Once upon a time, Hawaii had no comic conventions. Back before cellphones, tablets and Apple watches the closest comic book fans came to an organized get together was at the "Hawaii State Comic Collector's Club". Meetings were held at the Moiliili Public Library on a semi-regular basis. Fans of comics, horror and syfy movies had a place to gather, share and compare thoughts and experiences of the latest news in the world of fantasy. Mind you that this was a time when back and forth instantaneous communication was only in the form of telephone, telegraph and shouting over your neighbor's fence. This was the 1970s. Fast forward to 2019. Hawaii has now hosted many entertainment conventions, one of which is the Comic Con Honolulu, a home grown produced annual event which gives fans a chance to match up with like fans and meet people involved in this segment of the entertainment industry. Some thoughts regarding this Con: Smaller than the Amazing Comic Con, they feature a large area devoted gaming in the main hall. They take elements of both the Amazing and Kawaii Kon (celebrity photo ops, artist alley, cosplay contests, panel discussions, etc.) They have the usual assortment of dealers selling related merchandise but seemingly, not as many as the other Cons. Just sort of less of everything but still pretty enjoyable. There were some vendors that seemed out of place for this con: T-mobile, ATT and vacation time shares, really!? Enjoyed seeing the King of Tokyo, Godzilla game play. A fan made oversized game which looked like fun. It's always fun to see the cosplay and this Con was no exception. The time and creativity put in by the cosplayers is something to behold. Less cosplayers than Kawaii Kon but still enjoyable. The con even had cars detailed with anime themes. Servco even had new Toyota corollas on display detailed with their newly created super hero theme- a fun campaign to market their latest offering. Definitely a smaller crowd but it, in some ways has a more local "feel". Was sort of a spin-off of the Kawaii Kon which focuses more on anime. 3.5 stars for this con, enjoyable without a wow factor. Will say that this con gave me more of a reminiscing type feeling like when friends would get together back in the day at the comic collector's club. Mahalos to Emi and Yelp for the free pass to attend the Saturday event. A nice way to spend a warm and muggy summer day. read more

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First time visiting Comic Con Honolulu. We came fairly early to check it out. Plenty on offer--artist alley had vendors, artists, and celebrity autograph and photo ops. We spent most of our time here, just hanging around the booths and talking story with the artists. I wish there had been more local comic vendors, but it was great to pick up some original work from local comic artists. In terms of the panels, a good assortment, although more anime and video game oriented. I wish there had been more TV, but Hawaii is more oriented toward the anime set. Cool cosplayers and plenty of fun to be had. However, the prices are certainly high, especially considering the parking cost and the cost for autographs and photographs. At least make the parking free. read more

So much fun! We had a great time walkingg through the vendor village, listening to panel discussions, and watching all the things at ComiCon. We got to meet, take pictures of and get books signed with Stan Sakai. Pictures of different Cos Players, seeing upcoming events, this was a fun, chill Con. It wasn't crazy packed and we were able to spend hours there without feeling overwhelmed. read more

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Here on a Yelp invite plus 1. Sat for a panel discussion / lecture on Spidey Senses. Comic Con organizers FAILED to provide a HOST for the room therefore it was very awkward for the 1 man speaker in the beginning as he had to just work the room without a lead in. I go to many conventions, and personally, I was embarrassed that Hawai'i failed to show our Aloha to this special guest. Luckily, Alex Saviuk, is a GREAT storyteller and I actually was very entertained and really liked his talk story session. His bio is amazing and by listening to him, you become inspired that perseverance and doing what you love to do makes life more meaningful and enjoyable in the the roller coaster of life. Wasn't about Spidey Senses but pertained to Alex Slaviuk's career story at DC, and MARVEL. He actually used his Spidey senses of common sense and intuition. read more

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Attended Comic Con on Sunday with my daughter and grandson. Lots of fun, vendors, events and characters! It's a fun way to spend time with my family and still see cool things! Can't wait to see what next year brings! read more

