Arkansas Comic Con 2019 Review

Greetings, Vocal readers. I had a great time at Arkansas Comic Con last weekend. Thousands of people descended at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock for the 2-day event. It was my first time attending this convention and man, did I have the time of my life. Now that I’m back home, I’m here to review this con and share my pros and cons (no pun intended).

Before I go any further, I want to pass on some devastating news that happened over the weekend. Robert Axelrod, who played Lord Zedd in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, passed away last Saturday in Los Angeles. He was 70 years old and Power Rangers fans and stars are taking his loss hard. Many people shared their photos of the Power Rangers actor on social media to pay tribute to him. I’ve never told this story to anyone before, but Robert Axelrod was one of the guests at The Cosplay Con in North Little Rock, Arkansas about two years ago. One of my friends told me that he was in the building and suggested that I would talk to him. However, being the respectful person I am, I decided to not go up to him and ask him for a picture or autograph. I’m a true believer in giving people their space, out of respect for myself. So my thoughts go out Robert Axelrod’s family as they grieve over the loss of their loved one. He was survived by his sister and millions of Power Rangers fans everywhere.

Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, this is my review of Arkansas Comic Con. These are my own thoughts about my con. This is not in any way bad-mouthing the convention, because I give the staff and volunteers a lot of credit for putting this event together for our enjoyment, just like any convention I would go to. So relax and enjoy this review. I’ll share my pros and cons near the end of this article, plus give a rating on it.

Let's begin with day one of the event. My cosplay was Captain Spidey and when I arrived at the Statehouse Convention Center, it was huge. I arrived there a quarter after eight that morning and the line wasn’t that long. The line started moving at around 9:30 to have our stuff searched and receive our wristbands in order to enter through the doors, which leads to the con. So I finally entered into the con sometime after 10 and I’ve seen some of my friends there. I took pictures with them and also with many other people. Now I’m going to talk about the photo ops I’ve had with two spectacular actors.

Photo Ops

Photo ops are probably the most exciting thing about attending conventions, according to most of my friends and social media followers. So my first one was scheduled for one that afternoon and it was with Kevin Conroy, the voice of Batman in Batman: The Animated Series. He was a great person to meet and very down to earth. I got my picture and walked away a happy cosplayer.

The second photo op I’ve had was less than three hours later and this one was special. I’ve had a photo op with this person that everyone knows and also, had a slight disdain for over two years. The person that I’m talking about is the OG Green Ranger himself, Jason David Frank. Many people, probably you, were curious of how my meeting with him went. Before I get to that, I’ve talked and wrote articles about him, regarding me calling him out for being too cocky on social media. I got attacked and cussed out by so many people, including some of my friends who went in on me, because they assumed that I was being mean and disrespectful. Have I had my issues with Jason? Yes I have, and I stand by everything I’ve written and said about him. The first point that I was making for two years is that while he’s a great guy, cares for his fans, and accomplished great things in his career, he needed to be more humble. I know that he's boisterous and outgoing, but it's also important to know when to tone it down a bit. Some thought that I should apologize for supposedly being disrespectful towards him, but like I said before, I'm not apologizing for speaking the truth and calling him out on for being a show-off. I said what I said and no one's getting an apology from me. The other point I was trying to make was when you’re at a certain level of success in your career, you don’t need to front for others or prove yourself to anyone. That was the vibe I got from Jason at the time, but even though he’s not my favorite Power Ranger, he’s still part of that franchise and was going to be cordial and also respectful. When it was my turn to have my photo taken with him, I almost fainted, because I couldn’t believe I was going to pose next to the person I grew up watching. Keep in mind that I was Captain Spidey and Jason and I did a pose together like Spider-Man was shooting his web. After I got done having my picture taken, I shook his hand and said it was great to meet him. I also got a picture of Jason and I and again, I walked away happy.

