Fan Expo Boston 2018 – Part 1

This was our second time attending the Expo. The first time we had the opportunity to meet legends like Stan Lee and Charles Martinet (Mario’s voice actor), so we were very much looking forward to it this year. We’re happy to tell you that it didn’t disappoint.

For those who have never attended one of those events, we’ll be breaking down our post into different sections, based on the different kind of areas were you could spend your time, namely:

• Celebrity autograph area
• Comic book artists area
• Comics and video game shops
• Celebrity QAs, panels, photo ops, cosplay meet ups, and other activities

We’ll wrap things up with our own thoughts and impressions on what was trending this year, as well as our favorite/least favorite things on the show.

Celebrity Autograph Area

The main hook these events have is the opportunity to meet your childhood (or current) heroes in person, to chat with them, get an autograph, or get a picture.

This year’s lineup was heavily focused on classic franchises like Back to the Future, Jurassic Park and Stark Trek. Notable appearances included Michael J. Fox, Cristopher Lloyd, Tom Wilson, Lea Thompson, Jeff Goldblum, William Shatner, and Brent Spiner.

There were also other superhero movie actors such as Evangeline Lilly, Jason Momoa and Famke Janssen.

Since we’re all about the video games, we also visited the voice actors attending the show, like David Hayter (Metal Gear Solid series) and Lucie Pohl(Mercy, from Overwatch).

Overall, it was a great opportunity to catch a glimpse of all celebrities in attendance. Lines weren’t long and prices were generally acceptable, the norm being $40 for an autograph or a selfie, although certain actors would go all the way up to $180 (AND STILL BE SOLD OUT, BTW).

Comic book artists area

If you wanted to take a break from the lines, crowds or to take a stroll between Q&A sessions, you would generally go to the comic book artists area. Here you will find some of the biggest names in comic books like Greg Capullo or Jim Lee working on their craft, signing comic books, and meeting fans.

Surprisingly, what I enjoyed the most of this section of the show was looking at the work that independent artists had on display. You could find anything from indie comic book series, to full-blown artwork. It was refreshing seeing new takes on well known characters, and some of the pieces really stood out. It’s very easy to spend quite a bit of cash here if you’re looking to re-decorate your man/woman cave.

Comics and video game shops

As if you needed more excuses to spend money, there was also a section fully dedicated to shops dedicated to comic books, memorabilia, video games, apparel, art, and anything that could remotely be linked to the comic book world.

The shops that set up…well, *shop* here are usually established local shops (like Newbury Comics or Replay’d) that take advantage of the buzz to bring their best products and make a name for themselves. The name of the game in this case is “bargain hunting”, though, since most of the items you can probably find elsewhere for the same price. I went in with the mentality to try out new content that I would have otherwise never tried, and I ended up buying 5 comic books for $21, reduced from an original $60. So yeah, I win…I think.

*END OF PART 1*

Join us in a few days for the second part of our analysis, where will cover Celebrity Q&As, events, and provide our overall impressions of the show.

Thanks for reading!