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3.5 stars, great location setting at Hawaii convention center. Hoping to see greAt deal of people dressed up in cosplay but sadly not nearly as much compared to kawaiikon. Arrived on a Saturday evening around 630 and surprised to find lots of parking. Visited the cosplay contest and some were really elaborate. Yay! Across the hall they had several stations set up for gamers competition. Nice ac room. Along the wall were several water coolers and very much needed on a hot muggy day like this! Went to a large room with vendors selling so many character theme things to buy. One of the vendors said it was much busier for her in the daytime. I guess night crowd is smaller? Had a very enjoyable time tonight. read more

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This con is put on by the same people who produce the Kawaii Kon event targeting cosplay, anime, manga, cosplay and japanese related culture. Comic Con Honolulu was suppose to target comics, sci-fi, tv and movies I believe. However, It felt more like an extension of Kawaii Kon. Also, this con just kind of popped out. Because this is it's first one there are definite growing pains. Let me just say they have learned some. For next year has already announced the dynamic duo behind the revival of Marvel's Ghost Rider character in the 90s, Davic Mackie (writer) and Mark Texeira (artist) will be featured guest for 2016. Upon entering, as artist to setup, we noticed the dealer\artist alley room was barely half filled. Not a good sign. However, we weren't there to make money. Checking in wasn't too bad. A little bit of confusion who we were but got straighten fairly quickly and we could now set up. Got our map for table assignment. I was pleased to see we were against the wall. Good for us then we didn't have to worry about our back drop falling on anyone. Friday was slow and that's the usual. It gave us a chance to check out other artists and vendors there. Everyone was very nice and welcoming. That made it easier for M who had to do 2 panels the next day and was very nervous never having to do public speaking before. I checked out the room for games. It was happening but I didn't feel the buzz or excitement that I normally do. That area needs to be worked on to make it a big event offering substantial prizes with the support of related, local businesses. Have a sanctioned Magic tournament supported by Wizards of the Coast or something. Saturday was much busier giving us the chance to talk to many fans. The panel we provided came out well with a much larger attendance than expected. M was okay and actually thrived after 5 min. into the panel. I knew that. We surprisingly sold a handful of original pieces which we did not expect. Remember, we weren't here to make money. We did though. People loved the free sketches we were giving out by M and T who generously accepted our invite to man the table the whole weekend. Love her. The free long stem lollipops worked to our favor as I knew they would from past experiences doing many other cons before. Sunday was like Friday, maybe a little better. Now that they got their feet wet I am hoping for a much better show in the following years that will grow the attendance accordingly. I believe they can do that and they have my support. read more

