I have traveled far and wide to attend comic book (and sim
ilar) conventions but this is the first time that I attended one in Toledo, Ohio. I was sure that there had been comic conventions here before, but I was told that was a misconception. I was informed that other comic book shows that had been held in Toledo were mostly just large dealer shows. Those events lacked media guests and panels, both of which are big draws for the fans. So if we are to believe my artist friend, Fantasticon made history.
Fantasticon was held at the Grand Plaza Hotel & Convention center in downtown Toledo. If we were to compare Fantasticon to other conventions it was a small convention. That being said it was a good show. There were some media guests including Jeremy London (Mallrats), Moses Moseley (The Walking Dead), Theshay West (The Walking Dead) and writer/director Scott Spiegel. Also, a comic convention wouldn’t be complete without people who work in the comic industry. These guests included Dirk Manning (Nightmare World), Eric Palicki (Orphans) and Jim Beard (Ghostbusters: Con-Volution).
I really did enjoy the time a spent at Fantasticon. The location in downtown Toledo wasn’t bad as there was an ample supply of parking in the neighborhood. The only down side was that there is nothing around the hotel. If you wanted to grab a bite outside the venue you would have to hike a fair distance to find a place to eat. The one thing that could have been better was the lighting in the dealer’s room. The area was very dimly lit but I was told that this was not the fault of the show organizers but instead a hotel issue that couldn’t be fixed.
I have to say that I was impressed at the number of cosplayers at this show. I know that in most comic book and sci-fi conventions there are a fair number of people dressed up and this show was no exception. On Saturday there was a kid’s costume contest, there was a Walking Dead costume contest and then on Sunday an adult cosplay contest. I really liked the fact that there were so many different costume contests. Some cosplayers spend countless hours making their outfits and it shows. Cosplayers are one of my favorite things about conventions. I even had the opportunity to speak with a family where everyone was dressed up. The kids went the superhero route whilst Mom and Dad dressed in Starfleet uniforms. I asked the parents if they had forced the kids into dressing up and the father informed me that his kids wanted to dress up. It was the wife who admitted that donning a Star Trek mini-dress was not her idea.
I really hope that Fantasticon returns to Toledo. There really was a little something for everyone at this show. The organizers really put on a great show this time around and I can only hope it grows next year. I would love to see more media guests next time around. Until next year check out Fantasticon’s website for their upcoming events.
