Slightly belated report from Stan Lee's Comikaze 2013

This past Saturday I went to Stan Lee's Comikaze 2013, a newcomer to the con scene (this is only its third year).

Going to this con was something of an impulse decision, as I didn't know what it would be like. But frankly, it was going to be such a long time til 2014 San Diego Comic-Con (and who knows if I'll even be able to get passes this year) I figured I had nothing to lose. I'm happy I did, because I had quite an enjoyable time.

Got to the L.A. Convention Center an hour before opening, expecting lines and a mass of humanity. It was so empty that I got parking on the first floor of the structure and waltzed right up to registration with no line. Quite a difference from SDCC! I loitered in line until 9, and then they let us out onto the vendor floor. There was a good array of vendors, including quite a few Steampunk vendors. I ended up buying the novel Queen Mab by Kate Danley (who is a lovely person and signed it for me). I also bought some goodies for my boys, who couldn't make it that day, and some more buttons for my fangirl jacket.

Probably the highlight of the day was the cosplayers. Lots of them, and because Comikaze is so new, the floor wasn't crammed with people the way it is at SDCC so there was room for the cosplayers to strut their stuff and be photographed.

Here are some of my favorite cosplayers from the day:

A Gizmonic Institute employee with Tom Servo 

Black Swan ballerina 

The Toxic Avenger! 

Daenerys Targaryen with one of her dragons 

Captain Hammer's here, hair blowing in the breeze! 

A stormtrooper looking for some droids

Of course, it wouldn't be a con without some signings, and the one I had my eye on was the ever-awesome Bruce Campbell. The line for Bruce's signing was huge, but I got in it early (I was smart and brought lunch with me into line) and I was able to get my copy of If Chins Could Kill signed. And he called me "darlin'." I'm a very happy fangirl.

Bruce Campbell, being groovy 

There were panels as well. Unfortunately I missed a few I would have liked because of being in line for Bruce, but I did manage to catch the Troma panel, which was enjoyable even though I think their movies are more fun to hear about than actually watch. I also caught the Thrilling Adventure Hour panel, which was amusing and made me want to seek out some podcasts and get to know more about this show.

The Troma films panel, including an actor from The Toxic Avenger. The guy with the mustache fourth from the left is Ron Jeremy.

The Thrilling Adventure Hour panel guests. Yes, Castle fans, that's Molly Quinn over on the left.

All in all, a very enjoyable day. The con still has a few details to iron out. More maps and directions for the panels would be good, as there was some confusion about where the panels were. The food and beverage stands seemed pretty overtaxed (the Starbucks ran out of milk!). And there needs to be more seating (no way my husband could have handled the entire day, so it's just as well he couldn't make it). But I think it's a great con so far and provided they keep their attendance capped and don't stuff the venue over capacity (I'm looking at you, SDCC) I see no reason I won't keep coming to the con in years to come.