Long Beach Comic Con 2016 was one of the weaker years in terms of programming and logistics. Granted, I did like the things that I participated in whether it be cosplay meet ups or various panels that had insight in the entertainment industry. It was nice seeing familiar faces and reconnecting with people I had met during Long Beach Comic Expo this year. It was also nice running into other DC Bombshells cosplayers throughout the weekend. I nearly ran into the whole cast of DC Bombshells save for Catwoman / Selina Gatto. It makes me very happy that this series and alternate universe is getting a ton of love. I'm glad even after witnessing cosplay / photographer thrist from Long Beach Comic Expo earlier this year, that I could still exchange instgram information with my peers to keep in touch rather than just gaining followers.

With that said, I really miss the main convention center. The arena side works for something small like Long Beach Comic Expo and Anime California, but not for the size and scope of Long Beach Comic Con. This con is ready for ballroom sized panel rooms to accomodate the likes of Firefly reunions. The con needs larger exhibitor space to bring in more comic book vendors and more walking space for the more crowded days. This con needs better access to The Pike where people can get more food; food trucks were running out of food by Saturday afternoon. Even so, there were points where I wanted a simple snack like chips or a box of pocky to keep my energy going. Long lines at food trucks don't quite help when you need something right away. The arena / performing arts center side is not a good fit for Long Beach Comic Con and I would like the convention to move to its original space as it occupied for years.

Even so, I still reccomend this con to people who want to get to learn the ins and outs of the entertainment industry. There are plenty of "how to" workshops on writing and artistry. You could spend an entire weekend doing professional development at these panels. I liked that Columbia hosted several panels on the space program; it's nice to have academic nerdy type panels at Long Beach Comic Con. I like that the fact that the convention is very family friendly in every sense of the phrase. It's not unusual to see families cosplaying with their kids. I like that the dealers hall has a ton of interactive spaces for kids to do stuff whether it be shooting a member of the 501st or learning something new at the Columbia Space Expo section.

Overall, I still enjoy Long Beach Comic Con. I still would have loved to have seen Lip Sync for Your Cosplay brought to this particular scene. I've been and performed in it at Otakon and Otakon Vegas; this would have been a much more fun interactive event for cosplayers and attendees who aren't quite into the after party scene. Long Beach Comic Con is in that stage of growth where they're going to need to find out how they can put on a great show for larger numbers. Many thanks to press and professional registration for being very forgiving about the signal issue I had when pulling up the barcode. Many thanks to Stan, Deb, and Jared for their help in Long Beach Comic Con coverage. We will see you at NerdBotCon and Comikaze!

Pictures are copyright by Scarlet Rhapsody . If I took your picture, feel free to use it on your site or cosplay gallery. While you're here, do sign the guestbook. This site was brought to you by the font Biondi. Many thanks to Dream Host, Adobe Bridge, MS Photodraw, Picasa, and Dreamweaver for making this site design possible.