For Beginners and Families:
Comic Con Revolution
The 2024 event is schedule for 18-19 (Saturday and Sunday) May 2024. I attended the 2022 event on a Sunday. Parking was easy. You could even find street parking for no cost. The venue wasn’t crowded, but that makes is a great place to test out new costumes and meeting people. The cost is also low so it is more affordable for families.
As of October 2023, scheduled guests for the 2024 weekend included: Ming Chen, Amanda Conner, Amy Dumas FKA Lita, Ashley Eckstein, Taylor Gray, Adam Kubert, Matt Lanter, Jimmy Palmiotti, Freddie Prinze, Jr, Trish Stratus and James Arnold Taylor.
There was a modest gathering of themed cars when I attended.
- Comic Con Revolution
- The Ontario Convention Center
- 2000 E. Convention Center Way
- Ontario, CA 91764
Pasadena Comic Convention and Toy Show
The Pasadena Comic Convention and Toy Show is so small it is only one day: Sunday, 28 January 2024. The event will be in Halls A and B. This is affordable and close to the One Colorado mall (just across the street).
We went in the afternoon, arriving at about 3 p.m. and give whole experience a grade of okay minus one. The floor was easily covered in less than an hour. If there’s a particular celebrity (voice actor or actor) that is attending, you have easy access. This is less formal than many of the larger conventions so you’ll be able to get right up to the table and talk to them. There were few lines.
One of our favorite Godzilla artists, David Wong was there and we’ve seen him at LA Comic-Con. This year, he’ll be at WonderCon in March (29-31 March 2024 in Anaheim), Anime Expo (4-7 July 2024), SDCC (24-28 July 2024), LA Comic-Con (4-6 October 2024) and Son of Monsterpalooza (18-20 October 2024).
We were actually looking for new artists and disappointed that there were few to be found despite the proximity to Art Center.
We parked at One Colorado because the convention center parking was already full. With validation, you get 90 minutes free parking.
- 9 am Early Bird $20.00 advance tickets $25.00 at the door
- 9 am VIP Early Bird $100.00 advance tickets only
- 10 am General Admission $15.00 advance tickets $17.00 at the door
- Kids are Free 12 and below
Location is everything and Pasadena is beautiful. There was an additional service charge so our advance general admission tickets cost us $17.62 each. Although tickets say, “no re-entry,” after you get your armband, no one is really checking.
- Pasadena Convention Center
- 300 E. Green Street
For More Experienced and Car Fans
This con has gone through several iterations and suffered an identity crisis as well as an ever-changing date. What I like is the location and the event has always had a great display of cars as well as gourmet food trucks. On the good side, the parking is easy and there’s plenty to do in walking distance. I love seeing the cars and at times, the cars have been free to see.
There will be plenty of artists there and you’ll have time to talk with them. We did meet Stan Sakai there. Con favorite Nathan Fillion has made an appearance here as well. We also enjoy the corner devoted to Space Expo. There is a Cosplay Contest so expect to see some great costumes and get some wonderful ideas. They do have categories such as “Best Kid” and “Best Space-Theme” but not best dog.
The 2023 events was held 2-3 September but pre-pandemic has been held twice a year with the first event held in February.
For the Fans and Experienced Con Goers
This Con began small and was originally called Comikaze, then it was called Stan Lee’s Comikaze. It used to be around Halloween, but more recently has been held in December. In 2023, it was 1-3 December. This is bigger than Long Beach and definitely attracts some major actors. In 2023, Matt Smith, Jamie Campbell Bower, Elijah Wood and Sean Astin were among the people scheduled to appear. You can expect to see some incredible costumes, not only because Los Angeles is the capital of costume making with the theaters, opera and TV and film industries based there, but also because the convention is one of the Cosplay National Championship conventions.
We love the vendors we’ve found there such as Truffle Cottage.
Tickets are pricier. The whole weekend will set you back a little over $100 per adult. A three-day VIP pass is almost $300. One-Day passes range from $40 to $60 (plus fees) with Saturday being the most expensive.
You won’t see as many stars at WonderCon, this year scheduled for 29-31 March, but you will meet a lot of artists. The advantage of WonderCon is it is small and it is in Anaheim. The Anaheim Convention Center is much easier to navigate and the plaza is the perfect spot for many gourmet food trucks to park. On occasion, there have been activations there, but not since the pandemic.
Cosplays that require wheels (like a full-size Tardis or Ariel on a rock) will have an easier time here as it has a much more ADA-friendly approach. There will be people hoping to attract attention in the walkways, too. Many who may not even be attending the convention.
This is, of course, the big deal. You have to start a year in advance planning to get there because the hotels sell out quickly and the tickets are hard to get. That said, even if you don’t get a ticket, you can still have fun because of all the activations and opportunities outside of the convention center.
This is definitely something you want to do with friends, particularly ones that will stand in line with you. Parking will be a problem so consider using public transportation.
The best advice for any comic convention is:
- Bring comfortable shoes.
- Bring water and food.
- Bring sunscreen or a hat for SDCC and other places that require outdoor lines.
- Bring a notebook and pen.
- Bring an extra face mask.
- Don’t be afraid to use deodorant (or to move away from those who don’t).
- Dress up.
- Bring a hard tube to carry posters (or your light saber).
- Bring a charger and extra batteries. You might not be able to get extra batteries inside the convention hall.
By dress up, it can mean just wear a t-shirt that shows your current comic/movie passion. It is bound to spark conversations with fellow fans.
Although outside food is often not allowed, most places won’t object to you bringing in snack bars and a reusable water bottle.
We also bring a sketch book and a hard tube for posters and other paper freebies. Once the light saber ran out of juice and most of the venders were short on batteries.
28 January 2024: Pasadena Comic Convention and Toy Show
29-31 March 2024: WonderCon
18-19 May 2024: Comic Con Revolution
July 2024: San Diego Comic-Con
14-15 September 2024: Long Beach Comic Con
4-6 October 2024: LA Comic-Con
Age of the Geek 