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Comic Con Honolulu July 29th to July 31st, 2016 In the last few years, the comic and pop culture convention scene has exploded in the islands. As wonderful as this is for fans and attendees, it means there's more competition for who gets our hard earned money. This convention is simply not up to the quality of other similar ones in Honolulu. That being said, I did have fun. The main problem this convention has is that it used to be known as Hoku Con, which was an extension of Kawaii Kon, both of which focus more on anime than comics. These genres are very separate, which was great that they had distinct events. The rebranding of Comic Con Honolulu implies a focus on "comics" which had a very sparse offering at this convention. There were few booths selling exclusively comics, very few artists, and almost no panels about its namesake subject. This is a general pop culture convention, so the name just does not fit. It's hard to tell what the focus of the convention is, almost like it is trying to find a niche that has already been filled by other conventions. Arriving early, I was surprised at how few people were there. The pre-registration line was almost completely empty, and we only had to wait about five minutes in line to pick our passes. The nearby "pay at the door" line was very full, but did not take long to empty. Looking at the lines throughout the day, I noticed there was never a wait after the initial registration, which is always a nice benefit of small convention. Autograph tickets were also on pre-sale in the lobby for people to save time. Information booths and a weapons-check were also in the lobby, none with lines. As people registered, they waited at the main doors until the convention opened for the day. Throughout the day, there was a nice buzz and amount of people, but it was never too crowded. The convention is very small. The main floor consisted of the exhibitors area, artists area, autograph section, and the Convention Center-run concessions. Prices for the latter were high, so we never went here for food. The vendor selection was another complaint. We saw our usual toy and collectible dealers including Other Realms. There were a few comic booths that had great issue selections. My main complaint here were the completely unrelated vendor booths: T-Mobile, weapons, essential oils, and other junk. These booths had no place at this event except to pad the organizers earnings and help fill the room. I don't know why anyone would stop at these booths. The artists were some of my favorites. It was great to see Mel B., Mog Park's work including the piece in the silent auction, and Katie Cook of ABC-3PO fame. I had Katie sign my copy of the book, her and her husband were super friendly and one of the highlights of my day. I really enjoyed the tactile art pieces, of which I bought a few. I loved the clay custom game pieces by Epicycle Designs (I bought a set of Settlers of Catan resources), and the yarn art by The Little Outcrop (I bought a Wicket the Ewok). There were quite a few creative booths here and it was fun to peruse the art. Throughout the convention, they had a silent art auction with nice pieces as well. I liked seeing the Ghostbusters' car and two Jurassic Park Jeeps. The autograph area was well organized and spacious both for the celebrities and fan lines. John Barrowman, Sean Astin, Phil Lamarr, Summer Glau, and the great George Takei were some of the highlights. It's great they got some well known people to come. I felt the prices were too high, which makes sense for the distance of the convention, but usually the smaller the event, the lower the ticket prices. I heard some of the celebrities thought the selfie fee was ridiculous, so I assume they didn't set their own prices. Upstairs were the panel rooms. The temperature was so cool and comfortable in these rooms. I enjoyed the Star Trek 50th Anniversary Panel put on by the Last Outpost local club. The video game room had a stage for Rock Band, Super Smash Bros., and PC games going on all weekend including tournaments. It was fun to watch people playing. We spent more time in the table top room, where we played Carcassone and 7 Wonders. It was a relaxing break from the heat to sit and quietly play a game. I found many of the volunteers in this room to be rude, there's no other way to put that. It seemed they didn't want to help people learn games, especially kids. It made the group games unappealing. It was a highlight to just play Carcassone with Kristine. C.! I enjoyed how you simply give an ID in exchange for borrowing a game, then you can try it or learn with new friends! Entry prices are too high. There were things about this convention that are 5-stars, others are 1-stars. Overall I had to give it a 3. I would return in the hopes they make improvements going forward. If you only want to go to one convention in the area, go to Amazing Hawaii Comic Con! read more

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The convention center has many different comic con events throughout the year. At the last minute we decided to attend this event and had to buy tickets at the door. For Saturday tickets it was $55 per adult and children 10 years and younger were free with paid adult. You could also purchase a one of a kind lanyard at the door for $5.00. The amount of vendors that were there compared to other events that I've gone to were less. The ballroom itself was not even filled to its maximum capacity and there was a lot of open space. There were a couple aisles of vendors and a cluster of them towards the front. However, the rest was just artist autographs and the line to pay for artist autographs. I was sadly disappointed in the amount of vendors there. However, I did buy snacks from some local food vendors and was able to buy some apparel. It was also very slow with not many attendees. I liked that because who wants to walk in a crowd of people?! Definitely not worth the $55 at the door nor going 3 days in a row if you bought the 3 day pass. Waiting for more comic con events to attend! read more

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So first off, I'm really grateful as a yelp elite to be invited to the convention. I've only been to a few conventions in my lifetime, so I'll base my past experiences on this one. First off, was a bit surprised there weren't as many attendants as I expected. When I went to Kawaii Kon recently, I remember the main hall was jam packed with people in cosplay. This Saturday, not that many people. The line wasn't too long. Getting into the vendor room, I also noticed that the amount of vendors were a bit less compared to other conventions. There was a good amount, but mostly art and Asian stuff like anime and K-pop. There weren't too many comic booths. I was expecting more booths from the various comic stores on island. The guest list was also impressive, but personally I wasn't interested. I feel like for Oahu, we're more about anime and video games. Less on comics. It definitely showed during the convention. I did meet some nice people and bought some nice art prints, but I don't know if I'd attend another comic convention on island. Maybe the next anime convention. read more

