Confessions of a Comic Convention Newbie

Earlier I shared our experience going to a Vampire Diaries Fan Convention. That event has nothing on a comic convention. They are two totally different beasts. Although I would say that if more shows would do these types of events, how cool would that be? Vampire Diaries ended like 7 years ago and the love they still get from the fans is still pretty huge. They do events all over the country all year long and we had a blast at the one we went to. On the flip side, comic conventions? Yowsa!

For Michaela’s birthday this year I got her a couple passes for one day at the big FanX Convention that is held yearly in Salt Lake City. It’s nearby. No travel is involved. I figured it’d be a fun day nerding out about sci-fi movies, Dungeons and Dragons and seeing some celebrities. We went with no plan other than we purchased one photo op with Zachary Levi. One of Michaela’s favorite movies is Tangled. Zachary Levi is the voice of Flynn Rider and that movie – her dream prince and the measuring stick in which any future boyfriends or a husband will have a hard time measuring up to! We had no idea how this event would go. We knew our photo op time and that was about it. The rest was just “extra”.

Zachary Levi – FanX 2023

People, people, people

Oh the crowds at a comic convention! SO many people. So many costumes. But SO awesome! The first thing that I noticed was Comic Conventions have no age limit. Attendees range from the very young to the very old. If you cosplay, you cosplay to own rules. It could be simple or it can be so complex that you wonder if the costume was created by a big name studio like Disney or Warner Brothers. Just the people watching alone is worth a trip to a comic con at least once. I mean, if you don’t like things being people-y then this wouldn’t be for you but if you go into these things knowing you will be just one in a sea of humanity and you just want to check it out, I’d say do it. But be ready for a lot of standing – no, I mean A LOT of standing. If you’re not too keen on pulling up a piece of floor (if you can find it) to rest your feet, then you can expect to stand the whole entire time. This cannot be understated.

Waiting, Waiting, Waiting

If your primary goal when going to a comic convention is to meet celebrities, be prepared to wait. And when you think you’re done waiting, be prepared to wait some more. Celebrities are there to make money. There is a big money to be made at comic cons. They will bounce between photo ops and autographs all day long. Some celebrities like to talk to you. Some don’t. Some are obsessive germaphobes who think 3′ x 3′ plexiglass shield will hold germs at bay. Unless you’re in a hermetically sealed bubble, those germs find a way. I found myself judging those people just a tad. Again, these things are PEOPLE-Y and if you don’t want to assume the risk of infectious airborne stuff, then don’t go. That applies to the celebrities but I digress… the money to be made is quite the draw.

Photo Ops

Since this was our first experience at a comic con, we chose to do only one interaction with a celebrity. How interactions go, the process, the cost, etc is dependent upon the comic con and the celebrity. With our experience with Zachary Levi, which I can assume went some what the same for all the celebrities at this comic con (minus the actual interaction of course). We were told a time to go to the photo op area. There were screens that showed which photo ops were happening and where. When they called your number (how it’s identified is different, I suspect for each comic con but at FanX it was pretty straight forward), they told what line number or zone you were to enter. I felt like FanX had it together. As newbies we didn’t feel lost or unsure. The announcements were clear to understand. The convention workers were clear to direct where to go. We were directed to a line and told to stand single file. Since they were dealing with so many people the lines were quite skinny. They had to fit a lot of people in a very tiny space. When the line started to move it moved quickly. I heard this how photo ops are. You step in, smile, snap the photo and leave. We were warned that we could not engage in conversation with the celebrity and hold up the line. Before we entered the sectioned off area, we provided our ticket. Just before going in there was a table where we were instructed to leave our stuff. This was a little unsettling because the table was out with everyone else and while yes, it was just outside the booth area, there is still opportunity for people to take your things. That didn’t happen to us but it could have. I felt like security wise this was lacking and ripe for opportunity for the less honest folks. As we neared the opening of the booth, we got sight of Zachary Levi who smiled nice for the photos as people were ushering in and out like an assembly line. While efficient, it was really sad. Nobody was talking to him. Nobody said thank you. I recalled the warnings about engaging in conversation and… totally ignored them. We stepped in, Zach directed us where to stand like a pro and 2 seconds later it was over. Or was it? I looked at Michaela and said, “are you going to tell him?” Zach looked at us with anticipation and asked “Tell me what?!” Michaela pointed to his newly bruised eye (something happened that morning to Zach, I know not what) and said “you broke your smolder!” This is a line that his character Flynn says in Tangled after getting hit with a frying pan. Without missing a beat, he crossed his eyes, pointed to his face and responded, “no I didn’t!” All of us broke out into giggles and with a thank you and a wave, we were done. The whole thing lasted maybe 10 seconds. He seemed really happy to have the interaction and it made for a fun memory of the day. By the time we reached the outside of the photo op area, our photo was already printed and waiting for us. They have a good system down. It works but it’s quick.

What Else is There to Do?

Like most comic cons, FanX has panels, games, cosplay, and retail booths. There is a reason why they go for more than just a day and there is definitely a reason why people get multi-day passes. Doing it all is just not possible. When attending one must decide on their priorities. Is the priority to meet celebrities? Then space them out several hours apart and be prepared to spend the whole time waiting. If you choose to do multiple photos and/or autographs in a day then don’t plan more than 3 or 4 tops. And if you want to do more, then splurge and get the VIP tickets that will put you at the front of the lines. The waiting is astronomically long. I cannot stress that enough. The panels will happen whether you’re in line or not. Ends up that we didn’t get to see any of the panels during our day at FanX. We easily filled it with walking the expo floor and waiting to meet one celebrity. ONE. And that took all day.

Will I do a Comic Con Again?

Yes. I am not only a glutton for punishment but I am intrigued. I will say, however if you’re not a member of any type of fandom then going to a comic con is probably not for you. But if you like people watching, finding stuff you can’t ordinarily find in a store – art, custom stuff – and meeting/seeing celebrities, I’d give it a try. Wear good shoes. Bring snacks. Bring a portable / collapsable stool and HYDRATE!