L.A. Comic Con kicked off its 15th year on Friday, and the first day at the Los Angeles Convention Center was already packed by late afternoon. General admission doors opened at 3 p.m. for a six-hour first day, and we spent it walking the halls, from Artist Alley to the statue dealers, with plenty of Marvel, Star Wars and classic Disney along the way.
This year the show lands on Halloween weekend, running Friday, October 30 through Sunday, November 1. That meant costumes everywhere on day one. We spotted a Santa, a Yoshi, a Toad and plenty more cosplay making the rounds.
The floor is split into sections. A pink-roofed Akiba Station marks the anime area, with The Card Show and an Autograph Alley for gaming guests right beside it, and elsewhere a Freeplay Area is lined with gaming stations. Artist Alley takes up a big stretch of the hall, and the comic dealers had long boxes out for digging, with banners for writer Scott Lobdell and artist Tim Vigil hanging over the tables.
One print stopped us on the floor. Hanging next to Godzilla and Mechagodzilla was a tall tribute to Walt Disney himself, with Walt smiling over Sleeping Beauty Castle, the Partners statue, the Main Street train station and the dedication plaque, plus Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy and Tinker Bell.
Star Wars On The Show Floor
The biggest Star Wars moment of the day was a roped-off General Grievous, standing in front of his wheel bike with a pair of battle droids beside him. The whole display was 3D printed by TD Outpost.
TD Outpost’s nearby booth leaned into the holiday with a table full of 3D-printed Star Wars pieces: AT-AT walkers carrying orange pumpkin buckets, Grogu figures, a pit droid and a TIE fighter.
If minifigures are your thing, one booth had stadium-style shelves of Star Wars minifigures on display, with mystery boxes of 10 figures for $35 and bulk deals like 25 for $100.
Doctor Doom Was Everywhere
With Avengers: Doomsday opening December 18, Doctor Doom showed up all over the hall. The Armored Foundling booth had two costumes in green hooded cloaks standing out front: Doom himself and a Latverian Witch.
Over at Rug Fiendz, rolling racks were loaded with rugs printed with vintage-style comic covers. Doom took center stage on an Avengers cover reading “All Roads Lead To Doom!” and on Marc Spector: Moon Knight #40, which promises “Impending Doom!” The same racks also carried a Sorcerer Mickey rug on a starry blue background. The booth was running a Halloween spin promotion too: spend $75 or more and spin for free, or pay $10 a spin for a shot at discounts and prizes.
Life-Size Avengers
Life-size Avengers statues were on the floor too: Thor with his hammer raised on a rock base, Ant-Man crouched on a pedestal and a hulking red and gold Hulkbuster.
Disney Villains And A Venomized Hulk
The Super Bad Action Figures tables were stacked with high-end statues. Disney villains had their own corner, with Maleficent standing beside the Evil Queen from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, both in cloth costumes. The Evil Queen carried an $899.99 price tag, and Tick-Tock the Crocodile peeked out from the edge of the display.
A roaring Hulk prototype was marked not for sale, while a Venomized Hulk statue was lit up in green and purple. The Marvel Zombies prototypes, including a painted zombie Wolverine with zombie Thor and zombie Iron Man unpainted behind him, were also marked not for sale. Handwritten “Please Do Not Touch” signs sat in front of several pieces.
Heading To Days 2 And 3
The show continues Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. and wraps Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday is Halloween itself, and the show is hosting indoor trick-or-treating for kids that day. Tickets and the full schedule are on the official L.A. Comic Con website.
By the time we walked out Friday night, the L.A. Comic Con banner was glowing on the convention center tower and fans were still heading out into the night. We will be back on the floor for more.
