We followed the Colorado Springs Comic Con this weekend to checkout the differences in previous years as well as see what was new. The venue itself had definitely changed and they welcomed more guests, had panels, and even had a whole floor of artists.
Compared to the first year of CSCC, this year has come a long way. Located in a shopping mall, the convention took up multiple unused storefronts for panel areas. The main show floor however was a bi-level store that was a large chain retail store at some point. Luckily nothing was left behind allowing guests and vendors alike to set up how they pleased. Many guests were both pleased and surprised at the new location. Not many people were familiar with a mall set up. Vendors and honored guests were somewhat confused. Most vendors were conflicted on the idea of a mall instead of an independent location. Overall the average thought is that the mall isn’t the worst place to have a convention as long as people weren’t stuck in an active store trying to use the makeup counter as a booth. This point was just the beginning of the various things to see.
As the convention has grown over the past three years, there have been crowd issues, placement issues and a lot of competition to be seen. This year however, celebrities had their own floor space which made getting an autograph, photo and awesome conversation a lot easier. For the fans of the event as well, many more people have participated in the cosplay contest this year compared to previous years. There was plenty of space for everyone wanting to participate. Even the professional cosplay teams were out in full effect and there were more professionals than ever this year. Artists still banded together to sign comics, make more art and inspire everyone around them.
As fans were hyped for the upcoming celebrity events and photos, others were going down the hall to the celebrity panels. Probably some of the most fun we’ve had, was the ability to watch a panel with John DiMaggio and Kevin Conroy. The two joked with each other, shared some great experiences with us and really made sure to share the love with fans by encouraging others to love and care for one another. John DiMaggio even sang the Bacon Pancake song with us from the Adventure Time show, and it was great!
Another panel that was huge for the gaming community (although there was not a big gaming presence here) was the Nolan North and Troy Baker panel. Filled with jokes and many many stories, no one was ready for their one hour time slot to be over. These two talked about their gaming channel, what it’s like to experience retro games for the first time, and the interesting life of having children. The two really created an in depth experience for the rest of us. They too, made sure to tell everyone that “you are enough” and “you can do anything.” Everyone was very much in to reinforcing that we should all be good humans and that we all matter.
So many good celebrities made the journey from all over to participate in CSCC this year and for that, the fans are very grateful. The turnout was amazing and everyone just seemed happy. Hopefully this will be a continual place for the convention to be held in the future.