Huntsville Comic and Pop Culture Expo 2018
Back in February, Huntsville hosted their third annual Comic and Pop Culture Expo. Brad and I attended the very first one which was dramatically smaller and had far less to do. Unfortunately we missed the second one because of prior engagements. However, we heard the second one was much bigger from our friends that were able to attend. When we found out that the one this year was on a weekend we had no plans, we were sure to add it to our calendar as a must do!
The expo lasted two days [Saturday and Sunday]. We did some research on their website about the planned panels to determine which day we would go. Unfortunately the website wasn't exactly the most user friendly via a mobile device. However, on the computer, we were able to view everything fairly easily. We opted to go Saturday. There appeared to be more to do, and they were open longer so it was the best value for our money. They did offer weekend passes, but we really didn't think we could do both days with Melody.
While the first panels were at 9 am, we arrived around 10. We didn't care for the first set of panels at 9, so we didn't rush. Parking was easy and cost $5. We bought our tickets at the door for $50 total for both Brad and me. Melody was free. Not sure the age cut off for free, however. Kids are ordinarily $5, but you could pick up free kids' tickets in advance at various locations around town. An adult pass on Sunday was $20, and a weekend pass was $40.
When we bought tickets, we were all given an armband so that we could come and go as we pleased. The event was held at the Von Braun Center, and there were other events going on there too. This allowed security to keep anyone from sneaking in without a band or badge. As soon as we got there, Brad went to find a panel he was interested in. Melody and I walked around in the hallways so that she could roam freely. Plus I didn't want to explore too much without him. That is half the fun!
The panel he attended wasn't very full, and it wasn't quite what he expected. He did stay for most of it, however. It was kind of confusing to find out exactly how to get upstairs to the panels since we were not super familiar with the South Hall at the VBC. We rarely go to events there, so my only recommendation would be better signage to direct you were to go. We were given a map when we first arrived that also contained the Panel and Photo Op times. But it really didn't have a clear indication the stairs that we could use. I say that because some doors were blocked, so you had to kind of figure it out on your own. We obviously figured it out and became very familiar with how to get around, but it was confusing at first.
Brad finished up his panel around 11. We did one quick look around the vendor area downstairs, but we ultimately decided to go ahead and eat lunch. We wanted to try and beat the crowds, and we also wanted to try and keep Brad's blood sugar under control since it was likely to be a long day. Outside we found numerous food trucks. I want to say there were like 7 or 8 food trucks. They offered quite a variety between them. And Melody was pretty thrilled about them as you can see below!
Brad opted to eat at Highway Kabobery. He got steak kabobs that came with rice and a bottle of water. He spent around $15. I decided to give I Love Bacon a try. I have heard a lot about all of these food trucks because they are very common around Huntsville. My previous employer has one visit their office weekly, so I had seen the menu before. Everything sounded delicious but I couldn't order it all! I ended up getting the BLT, loaded tater tots, and a Mexican Coke. Mine was around $20 but also included a tip. Later in the day we did revisit I Love Bacon for a snack and had the Notorious BIG which was a sandwich with Bacon and Mac and Cheese which was about $12.
All of the food was delicious. I personally didn't try the kabobs, but there wasn't a single bite left so it had to be good! The BLT was one of the best I have had. The cheddar cheese and smoked mayo really gave it a great flavor, and it was overloaded with bacon! As I am writing this I am wanting one now! The tater tots were also really good, but not as great as the BLT. I feel like it is definitely something to share because the cheese makes it so rich and hard to finish! Brad's sandwich later in the day was good too, but it was also a strange combination. Mac and Cheese on a sandwich was definitely out there, but it was still good because it was covered in yummy bacon. Overall my favorite was by far the BLT.
My only complaint about the eating setup was the lack of anywhere to truly eat. Later in the day we did find a courtyard that had stairs and a few permanent tables, but it could have really used a few picnic tables or even just tall tables to sit your things on while you stood and ate. We ended up just sitting on the pavement and ate. It wasn't ideal, but with everything we had, it was really our only choice.
After lunch we went and walked around the vendor area some. Our next panel was at 1, so we had a little bit of time to kill before we went upstairs to wait on it. As you can see from the pictures below, there were quite a few vendors offering a huge variety of items. You could get everything from soap to lanyards to GI Joes to light sabers to old vintage toys and everything else you can think of!
In addition to vendors, they also had speakers that had booths setup for autographs. Most of the speakers had panels throughout the day, and a few had photo ops too. But you could also simply wait in line and get their autograph if you wanted. I think they also had a special price if you wanted a selfie and such. Below is the line for one of the Power Rangers that was there. Their line was the longest of all.
Below are the speakers who also did photo ops and their charges. This wasn't a selfie style photo, it was a professional photo. This was located upstairs in one of the new near the panels.
While upstairs getting ready for the 1 pm panel, we decided take a cute selfie. We all had on Power Ranger gear!
Melody and I sat down and let her decompress some with Mickey Mouse. While I sat with her, the line started building for the panel at 1. Also, plenty of people were cosplaying too!
When we first sat down, Brad went exploring some nearby. He found one game room full of board games.
Rocket City Arcade also had free arcade games in another room.
Brad then waited in line while I stood back with Melody. Because of this, he was able to get us some pretty good seats for the panels. However, I don't believe the room every entirely filled up for the 1 pm panel which were Austin St. John and Johnny Yong Bosch. Melody did great during the panels. We had Mickey Mouse muted and we gave her water and snacks. Once the Power Ranger panel finished, we decided to go ahead and stay for the Jermaine Funnymaine Johnson panel. Melody actually feel asleep, so this worked out perfectly. Unfortunately his panel was no where near as full. While it was great getting to see him in person, it wasn't a comedy panel; it was just a Q&A type panel. And it was just kind of awkward because his persona isn't geeky/nerdy which is the primary group of people at the convention.
His panel finished around 3. We headed to get Brad his snack as I discussed above, then we did another round of shopping. This time we bought everything we had planned to buy. We got Melody a crocheted pokèball, and Brad bought some GI Joes.
Our last stop. for the day was around 4. We decided to let Melody go upstairs and explore one more time.
We found the Kid's Area which was really neat. I wished we would have went here sooner in the day. They had lots of coloring pages and colors for the kids. They also had a box full of Legos and some corn hole games. No one was here when we went, but it looked like they had face painting too.
We packed up and left around 4:30. It was a great first convention for Melody, and we had a blast. This year also felt more Dragoncon-esque. I mean it is in no way on the same level due to size alone, but the different panels really gave it that feel that I felt like it was missing the first year. I hope to try and make this an annual tradition going forward when possible.
