In Year 3 Comikaze Keeps Things Fresh and Eclectic
In the growing world of conventions, Stan Lee's Comikaze Expo, may be the best example of what is possible in Los Angeles when an event is constructed with fans in mind. Dubbed as a pop culture convention, Comikaze, a lot like its octopus logo, has its hand in everything from sci-fi, comic books, horror, cosplay, and pop culture personalities. Two of the event owners, Stan Lee and Elvira, are some of the biggest personalities in popular culture themselves. They use their name recognition and star power to add some pizazz to the event unavailable to other cons. The crowds this weekend cheered them on and lined up for autographs and photos as well for their long list of attendees.
In their third year, Comikaze has evolved and changed a little once again. Last year there was a bigger influence on horror especially with their zombie maze attraction but this year there was more nostalgia for video games and television. A section dedicated to old school arcade games and consoles was a major hit with people of all ages either revisiting an old classic like 'Burger Time' or discovering 'Double Dragon' on Sega for the first time. There were star cars throughout the hall from 'Knight Rider's KITT to 'The Munsters' family hot rod. One of the guests, LeVar Burton (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Reading Rainbow, Roots) was a fan favorite both while on stage and in the autograph booth. There were also some television show cast reunions and signings. There was plenty of attractions to help reminisce about.
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| Comikaze co-owners - Stan Lee, Cassandra "Elvira" Peterson, and Regina Carpinelli |
The list of guests of honor exemplified the eclectic nature of the expo. Where else can you find Edward James Olmos, RuPaul and 'Weird Al' Yakovic in one place? Alyssa Milano was there promoting a comic book she helped create named 'Hactivist' for Archaia Entertainment. Actor Bruce Campbell (Burn Notice, Army of Darkness) was a big hit on Saturday. The comic book world was well represented with Humberto Ramos, John Romita, Jr., Marc Silvestri and Kevin Eastman on hand to speak and sign autographs. Elvira was of course a big draw. A museum was established in honor of Stan Lee full of memorabilia available for fans to visit.
Marvel made a big splash with their movie exhibit consisting of memorabilia from 'Iron Man', 'Thor', and 'Avengers'. Iron Man and Hulk statues were on display as well as a life-size statue of Idris Elba as Heimdall from 'Thor'. The line of people running through the exhibit was constant all weekend long.
Cosplay was also rampant this weekend. A huge assembly of Batman related characters took a class photo organized by the Expo was quite vast and impressive. There were people dressed as characters from Marvel comics, video games, anime, cartoons, TV shows, fantasy, etc. Cosplay, or costume play, has evolved into an artform because of the attention to detail and creativity used in designing these costumes. It's no longer just store bought fashions but some painstaking sewing and cutting going on. There were some elaborate Harley Quinn costumes with equally impressive make-up as well as one 'Doc Ock' with movie set quality tentacles - all of them. Needless to say, navigating the con with them took some careful maneuvering. The cosplayers were happy to stop for photos with people and seemed to enjoy the attention. Cosplayers had all their hard work on display to help bring their favorite characters to life. As far as I know there was little to no problems with harassment as there was at the New York Comic Con. Comikaze made a concerted effort to reiterate their harassment policy online through various social media but also responded via twitter to any questions or concerns about conduct.
Panels throughout the weekend were of varying interests, some were fun Learn How to Use a Light Saber..., Who is the Best Doctor [Who], others were instructional Writing Animation 101, Cosplay Makeup 101, and some tackled more serious issues Sexism Within the Geek Subculture, Diversity in Geekdom. Plenty of discussions took place on the main stage available to anyone in the hall. Alyssa Milano, 'Weird Al', and Michael Rooker were just some of the stars on the main stage. A great variety of panels covered cosplay, independent publishing and just about every facet of comic books, screenwriting and more.
One of the more impressive changes at the Expo was the placement of artists and writers in the middle of the hall instead of being relegated to the side. This allowed for traffic to flow right by the tables of these creative people whether you were headed to the video games to the east or to the movie memorabilia to the west. Also, being near the main stage the creatives were sure to get eyeballs on their works where they normally could be avoided being sectioned off to the far end of a hall. The big two comic book publishing houses, DC and Marvel, did not have a presence at Comikaze so it is vital for independent publishers, artists and writers to get their work out there in front of people and this move made it a lot easier.
There were also hundreds of exhibitors selling everything from superhero t-shirts, movie posters, and comic books to steampunk clothing, toys, art supplies and wigs. Convention goers had a lot to check out but it appeared comics and toys ruled the weekend.
Attendance was expected to exceed the 45,000 mark set last year and we'll know soon enough. Reaction online seemed overwhelmingly positive. Many exhibitors have said they'll return next year and cosplayers seemed to have had a pleasant experience.
Expectations will surely grow for 2014. Comikaze has established itself as the pop culture convention of record in Los Angeles. Perhaps higher profile publishers and networks will join the event but if not that's not necessarily a bad thing. We've seen the San Diego Comic Con grow immensely and reach global relevance in regards to showcasing the latest movie studio offerings and comic book announcements. The problem is it may have outgrown its San Diego confines resulting in a more expensive and logistical nightmare for fans than smaller cons like Comikaze. In order to maintain sustainability SDCC embraced movie studios and superhero features because they drew crowds and increased their profile. Soon sit-coms, unrelated to anything geek, found themselves there as well. It has become a behemoth. It will be interesting to see if the Disney/Marvel/Star Wars conglomerate will keep a big presence there in the future considering they are beginning to save some breaking news for their respective conventions.
Regardless, Comikaze is well positioned to hold its place in Los Angeles as the marquee convention with ambitions to branch out to other countries in the future. The cast is being set in LA with low badge prices, a family-friendly atmosphere, a centralized downtown setting, and a diverse, eclectic convention aimed to appeal to everyone. Stan Lee and company have a great event on their hands and I can't wait to see how it evolves for 2014.
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