Indiana Comic Convention returned to Indianapolis August 30-September 1 to another stellar showcase of celebrities, cosplayers, panels and vendors. Myself and Anna were lucky enough to attend the convention this year and now we get to share our experiences with you all!
This year’s celebrity lineup included John Barrowman (Arrow, Doctor Who), Adam Baldwin (Firefly, The Last Ship), Michael Rooker (The Walking Dead, Guardians of the Galaxy), Ron Perlman (Hellboy, Sons of Anarchy), Ric Flair (WWE Hall of Fame wrestler), Ryan Hurst (The Walking Dead and Sons of Anarchy), Walter Koenig (Star Trek and Babylon 5), and many more!
If you have never attended Indiana Comic Convention, here are a few things to look for and some tips!
The Indiana Comic Convention is located at the Indiana Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis. The Convention Center is surrounded by amazing dining options, but if you are at the convention and can’t leave the building, you have a quite a few options right on the premises that are affordable. If you are like me and you like to drink a lot of water throughout the day, the convention provides water coolers for attendees. Since the Convention is downtown, there are plenty of parking garages to choose from that are within walking distance of the venue.
Once we arrived inside the Convention Center, there was no trouble finding registration and the ticketing area, with signs pointing to everywhere you need to go. The Convention schedule was available online as well, so you could use your phone to find any of the panel halls or other activity rooms without much trouble. If you have any issues finding your way, there are a number of volunteers around to help you.
There are many opportunities for interactions with the celebrities and artists during the convention. Each celebrity has a table located in the back of the vendor room where you can get selfies and autographs with them, and have little conversations as well. There are also professional photos available for different prices that are quite affordable.
The vendor tables had everything from fan art, apparel, books, music, dolls, toys, jewelry, just about anything you can imagine was available to purchase! The amount of talent from the artists was unbelievable and an amazing thing to see.
We got the pleasure of attending three celebrity panels during our Saturday at the convention.
First was Adam Baldwin of Firefly and The Last Ship fame, as well as many other films and television shows. Unfortunately we only caught the second half of Mr. Baldwin’s panel, however we got to hear a few stories about working with Joss Whedon (Firefly, Angel), and the lessons he has learned about enjoying a moment as it’s happening. Overall, a good lesson for anyone to live by.
Another panel we attended was for John Barrowman (Doctor Who, Arrow.) If you haven’t seen a John Barrowman panel, you are in for a show, to say the least! I, myself, had never seen his panel before, so when the music began playing I knew something fun was about to happen. He took the stage wearing silver high heels and a long coat. As the music played he took off his coat revealing a blue Tardis dress that only John Barrowman could pull off! And that is just the beginning of all the fun and laughs had during a John Barrowman panel. After his intro dance ended, he told a few stories ranging from his adventure at a Hooter’s restaurant to the pitfalls of air travel. After a few fan questions, he ended his panel with a beautiful rendition of “A Thousand Years”.
Micheal Rooker, of The Walking Dead, Days of Thunder, and Guardians of the Galaxy, took the panel stage for an energetic and entertaining Q and A session. He started off by asking about what a Hoosier was and quickly digressed to getting his ASL interpreter to sign Jiggly Butt multiple times randomly throughout the panel. Micheal then took to the crowd to allow fans the opportunity to ask him questions directly as he ran through the audience and brought the mic to them. Rooker fielded questions about his role as Yandu in Guardians and confirmed that he can not whistle like Yandu, but he is Mary Poppins. He shared race car driving secrets that he learned during filming Days of Thunder, and told stories about being on set for The Walking Dead. He was funny, exciting, and humble throughout.
Along with celebrities were countless vendor tables of some of the most talented fan artists around.
Indiana Comic Convention guests came in original cosplays and some classics that always make an appearance at comic cons. The Stormtroopers are a staple at every comic con, but a Tauntaun is not something you get to see often.
The lovely individual cosplaying as Bob Ross painted many a happy tree on many a hearts.
There was also a great Maleficent with a wingspan of at least 8-feet, and groups from Nightmare Before Christmas and Jurassic Park.
The Marvel Community did not disappoint with their cosplays as well. There were plenty of Captain America and Thor variations walking the floor.
Overall, the convention was a great experience filled with laughs and amazing art and cosplayers. Don’t miss next year’s Indiana Comic Convention set for April 10-12, 2020!