Taking on any Comic Con isn’t for the faint of heart, even for the seasoned con attendee. It takes a lot of preparation, and most importantly money, if you want to do it right. I learn the hard way every time.
I consider myself reasonably seasoned, yet I found myself wondering how the L.A. Comic Con experience would be different than others. I’m pleased to report that it’s both familiar and unique.
The Los Angeles Convention Center, host of L.A. Comic-Con, provides plenty of real estate to pull of the massive enterprise, nearly ¾ of a million square feet in fact, so bring your walking legs. With 125 thousand attendees over three days, many cosplaying any character you can imagine, there’s never a dull moment.
My jam is the exhibit hall. I make it a point to walk up and down each and every isle looking for the unique and a bargain, especially 80’s action figures. It’s sensory overload, so much to see and explore and I did manage to find a few Star Wars figures for a great deal.
L.A. Comic Con, inaugurated in 2011 originally as Comikaze Expo, offered some pretty fun new experiences for me. In addition to the welcome standard vender fare of toys, LARP/D&D props and costumes, comic books and comic book artists, those afflicted with sweet tooth could get their sugar fix with micro-brewed chocolates, taffy and licorice. If that doesn’t give you enough of an energy boost, you could chase it down with micro-brewed root beer stands.
As for activities, this year mechanical bull riding booths were offered!
If adrenaline rushes aren’t your thing, you could have yourself made into an action figure with one of two 3D scanning booths, a new and cool convention trend.
However, my favorite was the BBQ sauce and seasoning rub booth with their free samples.
Annoyingly, it was clear a certain Southern California car dealer was a major sponsor of this year’s event taking up a fair amount of floor space. Gotta keep the ticket prices down, I guess. I put on my perception filter and blocked them out of my consciousness.
Speaking of ticket prices, if you could afford it, L.A. Comic Con offered the VIP experience. VIP passes allowed early access to the exhibit floor, special seating for the big panels and priority dibs for autographs and photo ops.
This year, one of L.A. Comic Con’s main focuses was the Star Wars franchise. That might explain why every other booth was a lightsaber vendor. I’m not kidding. Almost every isle had at least one lightsaber vendor. Not that I’m complaining because each and every vendor offered unique and quality products, a vast majority custom designs for your personalized Jedi alter-ego. If I didn’t already have a high-quality custom saber myself, I would have been more than tempted to bring one home.
Because of the L.A.Convention Center’s layout, it’s exhibit hall is spread over two halls on opposite ends of the complex. This year it was divided into themes. In the South Hall you’ll find your sci-fi, fantasy and anime themes, whereas the West Hall offers Horror and Gaming. Walking between the two is a bit of a trek that reminded me of my collage days walking across campus to get to class. That said, you can peruse both halls in less than a day leaving time to attend panels, do photo ops and/or get autographs.
What makes L.A. Comic Con accessible is that its main panel events are held in the South Hall where anyone and everyone can attend in the standing room only area. No more standing in lines for hours, hoping the meeting room doesn’t fill to capacity while waiting.
With its Star Wars theme, we were treated to mostly Star Wars actors in the South Hall.
Featured this year were the delightful Rosario Dawson who played Ahsoka Tano in Ahsoka, cast members from The Mandalorian; Giancarlo Esposito, Ming-Na Wen, Emily Swallow and Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, (Moff Gideon, Fennec Shand, The Armor and Captain Teva, respectively) and Obi-Wan Kenobi himself, Ewan McGregor.
I hope Ewan heard me when he gave a shout out to his uncle Denis Lawson who played Rebel Pilot Wedge Antilles in the original trilogy and his excellent 1983 film Local Hero. I was the only one in the audience of well over a thousand who gave loud cheer, especially because I had just bought the Criterion collection the week before. A couple of folks gave me a look.
Back to the Future was another main focus. Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson and Tom Willson were there to represent. Their panel, however, was not in the South Hall and the experience was certainly more limited. I was lucky to get into the room and was so glad I did. It was a thrill to hear the cast talk about their experience making the beloved trilogy.
Not one attendee left the Back to the Future panel either. A magical moment for all.
For those keeping score, The Addams Family had a bit of a presence as well with Christopher Lloyd pulling double duty for his portrayal of Uncle Fester. Christina Ricci, Jimmy Workman, and Carel Struycken, (Wednesday Addams, Pugsley Addams and Lurch respectively,) also made appearances for autographs and photo ops.
Smaller panels offered more intimate experiences. Even though popular franchises like Doctor Who and Star Wars Rebels weren’t represented by anyone involved with their respective shows, they were represented by well versed fans and very fun, nevertheless.
L.A. Comic Con also offered panels to indie groups and I was thrilled when the Star Wars fan film I’m involved with, Star Wars Stories; The Civil War, was given one of those coveted panel slots.
While I did not partake in any autographs or photo ops myself, I did make some time to wait in line for a brief chat with Pink Power Ranger Amy Jo Johnson. One of my very first jobs in the entertainment industry was working on Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers. Amy and I shared a unique experience one day during filming, a story I tell fondly to this day.
To Amy’s left was Back to the Future’s Lea Thompson and Tom Wilson. Lorraine and Biff. When I arrived, neither were there but they had plenty of folks waiting for them. When they did arrive, both walked up and down the lines shaking hands and thanking everyone for waiting for them. Class acts all the way. And let me tell you, Tom Wilson really knows how to work a room.
Amy Jo Johnson herself hadn’t changed. She was a delight to work with all those years ago and when I got to the front to pay for an autograph and/or selfie and told her handler that I wasn’t interested in either, Amy was delighted that an old crewmate made it a point to say hello. I also relayed our story which she remembered!
L.A. Comic Con provided a fantastic experience, but in the end, it’s the attendees who give conventions life.
One of my very favorite things about going to these types of conventions is the cosplay. I’m always in awe fans creativity, no matter the level of costume sophistication. Their passion is infectious.
Without fail, there’s always one cosplay that blows my mind. This year, it was my favorite goblin of all time – Blix, from Ridley Scott’s 1985 film Legend. Whomever was inside that costume must have thought I was nuts because I was visibly and audibly giddy with delight! Their costume was so good, they won a best costume award this year at the convention.
Chatting with fellow attendees reveals statistics the organizers may not be aware of. On my way home the first night on the L.A. subway system, yes, Los Angeles does have a subway system, I was struck by a couple dressed as The Joker and Harley Quinn on Vacation. The Joker make-up was impeccable. Striking up a conversation, I learned that they had come all the way from Argentina for the convention.
After three days of walking the floors, attending panels and socializing with friends, I had run out of steam. Leaving an hour before close, I was struck by a common theme. On my way out, I ran into a friend for the first time this Con. He sensed my exhaustion. As I made my way to the subway, boarded and struck up conversations with fellow Con goers, I could certainly tell which ones had survived all three days.
This screams volumes as to the quality of the L.A. Comic Con experience in the best of ways.
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