Akron Comicon Review

Last Saturday, I attended my first Akron Comicon and have to admit I was pleasantly surprised. John Cameron, who owns JC Comics, my local comic specialty shop, was exhibiting and suggested it to me. A guy I work with asked me if I was going, saying he was attending with his son and doing some cosplay. So, I threw on my Mooby Funployee costume and headed to Quaker Station.

The Akron con is much smaller than any convention I’ve attended in the past. It is primarily vendors and artists, with a large presence by the local CW affiliate. There were a few panel discussions, but nothing that particularly appealed to me. Ticketing was handled efficiently and my total wait time was less than 10 minutes. I attended for about four hours, which allowed me to walk around the floor plenty, pick up a few Funko Pop Vinyls (my current obsession) and chat with some folks. To my surprise, there were plenty of people cosplaying and just plenty of people in general.

(Side note: I am still amazed when people stop me at a convention and ask to take a photo, either of me or with me. It makes me happy to know that people still remember Kevin Smith movies. I hear the “Mooby!” cry as I walk around the con. I usually respond with “I’m not even supposed to be here today.”)

One of the sponsors of the convention was Norka Soda. Years ago, around prohibition, Akron had what would now be called a craft soda, Norka (Akron spelled backwards) with its iconic “N” logo. A local entrepreneur re-invented the brand and handed out samples at the convention. I bought a 4-pack of the root beer. Delicious!

I can only find two suggestions to improve the experience: the only food option was a hot dog vendor set-up in the parking lot. Second, there were virtually no seating options except for a small side entrance with a few armchairs. The convention moves to the John S. Knight Center, the downtown convention center with a restaurant on-site. I’ll be there.