So great! We had so much fun! I met the actual Hulk! It was a great Con and I was so happy to see it was so well attended. I can't wait for next year!

Thanks, I miss being a comic book nerd, pull list got way too high =P

It was amazing how many people showed up--they sold out on Saturday pre-sales! And that's great you met Lou, I hear he can be a lot of fun to chat with.

Now THAT is the truth--it's like, add another book, add another, and another...and I'm broke now each month. ha ha!

He was very gracious. We met almost all the celebrities and there were so many we had to split up. Mick Foley was a hoot! My husband met Corey Taylor (said he was super nice!). We met Keone Young (a joy!) and Doug Jones (lovely person)!

We prepurchased but one of our friends didn't so she was in that line FOREVER on Saturday morning.

Oh we went in our Skyrim cosplays! We must’ve missed you :( It was a really impressive con for a first year convention! We made the mistake of waiting to get tickets and had to wait in line for over an hour to get tickets at the door, not a bad thing though just goes to show how successful it was

Is this the one where you cosplay as a hillbilly?

I enjoyed the show well enough, but I traveled from coast to coast attending the biggest comicons in the nation for work for many years. What really disappoints me is that absolutely nobody will show up to support the local con (VisionCon) but can come out in droves to support a traveling con that does nothing for the community.

Everyone comes out of the woodwork for a show like this but can't be bothered otherwise. Just shows you aren't there for the fandoms, you're there for the celebs. Most local vendors (and I know of at least a dozen, especially local authors) weren't even given consideration for panels or booths. Local shops weren't given the opportunity to exhibit either.

Not the Cons fault by any means, but I'm disappointed in Springfield as a whole. We need to do better to support our own rather than throwing more money at the void.

Just my opinion.

That being said, Planet Comicon in KC is next month and it's one of the best in the Midwest. All you con-lovers definitely should make your way to KC!

That's awesome--exactly what you want to hear about guests, that they're friendly and fun to talk to. Really glad to hear you guys had such a good time!

I think some of those celebrity guests helped draw a crowd; definitely hope they continue to expand their vendor and creator are to keep people busy between panels and photo ops.

And aw man, would've loved running into you in costume and gotten a clip for the video--that would've been great!! We saw a music video showing off some of the great cosplayers on the floor and there were many we didn't even see at all; it's crazy how easy it is to miss people at the same event. ha ha

I bet I could pull it off; my work clothes alone would make me a shoe-in!

We share many sentiments as we are super supportive of local conventions and events. We haven't gone to Planet Comicon as we try to help build up some promotion for things in about an hour radius of Springfield.

Though in an unofficial capacity, we've showcased many such as Tremendicon, Dragon's Brook (previous Dragonfest), Neosho ArtCon and even some of the sadly defunct Cave Con and BransonCon shows. VisionCon, especially has seen tons of support from us. Last year we showcased them though many videos, including promo spots for local artists, authors, creators, and shops. We usually avoid celebrity spotlighting outside of maybe a panel so that our videos really show off the floor setup and vendors and creators on hand; we like to give an idea to attendees and potential vendors both what to expect from an event beyond the headliners that bring in the crowds. We'd like to see more people on hand in support of the event itself, but unfortunately it often is the celebrity guests that get the attention. Hopefully, showcase videos like ours can show there's so much more to do though.

We saw lots of familiar local faces at MCC like Forged in Foam, Nathaniel Toines, Ghostbusters of the Ozarks, Garrison 66, and even shops like Leveled Up Loot at this show, but we're always down to see more. Tremendicon had a table, as did Springfield Cosplay, and Pop Goes the Culture, Nerd Informant, even Hawk with his Geekmas event--lots of local love, but don't stop MCC--bring in more, MORE!!

Again, rather than being disappointed in Springfield, we're going to do our best to show off great things to do in the greater Springfield radius, outside of the big boys like KC and STL, because there's tons going on around here too. Here's hoping our local events continue to grow.

Something I'd really like to see from VisionCon, I'll say it, is a rebranding. It's an amazing convention with incredible staff and volunteers and a heartfelt charity each year, but that name conveys the wrong idea. "Comic Con" is used as a branding anymore, like calling tissues "Kleenex." As is, it comes off as something to do with eyewear and it deserves so much more attention. They can always have that vision, but play up to their available strengths with something simple like "Springfield Comic Con." Also, don't shy away from celebrities; like it or not, they DO help, and sadly it's not always easy to push voice actors. Though fun, and ridiculously talented people, it's weird going for a photo op with a face most people don't know or recognize and a name many haven't heard.

Sometimes it's about playing up to our strengths and no doubt a rebranding of Visioncon could make it as incredible and formidable of an event as it absolutely deserves to be. Regardless, we'll keep attending them and showing off what people are missing out on if they skip it!

I could pull it off in my daily attire. 😂

No kidding! A lot of the people we talked to in line were just there for Corey Taylor, which was kinda sad cause it wasn’t nerd” focused but it did bring in a huge crowd and was definitely a unique guest. Oh a music video? I’ll have to go look for that!

If I may I saw your other comment about VisionCon rebranding and I want to say I’m so glad someone else is thinking this. Maybe a name change is in order? Something to signify it’s a comic con because I saw at least one article saying that Mo Con was Springfield’s first Comic Con and it’s absolutely not. I love VisionCon, I’ve been going since it was in the old Clarion Hotel over ten years ago, but maybe some change, something fresh will help bring in more of our community. It’s been around forever, my heart would break if it fizzled out :(

LOL Hey, call it Tucker & Dale cosplay and it'd be a hit! ha ha!

For the music video, yourself and anybody interested, here's the link to that:
https://youtu.be/Q8Me5jypOCQ

They did a great showcase here!

That's true on Corey, while not specifically nerd (or comic) focused, no doubt he was a draw; we had a friend who ONLY went for him and happily stood in line for three hours just for their chance. On the bright side, they did wander the floor too, so here's hoping they found something else that made the visit worth it.

Absolutely agree--we'd be devastated if VC every fizzled away!! All the more reason we just want to see them grow and continue to represent local fandom love! It really is a shame that anybody else would get that top billing as Springfield's first Comic Con, like, are you nuts!? Something as subtle as a name change really could make a world of difference because we don't want to lose such a legacy convention like theirs!

Haha I’m glad you pointed me in the right direction of the music video, my partner and I are in fact in it @ 1:19. What a great shot! Thank you again for the link!

Man, we went on Sunday and there was no line at any of the ticket booths when we arrived. In and out and didn't have to pay the $40 convenience fee the website wanted.