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Studies have shown that I am a geek. Sorry, nerds and dorks. The ticket was $35 on Friday. I was more interested in the Amazing Comic Con that is coming up in September, but I thought I'd check this Honolulu Comic Con out to get a glimpse of what may be to come. Plus, I've never been to a comic con before, so this is a way to get my feet wet. After taking the ridiculously long and slow escalators and reaching the fourth floor of the Convention Center, everything looked very bare. The courtyard just had a regular Jeep with Jurassic PARK designs. Ummm, wow.... There were just three rooms that made up this comic con convention. One of them was a gaming room with rows of desktop computers and XBOX where you can play whatever game it had for free, and Super Smash Brothers on WiiU was available to play for free on two TVs. There were tournaments being held too at specific times during the day. Another area had tables where you can play your RPGs, and in the back was the Panel Room. I spent a total of ten minutes in here, and eight minutes was spent playing Super Smash Brothers on WiiU (Nintendo 64 is MUCH better). This room very empty when I was there. It needs to have multiple vendors that attracts to all audiences of gaming. Waste of space. The second room had the vendors and artists. There weren't a lot there, and nothing special. I was hoping for a wider selection and harder to get merchandise and paraphernalia. Though, I had a very fun, informative, and interesting conversation with some LARPers at the Dystopia Rising Hawaii table. I love talking to people about their passion. Last room was for the guests' signings and photographs, and for events. The first time I went in, it was showing a video on two small (compared to the room) screens, and there was barely anyone watching. Can't you watch them on YouTube? Anyway, I attended the Lingerie Show Fashion Show and it wasn't interesting. I thought it would be comic book and character themed, but it was far from it. Overall, it wasn't a great experience, and definitely not worth the $35 admission. I felt like this Honolulu Comic Con wasn't well planned and well thought out. It needed a lot more attractions, needed to use more of what's popular on TV and comic books, and needed to create a much better atmosphere. Also, it needed a major draw, such as a major star or a major event, for each day. Being that this was the inaugural event, it should get better if they're serious about making this an annual event. I must've came on the wrong day and wrong time, because there was supposed to be a Yelp Booth, it wasn't there!! read more

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Over the years, Comic Con has created a name and a reputation for itself of being one of (if not) the premier comic convention type events for the year. They normally offer a smorgasbord of vendors of varying offerings. From shirts to artwork to popcorn, even Geico has a booth inside. It's one of the few events and places that you can go to in Hawaii dressed as Finn or Rey, Ash or Misty, Sora or Link and not be afraid of being ridiculed for your affection for each character. Heck, you may even be featured in a Instagram or a Facebook post should your costume be worthwhile enough. This year's "Con" was pretty good. It tussled in a tug of war with the Honolulu Collectors Expo for crowd size but it benefited from its past fame. Not to mention it featured some pretty cool panels and autograph opportunities. From Amy Jo Johnson (the Pink Ranger) to Daniel Logan (the young actor that portrayed Boba Fett in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones) they did a good job of bringing in the actors you never thought you'd love to chit chat with as an adult. One of the best parts for me is to see the neat things that local business owners come up with. From ono Kettle pop corn, to lightsaber training classes or Hawaiian Manga, there's always something new and exciting down every aisle way. As a huge kid, my favorite part is being swallowed up by a crowd of characters that I know and love. To see Deadpool having a conversation with Boba Fett and Rapunzel or see the Defenders sharing a laugh with Nightwing and Sailor Moon. It's the most immersive experience that you can enjoy while still being physically present on island. You see the coolest, most weird, fantastic, horrifying, confusing, awesomest, newest, oldest, most popular, most obscure things that you could imagine here. And the best part is: Everyday the cast of this crazy symphony changes. So you literally never know what to expect when you attend. Best way to figure out exactly what I'm talking about is to try it out. You won't be disappointed but you will more than likely be pleasantly surprised. At the very least read more

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Comic Con Honolulu (previously known as Hoku Con) is held annually at the convention center usually in August. For me personally, I'm not a huge fan of comic cons because I'm more interested in Japanese Anime/Manga. So, the merchandise, panels or even guest who come down aren't very interesting for me. Which actually works out in my favor because it saves me money! Haha. Even though I'm more into Anime, I still attend this event periodically. I enjoy cosplaying and seeing what creative outfits people put together. Comic con Honolulu is so much fun to meet new people or if your shy just people watch. read more

