As my first article stated, last weekend was my first experience at a comic convention. Aside from the amazing celebrity panels, something else I really enjoyed was all of the cosplay and art that was to be found around every turn.
Let me start with the cosplay. As an artist myself, I am always eager to see the end product of someone’s hard work and love for the genre they are portraying. I certainly was not disappointed. I was inundated with top notch costumes everywhere I looked. From an amazing Deadpool replica costume to a completely original Ironman/St. Louis Cardinals creation called “Ironstan.” I was thoroughly impressed by the sheer time and effort that these people put into creating their costumes; the attention to detail that most would just gloss over.
The cosplays were from all forms of media, from video games, to anime, to TV Shows and movies. The cosplayers themselves ranged in age from toddler to elderly. My absolute favorite thing to see, were the families who cosplayed together. There was a father and son duo who were both Deadpools, a family that consisted of a mom, dad, so and daughter who were dressed as characters from Dragonball Z. I also really enjoy seeing obscure and original cosplays. For example, there was someone dressed as the Stork from Disney’s animated Robin Hood. (One of my personal favorites films.) I also saw a couple there dressed from Mary Poppins.
Now for the art. There was a section at the convention called “Artists Alley.” There were many booths lined up with artists from all different mediums. Some used charcoal, others oils. Some used watercolors and there were even some that did digital paintings. There was one gentleman, who did these gorgeous Ukiyo-e paintings. I love the Japanese culture and so these paintings really drew me to them. I am kicking myself for not grabbing one up when I had the chance.
Beautiful prints in Artist's Alley! #WizardWorld #StLouis pic.twitter.com/Ig4IR1lPfK
— Wizard World (@WizardWorld) April 3, 2016
There were also people that did crafts and made resin sculptures. It took every ounce of my self-control not to put myself into debt buying everything I saw. One artist that really caught my attention, was a guy who made extremely intricate metal sculptures. The detail he put forth in the sculptures was incredible. There were also hand-made purses, bowties, hair clips, and scarfs. One booth was a hat shop, and yet another did chainmail outfits. There were also a few booths were you could get tattoos! There was so much to see and touch, it was overwhelming at times.
Overall, I really enjoyed my time there and can not wait till next year. Wizard World did a phenomenal job putting this event together and ensuring it ran smoothly. They even added a gaming section where you could test out new games that were coming out. My only advise for anyone going for the first time, bring money and wear comfortable shoes!