Santa Fe Comic Con has come and gone and now in our candy fueled stupor, we reminisce about how much fun we had that weekend. There were a ton of awesome guests at SFCC and while we couldn’t possibly write an article on each of them, you could feel the excitement in the air over their presence there. The events such as the Open Wounds Film Festival and Costume Contest were well put together and fun to attend.
The City
Santa Fe is a relatively small town but packed full of art and culture. If you come to SFCC next year and don’t live here, take the time to visit some of Santa Fe’s amazing art museums and vendors on the Downtown Plaza. It’s thirty minutes away from the convention, but definitely worth it to stay an extra day for the culture. It’s no wonder the convention attracted so many comic book artists. The city is brimming with art to begin with!
How SFCC Worked
When you checked in you were given both a wrist band and a badge. The wristband gave you access to the con and the badge told people what type of attendee you were “Guest” “Press” “Artist” “General Admission” “VIP” or “Volunteer”. While having both was a little annoying, it did help differentiate who was who.
While there were only two panel rooms, one room for the Open Wound Film Festival, one room for Dealers and one for Artist Alley, there was still a lot to do at the convention and everything was very easy to get to. I would have liked to have seen more panel rooms, but given the size of the event, it worked well.
Our Reactions
Charlotte: SFCC was a smaller convention than most I’ve gone to and that added to how much I enjoyed it. I had more time to hang out and talk with the guests I was excited about seeing. I talked with Linda Blair about the mistreatment of Pitbulls in Colorado for several minutes. Had I been at a bigger convention, I wouldn’t have had two seconds with her.
I also really enjoyed how much the convention organizers cared about the cosplayer attendees. Having a lounge to lie down in and an on hand cosplay assistant really took a lot of the stress of cosplay off my shoulders. My friends and I were able to sit down and wait for panels when we were tired and had any of our costumes malfunctioned (which thank god did not happen) we wouldn’t have to worry. There were also tons of water dispensers throughout the con with ice cold water and cups readily available for thirsty nerds. Considering I forgot my water bottle each day, it was nice that I didn’t have to worry about hydration.
The cosplay was top notch and I was excited to see so many Harley Quinns throughout the con, especially on the day I was dressed as Catwoman. There were also a lot of Green Arrow cosplay and Guardians of the Galaxy.
Raya: As someone who’d only ever been to one convention before SFCC, it was very exciting. I don’t think I’ve ever been in a place with so many people in cosplay and so many people with similar interests as me. After a very long day on Saturda,y I was still out of bed much too early on Sunday, all ready with my Winter Soldier makeup on long before the doors even opened. My only frustration was that no one else cosplayed Hawkeye! I was the lone Hawkeye in a sea of Green Arrows.
Maria: SFCC was the first American comic convention I had ever been to. When we got there I was surprised by the fact that this was a much bigger con that I had expected, with stands that varied from comic book artists to celebrities that had participated on several different shows. I enjoyed the fact that it was an event for all ages and the amount of families that participated on cosplays was heartwarming.
Regarding the panels, they were enjoyable, especially due to the fact that the convention wasn’t as crowded as I had originally anticipated. People in the crowd had a much better opportunity to talk with the panelists and have a more intimate moment. It was a nice experience and something that I look forward to in the future.
If you missed Santa Fe Comic Con this year, don’t fret! Albuquerque Comic Con is put on by the same wonderful people. Tickets for that convention are on sale now for $40 for the whole weekend. It will take place January 9th through 11th, 2015. If it’s anything like Santa Fe Comic Con, you’ll have as great of a time as we did.
Hush Comics 