All these comic events are pretty similar. Same artists and same vendors. I only go for my son. He loves it. We walk around, he visits his fave artist 7Sketches, he buys a few stickers and toys, then we head up to the gaming room. I sit there patiently while he plays video games. The gaming room is cool. There are screens and monitors everywhere. All kinds of different games going on. They hold tournaments for certain games. My son is not at that level yet. Thank goodness! I'd probably have to stay there all day long. I always make sure to have a full Hydroflask (they have filtered water dispensers to refill) and lots of snacks. We do a lot of walking. read more

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I love how the Comic Cons are always in tune with the latest trends. Last year when I went, everyone was dressed up as League of Legends characters. This year, there are lots of Pokémon goodies to buy! Plus, Pokéstops be raining down hard at this location :) I was so distracted with all the costumes walking around and by all the Pokémon on my phone. In addition to the Anime/Comic booths, shirt booths, and Cute stuffed animal booths, there were all kinds of vendors set up. My favorite vendor has to be Paradise Kettle Corn. I had their kettle corn last year, and I have been looking forward to getting my hands on another bag. I walked away with three today 0_o Not as many people in costumes as last year, but I came at 4pm, so many of them may have already gone home. There were still lots of cool people to see. I wanted to take photos of so many cosplayers, but I was too shy to ask -_- Didn't sit in on any of the panels, but we went into the game room with consoles and also the board game rooms. The setup they provide is awesome. TVs and computers line the walls, and people sit and enjoy some games of Smash brothers while Rock Band players rock out up front. My favorite room though is the main room downstairs, where they sell stuff. The artwork at all the booths are phenomenal. You can commission artists too, and the price is pretty good. Prices I saw for commission ranged from 15 - 25. There's also just lots of cute little trinkets everywhere, and you have to do at least 3 rounds of the place to see them all. I walked away with a cute little "soot bunny" pin that was only $3.00. And... after a few hours, that three dollar pin lost one of its eyes. Oh well, it's still kinda cute. If you have a few hours to spare tomorrow, you should definitely check out Comic Con. It's a totally different atmosphere than any other event you've been to :) read more

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First off props and thanks to the Yelp crew for being helpful in tips and tricks to the convention. Kristi at the yelp booth was nice and helpful plus she had a comfy couch - Winning! This was the first major convention that I have been to in Hawaii so I guess I dont have much to compare it to. I went by KawaiiCon when it happened earlier this year and it just seemed crazy busy and jammed pack full of people where as this one just seemed much less populated. I get it though as the anime greaterthan comics/tv out here. Overall everyone at the booths were friendly and the table top room looked awesome! Just was lacking in participants when I went through. The guests were awesome! The price was not... $20-50 for a selfie OR autograph? $60 for a photoshoot/professional quick photo.. Thankfully the lines weren't crazy! I looked at the list of people and had to sadly narrow it down simply because it just adds up$$$. George and Brad Takei were some of the nicest celebrities I have ever met, they knew the lines were long and took the extra time out of their lunch and breaks in order to make sure that everyone had an opportunity to get their signatures and photos. Summer Glau was super nice and stunning to meet in person. I took my last opportunity to meet up with Samwise Gamgee himself Mr Sean Astin who was nice and I watched him get overwelmed by a fellowship group trying to get a set of photos with him which was very entertaining. Cosplay! Rock on folks! Everyone that had a costume on really was impressive! EVERYONE. The effort and care that people put into their costumes was really noticeable and these folks made everything more exciting. I have been to several Blizzcon's before in the past and was used to a lot more folks roaming around like this though but the ratio was great it just wasn't a very packed/busy con at the time I was there. Panels were by far the best part. All free ofcourse but a chance to really get some feed into the different people and what was going on. Sadly I missed a bunch while waiting in line for photo ops downstairs. They definitely had the local trends rocking with lots of pokemon toys, suicide squad folks, and Starwars themed goodies. The staff for the convention were super nice and helpful along the way. I would recommend this in the future based on the list of guests. read more

