As the weekend winds down, as does 14th annual Phoenix Comicon. In case you hadn’t heard, or read it on Facebook, or felt it yourself, Phoenix Comicon was blistering hot. This was not the first time Phoenix Comicon has been held in summer, but it certainly was the hottest. As Phoenix was flooded with cosplayers this weekend, it was equally flooded with excessive heat warning and making sure to keep hydrated. Even a variety of downtown Phoenix ambassadors and vendors were handing out free water. Phoenix cosplayers are resilient though and came out in droves to celebrate comics, costumes, and celebrities.
As an avid costumer myself, my weekend at Phoenix Comicon was heavily focused on the costuming events and there were plenty to see! I have personally always felt that Phoenix Comicon is a costume focused convention. Phoenix Comicon has something for every stage of cosplayer. For those just starting out there are plenty of “how to” panels. Looking at the events and panels offered this year, as in previous years, many of the panels were hosted by costumer. Panels ranged from the practical, such as one on “Taming the Ta-Ta’s” and keeping the girls together in some of our more scandalous costumes and wig tutorials.
For those whose costumes were ready to strut their stuff this weekend, there were hundreds, literally hundreds of cosplay meetups. Everything from the general “All Disney Everything” to the very specific such as the “Black Widow/Hawkeye/Spiderman meetup.” Of course, some of the most popular groups such as the Mandalorian Mercs had an amazing turn out of members from surrounding clans coming out to costume together and march in a 60 person march through Phoenix Comicon. Of course this year had its popular costumes such as Suicide Squad Harley and Joker and of course, Deadpool. Every Deadpool this year had their own Beauty and Talent Pageant.
Other amazing and unique costume events this weekend included the Geek Bridal Showcase. The showcase included a beautiful runway show showcasing many of our local seamstresses and dressmakers all made to help the geeky brides out there with unique wedding ideas. Speaking of weddings… this year’s Phoenix Comicon was also host to not one, but two wedding events that were put on in conjunction with the convention! What’s a better way to celebrate and start your new life than surrounded by your geek community?!
One of my other absolutely favorite new additions to the Phoenix Comicon this year was the outside events! Phoenix Comicon has typically had events that spill out onto the sidewalk, similar to other large conventions like San Diego Comicon. This year’s addition of the Adam’s Street Beer Garden and outside events was a great success from the looks and also allowed non-con going folks to come in and get a taste since you didn’t need a badge to get into the event. My only complaint about the beer garden and events held outside is that this is certainly not the time of the year to have had all day events outside. The beer garden was great and had a variety of not only amazing but local breweries and local food trucks available. The only problem was it was difficult to be out there too long due to the heat. Additionally, while the live band all day was a fun addition, the one event I really wanted to attend in the garden was the Geeks Who Drink Quiz. First, it was very difficult to find and pin down where exactly on the street they were holding the quiz. Even after asking around to the surrounding vendors many seemed not sure there was a quiz taking place. Finally, a single lone sign with an 8 x 11 paper taped to it said “Geeks Who Drink Quiz.” Even after finally finding the quiz the troubles weren’t over. Due to the band it was very difficult to hear the quiz master’s questions and there were not nearly enough tables to support such an event. One recommendation I would have for any future outdoor events would be more shading, more tables, and if you’re holding an event that involves someone talking to a large group of people, maybe a PA system.
Overall, the weekend was a comicon success for the books, even with the heat! Good news is the next convention in Phoenix will be Fan Fest which has been moved to October 22-23 and will now be at the Phoenix Convention Center. You can find more information at the Comicon site.
See you there!
