Stan Lee’s Los Angeles Comic Con

Los Angeles Convention Center

Los Angeles, CA

Oct. 28-30, 2016

   About a week ago I had the opportunity to attend my first Stan Lee’s Los Angeles Comic Con (formally known as Stan Lee’s Comikaze) and being that I attend so many shows throughout the year I didn’t really know what to expect. Would there be something at this show that set it apart from the others? Well for me personally there was one HUGE difference and that was seeing the legendary Stan Lee in person, due to the importance of his contributions to comics and pop culture throughout the years not to mention his recent decline in appearances due to his age. As I arrived early to the convention center it was evident that it was going to be a full house. In a recent press release from the LA Comic Con team (it’s at the bottom of this page) the numbers are in and they had a record number of 91,000 attendees! This was very evident as you walked through the packed convention floor and the very crowded area right outside the main convention floor.

   One aspect of the conventions that I rarely ever par-take in is the frenzy of show exclusives. In this case the Hot Topic booth offered two Funko POP! Vinyl figures, a metallic Colossus and a glow in the dark She-Hulk. Each day the booth releases a certain number of figures to be sold. The line for these was RIDICULOUS! It span about three quarters (maybe a bit less) of the length of the convention floor. I was astonished at how long people were willing to wait to get one of these exclusives, especially knowing that they would soon be available online at the Hot Topic website (which they are by the way). I attempted to wait in this line but decided it was insane and preferred to move along to other activities. I came back a few hours later to find the line had gotten very short and proceeded to get the second to last Colossus available which made me feel bad for those who waited so long for their pop.

   There was a huge amount of special guests at this show. In a nut shell I would compare this show to a combination of Heroes and Villains and Long Beach Comic Con, a really healthy amount of artists and some independent publishers and an array of stars that we can recognize from various outlets. For example besides Stan Lee there was the legendary Adam West and Burt Ward. As well as the recent star from Netflix’s Luke Cage Mike Colter and current co-star of CW’s The Flash Danielle Panabaker, Candice Patton and Teddy Sears. Check out their website as the list was very long. Some good friends of mine from Top Cow Productions Inc. had a booth promoting the amazing book Eclipse, as well as the amazing ladies from Hex Comix with their title Hex11 which actually had debuted at Comikaze two years prior. So needless to say there were a lot of people to talk interact with.

   I am learning that conventions in southern California have a special group of cosplayers, as a lot of them are also very proud Disney bounders. Visiting so many shows this year in the LA area I am getting very familiar with a lot of these cosplayers. Some of them have the same costumes throughout the year and others offer a variety of characters. The two most cosplayed characters this year? Anyone could have guessed this, Negan and Harley Quinn. A few people even combined that character! You can see some of the cosplayers in a gallery that I put together (the link will be below). Thanks to the cosplayers for not only taking the time to pose for all the photographers, but especially for being very good with kids. Next month we are going to do a special post featuring our top cosplayers from all the shows we attended (look out for that).

   Overall it was a very good show. Although I will say that with Long Beach Comic Expo, WonderCon, Long Beach Comic Con and Stan Lee’s Los Angeles Comic Con, the market is getting a bit crowded with these shows. I am curious to see how next year each of these will stand out from one another. Although this show has the main man himself, Stan Lee. If you have attended a few of these events which is your favorite and why? I am very curious to know what you all think, or heck what is your favorite show overall?

Stan Lee’s Los Angeles Comic Con Hits Record Turnout Of 91,000 Attendees 

LA Mayor Eric Garcetti, Celebrity Guests, Exclusive Panels, And A Trick-or-Treating Extravaganza Make 2016 The Largest Year In Show’s History

For Immediate Release

LOS ANGELES (November 2, 2016) – LA’s biggest Pop-Culture celebration unfolded this weekend when a record-setting 91,000 people donned their capes, wings, armor, Star Trek uniforms and Harley Quinn hammers to attend Stan Lee’s Los Angeles Comic Con at the LA Convention Center. From Mayor Eric Garcetti’s historic ribbon cutting with Stan Lee, to its epic closing that raised significant funds for the Boyle Heights Arts Conservatory, Stan Lee’s Los Angeles Comic Con has officially become LA’s largest pop culture celebration.

The event’s humble beginnings began in 2011 when young entrepreneur Regina Carpinelli and her brothers saw a need for an annual comic book convention in Los Angeles. Its incredible inaugural success turned it into something much more “than your friendly neighborhood Con” when Stan Lee’s POW! Entertainment joined as a partner in 2012.

Not only have the fans responded by growing in attendance by at least 20% each year – so too have the exhibitors and special guests. Luke Cage’s Mike Colter joined this year’s event, along with Adam West, Alan Tudyk, Mike Tyson, Lance Henriksen, Gerard Way, Kevin Smith, Neal Adams, Rob Liefeld, Dan Harmon, Cary Elwes and many more. Along with hundreds of booths and panels, North America’s largest traveling film festival, GeekFest, concluded its year-long campaign of visiting cons across the continent. Some of the world’s best cosplayers, make-up artists and prop makers amazed attendees when they competed on-stage at the Cosplay, Make-Up and Prop Making National Championships. Families from across SoCal enjoyed an unforgettable trick-or-treating experience at LA’s Ultimate Trick-or-Treat. Courtesy of Guitar Center, a coveted Gibson Flying V electric guitar signed by Stan Lee, Rob Liefeld and Marc Silvestri, was auctioned off for $1,500 to benefit the Boyle Heights Arts Conservatory.

“Watching our show unfold amidst a growing community of amazing fans has truly been an honor. Old friends, new faces and plenty of surprises has made 2016 our best year yet,” said Regina Carpinelli, Founder of Stan Lee’s Los Angeles Comic Con. “We appreciate the support of our vendors, exhibitors and sponsors in contributing to this year’s unprecedented success.”

“Los Angeles has proven itself once again as the world capital of entertainment with the unparalleled achievement of L.A. Comic Con,” said Keith Tralins, CEO of Stan Lee’s Los Angeles Comic Con. “With thanks to the Man himself, Stan Lee, for being LA’s true believer, we are excited to continue building our legacy in the many years to come.”

About Stan Lee’s Los Angeles Comic Con: 

Stan Lee’s Los Angeles Comic Con is Los Angeles’ biggest and best large-scale, multi-media pop culture convention. Held annually at the Los Angeles Convention Center, Stan Lee’s L.A. Comic Con assembles the most exciting and innovative in comics, video games, sci-fi, fantasy, horror and all things pop-culture. Stan With a mission to provide celebrity, creator and talent access that is unequalled in comic conventions, Stan Lee’s Los Angeles Comic Con features unique panels, autograph sessions and photo-ops that give fans once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to truly interact with their favorite creators and major players in the entertainment industry.  Stan Lee’s Los Angeles Comic Con is a partnership of Stan Lee’s Pow! Entertainment, Cassandra Peterson, and Comikaze Entertainment, Inc.  Visithttp://www.stanleeslacomiccon.com/.