PHXCC 2016!!!
by Durrilion
In the last two years I have attended Cons large and small. PHXCC2016 has to be the craziest (in a completely good way)! The panel schedule was packed with so much awesome I desperately needed three clones of myself to do to all the things. By the way that doesn’t even include all the celebrity spotlights! I did my best, but wow!
The variety of exhibitors was off the charts. Stained glass, Mayan themed video game art, caricature artists, fezzes, comics, clothes, it felt like nerd heaven. This year I checked two things off my bucket list. 1, I cosplayed for the first time. 2, I met Eve Myles and we bonded because we both have gaps in our teeth. She was so sweet, taking time to chat even though she needed to catch a plane. She called me either babe or sweetheart (I was too excited to remember), we high fived twice, and she shook my hand upon greeting and departing. Love you Eve!!! Gap teeth rule! Side note, before I got to speak to her, I heard her tell a con staff member that PHXCC was in her experience the best run, best organized con she’s attended in a while! Well done con staff! She sounded eager to come back. I hope she does.
Another highlight was a photo-op with Samwise Gamgee himself, Sean Astin. Friends of mine and I cosplayed Elves from The Lord of the Rings series. Sean called me Elrond, and shook my hand! How cool is that? Sadly for many fans he had to leave early due to an emergency. There was a large forest fire near his home in CA. According to his tweets, everyone is fine, and they were in no immediate danger.
Speaking of danger, temperatures in central Phoenix hit a high of 117 degrees Fahrenheit (about 47 degrees Celsius) by Saturday. Despite those temperatures, the convention center’s north and west buildings, as well as nearby streets, were packed with people. Seriously! I’m from Jersey, and can handle crowds, but there were a few times it was almost too much even for me. That being said, the crowds were really well behaved and patient from what I could see and hear. Honestly I would rather see the crowds than an empty venue. Now I have heard grumblings about the lines, and the lack of programs from almost day one, but all in all I think this was a good con. No, a great con – because either the con or the city provided FREE, COLD water outside to everyone everyday. I wanted to get a picture of the team, but they were busy keeping ice and water flowing. Still I think we all owe them a huge standing ovation!!
With a wide array of awesome panels, and guest list to make every nerd happy, more merchandise than a nerd super mall (oh wait isn’t that what cons kind of are), and free cold water outside, Phoenix Comicon 2016 is going in my book as all time favorite! I can’t wait until next year. Who knows I might have a new cosplay ready for 2017. There’s time right?
Keep your eyes here for more from me about cosplayers, my first cosplay experience, my take on that Warcraft movie, and so much more!
