By Loryn Stone

 

PopLurker would like to thank Amazing Las Vegas Comic Con for generously providing Press Passes in exchange for convention coverage.

 

Onward and out, PopLurker crossed state lines to attend the Amazing Las Vegas Comic Con in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show took place over three days from Friday June 29^th – Sunday July 1^st at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The venue was sizable and had an exciting aesthetic, somewhere between a casino, a mall from the 90s, and an airport.

And baby, we were ready to fly.

The majority of the convention took place in a singular (albeit large) Expo Hall inside the N1 Expo Room. Within the confines, a main stage was set up, as well as tables set up nearby for autograph sessions with the guests. Guests included Voice Actor Robbie Daymond, Rob Liefield (Creator of Deadpool), Charlie Cox from Daredevil), actress Brianna Hildebrand from the Deadpool films, and PopLurker favorite Jason David Frank from the Power Rangers franchise.

One aspect of this show that set it apart from other conventions I frequent was definitely the layout of the show. Typically, from my experience, a convention spans an entire convention center. But as mentioned previously, Amazing Las Vegas Comic Con took place (primarily) in a singular room. That means all vendors, artists, and special guests were confined to a room together. This did not do favors for anyone. Special guest artists were blended in with vendors and vendor-artists, which made it difficult for fans who wanted autographs or interactions with the artists they loved.

On the topic of artists, there were far too many. The vendor space was overloaded and the artist alley bled directly into the vendor/sales space and truthfully, it was difficult to distinguish one from the other. On a positive, two of my favorite vendors were there. I purchased animation cels from Animation Ink Archive, which I do anytime I run into them at a show.

I also ran into Jason from Toy Mandala, a brick and mortar toy and hobby shop in Sherman Oaks, California. I used to frequent Toy Mandala as a teenager, back when they were selling bootlegs, burned game copies, and were associated with the long-defunct Collector’s Guide to the Galaxy shops.

Other than the highlighted Jason David Frank panel, which took place on the main stage within the Expo Hall, all other panels took place outside of the main room and up an escalator. Because of the large hall and the singular exit/entrance into the show, it made leaving the place a little difficult and the panels somewhat inaccessible. Due to scheduling, PopLurker sadly missed the 80s Toys Panel that we were looking forward to seeing.

One oddity to me, and this might be from my Los Angeles experience of complete and total immersion, but there was a severe lack of Cosplayers and Photographers at the show. In the LA area, there are roves and hoards of cosplayers and fandom groups gathering for pictures, meet-ups, parties, and fun. Photographers are normally lined up in bunches, all taking pictures of excited cosplayers. This show had none of that, a sight that not only surprised me, but disappointed me as well. Cosplayers and photographers are a piece of the puzzle that make up the whole and seeing that lack of it there was bizarre.

Amazing Las Vegas Comic Con was ultimately a fun show. The guests were happy and people (myself included) were definitely buying things. With so many artists in one space, convention dwellers were bound to find something they wanted to take home with them.

 

Loryn is getting ready for her next convention, Anime Expo, on Twitter. Follow her for more adventure.

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