Comic Con Talk (Renamed since LA Comic Con can't get it together) (2 Viewers)

[bonnjer]

Good you got Jason David Frank before he passed.

Yep, I think he was actually the first one we got way back when we first started going. That was in Lafayette. Now, if someone could just get Amy Jo....

 

[GrandAdmiral]

Yep, I think he was actually the first one we got way back when we first started going. That was in Lafayette. Now, if someone could just get Amy Jo....

I know you want to get pictures and all, but she'll likely be back at San Diego this year...

 

[bonnjer]

I know you want to get pictures and all, but she'll likely be back at San Diego this year...

I know you've offered before. One day, I'll luck up and meet her. For now, I'm turning my attention to Fan Expo Dallas announcements, in case they're able to pull in a massive line up with someone I really want to meet.

 

[bonnjer]

Louisiana Comic Con 2025

This show is the reason I started this thread years ago. Even though it's not the biggest show, my kids and I have made it something of a yearly tradition. Now that my son is in college there in Lafayette, it's easy for him to attend, but it has changed the traveling dynamic a bit. The weather had me a little worried because there were storms in the Lafayette area, so I figured we'd get rained on. Since my daughter was doing cosplay, I was hoping her costume wouldn't get messed up. Fortunately, that turned out to not be an issue, as we missed the rains throughout the trip. My daughter and I headed out around 8:30 to make it there for around 10:15.

We made it the Cajundome around 10:20. She had to do the "final touches" to the costume, so we walked to the line around 10:40. My son and his girlfriend met us there. The show was supposed to open at 10, so I figured that by the time we got there the line for tickets / wristbands had started moving and was shorter. Wrong. If you know where the ticket booth is for the Cajundome, the line snaked under the covered drive through area and alllllllll the way down the sidewalk and around the corner. The parking lots weren't that full, so this told me they hadn't started letting people in. I could be wrong on that, but I really don't think so. The line finally started to move at 10:50. While it was breezy, the temperature was fine and the rains held off, so we just inched along for the next 45 minutes. Yes, it took that long to get our wristbands. I don't know what happened to cause this, but we've never had to wait that long before. Fortunately, this was the only major issue with the day, so not terrible, I suppose.

As soon as we get in (11:40), my daughter went off to find her friends and my son, his girlfriend, and I headed off to meet David Yost, the Blue Power Ranger. With blue paint pen and Blue Ranger Funko Pop in hand, we quickly spotted his table. Only two people in line ahead of us. Yes! In a matter of moments, it was our turn. He was very nice and soft-spoken. We chatted for a moment, but couldn't stay too long, because he had his panel at 12. I now have autographed Funkos of the Red, Green, Black, and Blue Rangers. Only need Karan Ashley (Yellow) and Amy Jo Johnson (Pink Ranger) to complete the set....unless I decide to get the original Black Ranger to get as close to the original group as possible (the original Yellow Ranger passed away a number of years ago, for those who don't follow along with that kind of stuff).



I headed off to Yost's panel, while my son and his girlfriend went to walk around to look at vendors. She had to work later in the afternoon, so they couldn't stay as long. The panel was enjoyable and went by quickly. After I was done there, it was time to shop. I usually like to take a walk up and down each aisle to start, just to get an idea of what's there. I'm not sure if there were fewer vendors compared to past years or less people (I think it might have been the latter), but I was able to navigate the crowd with ease. The three things I'm always on the lookout for are art prints, comics, and figures. This show usually has a couple of comics vendors, so I was very pleasantly surprised to see five comics tables in attendance. There weren't as many art print vendors, though. I guess it just varies from year to year.

After my initial pass, I decided to return to each comics vendor and start looking through the boxes. Naturally, there were plenty of the key issues displayed. Although I'd loved to have grabbed a bunch of them, I wasn't looking to spend a ton of money on them at the con. I was more interested in finding some cheaper stuff mainly aimed at filling runs and picking up covers I liked. I was able to do just that, grabbing 14 books for $50 total. I was especially happy to find the Man of Steel and Wolverine, as I love those covers.



I noticed that as the day went along, the crowd thinned out a lot. By the time 4:30 rolled around and we were ready to leave, I could walk down the aisles while texting on my phone and not be in any danger of running into people. At no point in the day was it ever super crowded, but I'd imagine the attendance numbers were not as high as in previous years. I suppose that could be a combination of a lot of factors - the guest list was nothing to get very excited about (at least, not for me), the weather, the cost of the con (and everything else these days).

Overall, it was a very pleasant and enjoyable con. I will support it for as long as it's around because I like the environment, the location, and the chance to see what goodies I can find. Next con up is Geek'd Con in Shreveport in August, but I'm still up in the air on attending. It will really depend on the guests and how busy things are at that time. Thanks for reading!

