My First Time at Los Angeles Comic Con
by Julie Perez – https://twitter.com/JuliExplores
LA Comic Con has officially come to a close and as a first-timer attendee, I can say I’m sad to see the experience come to an end.
Comic Con is a place for movies, TV shows, comics, sci-fi, superheroes, art, pop culture and so much more. I wasn’t sure of what to expect but there I stood in the middle of the main floor surrounded by an eclectic crowd and completely in awe of the event happening around me.
I’ll be honest with the fact that I felt completely out of place, at first it felt like everyone could tell how much I didn’t belong inside that building. I mean, I enjoy superhero movies but could not tell you one fact about any of them, I watch TV shows but can hardly get the character names correct (without using google) and I have never played a video game in my life. Yet by the end of the day I found the convention to be extremely inclusive and welcoming.
Though the event is definitely catered toward the fans that fall into the “nerdy” or “geeky” side of things; it felt like a good place to spend your weekend regardless of your general interests. The event contained a Jimmy Neutron cast reunion, autograph and photo opportunities with Ryan Hurst (maybe a chance to awkwardly tell him that you almost called out of work the day after his last episode of Sons of Anarchy), a chance to find new and wonderful artists, an introduction to comic books that you otherwise would have never known anything about and all of the panels you could ever want.
To be inside a generally white cis male event and feel representation around every corner feels like a step in the right direction. The main floor contained artists from every background you could think of, there was a stand for the Transgender Wellness Center, they had LGBTQ-inclusive panels and signs reminding everyone about consent were around all the entrances and exits. Regardless of your reason for attending, LA Comic Con 2018 was the place for a good time this past weekend. It feels absolutely necessary to experience the event at least once, so do yourself a favor and plan your adventure for LA Comic Con 2019.
