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Denver Comic Con '15: The Top 5 Highlights Of The Con

Published Wed, 27 May 2015 19:30:28 -0500

By Carley Jo Cave

Another year has come and gone, and it's time to recap the highlights of the 2015 Denver Comic Con. Here are my Top 5 Favorites from this year's event:

1) The 1 Up Cantina

Those local to the Denver area are familiar with this nostalgic Bar-Cade establishment – offering close to 50 Classic Arcade Games, Pinball and Skee-Ball at both their LoDo and Colfax locations. While games and drinks are usually reasonably priced (25 to 50 cents a play) – the pop-up Cantina Bar at DCC provided favorites like Fix It Felix Jr, Tapper, Galaga and Ms Pac-Man all free of charge. 1 Up provides a great, laid-back alternative to the normal downtown scene for those of the nerdier variety – and they are always looking for suggestions to expand their ever-growing selection.

2) Hulk's Mash

Breckenridge Brewery's official beverage of Denver Comic Con 2015 was a pale ale made with a playful blend of mango puree and mosaic hops. This year's "Name the Comic Con Beer" contest had over 700 online entries, and label artwork was provided by students at Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design. This is the fourth year Breckenridge has crafted a special brew for the event – and even at 4.5% alcohol, Hulk's Mash has been just as popular as last year's Brews Wayne (2014).

3) Tentacle Kitty

While the convention floor was home to countless numbers of talented folks this year – there was one booth in particular that always seemed to draw a crowd. Tentacle Kitty is a web comic and line of plush characters created by John and Raena Merritt back in 2009 – who are all smiles any time you catch them at their booth, which is constantly being restocked. Plus the unbelievably soft, "adoptable" stuffed animals combine the cuteness of kittens and octopi for as little as $15 each.

4) The Iron Throne

Any Game of Thrones fans were probably happy to see Gwendoline Christie (better known as Brienne of Tarth) amongst the list of attendees this year – but also to see the infamous Iron Throne grace the exhibition hall thanks to the folks at Xfinity. Convention goers were able to pose with props and take their picture sitting on the most sought after item in the Seven Kingdoms. Some gallant gentlemen even took the opportunity to propose to their damsels in front of the dragon-forged throne, which is enough to make any girl feel like a princess.

5) Closing Ceremonies: The Wedding Spectacular!

The bride was Daenerys Targaryen. The groom was Batman (the Green Lantern edition). The ceremony took place in front of a Stargate, heralded by members of Denver's own 501^st Legion and was officiated by George Lucas. Needless to say it was one of the better weddings I've attended in a while – right down to the Spice Unity Ceremony (with guest appearance by Anthony Michael Hall) – and I was happy to be a part of it. Plus watching the bride do the happy dance multiple times during the nuptials was pretty darn adorable. Many congrats to the bride and groom, and thanks for sharing your day with us!

As you may have heard – this year's attendance tallied in over the 100K mark, making Denver Comic Con one of Top Five comic book conventions in North America and growing every year. Looking forward to seeing you all at what I'm sure will be even a more spectacular event next year!

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