While we’re still working on a few posts, I just wanted to give an overall review of the event itself.
This year the event was held in the West Building. It was a huge improvement as far as space went. Even on Saturday, the busiest day of any Con, you still had room to move and breathe. It was actually weird! A few areas did seem a little more congested than others but that was due to the random food court area. While some complained about this in the Talk Back panel, I enjoyed the space. It was easy to find which made it a great spot to meet up with friends later in the day. Plus as someone who was wearing heels two days out of the weekend, it was a nice spot to rest my feet.
The autograph area was set up nicely this year as well. They went from just a handful of signings to almost 20. That’s a pretty huge increase but it was handled well. Autographing had it’s own little area where every line was labeled. Of course some of the lines were longer than others and on one day I did see a line make its way down to the Artist Alley area. I spoke to a few different volunteers and staff while waiting in different lines and each person was very helpful and friendly. If you wanted a photo taken they’d even offer to do it for you. They shared a few different stories too which made the waiting less boring.
I loved the set up of Artist Alley. The spacing was good and it was easy to navigate. If you were looking at the floor when you first came in, you’d find Artist Alley to the far left. That’s where I spent most of my time. It was great to be able to just wander around and have the room to do it. I’ve seen a few AA set ups where it’s just too crowded to really take your time. Not to mention if you have very popular artists, lines can build up and block other tables. This wasn’t an issue that I saw. Did I see a a few long lines? Yes, but it was never an issue. A few artists, like Skottie Young, even made sure that if a line was forming, it formed along the outside (he was on the end) and didn’t block his neighbors. A few of the artists I checked out included David Wong, Kate Carleton, Gabriel Hernandez, and Michael Duron.
As far as the main floor area, I did feel like there might have been less comic vendors but it’s possible I just didn’t get to see everything. There were deals to be had though, especially on Sunday. Marvel had their typical set up that I’ve seen at the last few conventions I’ve attended. The booth is where I met Skottie Young and got a few things signed plus a quick Baby Hawkeye sketch. I was 3rd in line for him, like a boss. The question I was asked a few times was “Where was DC?” They didn’t have a booth but they did have panels. This was touched on in the Talk Back panel which Melinda is writing a post about. I noticed WeLoveFine had a larger booth which was nice to see. I recommend getting to them early though as lines form quickly. The Variant Stage was in a weird location. I actually missed it the first day. It was behind the food court area in the back of the main room. A few other people thought it was weird too but ReedPOP already has plans to fix that for next year. I personally liked it when it was off to the side of the main floor. It was out of the way but you didn’t miss it.
As far as cosplay went, I’ve never seen that many Doctor Who’s in my life! It was crazy. There was even a baby dressed as The Doctor who just happened to be in a TARDIS stroller. There was a Doctor signing autographs that weekend and with Doctor Who currently airing, maybe I shouldn’t have been that surprised. I saw a fair number of Companions as well. Of course there were plenty of Wonder Women, Batmen, Harley’s, and Captain Marvel’s. I even ran into a few Iron Fist cosplayers, a Luke Cage, and a very awesome light up Nova. I was surprised at the lack of Loki. He’s been a #1 the past few conventions but this time around I only saw a few. They were very well done though! I only recall seeing one Iron Man suit but I did see a lot of Tony Stark cosplay. Then, of course, there was the one Captain Jack Sparrow who you swear is really Johnny Depp in costume. He’s just that good. You know the guy. We’ve all seen him. He just has that swagger and perfect eyeliner.
I didn’t have too many issues getting into panels but C2E2 did underestimate the demand of a few of them. The first one that comes to mind is Felicia Day. As soon she was announced I was wondering why she wasn’t in IGN. As soon as we came up the escalator we hit her line and pretty much moved onto the next item on our list. I think her “Supernatural” episode that aired last week just added to the demand. She was fresh in everyone’s mind and was one of the better known guests in attendance. Another panel that ran out of room quickly, and had a line waiting to get in, was the cosplay panel. Now, maybe it’s just me, but if I ran a convention and it featured a cosplay panel, I’d feel the need to put that in a medium sized room. The room they had was very small. I mean, it’s a comic convention that has a ton of people in costume and plenty who are interested in starting. These were all topics touched upon though in the Talk Back Panel.
All in all, it was a great show. It’s amazing how a few little things, like moving the large C2E2 logo, can make a world of difference. Of course there’s always room for improvement but I know the team at ReedPOP are already hard at work to bring us an even better show next year.
If you attended this year, what did you think?
