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

Louisiana Comic Con 2022 report

My son's 17th birthday (man, how the time flies) was yesterday. We've missed the last couple of cons because of Covid and a hurricane, so we were bound and determined to go, even with the lackluster lineup. We (him, his best friend, and I) got there around 2 pm. We got there a little late because they had film study for football in the morning and then took a little longer to get ready than we planned. It took a little longer to get in the Cajundome because of traffic (remember that they had a home football game - more on that later).

Once inside, I immediately noticed that there were not as many people. It's not to say that the place was empty, but there was a slightly noticeable difference. I'm not sure if this was due to us getting there a little later than usual, the fact that there was a football game, or both. In any regard, it wasn't terrible, but not jam packed. They changed up how you got your wristband. Used to be, you'd show your ticket at the door and they'd put the band on you. Now, you have to go to the ticket window to get it. Fortunately, the line for that wasn't long, so no big deal. We didn't have any bags to check and they weren't checking cosplay weapons, so we zipped right in.

With only about an hour and a half before we needed to leave to get to the game (started at 4 pm), I felt a little rushed in looking around. The amount of booths was about the same as usual and they had lots of cool stuff. I didn't see as much Superman stuff as I'd like, though. I like to pick up a nice Superman print or painting when I go to cons, but no luck this time. I did find PLENTY of Demon Slayer stuff, which was nice. I got a couple little figures. Found a nice Ghost print for my daughter (she wasn't there with us, as she was attending a concert in Dallas). My son got a Demon Slayer decal for his truck.

The guests were meh, as we all have seen from the announcements. Still, it is pretty cool to be around people you see on TV. I did have to wait in line for an autograph from one of the Halloweentown actresses because my kids' mom is a huge fan and she couldn't go because she took our daughter to Dallas for the concert. That cut into my booth viewing time, but wasn't terrible. The actress was very nice.

My son and his friend both dressed up as Demon Slayer characters, as did MANY others in attendance. I'd say that was, by far, the most popular cosplay option. There were many cool costumes, though. I saw several nice Star Wars characters and a well-done Jason Voorhies. As with everything else, time was a factor and I didn't get to pay as much attention to costumes as I would have liked. We'll be going to the con in March and will have more time available.

We were able to get out of the con, walk to the truck to change (not too far - about 8 minutes there and the weather was excellent), and then into the stadium for the game. The traffic was what you'd expect for a Saturday afternoon game in Lafayette, although the cops did a great job of directing / keeping it flowing. The game itself was fun, although UL lost on a last second field goal. It was our first time there and I like their stadium. My son will more than likely attend college there, so I imagine I'll be back for other games. We stopped at Wendy's for food on the way home.

Overall, the day was terrific. It wasn't so much about the lineup, but rather about the time spent with my son. I've only "got him" for a little while longer, so every opportunity like this is special and I had to remind myself of that when I got frustrated with waiting in traffic, the lineup, etc. We'll certainly be heading back in March and hoping their lineup is a little beefier. Lafayette is such a great location for such an event and I do hope it can continue to grow under the new management.