Last weekend (March 17th) the AG staff attended the first San Fernando Valley Comic-Con, just north of Los Angeles. It was a small venue, held in a meeting hall that is usually reserved for bingo and yoga sessions. What it lacked in space it made up for in ambiance. The coziness of the room gave us a sense of welcome than at larger conventions- you know the feeling? Like you’re just one of the many, many drones milling about a huge maze of booths and floor shows, speakers blaring and monitors flashing out advertisements for whatever the big boys are hawking this year? Packed like a sardine into a mass of humanity that would care only if you’re female, hot and dressed like Poison Ivy or Catwoman?

Yeah, none of that here. Some local vendors who fished out their long boxes of old comics, interspersed with a few guys selling toys, and a handful of minor celebrities signing photos and chatting cordially with fans. They event holders even brought free pizza for some lucky first guests. There was a raffle that gave away prizes of comics and collectables throughout the day, and refreshments were readily available- and at reasonable prices!

It was an atmosphere in which you could take your time and really dig into the back issues, see what was there and find some genuine treasures you weren’t expecting. At one table, Doc pointed out to me that there were some Green Lantern issues out, which prompted me to start thumbing through the box. Not only did I pull out the near complete run of DC’s ION, but I snagged a copy of Tales of the Green Lantern Corps #1- the limited series which was notable for the first appearance of Necron (the villain of the recent Blackest Night crossover). Mac found a booth where a friendlier-than-usual shop owner not only noticed she had a typed pull list, but helped her through the stacks to find a few of her wants, as well as pointing her at a few others that may have held her interest. That’s something you won’t find at a lot of conventions- personal service. It was pretty refreshing.

Of the celebrities we saw, the one that caught our eye was Vernon Wells, who played in “The Road Warrior” and “Commando”. He was a wonderful guy, chatting us up and signing a picture for another friend of ours who is a huge fan.

We also ran into model/cosplayer Ivy Doomkitty– most famous for her portrayals of Marvel Girl and Rule 63 Rocketeer. Ivy was there helping to promote the upcoming Big Wow convention this May up in San Jose (which we’ll also be attending!) We got the chance to introduce ourselves and chat about cons and cosplaying. Can’t wait to see what she does next!

We caught a few other cosplayers there as well- Deadpool, Thor, and some anonymous students from Xavier’s School were all in attendance at the con. I’m pretty sure that’s a sign of a successful show.

All in all, we enjoyed our time at the first San Fernando Valley Comic Con. We’re definitely looking forward to the next one, and hope it’s an even bigger success!