Rhode Island Comic Con
RI Convention Center
Providence, RI
November 11 – 13, 2016

Like a fine wine, the Rhode Island Comic Con gets better every year. Not everything about it is perfect, but its perfectly wonderful. Like all comic-cons, it’s filled with celebrities, panels, cosplayers, vendors and food.

Let’s start from the very beginning. The lines to get in were just as long this year as the other years, but they were constantly moving and were kept very orderly. There were metal detectors and bag searches, because in this day and age, its better to be safe than sorry.  There was a little snag in the V.I.P. line, but they quickly straightened it out and everyone made it in.

The Rhode Island Comic-Con takes place in two buildings, the Dunkin’ Donuts Center and the Rhode Island Convention Center. Usually I spent too much time walking around the vendors and trying not to empty my wallet too quickly. This year I was mighty disappointed with the amount of vendors. Last year the floor of the Dunkin’ Donuts center was filled with vendors, this year it was filled with corrals for autograph lines. I had hoped this meant there were more vendors in the convention center, instead of it being split with autographs there, but sadly, it was not. There was still an amazing amount of items for sale, from Pokemon cards to Funko Pop! Toys, foam weapons, all the way to pop culture clothing. If you wanted anything nerdy, geeky, sci-fi or to show how much you love cats, this was the place to shop. There were also tables set up for local businesses, like Uno’s Chicago Grill and the Comedy Connection in East Providence. They had spin the wheel games to win fee items. There were also charities, the Star Wars 501st division, Brethren of Pirates, and my personal favorite, Meeting Street, were all set up to take donations for there cause.

The celebrity autograph/photo-op area was packed at all times. With big names like Stan Lee, Alice Cooper, Jason David Frank, Brent Spiner and many more, there was never a break in crowd. Most of the celebrities that were doing the autograph/photo op sessions, also were involved in a panel. Those lines were just as long, and just as crowded. We were lucky enough to make it into Stan Lee’s, Billy Dee Williams, and The Legends of Tomorrow panel. They were all question and answer sessions, filled with good and bad questions.

The first panel we went to was actually called “What not to ask a celebrity” hosted by cosplayer Ask Kaylee Frye, and I wish I could have sent everyone to her panel. Being a professional cosplayer, and attending over 30 comic-cons, she had some great words of advice. Do not ask a celebrity for a favor. Can you call my mom? Can you say hi to my cousin? Can I have a hug? The celebrity hears this all the time, and the audience doesn’t care. DO ask a question that can be answered without just a simple yes or no, and that everyone will find interesting. This should be a mandatory course taken by everyone attending and Q&A panel.

The other panels that were not celebrity Q&A’s were discussion or teaching panels. We went to one on how to make foam armor. The girl that was running the panel was very nice, but seemed very unprepared. Her comments made it sound like she was told very last minute that she would be teaching this, and didn’t seem to have the materials needed to do so.

With all this going on, it was hard to remember what was happening, and where. This year on the comic-con app they had a way to schedule reminders of things you wanted to do or see. You program what you want, and then when you want to be reminded, and BAM! No missing events!

A couple of things I noticed this year, that I had not seen in the past were the game rooms. We found ourselves with some time to waste and wondered into the video game room. There were games consoles everywhere, everything from Super Smash Bros, to the new Mortal Kombat. On the opposite side of the convention floor was a room for playing board games. I didn’t notice if their were actually board games in it, or if you had to bring your own, but it was there if you needed room.

Right next to that room was a stand with food. There were a few of these throughout the building, with the normal convention food. Chicken nuggets, tater tots, hot dogs, salads, cookies, etc. Any other comic-con, I would eat there and pay the hefty price for mediocre food. This con is connected to a mall though, so for the same price I got table service and quality food. Not all of it was something I would pass over though. At the far end of the convention center was a stand making fresh waffle cones, and selling assorted flavors of ice cream. I was dressed as a Star Wars Sith Lord, holding a cone of ice cream. It was a glorious moment.

Speaking of dressing up, the cosplay is the best part of this convention. From the generic store bought costume, to the painstakingly built costumes, there was always a sight to see. The cosplay contest this year had the Slinky Dog from Toy Story, a robot with a cat hitching a ride, and the best Hobgoblin I have ever seen.

All in all, I thought this con was amazing, and I can’t wait till next year!