This year, early October marked the thirteenth anniversary of L.A. Comic Con. Debuted in 2011, L.A. Comic Con has become an ingrained part of the City of Angels. With hundreds of panels and numerous artists stationed in Artist Alley, thousands pool in to attend it annually.
For three years in a row, I have had the pleasure of attending L.A. Comic Con as a representative of The Game of Nerds, but I have been attending it for the past ten years as an attendee. Long story short, I first experienced L.A. Comic Con as a teenager when it was known as Comikaze Expo, and it was one of the highlights of my early years. I loved attending as a teenager and that has not changed, even after entering adulthood.
In preparation for Comic Con, I reuploaded the official Los Angeles Comic Con app to help me navigate and plan for what panels to attend. I recommend that future attendees upload the official app to help them explore the convention fully. After interviewing the CEO of L.A. Comic Con, I was extremely excited with the lineup of talent L.A. Comic Con had planned for its fans this year so I left early Saturday morning and arrived at the front entrance by 10 AM. To my great relief, it was easy to obtain my badge and the staff were very kind and open to questions.
Since I was later than expected because of heavy traffic, I raced (with friends in tow) to the first thing on my itinerary – the Helluva Boss panel with original creator Vivienne Medrano and voice actors Brandon Rogers (Blitz), Erica Lindbeck (Loona), and Christina Vee (Verosika Mayday) stationed in the West Hall. For context, Helluva Boss is set in the same universe as the hit animated musical series Hazbin Hotel. I love Helluva Boss and Hazbin Hotel as animated series because of their colorful and musically inclined casts. However, Helluva Boss and Hazbin Hotel are also series that deal with sensitive and triggering topics such as domestic abuse, mental illness, sexual assault, and trauma, so it is NOT something I recommend for young viewers below the age of eighteen. To be expected from a series with millions of viewers, the Helluva Boss panel was jam-packed with attendees and cosplayers that reflected the Helluva Boss and Hazbin Hotel characters. My favorite characters Fizzaroli and Charlie were among the crowd, and I saw the Helluva Boss cast come together to answer questions on stage. As a team, they had great chemistry.
I explored the West Hall briefly and taste-tested some True Honey Teas. I especially enjoyed their Peach Rooibos tea. Afterward, I ventured back to the South Hall just in time to catch a glance at the Avatar: The Last Airbender panel featuring voice actors Zach Tyler Eisen (Aang), Jack De Sena (Sokka), Olivia Hack (Ty Lee), Jennie Kwan (Suki), and James Sie (The Cabbage Merchant). As a long-time fan of the ATLA series, it was great seeing members of the original cost come together and talk about their experiences voicing characters still loved today. Like the Helluva Boss panel, the stage was crowded with attendees and cosplayers dressed as characters from the main series. With ATLA widely considered an animated masterpiece, it was no surprise that fans pooled in to listen in on behind-the-scenes stories.
While exploring the South Hall, I saw many costumed attendees and was introduced to numerous artists and original creators. I saw an artist specializing in custom quilling art, an engraver specializing in laser engraving cups with fandom-related designs, and a seller specializing in fanfiction journals selling like hotcakes. Artist Alley remains one of my favorite aspects of Comic Con, showcasing beautiful and original artwork at affordable prices. In terms of costumes, I saw someone dressed up as Peri (formerly known as Poof) from The Fairly Oddparents: A New Wish, and Bean from Disenchantment. I saw someone dressed as Spider-Man get thrown from a mechanical bull, and I noted plenty of crossover and gender-bend costumes that were brilliantly designed. But my favorite costume was The Lamb from the indie game Cult of the Lamb which I have played almost religiously for the past month. If you love darkly adorable games with base building and dungeon crawling, I recommend buying a copy!
I participated in a scavenger hunt that vitalized the official Comic Con app. As part of the hunt, I was encouraged to explore the West and South Halls and find hidden QR codes I needed to scan with my app. Once I collected all the QR codes, I had to find the nearest information booth and present my app to the event staff. As a reward, you received an exclusive L.A. Comic Con pin. I collected the QR codes and obtained my exclusive pin within a few hours.
