans and collectors opportunities to meet others, trade items and learn from one another.

“These events are important because they’re about more than just buying and selling collectibles,” Nunez said.

Nunez said the event is open to experienced collectors, casual fans, families, students and people who are simply curious about the hobby.

“You don’t have to be a serious collector or know everything about trading cards or comics to enjoy the event,” Nunez said.

For Synakorn, the event could also appeal to USF’s creative community, particularly students interested in art and visual media.

“I think USF students and especially the art department I am in would enjoy the visual aspect,” Synakorn said.

Nunez said the people he has met through his events have been the most rewarding part of building the company. Some have become friends, while others have helped the business grow.

He hopes to eventually turn Charlie’s Comic Con into a franchise and expand the company beyond Florida.

“I want to build something that lasts, continues bringing people together, and can eventually reach communities far beyond where we started,” Nunez said.