The crowd on the second day of the con wasn’t as huge as the first, because usually at most cons, the last day has less people. So my cosplay for day two of Arkansas Comic Con was Irwin R. Schyster, I.R.S. for short (real name Mike Rotunda). He is one of my favorite old school wrestlers and debuted this cosplay back in February. One fact I didn’t know before about Rotunda was that he’s the father of Bray Wyatt and Bo Dallas, who are currently in the WWE. I was carrying my replica WWE Tag Team Championship belt on my shoulder, trying to audit people who didn’t pay their taxes. This was my first time doing I.R.S. at a con and everyone paid their taxes. If you do see me at a con in your area going as this wrestler, watch out, because there’s no escaping Irwin R. Schyster. Only a few people got who I was going as. I took a few more pictures with my friends and of random cosplayers before leaving the con.

Now it’s time for me to share the pros and cons of Arkansas Comic Con and give my rating. Again, I’m not trying to personally bash the convention. These are my own thoughts about it, so please don’t take offense to anything that I’m about to say.

The pros:

• The site of the convention: this was the first con that had a bigger venue with larger crowds.

• Guests: all of the guests were amazing and the panels were well put together. Even though I didn’t have enough money for an autograph from someone, I still enjoyed myself.

• Cosplays: I’ve seen many wonderful cosplays during the two days I’ve attended the con.

The cons:

• Wristbands: at most cons, you’re required to wear one in order to gain entry into the event at all times. Honestly, I’m not a wristband kind of person. For example, I was wearing my Captain Spidey suit and when I arrived at my friend’s house (where I was staying during the con weekend) to shower, it has was hard to remove. The wristband was over the wrist of my suit and I had to remove it with my teeth. I reattached it with tape and was back on my wrist. For me, I prefer wearing a badge around my neck as opposed to having a wristband. There were many people who were certain characters may have trouble removing it.

• Long lines: I understand you’ll be in line to get your badge/wristband for a period of time, but I had to wait in line for over an hour and a half in order to receive my wristband. When I attend GlitchCon, I go to registration, receive my badge for the weekend, and enjoyed the con. Another thing that surprised me was getting in yet another line to have my stuff searched, which I didn’t mind. I understand that Arkansas Comic Con is a larger convention and want to keep everyone safe, but it doesn’t make sense to check everyone again if people already had their wristbands to get inside the con. That’s going to take up everyone’s time. At GlitchCon, as long as I was wearing my badge, that’s all that matters.

• Problem with punctuality: one of my biggest pet peeves is people who are late to certain things, which is a huge dealbreaker for me. As I’ve mentioned in the last part, no one should wait an hour or longer in line. I can understand if the guests were five to ten minutes late, but still, respect that people expect you to be prompt to stuff like photo ops, panes, etc. I believe if you’re a guest at a con, professional, or working for an employer, you’re expected to show up on time. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Respect people’s time, because for me, I take being prompt to stuff seriously. Showing up late to something means that you’re disrespecting other people’s time. I’ve spent over $200 alone on passes for the con, photo ops, travel expenses, and food. I didn’t go to this con to just stand in long lines. I went to this con to have a great time.

For my rating of Arkansas Comic Con, I give it a 4 out of 5. Overall, the con was well put together and I loved that there was so much space to move around. There were so many great cosplays. The main thing was a dealbreaker for me was standing in different lines for long periods of time. I would prefer to obtain my badge or wristband much quicker and proceed to roam around the con. I hope to return next year, but I’ll most likely stick to one cosplay. This concludes my review of Arkansas Comic Con. I have put together a photo album and have pictures from the event. To check those out, the link it will be found below this article. If you attended Arkansas Comic Con last weekend, what were your favorite parts about it and who did you meet there?

I'm also on social media, so please make sure you follow me on the pages indicated in my bio. In the meantime, if you like the articles I've written and like my content, feel free to send me a small one-off tip, that's located towards the end of every article. Your support is greatly appreciated. Your tip not only helps me, but also helps other Vocal content creators create outstanding content. Be sure to support them and read their articles. Also, I encourage everyone to join Vocal+, a premium membership for Vocal content creators like me to write better stories, connect with creators, and a lot more. So, be sure to sign up for that membership and support your favorite Vocal content creators.

Arkansas Comic Con 2019 Photo Album: https://www.facebook.com/pg/thecosplayerfromtexas/photos/?tab=album&album_id=2952141405011072