Amazing Las Vegas Con Wrap up

Louie M. covers conventions for www.comicsheatingup.net

The Amazing cons, which are in their 5th year, make it very clear they are truly focused on comics. You can feel it from the energy and spirit of the show, there is a great comics community in Vegas.
Guest & Programming
The show packs some powerhouse names from the comics industry: Steve McNiven, Rob Liefeld, George Perez, Mark Bagley, Greg Capullo, Charles Soule, Chad Hardin. The con takes place in Southpoint Hotel, so it was pretty easy to traverse between the exhibit hall, signings, and panels. It’s a breeze to get access to these creators and artists without ridiculous wait times.


From the pop culture world, several all star cast members from Sailor Moon and Power Rangers were in attendance for photo ops, panels, and signatures. John Barrowman from Arrow was the headliner and his panel was hilarious, great interaction with the crowd.

Personally, I find the local creators/artists to be the heart and soul of these events. I got the pleasure to meet a few of them and hear about their projects. Victor DeTroy and Jared Lamp are working on a hilarious series “Man vs Rock” about a man who distrusts rocks. Their pitch was hilarious and they were both really funny, I enjoyed chatting with them at their table. I think there is a place for them in the market to do humorous and unique content. I also met a lovely and engaging couple all the way from Idaho who are self-publishing a book called “Shivertown” under Mystery House Comics. There was also “Faster Than Light” from Anomaly Productions, a media company that uses apps and print content to create an immersive experience. Their booth allowed you to use the technology and buy early exclusive variants of the forthcoming Image Shadowline title.
Of all the guests, I think Kevin Eastman wins this con. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle presence was huge. He routinely had a long line of fans, decked out in TMNT gear, waiting for autographs. There was even a pizza and viewing party in the hotel one evening for the TMNT movie (the good one from 1990).


Exclusives
Amazing! Many awesome exclusive variants to be found. I think the positive comics vibe encourages exhibitors to bring quality exclusives to a relatively small show.
Suicide Squad #9 Exclusive Joker Sketch Variant by Jim Lee
Batman #41 Exclusive B&W Variant
Harley Quinn #17 Exclusive Chad Hardin Variant
Faster Than Light #1 Amazing Variant (forthcoming Image title)
Fathom Blue #1 Amazing Exclusive EBAS Variant
Aegi Steel #0 Amazing Exclusive Variant (New Matt Nastos project)
Cosplay
The cosplay was awesome! It was interesting this year as the Electronic Daisy Carnival was on the same weekend in Vegas. So it was hard to tell who was who in the lobby. I thought the girl wearing Adventure Time spandex pants with MLP-style glittery purple hair was a comic con attendee, then I saw the glow-sticks and knew she was headed elsewhere.
I always love seeing all the Harley variants, but also impressed how spot on people are with the new Suicide Squad characters. There is not even a trailer yet! Check out the pics!

Costs
A 3 day pass runs $60 plus online fees. Customized VIP packages with exclusives and special autograph passes were offered for hardcore fans of John Barrowman, Deadpool, TMNT and Sailor Moon. These would set you back $150-$200. I am normally skeptical of the value of VIP packages, but these fan-tailored experiences may be worth the money
Final Thoughts
I really look forward to the Amazing cons. It’s a different vibe than the other big two I normally attend. It really feels like you’re in a small group of friends that share your interest. I applaud the organizers for maintaining the great atmosphere.
The Amazing show will also be coming to Houston and Hawaii later this year.
You can visit the Amazing Las Vegas Comic Convention at their Homepage.