Having never been to a comic convention before, the Amazing Arizona Comic Con certainly was an experience. Everywhere in the the Phoenix Convention Center, there was a nerd moment. Wooden carvings of dragons, fictional characters in the style of President Barack Obama's "Hope" posters and action figures were aplenty.
There is a pulse to a comic convention, and it is strangely addictive walking around and seeing the different costumes at play. It was gorgeous to see Spider-Man and his daughter dressed as Doc-Ock as photographers captured the moment.
Artists with visually striking images of classic Disney and Marvel characters painted the walls that stood behind them. It is a nexus for shared interests that pull the exhibitor and the attendee in every year.
The Amazing Arizona Comic Con hosted several different video games booths. "Call of Duty: Black Ops 2," the various Rock Band games, "Halo 4" and PlayStation's "All-Stars: Battle Royale" filled the screens as players competed against one another for leisure.
But for the more hardcore and seasoned players, there was "Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3" and "Super Street Fighter 4" tournaments. When you see a guy dressed up as Deadpool when he is playing as Deadpool, you can’t help but crack a smile.
Brian Buccellato, Joshua Fialkov, Kyle Higgins and Scott Lobdell, who write DC’s "New 52" comic storylines, discussed future plans and exchanged witty banter with fans, capped off by an adorable kid who wanted to see a dragon version of one of Batman’s former sidekicks.
Artist Jim Lee, from X-Men, WildC.A.T.s and Batman: Hush, also participated on a panel.
“Even artists I didn’t like taught me why I didn’t like them," Lee said. "Were they the same stock poses? Or maybe it was the same mouths drawn over and over?”
He went on to explain what kinds of characters he likes to draw.
“I like drawing characters like Daredevil, because they’re basically naked men with logos on their chests," Lee said. "But I also like drawing the Joker because everything on the Joker’s face is exaggerated, so not everything has to be to scale. The Joker is just one of those characters that has had so many interpretations by so many different artists, and that really speaks to the excellence of the initial design."
Lee also stayed and signed comic books and statues for fans.
One Lee that was a no-show was Stan Lee, who had fallen under the weather, but hundreds of attendees signed a whiteboard with the words, “Get well soon Stan!”
Reach the reporter at shfawcet@asu.edu and follow him on Twitter @MaroonandGamer
