[CCR ’21] Bells, Bows, Gifts, Trees

This is our second time attending Comic Con Revolution. Southern California has so many cons for so many subcultures of geek that it gets taxing deciding which ones to cover. Our first experience at Comic Con Revolution in 2018 was a positive one. The return of Timothy Zahn brought us back. We were originally going to partake in a Kids Can Cosplay panel, but because the date had to be pushed back, the panel had to re-structure. Comic Con Revolution was a very light convention at a decent value ($45 for a weekend).

If you love creatives like Timothy Zahn and Chris Claremont, this was the main event to really get to talk to them. A dedicated guest room had convention guests of honor sign and chat with attendees. We talked to Timothy Zahn about Disney, Dapper Day, and just writer things. He even commented about Chris Claremont’s storytelling. Comic Con Revolution may be small, but they also brought in guests from Avatar: The Last Airbender, Sailor Moon, Battlestar Galactica, and others.

The dealers hall was nicely organized. There was Cosplay Corner where you can chat with cosplay groups. I did appreciate that the cosplayer groups were approachable and friendly. These groups included Nerd Mafia, The Finest, Gallifrey One, Kids Can Cosplay, LA Ghostbusters, Mando Mercs, and Saber Guild. Single cosplayers that had tables either had affiliation with these groups or were judges of the cosplay contest.

The dealers hall offered a variety of anime, oils, steampunk accessories, classic toys, collectable comics, Funko pops, and more. I did like seeing an equal variety of booths. I didn’t spend as much as I did at LA Comic Con and Comic Con Special Edition, but it was nice to see a hearty balance of products to browse in the dealers hall.

Live programming was very lite. We were originally going to submit panels, but life happened and the deadline had passed. However, we did check out a few panels. There was a gent who ran a panel talking about visiting the real life sites that inspired the Fallout franchise. It was a cool version of family vacation slides, but Fallout. I also checked out the Kids Can Cosplay panel wherein the panelists were talking about how they got into cosplaying with Kids Can Cosplay and the various activities that they did during the pandemic when events were not permissible. I wished there were more panels to check out. The panels were really light and I could have used more events to check out during the weekend.

I ended up entering the cosplay contest hosted by Angi Viper. I entered Sayla Mass from Mobile Suit Gundam. I wasn’t planning on joining, but cosplay contests were always a fun past time for me. About 26 or so contestants gathered for orientation at 4PM on Saturday to discuss how the show was going to go. Craftsmanship judging (or “pre-judging” in these spaces) was optional. Medals would be given out to the winners. The show started at 6:30PM on the main stage hosted Ming Chen (Comic Book Men) and Ani-Mia (Bettie Page: The Alien Agenda). Highlights included Nico Yazawa in holiday gear, a McDonalds themed Mandolorian suit, Monster Hunter, World of Warcraft inspired Elsa, Dwight Schrute, Gamora, among others. Cosplayers would walk on stage and make a few poses or say a few lines. The show moved quickly into the evening.

The overall vibe of Comic Con Revolution is very chill. The outdoor 21+ patio was our go-to to chat and catch up with friends. I had three photoshoots throughout the weekend. Nothing felt too rushed. Comic Con Revolution is a decent value if you are local and don’t mind making the drive to Ontario. With the con so close to the holidays, it was crazy going back and forth as traffic was unpredictable and roads were congested. It doesn’t help that the con was next to the airport. However, I always appreciate the guests, unique panels, having a space to catch up with friends, and just making new friends at the cosplay contest. Overall, a good weekend con!