If I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again: There’s nothing like going to a comic con. The sights, the sounds, the atmosphere… It’s perfect for anybody who loves pop culture, and the best opportunity to share that love with other like-minded people. Every year, the start of my con season usually kicks off in Cleveland, home of Fan Expo Cleveland, one of the longest tenured cons in my rotation.
The show once again brought thousands of fans of comics, horror, and anime to the Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland to rejoice and celebrate all things nerdy. This year’s show featured one of the most diverse sets of media guests and creators that I’ve seen, perhaps ever at Fan Expo Cleveland. Media guests from the worlds of anime, Star Trek, Star Wars, and some of Hollywood’s biggest franchises were present to meet and greet fans of all ages and demographics, so no matter what era you grew up in, your fandom was represented.
Sometimes the best moments at a con aren’t planned. Case in point: right before a table signing, I turned around and found myself face-to-face with Judith Hoag — April O’Neil herself from the original 1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie. The original woman of my dreams was right there in front of me! It was one of those only-at-a-con moments that never gets old, no matter how many shows you’ve attended. The energy on the convention floor was electric all weekend, and the cosplay community showed up in full force, with creative and elaborate costumes representing just about every fandom imaginable.
On the panels front, this year delivered in a major way. A Twilight reunion featuring Ashley Greene, Jackson Rathbone, Kellan Lutz, and Peter Facinelli was a huge highlight of the weekend. Rathbone kept the crowd laughing throughout, while Greene and Facinelli offered some genuinely thoughtful reflections on the franchise and its legacy. Lutz was quieter than the rest, but the panel as a whole was a fun nostalgia trip for fans of the franchise. Equally entertaining was a Dragon Ball panel with voice actors Sonny Strait, Monica Rial, and Ian Sinclair, which took us fans on a hilarious and informative journey through the history of the franchise — capped off with some wildly encouraging news about the return of Dragon Ball Super.
As always, the artist alley and vendor hall gave attendees plenty to explore, though this year felt mad familiar in terms of variety. While there was no shortage of quality work on display, a little more diversity in what vendors are bringing to the floor would go a long way. On a similar note, one area where Fan Expo Cleveland — and cons in general — could improve is in providing interview access for smaller creators. Major media outlets understandably get priority given their reach, but independent creators stand to benefit enormously from that kind of exposure, and expanding those opportunities would be a welcome change.
Fan Expo Cleveland remains one of my favorite stops on the con circuit, and that’s saying something given that I’ve been attending since the days when it was known as Wizard World back in the mid-2010s. It’s always a good time — a reliable, well-run show with something for every kind of fan. But with a bit more variety on the vendor floor and a broader approach to creator access, this event has all the ingredients to go from consistently good to truly great.
All that said, I’ll definitely be back next year.
