[LACC ’24] bad idea right?

Seein’ you tonight, it’s a bad idea, right?

Sunday was the lighter day of the weekend. We arrived at the LA Convention Center a little before 10AM to ensure a parking spot at the convention center. South Hall didn’t have a huge crowd. I ended up taking some photos of my new Tortured Poets Department cosplay. I had a few attendees who knew who I was cosplaying as. For those LACC attendees who knew, I gave out friendship bracelets.

And I’m right here with all my friends

South Hall was the gathering spot for cosplayers and photographers. You had the best lighting here. Natural light came from the ceiling. Not only you had cosplayers posing for guys with cameras, you also had people bust out a stereo to encourage people to dance in the middle of South Hall. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Spiderman cosplayers bust into “Cupid Shuffle” or “Wobble.” LA Comic Con is one of the few comic cons where you can get a ton of people dancing to “El Baile del Beeper.” Southern California understands the assignment. Every now and then you’ll also spot cosplayers playing limbo in the middle of South Hall. There was never a dull moment.

Can’t hear my thoughts 

The South Hall dealers room had a lot going for it. I felt it was easier to navigate this year. Aisle ways were wider. I noticed fewer Funko Pop dealers. My favorite part of the South Hall dealers room were the snack vendors. Wild Bills Soda sold their all you can drink cup for the weekend. Geki and I scored chocolate from Whimsy. Jerky Hut had their varieties of spicy jerky. Geki and I were also happy to find League of Legends blind boxes. He got himself a Lulu and I got myself as Yasuo.

Now I’m gettin’ in the car, wreckin’ all my plans

Artist Alley was also bustling with comic artists and indie artists. What I do appreciate about LA Comic Con is the variety of styles and fandoms present. It doesn’t feel that one fandom is dominating. It doesn’t feel that one medium is dominating either. Seeing Disney, western comics, manga, anime, video games, and original pieces represented made you want to carefully browse and be like, “Not another Hoyoverse booth!” I did take some Taylor Swift inspired tote bags and bookmarks with me. I wasn’t expecting to see my favorite in the realm of comic con, but for us girlies, she is our healer.

And I pull up to your place, on the second floor

I also tip toed into the cosplayer meet and greet zone. LACC typically invites instafamous cosplayers to their event. I usually like saying “hi” to my buddies, Amber Arden and Jimmy Sherfy. Amber Arden had a moon display for photo ops. I also made a new friend, The Vehenix Cosplay. She had questions about my Tortured Poets cosplay and what inspired it. “London Night 7,” I replied. If you know, you know.

The biggest lie I ever said

West Hall was the go-to for e-gaming and watching the Fortnight tournament. There was even a haunted / spooky clown themed experience that drew in quite a line. You could also score some anime and gaming merch here. You could also try out some indie games in this hall too. I always think it’s strange to have military recruitment at comic cons. I do like that the star cars were given a better space to view and to take photos of here. I didn’t do any voice actor meet and greets, but this was the place to be if you wanted to purchase a selfie or have them sign a Funko Pop.

I just tripped 

I attended one panel on Sunday, Camera Culture, and Combat: Filipino Martial Arts Legacy in Comics, Film, and Television featuring  Alvin Catacutan, Arlene Pinpin Stevens, and others. I have a bias because Guro Alvin taught me Kali a few years ago. This panel discussed how Filipino Martial Arts is integrated in popular movies and oftentimes, doesn’t get enough credit. We went over light saber duels in the Star Wars prequels and the one good part in The Acolyte. We also discussed various weapons used in Filipino Martial Arts. We also went over how Filipino Martial Arts was represented in fighting games and other video games. Neon from Valorant was cited.

My brain goes, “Ah”

And then I put on my panel, In My Y2K Era. It was very well attended. This was my third time presenting this panel about 90s and 00s anime fandom. After presenting with Geki, we concluded this panel needed to be divided into two parts – a panel just about general anime fandom in the 90s and 00s and another about the convention and cosplay scene. Lessons were learned, but we had a really good audience and people were definitely interested in buying my upcoming book, “The Fangirl Diaries.”

Thoughts

Geki and I left LACC a little before 4PM. In conclusion, LACC is always a fun con that celebrates the Hollywood side of pop culture. I love that it caters of X’ers and millennials when it comes to fandom panels and cast reunions. I wished I had the time to check out the Back to the Future and Addams Family cast panels live. However, these guests did bring in cosplayers from said fandoms. It was so cool seeing gaggles of Marty McFlys on Saturday and Sunday. I wished I had time to wear my Lorraine McFly cosplay!

Blah

This is a convention that I had have the privilege of attending since their inaugural event at Kentia Hall. I am very grateful to have hosted panels and introduce the comic con scene to Cosplay Wrestling Federation. I hope we can continue this professional relationship. LACC’s programming staff always get the job done and has been the most organized and thorough of any convention I have participated in.

I highly recommend LACC for locals. If you’re unable to attend San Diego Comic Con, LACC is the next best thing in Southern California.