I brought snacks, but since I came with friends who didn’t bring snacks, we needed to find the food trunks. By the late afternoon, it was hot and we were craving burgers. Unfortunately, the
Baby’s Badass Burgers line was the longest. My only complaint was the lack of shade for the outside area. We were in line for food for nearly an hour, baking in the sun. With many other people risking heat stroke, I hope L.A. Comic installs tents for next year to reduce any risks.
Once we had food, we rushed inside, sat down, and chugged water. I highly recommend future attendees bring excess snacks and water because food trunk prices can go through the roof and the long lines can mean waiting in the sun for up to an hour. After eating, we explored more of Artist Alley and ended Saturday with the Storytelling and Environmentalism in Studio Ghibli Films panel hosted by the science communication initiative Cosplay For Science. Learning how animator and filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki implemented environmentalism into his widely beloved films was an enlightening and pleasant way to end the day. My favorite Studio Ghibli films, Ponyo and The Cat Returns, were not discussed but I loved the panel regardless.
On Sunday, I left even earlier to avoid traffic and arrived in time for the doors to open. After meeting with attending friends, I returned to the South Hall and bought two “oopsie” mystery candles from AsianBobaGirl, whom I recognized from previous conventions and events. I love sweet-scented candles, so I highly recommend ABG’s candles! They would be perfect as stocking stuffers when the holidays roll around!
Within a few more hours, I bought fanart of Sam and Dean Winchester from the hit Supernatural series designed by illustrator and writer Brianna Flores, who was promoting her Aravis webcomic about the adventures of a half-elf, and B-grade pins from Los Angeles-based artist Sharodactyl. To my surprise and delight, I connected with comic creator, illustrator, and animator Little Animated Me, who was enjoying Comic Con dressed as the Riddler. As a fan of her work, I was thrilled to bump into her so randomly. Her comics often bring a smile to my face. I also connected with original creator Xiou Shen, who was promoting their upcoming animated series, An Unbelievable Tale.
After exploring the full extent of Artist Alley, I maneuvered my way to the other side of the South Hall. I found TV Personality, Josh Saleh, promoting his adult party game, Change My Mind, which I recommend to anyone who loves party games with a debate mechanic. Since I knew Josh was attending Comic Con as a vendor, I brought my copy of Change My Mind, and Josh was also kind enough to sign it. My friends and I played a few rounds of Change My Mind and returned to exploring the remaining South Hall.
Walking around with friends, I was delighted to see Anime Los Angeles promoting their 2025 convention in early January. I love Anime Los Angeles and recommend attending if you are local to Long Beach. Yes, it is promoted as Anime Los Angeles but it is held at the Long Beach Convention Center. I bought a queer graphic novel called Belle of the Ball from the non-profit organization Prism Comics, which is working hard to increase positive LGBTQ+ representation in comic books, graphic novels, and other popular media. They were also working to promote their annual Q CON set for May 3, 2025. Check it out!
Similar to Saturday, I ended the day with a panel. I chose to attend the Coraline and The Nightmare Before Christmas: Behind the Scenes Stories panel. The panelists included set builder Fon Davis, stage manager Kirk Scott, and storyboard artist Jorgen Klubien. Together, they discussed the production that went into both movies. As a long-time fan of both films, I was eager to learn about the detail put into each film.
In the end, I greatly loved this year’s Comic Con. I loved the costumes and had trouble choosing between this year’s selection of panels. I loved how it allowed me to meet with friends I regularly only talk to online, and I also loved how Comic Con allowed me to meet and reconnect with creators like Purpah and Little Animated Me organically.
Comic Con has an incredible way of bringing people of all backgrounds and ages together. Parents and grandparents bring their kids and grandkids. Friendships are built. Genuine connections are made. People come together at Comic Con because they have a joint love for fandom. Do you agree? Because that’s what I believe, and I look forward to next year and many years to come.
Are you going to attend L.A. Comic-Con next year? Tell me in the comments what your favorite part of my 2024 Comic-Con weekend adventure was and what Southern California conventions you want me to cover in 2025!