 

[Sun Wukong]

Louisiana Comic Con 2025

This show is the reason I started this thread years ago. Even though it's not the biggest show, my kids and I have made it something of a yearly tradition. Now that my son is in college there in Lafayette, it's easy for him to attend, but it has changed the traveling dynamic a bit. The weather had me a little worried because there were storms in the Lafayette area, so I figured we'd get rained on. Since my daughter was doing cosplay, I was hoping her costume wouldn't get messed up. Fortunately, that turned out to not be an issue, as we missed the rains throughout the trip. My daughter and I headed out around 8:30 to make it there for around 10:15.

We made it the Cajundome around 10:20. She had to do the "final touches" to the costume, so we walked to the line around 10:40. My son and his girlfriend met us there. The show was supposed to open at 10, so I figured that by the time we got there the line for tickets / wristbands had started moving and was shorter. Wrong. If you know where the ticket booth is for the Cajundome, the line snaked under the covered drive through area and alllllllll the way down the sidewalk and around the corner. The parking lots weren't that full, so this told me they hadn't started letting people in. I could be wrong on that, but I really don't think so. The line finally started to move at 10:50. While it was breezy, the temperature was fine and the rains held off, so we just inched along for the next 45 minutes. Yes, it took that long to get our wristbands. I don't know what happened to cause this, but we've never had to wait that long before. Fortunately, this was the only major issue with the day, so not terrible, I suppose.

As soon as we get in (11:40), my daughter went off to find her friends and my son, his girlfriend, and I headed off to meet David Yost, the Blue Power Ranger. With blue paint pen and Blue Ranger Funko Pop in hand, we quickly spotted his table. Only two people in line ahead of us. Yes! In a matter of moments, it was our turn. He was very nice and soft-spoken. We chatted for a moment, but couldn't stay too long, because he had his panel at 12. I now have autographed Funkos of the Red, Green, Black, and Blue Rangers. Only need Karan Ashley (Yellow) and Amy Jo Johnson (Pink Ranger) to complete the set....unless I decide to get the original Black Ranger to get as close to the original group as possible (the original Yellow Ranger passed away a number of years ago, for those who don't follow along with that kind of stuff).



I headed off to Yost's panel, while my son and his girlfriend went to walk around to look at vendors. She had to work later in the afternoon, so they couldn't stay as long. The panel was enjoyable and went by quickly. After I was done there, it was time to shop. I usually like to take a walk up and down each aisle to start, just to get an idea of what's there. I'm not sure if there were fewer vendors compared to past years or less people (I think it might have been the latter), but I was able to navigate the crowd with ease. The three things I'm always on the lookout for are art prints, comics, and figures. This show usually has a couple of comics vendors, so I was very pleasantly surprised to see five comics tables in attendance. There weren't as many art print vendors, though. I guess it just varies from year to year.

After my initial pass, I decided to return to each comics vendor and start looking through the boxes. Naturally, there were plenty of the key issues displayed. Although I'd loved to have grabbed a bunch of them, I wasn't looking to spend a ton of money on them at the con. I was more interested in finding some cheaper stuff mainly aimed at filling runs and picking up covers I liked. I was able to do just that, grabbing 14 books for $50 total. I was especially happy to find the Man of Steel and Wolverine, as I love those covers.



I noticed that as the day went along, the crowd thinned out a lot. By the time 4:30 rolled around and we were ready to leave, I could walk down the aisles while texting on my phone and not be in any danger of running into people. At no point in the day was it ever super crowded, but I'd imagine the attendance numbers were not as high as in previous years. I suppose that could be a combination of a lot of factors - the guest list was nothing to get very excited about (at least, not for me), the weather, the cost of the con (and everything else these days).

Overall, it was a very pleasant and enjoyable con. I will support it for as long as it's around because I like the environment, the location, and the chance to see what goodies I can find. Next con up is Geek'd Con in Shreveport in August, but I'm still up in the air on attending. It will really depend on the guests and how busy things are at that time. Thanks for reading!

Glad you had a good time and picked up some books. To the point you make here:

I noticed that as the day went along, the crowd thinned out a lot. By the time 4:30 rolled around and we were ready to leave, I could walk down the aisles while texting on my phone and not be in any danger of running into people. At no point in the day was it ever super crowded, but I'd imagine the attendance numbers were not as high as in previous years. I suppose that could be a combination of a lot of factors - the guest list was nothing to get very excited about (at least, not for me), the weather, the cost of the con (and everything else these days).

It just feels like it's a con in decline. People go to cons for a lot of reasons, but guests are a very big draw. Good guests get more people in the door, which over time makes it more attractive for vendors, and leads to growth.

I'm adjacent to fan groups and vendors who are increasingly passing on the show because of this. Most people in my personal "con circle" passed on this show. Way more than used to. I'm part of three costume group group texts right now and absolutely no one was posting about LACC this weekend. It was very striking.

Also, their ticket prices are not relective of the quality of con they are currently putting on.

I'm not saying this to needlessly bash. I used to go every year. But it fell out of my rotation and it seems to have for many other people I know, as well.

 

[GrandAdmiral]

Next con up is Geek'd Con in Shreveport in August

Not doing GalaxyCon in July?

