By Esther Sanchez
They came in droves from every corner of the country and several corners of the globe. Artists, cosplayers, film buffs, comic nerds and entertainment enthusiasts of all sorts gathered at the Palm Springs Convention Center for the first ever, Comic Con Palm Springs. Being a new event, promoters did not know what to expect as far as turnout. I was told they were hoping for 5000 and ended up with nearly 15,000 attendees at the 3 day event. As a Comic Con virgin myself, I was not sure what to expect, but from the ribbon-cutting ceremony with living legends Stan Lee and Lou Ferrigno, to the costume contests to the well-attended panel discussions, I was impressed with the event throughout.
Film maker Zach Eastman traveled from Denver, Co. to premiere his newest project.
Eastman: “For a con in its inaugural year, I was surprised how many people there were. I was on a panel that was decently attended and couldn’t believe how big it actually was. I’m very excited to see how much bigger it can get come next year.”
Uneekchic is a cosplay model who has been attending cons since 2009. Being a cosplay lifestyle veteran, she was excited to have a hometown event. Uneekchic: “Comic Con Palm Springs was absolutely amazing, the turnout was better than I ever could have hoped, and I can’t wait for next year!”
Coachella Valley Promoter and lover of all things Comic Con, Ming Bob Tan: “When a Father can be his son’s favorite hero or vice versa and Mom can dress up as her daughter’s favorite princess/hero walking together as one. That is something that always makes me realize we all belong no matter what age you are.”
Mike Wellman, writer/creator of the Guns A’ Blazin’! comic book series: “Comic Con Palm Springs knocked it out of the park, year one! What we thought would be just another stop along the way on our Guns A’Blazin’! tour turned into a virtual Con-Cation, complete with enthusiastic fans who were curious to check out new books and fun after-hours parties. We met a ton of new fans (well, we call ’em friends!) and sold waaaay more comics than we expected. Sign us up for 2017!”
Christopher Spellman, Founder/Executive Producer of CCPS: “It feels incredible to hear that so many people had a great time and that so many people benefited one way or another because of Comic Con Palm Springs. I think everybody is happy that it exceeded expectations and I’m happy about that. The focus for next year is to continue to build
upon creativity and being dynamically eventful. We’re going to look at where we need to improve and make sure that people are happy.
