The second day of Long Beach Comic Expo was met with cool breezes and and small crowds. While this year did not draw any major cast members from long standing franchises as previous years have held, this was still a good time to shop, not worry about any lines for panels or autographs, and time to catch up with friends whom we only see at these events. Long Beach Comic Expo has been called "low key" by LA Weekly. However, within the chill factor of the expo, there's quite a bit of hidden gems within programming.

Cosplayers Over 30 by Eri Kagami
Cos I'm Nikki and Steve Gonzo hosted this panel geared at a much more mature crowd of cosplayers. For this 11AM panel, the presenters talked about how they got started in cosplay. Both Nikki and Steve got started long after their children had left the house. Nikki talked about converting her daughter's room into a sewing space. Both talked about their evolution in costume making. Steve talked about the process of his Russell from Up and how it's evolved from the first time he wore it to the point where he's added more accessories - even a Keven to tag along with him. These folks were very friendly; while most of the panel compromised of basic cosplay 101 (how to get into it, resources, kind reminders to have fun, etc), it was also a reminder that you're never too old to enjoy the hobby of dressing up!

Black Panther: The Writer’s Room by Jared the Greek
Despite being a morning panel there was a fairly large audience for the three Black Panther comic writers gathered for this panel. Discussion began with each of the writers going through their history with the character as both a creator and fan. It was interesting learning about how Marvel had no real faith in the character and how over the years various creative teams had to fight to get the character out to the market. After the discussion there was time for some questions and everyone who asked a uestion received a Black Panther movie hat. This was a great panel and it was refreshing to see an audience gather for a comic book focused panel.

Dealers Hall and Artist Alley by Eri Kagami
Down the escalators one can find the dealers hall and the artist alley. They were combined into one hall. There is a lot of walking room between booths. Because this show was not as crowded as the fall show, there was a lot more to look at. There was no overcrowding where you felt sardined in. Long Beach Comic Expo has its share of retro toys, anime figures, Funko Pops, and collector comics. It makes me sad at times not seeing any comic vendors selling at the comic expo, other than vendors that sell silver and golden age comics to discriminating collectors.

Artist alley had comic artists, indie artists, and authors that you could buy from as well as interact with. Everyone we spoke with was friendly. In addition to comic art, there were the usual jewelry dealers and tea sellers that sold themed apparel and accessories to nerd culture. We now own Harry Potter themed tea to our respective Hogwarts house. Of course, there was the new central area where the celebrities were signing. Long Beach Comic Expo did something new this year and added a live show and a band playing in the middle of the dealers hall. I can see how this can stir excitment and get peopled hyped, but it can be annoying when there's noise and you're trying to interact with a celebrity for an autograph or a photo op.

Cosplay Corner existed and they also had their DJ spinning tunes from the early 90s. A few booths had the cosplay contest judges. This section also had the various Star Wars costuming factions. Space Expo also had presentations and activities for kids to get them involved in STEM and aerospace related fields.

Disney Cosplayers Meet Up by Eri Kagami
The Disney cosplay meet up at most Southern California events is usually held on Sunday. We had a humble turnout this year at comic expo. We had a majority of princesses and classic Walt Era characters. A few surprises included the family from Brave, a lone Lottie from Princess and the Frog, a Kuzco, Merlin, a Hulk / Tinkberbell mash up among others present. The meet up was hosted by Robert Torres Photography. These are always well organized and the people present are always friendly to approach. The next Disney meet up will be at Wonder Con on Sunday.

To the Stars! Science Fiction by Jared the Greek
This panel did not go the way that one would expect. While it began normally with the various writers discussing their work the panel slowly devolved into a weird political discussion. While Science Fiction does make social commentary and uses aspects of a story to function as a metaphor for current discussions and issues it doesn’t seem to fit the title of the panel. The shift in focus didn’t seem to bother most of the audience, but it is also hard to leave a panel you are not enjoying when one of the panelists is standing near the back to find those who have questions. There were almost no questions as the writers just filled time with empty words. Hopefully next year this panel can be handled in a way that keeps it to the title and helps expand the audience’s knowledge of fun space adventures.

Storytelling on the Page by Jared the Greek
If you have any ambition involving creating comics then this is a must attend panel. The panel begins with an introduction of the talent that will be giving the demonstration. Then the demo begins with an excerpt from an actual comic script was put on screen and the artists got to work designing the layout for the page. Meanwhile, the audience was encouraged to join in and practice at putting together a layout from the given text. Once the demo was done the various artists showed off their work and discussed how they chose to put it all together. As the panel wrapped up the audience could show off their work and get a critique. Hopefully this panel can make the rounds to more conventions as it is one of the few panels that can help develop your design skill.

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