Phoenix Comicon

art by Greg Ham

This Sunday I attended Phoenix Comicon with my husband, brother, and a group of friends. I had a really great time at my first con and learned a lot for next year. We went on the last, and the shortest day of the event, and saw only a fraction of what was available. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures because I was so overwhelmed at everything going on around me. I attended two panels; one about the astronomy of Middle Earth, and the other focusing on the DC animated universe.

The Astronomy of Middle Earth was really interesting and interactive. Instead of just sitting and listening to someone talk, we were actually inside a blow-up dome with the constellations projected on the ceiling. We went through both the summer and winter sky, and the speaker talked about how Tolkien's world actually takes place on an ancient Earth. She would reference quotes from the books and talk about the mythology associated with the constellations in our world and Middle Earth. There was also a presentation of the astronomy of Harry Potter that I unfortunately missed. Hopefully the presenter will be there next year!

art by Agnes Garbowska

The second panel featured two writers (whose names I cannot recall), and Jason Spisack, the voice of Wally West in Young Justice. I'm a huge fan of animation and most of the time, I would rather watch cartoons than anything else. I actually hadn't watched Young Justice before the panel, but afterwards found it on Netflix and am really enjoying it so far. They each talked about the work they've done for DC and how they started working for the company. We learned a bit about the process of how the features are made and they answered some fan questions as well. One thing that excites me is their plan to feature female characters more heavily in the future. I have my fingers crossed!

By far, my favorite part of the event was the exhibitor hall. This is where all of the booths to purchase art and  merchandise are located. My husband found some great action figures, including a Cyclops that he had as a child. I, on the other hand, found a bunch of awesome mini prints. I didn't even realize until afterwards that in the Avengers print, Hulk, Captain America, and Hawkeye, are all zombies! The Zatanna print is adorable with the bunny Justice League. I can't even choose a favorite because they're all amazing. We didn't get to see all of the booths because of time constraints but next time we will plan a little better. I really recommend looking at the panel schedule ahead of time, something we did not do. This is especially helpful if you are in a group with varied interests, like we were. I will definitely be attending next year, and will probably get tickets for more than one day. That way, I can take my time and see everything I want to, without running around like a chicken with my head cut off.

Have any of you been to Comicons? What are your best survival tips?