[Comic Con Revolution ’24] evermore

I had no plans attending Comic Con Revolution as I typically like to keep my May free because of Fanime and the road leading up to Anime Expo and San Diego Comic Con. However, my friend, The Fairy Tale Connection, asked me to be a part of her Cosplay Storytime panel. I love any opportunity to read books to kids. Ever since pre-school, I’ve always imagined myself sitting in the forest reading stories to children and woodland critters. 

I only attended on Sunday. Because Comic Con Revolution is a two day event, most people attend on Saturday, but there are still A-list events going on Sunday. Star Wars author, Timothy Zahn, had panels and signings. Celebrities, including anime voice actors, were still signing all day long. This event really drew in a ton of Star Wars fans from the Inland Empire and across California. I met a few Bay Area Star Wars fans who were there just for Timothy Zahn. 

Thanks to my friend, I was able to cosplay as Taylor Swift from the Evermore section of The Eras Tour. Taylor Swift wears a witchy, Stevie Nicks inspired outfit for this section of the very theatrical tour. I had artists and attendees asking what I was from. I don’t expect attendees at comic con to be familiar with The Eras Tour. Swifties are a different breed of fan in a comic con world. I showed the video of “Willow” from the Evermore era set and converted a few to the ways of the Swfities. 

The Artist Alley had its own room to explore. I had the most fun exploring artists I do not typically see at my usual anime conventions. Several dozen artists sold art from the comics they worked on – mostly Marvel and DC; X-Men was certainly popular as the X-Men ‘97 cast and creative team were guests. It’s no surprise that Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail were popular staples and fandom at the artist alley. A few people sold original art such as customized candles, healing oils and ointment, cat stickers, fanny packs, and more. 

The dealers hall was a treat to walk around. You didn’t feel too crowded in. Most of the dealers hall was made of autographs and fan meet and greets. Surprisingly, there were several booths dedicated to selling single issue comics. I did not see much in the graphic novel or manga department. A few fan organizations had booths to showcase their cosplay and charity organizations. A few cosplay guests also had booths and meet and greets at their sections. I bought some cottagecore accessories at Jojo’s Sew Creative. I figured since I was cosplaying as Taylor Swift and transitioning to more forest girl types of styles, that to stock on witchy and nature inspired fashion. 

Comic Con Revolution also had food vendors for attendees. I went to the street food vendor. I was not really feeling burgers or pizza or something strange and unusual. I ended up spending close to $30 on carne asada fries and lemonade. It was a filling yet expensive meal. 

You could also check out the star cars outside of the convention center for free photo ops. I miss seeing these customized cars at conventions. It’s sometimes hard to see these inside convention centers. Seeing them in an open lot made it easier to appreciate all the details on the vehicles.

The panel I participated in was fun! I got to read to children of parents who were attendees. This was a really neat place for kids to burn energy and to run around. Not only us cosplayers got to read to kids, but we also got to play games like parachute and a variation on musical chairs. 

I attended one panel. While I was curious about the X-Men ‘97 panel, it was already filled to the brim on Sunday. There were fans even waiting outside to be let in in case if someone had to leave. I attended the Timothy Zahn panel. While I’m no longer in the Star Wars fandom due to exclusion and cliques, Timothy Zahn’s books were my sacred texts in middle school. He did provide some insight as to being a part of the new Disney timeline and expressed it as playing in George Lucas and Disney’s driveway with their toys, but at anytime, Disney or George could back out of the driveway and run over what the stories they made. Timothy also provided sound advice to aspiring writers in the audience, “Keep writing!” the author said. As an author with a book on the way, I couldn’t agree more.

The vibe of Comic Con Revolution was pretty chill. There wasn’t a lot of nice places for cosplay photos. I don’t really consider this as a photoshoot paradise, but it is a good place to cosplay as something representative of whomever is a guest – hence, the most popular fandoms I saw were a mix of Star Wars and X-Men from various iterations of the franchises. The vibe was friendly; my home is anime cons, but people were very kind to engage in conversation.

I had a total of seven people recognize my Eras Tour outfit. I had great conversations with all of them discussing our favorite Era and memories of the Eras Tour. That’s the thing about fandom I like; even if you feel your outfit is obscure, you come home having made seven new friends who love the same thing as much as you do. 

Overall, I would recommend Comic Con Revolution for locals. This is a good day trip from anywhere in Southern California. They always manage to get some good guests both in the acting and creative behind the scenes department. The vibe is friendly and laid back compared to the likes of a Wonder Con, San Diego Comic Con, or LA Comic Con. I’m not the biggest fan of the Ontario Convention Center, but it was a good size for this small, but mighty comic con.