Fandemic Comic Con Tour is the newest traveling pop-culture convention. The tour offers a blend of popular celebrities from the hottest television shows and movies. The tour also features vendor booths for shopping, celeb and artist panel discussions, gaming, tattoo artists and even speed dating for those of you who are single and ready to mingle!
While I’m not single nor am I ready to mingle, after talking to John Macaluso HERE, the head of Fandemic Tour, I was excited for this one. It had been a while since I attended a convention that advertised such a wide variety of events, so why not give it a shot, right?
Full disclosure, we only were able to attend on Sunday due to some last-minute scheduling conflicts, but now that the dust has settled, let’s get into the good, the bad, and the ugly of Houston’s Fandemic Comic-Con.
THE GOOD:
The event was much smaller than I expected, and that isn’t a bad thing! The space was utilized well, and everything seemed very intimate. The vendors were happy to have guests shopping and because of which, there were many deals to be had.
I want to give a special shout out to Dork Buzz! They had a wide variety of items at their booth, and while their stuff was fairly priced, they were still willing to wheel and deal on top of their already great discounts.
THE BAD:
The few guests that I had wanted to see canceled and did not appear at the convention. I do understand, these things happen, but I never actually saw a notification until I dug into the website. The remaining guests were very typical of what you’d encounter at most of the cons across the country.
THE UGLY:
While the show was fairly small, most of the event was dedicated to celebrities. Considering that a lot of the event was meant for photos and signatures, I’d assume that the schedules were somewhat enforced. I mean, if you have a sign on your banner that says you’ll be there at noon, then you should probably be there somewhere between noon and two, right?
I guess Jason David Frank didn’t get this memo, because people were waiting for him for hours. We left before (I’m only assuming) he showed, but this is only after we TRACKED DOWN a volunteer that told us that if we see him to ask for an autograph because, “He’ll scribble something down for you if you’re just walking by.”
Another volunteer told me that he might be stuck in traffic or in the back. Sure, he might be. But, I mean, he’s not. We were just “in the back” and we didn’t see him. Why would you tell me “he’s stuck in traffic” if you have literally no clue where he is? I get it, they’re volunteers, but c’mon!
So, while the event wasn’t the best experience, it wasn’t the worst either. Had JDF actually showed up at a decent time, I think our adventure would have been better, but because of the lack of accountability from anyone near his booth, the conclusion to our weekend was less than ideal.
The big question is, will I attend again? And the short answer is, more than likely. That being said though, before I drive to Houston, pay for parking and make my way into a convention center (that is sharing its space with four other shows), I’ll be sure to check if the celebrities I’m after are actually in Houston… or just stuck in traffic.
Jessie Hobson