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Before I start my review, I want to thank Emi and the wonderful Yelp staff for this opportunity to attend my first Comic Con Honolulu event! I went on Saturday and expected to have to wait in the long ass registration line. Luckily, one of the Yelp employees messaged me that morning saying I could pick up my tickets at the Yelp Booth which was so awesome. Since I barely had a smart phone for a month, I didn't really get how the "Check-In" thing worked for the Yelp Booth, but luckily Kristi guided me through. I got an awesome Yelp sunglasses after answering a Pokemon-related trivia. After getting my wrist band, my boyfriend and I went panel hopping. The first panel we went to was the European Sword Fighting/Fencing one where they were demonstrating different moves. It was fascinating but not that interesting for me and my boyfriend so we went to the Art Improv. The Art Improv had a bunch of my friends drawing random things that the MC suggested. He started with themes like King Kong, but took suggestions from the audience on what types of careers/jobs those characters could hold. Some of the suggestions for the jobs were funny like lunch lady, bus driver, student, and baby sitter. It was really fun, but then we decided to check out the Grant Imahara panel which was kind of packed. Grant Imahara was funny and entertaining, he knew how to work the crowd--even if it meant to avoid some questions by giving the audience a story instead. I got interested in seeing the Mark T. panel where he was supposed to paint and talk about comics, but was quite bored, it seemed like this was his first panel so he didn't know what to say. As a result, my boyfriend and I went back to Grant's panel. Afterwards, we wandered to the first floor which had the artist alley and vendors. It was so nice that there were charging stations for your phones, Poke Stops (about 4 with lures for most of the time), and water fountains with cups for you to stay hydrated. There was even a gaming station which I didn't take a look in. Unbeknownst to us (until later), there was also a food area that sold various foods in the back of the artist alley. The artist alley had various vendors ranging from guest speakers to comic book artists. There was even the autograph and photograph lines to speak to acclaimed guests like Stella Chu (famous cosplayer). What I thought was the star of the convention besides the awesome cosplays was the panels. There were so many different topics speakers presented about ranging from Quidditch, 501st Legion, Making Your Props, Drawing Comics, and more. The only downside to the convention was how pricey the autographs and photo sessions were, most ranged from $20 and up for autographs and $60 and up for photographs. According to my boyfriend's friend, she said even though you bought tickets for the George Takei photo, it wasn't guaranteed that you would get a photo which kind of sucks. Another downside is how steep the admission fee is, if I didn't get the free tickets that Yelp provided, I would have spent $20 or more to attend the convention. But overall, I had a wonderful time. It's hard to believe Comic Con is in it's second year, I hope it's not it's last. My word of advice to everyone though is pre register for your tickets to avoid the long line and price hikes. Also to come early for parking, when my boyfriend and I went at 9:30 am, the parking lot was empty, but when we left at 5 pm, it was full. Parking is a flat rate of $10 which isn't that bad. read more

