Comic Con – “a haven for nerds of all kinds,” according to Marissa Gomez, a Digital Media and English student at Greenville Unviersity. In mid-October, myself, along with Gomez and other friends witnessed the extravagance of Comic Con for ourselves at the Midwest ACE Comic Con in Chicago. Gomez puts it well, as all movie, television, and comic book nerds gather to commemorate, celebrate, and honor media of all kinds that hold special places in our hearts.
The most well know comic con today is the annual San Diego Comic Con, where masses of production companies, actors, and artists gather to release upcoming projects in the entertainment industry. The first San Diego Comic Con was held in 1970 on 1 day with a mere 100 people who simply enjoyed reading comic books. It has since grown to a 4 day event presenting more than just comics. The attendance has furthermore grown to well over 130,000 attendees each year. Since San Diego Comic Con’s creation, multiple con companies have been created to carry comic cons across the nation. Some notable cons include ACE, Wizard World, Megacon, and so many more.
You may be wondering, what draws people to comic cons that they can’t experience in their own living room on their screens? Comic Con is an experience that exceeds what you may watch or read from your humble home through many events involving people from across the nation. Here are 4 things that draw in nerds of all kinds to comic cons:
Artists/Vendors
One of the coolest aspects of comic cons is that artists from across the country come to talk about and sell their work, and it’s not always your traditional artists. Everyone from comic book artists, to graphic designers and conceptual artists come to commend their talents. The ACE Comic Con I recently went to had quite the lineup. Movie poster artist Boss Logic, who works closely with Disney and Marvel, attended Midwest ACE. Also, Andy Park who has played a huge role in the visual development of multiple Marvel movies including Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Thor Ragnarok, and Captain Marvel. Art is the groundwork for so many comics, movies, and TV shows.
Autographs and Photo Ops
The biggest part of a comic con is getting the chance to meet the actors who portray our beloved characters that we see on screen. The Midwest Ace Comic Con in October had one of the biggest lineups yet. Attendees of comic cons get the chance to either get a photo with their favorite celebrity, or get an autograph from them. Gomez took this opportunity to meet Taron Egerton, star of the Kingsman Franchise and Dexter Fletcher‘s latest movie hit Rocketman. Nothing beats the feeling of getting to meet someone you admire greatly on and off the screen.
Panels
If you do not get the chance to meet your favorite celebrities, comic cons put on panels for everyone to attend. One of the biggest panels at ACE this year was the panel with Tom Holland and Jake Gyllenhaal, who were there to celebrate their recent movie Spiderman: Far From Home. Other panels included Brie Larson and Tessa Thompson (Marvel), Keirnan Shipka and Ross Lynch (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), Chris Hemsworth (Marvel, Men in Black), Kit Harington and Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones), and Norman Reedus (The Walking Dead). It was great getting to hear the celebrities talk of past movies, upcoming movies, and other projects they may be working on.
Kiernan Shipka and Ross Lynch. Source: ACE Comic Con 
Kit Harington. Source: ACE Comic Con
Cos-play
Lastly, nothing can beat the cos-play at comic cons. Cosplay is essentially when people dress up as characters from comics, movies, shows, and more. For many people, cos-playing is a job and they go all out to portray their favorite characters as seen below. Many cos-players at Midwest ACE Comic Con featured characters from Marvel and the elaborate costumes from Rocketman.
A Rocketman cos-play. Source: ACE Comic Con 
Kids cos-playing as Marvel characters. Source: ACE Comic Con
Gomez puts it perfectly: “It is an amazing experience and if you’ve never been, but have always wanted to go, then you should! It’s a wonderful opportunity to meet new kinds of people and to see your favorite celebs talk about their passions.”
Getting to see the characters, actors, and artists who I have admired for so long at the Midwest ACE Comic Con was an experience that I will definitely not forget and will more than likely be experiencing again in the near future as the next comic con rolls around.