 

[bonnjer]

Glad you had a good time and picked up some books. To the point you make here:



It just feels like it's a con in decline. People go to cons for a lot of reasons, but guests are a very big draw. Good guests get more people in the door, which over time makes it more attractive for vendors, and leads to growth.

I'm adjacent to fan groups and vendors who are increasingly passing on the show because of this. Most people in my personal "con circle" passed on this show. Way more than used to. I'm part of three costume group group texts right now and absolutely no one was posting about LACC this weekend. It was very striking.

Also, their ticket prices are not relective of the quality of con they are currently putting on.

I'm not saying this to needlessly bash. I used to go every year. But it fell out of my rotation and it seems to have for many other people I know, as well.

Agreed. Had it not been for David Yost, I would have just been there for vendors and for my daughter to do her cosplay thing. I really, really hope they can get it turned around. If not, I'm hoping another group could come in and fill the space. Lafayette is such a good location for such an event.

 

[bonnjer]

Not doing GalaxyCon in July?

Ohhh, I've thought about it. There are definitely some guests there that I'd like to meet. I haven't completely ruled it out, but as of this moment, I'm leaning more on the side of not going. Of course, that is subject to change at any moment.

 

[DaveXA]

There a Comic Con coming up in DC next month. God I wanna go!

Sigh...

 

[GrandAdmiral]

There a Comic Con coming up in DC next month. God I wanna go!

Sigh...

So FYI... AwesomeCon is run by the same folks the put on the disastrous Big Easy Con in New Orleans a few years ago. Considering how long AwesomeCon has been around (with their other shows), I had high hopes of them being successful here. But then the idiots made the mistakes of rescheduling the show only a few weeks out from the original dates. They were worried about sales despite folks, me included, urging them not to do so because the city naturally is more of a walk-up and buy town. They refused to listen and killed all good will they had.

 

[DaveXA]

So FYI... AwesomeCon is run by the same folks the put on the disastrous Big Easy Con in New Orleans a few years ago. Considering how long AwesomeCon has been around (with their other shows), I had high hopes of them being successful here. But then the idiots made the mistakes of rescheduling the show only a few weeks out from the original dates. They were worried about sales despite folks, me included, urging them not to do so because the city naturally is more of a walk-up and buy town. They refused to listen and killed all good will they had.

Yeah, that sucks. I've never been to any sort of Comic Con. Their lineup looks pretty good and they're advertising it a good bit here.

Idk if that mess was a one-off or is typical of how they're run. I'll keep that in mind though. If there are other good ones here, I'll definitely consider other options.

 

[Sun Wukong]

Yeah, that sucks. I've never been to any sort of Comic Con. Their lineup looks pretty good and they're advertising it a good bit here.

Idk if that mess was a one-off or is typical of how they're run. I'll keep that in mind though. If there are other good ones here, I'll definitely consider other options.

You should be good. Awesome Con has been running for like a decade in D.C.. They're established. But for whatever reason, they totally bungled their attempt at moving into New Orleans with Big Easy Con. All their decision making was very strange. I think G.A. is right in that they panicked about low pre-sales and made bad choices instead of just waiting for walkups.

 

[DaveXA]

You should be good. Awesome Con has been running for like a decade in D.C.. They're established. But for whatever reason, they totally bungled their attempt at moving into New Orleans with Big Easy Con. All their decision making was very strange. I think G.A. is right in that they panicked about low pre-sales and made bad choices instead of just waiting for walkups.

Yeah, DC walk-ups probably would be pretty rare since most people already have an agenda when they're in the city. All of their high dollar and vip tickets are sold out.

DC and New Orleans couldn't be two more different cities. It seems obvious to me that one shouldn't treat them the same. But I get wanting ticket revenue in hand rather than hoping for good turnout at the gate.

I've talked to the wife and we are already planning a trip this summer, so we might skip, but that guest lineup is solid. Tempting lol.

 

[GrandAdmiral]

You should be good. Awesome Con has been running for like a decade in D.C.. They're established. But for whatever reason, they totally bungled their attempt at moving into New Orleans with Big Easy Con. All their decision making was very strange. I think G.A. is right in that they panicked about low pre-sales and made bad choices instead of just waiting for walkups.

Yeah, DC walk-ups probably would be pretty rare since most people already have an agenda when they're in the city. All of their high dollar and vip tickets are sold out.

DC and New Orleans couldn't be two more different cities. It seems obvious to me that one shouldn't treat them the same. But I get wanting ticket revenue in hand rather than hoping for good turnout at the gate.

I've talked to the wife and we are already planning a trip this summer, so we might skip, but that guest lineup is solid. Tempting lol.

Yeah, Fan Expo was patient in settling in to the city. They actually brought in some folks from Wizard World who managed New Orleans' show and advised appropriately. Despite the terrible weather, the crowds looked awesome this year, even on Sunday.

I'm actually going to be contacting the GalaxyCon folks soon to get them on the podcast to push the July show. I hope they're as patient as Fan Expo to fully gain the fruits of the July crowd.