Posted in: Comics, Recent Updates | Tagged: adventure time, Comics, cosplay, entertainment, Hartford Comic Con, The Walking Dead, Tim Sale, Tom Raney

Hartford Comic Con's First Outing Hits Home For Local Fans

By Shawn Perry

The city of Hartford, CT played host to its first-ever comic con this past weekend and the event was greeted with festive energy and passion from local fans of all ages…as some seriously awesome cosplayers.

Fans of all ages came out in droves this past weekend for the first-ever Hartford Comic Con.  The two-day event was the first convention to be held in the city's history with a primary focus on comics, as well as pop culture, and based on the energy of the costumed-clad crowd of thousands that waited in line for its doors to open on Saturday– it's about time.

As local comic book fan Daniel Gifford explains, this event is a big coup for the city:

I'm glad we finally got a comic-con. It took quite a few years but I'm glad to see it's finally reached that next level of fans and general acceptance for what this whole thing represents. Hartford in its origin was the focal point between New York and Boston and its always exciting to see stuff coming back to the area.

Speaking as someone who has attended a number of cons in recent years, I was impressed by the management of Hartford Comic Con. There were a number of things that made the event stand out for me, including; a diverse collection of friendly vendors, an artist alley bubbling with approachable creators, several themed after-parties near the venue, as well as a number of great panels including a great one on the industry at-large lead by Tim Sale.

The event was held at the downtown XL Center and organized by Epic Conventions, a privately-owned company dedicated to following the mold of the traditional comic con while providing the perfect mix and experience of current pop culture events.  Epic Conventions deserve a lot of credit for an excellent job promoting the event on social media as well as with local ads on radio and television that really ramped up awareness during the final weeks leading up to the event.

Considering the size of the city, they also deserve credit for putting together an impressive guest list and event schedule for fans of comic books, cosplay, gaming and pop culture entertainment alike. Hartford has a population of just-under 125,000 people and there are no major metros larger than that in the state.  For the first time fans in the Hartford area were given the opportunity to come downtown and mingle with artists the likes of Tim Sale and Tom Raney, attend a panel featuring stars like the cast of Spartacus and take pictures with celebrities like Kyla Kenedy of The Walking Dead.  Not bad for a first con in a small city.

Epic Conventions put together a great event, but as always, the fans are the ones who really deserve credit for making it a success.  From the moment fans started lining-up hours before doors opened Saturday until the event concluded Sunday the downtown area was infused with a palpable sense of excitement and communal pride.  Speaking as a native of Hartford county it was nothing short of thrilling to see the city come alive in this way and I was not the only who felt this way.

Local fans Sara Monk and Georgia White (you can watch our video of them here), dressed as Marceline and Fiona of Adventure Time, were blown away by the energy of the event:

It's kind of incredible, I didn't know that there were so many people that liked this stuff but its really cool being in a place where everyone likes what you like and wants to be there. You feel together like…"  –Georgia White

"…more of a nerd less of a dork. I was a comic book fan growing up and I used to get picked on. It's a lot better now and I'm glad there's more kids growing up with this stuff. My favorite part of coming to these sorts of events is just being around the kids. Being able to bring a kids favorite cartoon character to life and see their face light up when they see you like 'oh, Marceline hi!' its just awesome.   –Sara Monk

In addition to dressing up as bass-thumping vampires and McDonald's-themed demi-gods like McThor, many fans celebrated the event by covering it on their personal blogs and websites.  As video-journalist Gareth Mannion explains, he had a great experience streaming video updates about the event on his website and cannot wait to do it again"

This whole event has been great, I love comics and it's been amazing to see so many fellow fans in the same room.  You don't really get to do this at school. I'd like to see more of it!

The event was also a big hit with local shop owners like April Kenney of A Hero's Legacy:

This con has a different feeling than a lot of the other events that have been held in the state over the years. It's a little more comic-based so it's really good for the fans and also really exciting for us because it gives more attention to the store. It's just great to get our name out there with new fans and also see our community out here having a good time.

Tom Rainey, artist of Image's Stormwatch and Marvel's Ultimate X-Men, also enjoyed the inaugural convention and hopes it will become an annual event:

I thought it was a great crowd with lot of friendly people. Everyone here is here for comics and you can tell. It's nice to see an event that celebrates comics. I had lots of great conversations and saw a lot of great costumes. I hope to be back next year!

Based on my own experience, as well as early attendance figures, I expect that this was the first of many comic cons to be held in the city. As any true fan knows, it is a very special thing to be around like-minded people and celebrate the things you love most as a community. When it comes to a small city like Hartford, where such environments can be hard to come by, events like these can mean a lot to the community.  Until I hear official confirmation my fingers will remain crossed for this event to return next year and become an annual tradition.

Shawn Perry is a comic book and film enthusiast striving to be here now.  He currently resides in East Hartford, Connecticut. Tweet him @thesperry, follow his blog at http://shawnsthoughtsonstuff.blogspot.com/ and email him at Shawn.Perry88@gmail.com.

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