Blog

Long Beach Comic Con was this past weekend, the first weekend of November, and I was there to get some pics and report on what was going on around the floor over those two days. The convention was a nice mix of not just comics but horror as well, you could always hear the buzz of a chainsaw going off somewhere in the distance. Everyone was very friendly, and there were plenty of cool vendors and costumes, but how about I quit talking about them and instead show you, and talk about them.

Next door during the convention was another one going on, the Indoor Gardening Expo, and I know of several people who went into it thinking they were going to the Comic Con. In the end we all learned a valuable lesson, and got to learn about the power of at home farming. Once that was solved we all got into the con we’d been waiting for!

What’s the first thing I see as I walk in? Some mighty fine cosplay of some of my favorite characters. Such as….

Big Daddy Delta from Bioshock 2 was on hand ready to drill his opponents apart. Seriously, this was such a wonderful cosplay to see when walking in. Big Daddy and Little Sister makes a great parent and child cosplay, or just a wonderful solo. I can’t wait to play as Big Daddy in that PlayStation All-Stars game. I hope bees are an attack.

This wookiee was huge! He was so tall, and I’m pretty sure I saw him without the mask and he was just that tall. Maybe some elevator shoes with an already tall body? Either way, truly amazing cosplay. Then, like he so often does, Deadpool showed up out of nowhere and wanted his picture taken with the big hairy guy. I would watch a series where Deadpool gets stuck in the Star Wars galaxy and wrecks things with a found lightsaber. Disney, call me.

This was part of the laser tag arena they had set up. What made it different was that you could be firing away at Stormtroopers and Mandalorians along with fellow con-goers. At any given moment you could look over and see little kids and heavily armored adults firing on one another.

The X-Men were running around along with Black Widow; they even tried to get a young superhero or two to join them, but the kids were intimidated by this amazing super team. I don’t even know who was together as a group or just showed up and joined in the group shot, but they all work well together. That’s what good cosplay should do, if a well done character from a setting meets another from the same setting, they should blend seamlessly.

I bought a Dredd badge from here since I missed out on getting one at Comikaze. This man is John Clark, he makes these replicas and also cosplay- for-hire, and acts. He had all sorts of cool stuff on display, and I hope to see his completed Dredd uniform. We talked about the new Dredd movie for awhile, as well.

Speaking of Dredd, here he is! Alongside Dr. Strange in a team up I never thought of but wholeheartedly condone. I mean, did Strange accidentally summon Dredd, or did he fall through a dimensional rift in the wastes? Whatever it is, I’m willing to read and/or write it.

This booth is Cuddly Capes; she makes ultra cute artwork of a variety of series, ranging from DC, Marvel, and Adventure Time to name a few. It was all super cute stuff, and she had merchandise ranging from buttons to posters. As soon as the store is available I’ll probably pick up some.

These two had amazing artwork, and if you’ll notice in the bottom left hand of that photo there is a Gravity Falls/My Neighbor Totoro crossover “My Neighbor Waddles.” I bought that print and have it happily hanging up on the wall. Jordan and Kelly were both very nice, and had I more money I’d probably have purchased more of their works for gifts.

This is Michael Hicks and his artwork. Now what sets him apart from many artists is that his creations are all created using only one line. From start to finish he doesn’t pick up or drop his hand from the page. It’s a single line of ink that he uses to make his works.

The Los Angeles Renegade Roller Girls were on hand and ready to rock out and do some roller derby. When some of my friends arrived, they asked what all those loud cheers were and where they were coming from. I told them the place had roller derby going on and I got this shot taken. They are recruiting now, so if you are in the L.A. area and think you’re tough enough, go try out!

This is the Devastator. It’s a quarterly collection of comics from all sorts of cool people where each issue follows a theme. I got the table-top gaming book and they had a bunch ranging from video games, to sci-fi, and more. It’s a cool series, I’ll probably buy more of them as I get more cash.

This is Terry Huddleston and his wall of comic book faces. He does these portraits of DC, Marvel, and other characters. They are pretty cool, and I have to say there are a few I need to pick up for myself. These would also make good gifts for anyone looking for the upcoming holidays.

My absolutely favorite cosplay of the show, if not the year – Scruffy from Futurama! This man nailed it! He had the blaster on his side and the copy of Zero G Jugs that he usually kept in his back pocket. Congratulations, you have won the convention if not all conventions. As we all know, conventions ain’t so bad. You can make sangria in the terlit, course it’s shank or be shanked. That was a rephrased Futurama quote from Scruffy; I hope explaining the joke has enhanced your experience. YOU’RE WELCOME.

Alright folks, that’s the end of the photos, but there are still some folks I want to mention and thank for this convention. There was Madeline Holly-Rosing of Boston Metaphysical Society; it’s a steampunk webcomic about fighting ghosts and such, check that comic out! (There might be a Webcomic of the Month with this one next year. Hint: There totally will be.) Matt Stevens of Nerd Adjacent Productions, where he makes wonderful art on metal instead of canvas; he might be working with NASA, because his stuff sure looks like stuff we should be sending aliens to tell them of our love of space. Dr. Muscles was a book I picked up, because how do I turn down a book with the adventures of a muscled doctor? I can’t, there’s your answer.

I also got to run into my friends at iO West from Comic Book Live! and hang out with them. They’ll be performing at Nuke the Fridge Con in the City of Industry at Frank and Son Collectible Show this Saturday (November 10th). I also ran into Kelly Turnbull of Manly Guys Doing Manly Things, and we hung out with a bunch of friends and had California Pizza Kitchen; that’s a comic that also will be a Webcomic of the Month SOON. (Manly Guys, not CPK, that is a restaurant.) Finally, I’d like to thank the fine people at Long Beach Comic Con for letting me come by and have a great time. I look forward to next year.

Alexander Bustos
drbustos@comicattack.net