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What can I say? As someone who hasn't much of a clue about comics aside from the Little Lulu and Archie franchises (is that even what they're called? Franchises? I think I've heard that term tossed around when I am forced to see the latest Avengers or X-Men movie, and yes I do always end up enjoying every single one of them). But hey, I never in a million years thought I'd ever attend one of these events, but when Yelp gave me the opportunity to attend Comic Con Honolulu I ran it by my college-age niece. Of course, she said she wanted to go. I mean, she has procured quite the collection of brightly colored wigs and cute garb from Harajuku, loves cosplay, and founded the Anime club at her high school. So once I got word from the Yelp Elite Squad that we were in I, half-stoked and half-what-the-heck-have-I-gotten-myself-into, cancelled all my Saturday plans and broke the exciting news to my niece. When I first arrived there weren't many people in character as I had expected. But as the day went on, more fantastic and impressive costumes flooded the place. We hung out in the marketplace to check out all the wares before signing up to attend a mini-seminar that was something about accessorizing your RPG campaign (whatever that meant). After looking quite overwhelmed and perhaps a bit lost in a sea of activity, a friendly young man by the name of Ming appeared and directed us to have a seat. It was he who would be hosting the seminar and even if I had no idea what any of it meant, I was quite enlightened after an hour. Ming shared tips and some of his hand-crafted accessories to enhance the RPG, or role-playing game in layman's terms, experience. Ming's enthusiasm and badass GM (Game Master) status alone made me want to create miniature versions of fences and rooms out of some of the most unremarkable items like coffee stirrers and cleverly manipulated card stock. I have to say that I was throughly impressed and left feeling like I wanted to try out these DIYs even if I had no plans to participate in an RPG. Gosh, see how I'm now casually tossing around the term 'RPG' like a boss? I am so getting sucked into the dark side. Another really fun and interesting event was my first tabletop game called Beyonder with GM Jordan, who deftly navigated even a noob like me with no experience whatsoever through the land of Tamarra, a world made up of six primal forces known as the Six Energies. I chose to be named Shellwan, one of the characters from the Charismatics guild, wielders of Emotion Energy who have the power to lead the hearts of those around them, as well as create psychic chaos in their foes. As one of the shorter tabletop games, we spent the next 2+ hours venturing the depths of the Kellith Sea. I'm pretty stunned that I actually was able to follow along for the most part, and because Jordan was such a stellar GM, I probably would like to pursue more Beyonder in my life and perhaps purchase a set of my own dice (why do you think I already have a set of golden cerulean polyhedral solid metal dice complete with black velvet pouch in my Amazon cart?). Wait, did I really say that?? I'd have to say that those were the two highlights of my first experience at a convention such as this. I did enjoy seeing all of the cool handmade items and vintage comic books, and was curiously amused at the Kiss Him, Not Me panel. My niece was aptly recognized as character Kae Serinuma, in her purple pigtails and red jogging suit, and obliged a couple of fans who recognized her immediately before the panel discussion began. Now look at this, I wrote what might be my longest Yelp review about a topic I virtually knew nothing about. I just couldn't help imagining what amazing team of superheroes got this whole event off the ground, just the logistics alone made my head spin. There I was, feeling like I wish I were a Gen Zer for just a moment, while comic book fans met their favorite characters and talented cartoonists. This is just my own experience of a day in the life of a Comic Con Honolulu virgin, and it is evident how much of an impact being there had on me. I would highly recommend it to people of all ages and I won't hesitate to attend the next event of its kind and maybe, just maybe, in costume. Mahalo to all the sponsors, organizers, Yelp Hawaii, and CM Emi for this mind-blowing experience! read more

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Pretty cool to have a Comic convention in Hawaii! As a Comic Book collector, always enjoy people that share a common interest and have a passion for Comics. Also wanted to share this experience with my son and daughter. Great to see a lot of people come as their favorite characters. My son enjoyed seeing Baymax, Captain America, Green Arrow and all of the others. My 2 cents if you want more families to attend is to reduce the registration fee. $40 per person felt a bit high, and a more reasonable entry fee would be somewhere between $12 and $15. I am lucky to have won 2 free tickets. Personally, I would like to see more comic book vendors. Not a great selection of books to buy. read more

Comic Con Honolulu - Me with the Super Heroine at the Yelp booth! - Festivals Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Mahalo to Emi and Yelp for this awesome opportunity! Had a blast at Comic Con Honolulu! So much to see and do! There's something for everyone. Great variety of vendors for all kinds of shopping. I got some prints, games, and even cute socks! Autographs and pictures with celebrity guests were pricey with some running $30 and $20 each, respectively. The classes and guest speakers were interesting. Jason Isaacs was sooo entertaining! There were two huge rooms with video games and a massive assortment of tabletop games. It was fun to see all he creativity with great costumes! read more

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"Live long and prosper!" were the words from the legendary George Takei at this Honolulu Comic Con! I am super happy to know that this is an event for the Hawaii community! Many well known celebrities are in attendance to sign purchased autographs and photo sessions that range from 20 bucks to 60 bucks (depending on the celebrity). If you're a fan then don't miss out on meeting your favorite ones. My favorite part of the show is meeting well known artists and writers for comics such as Mark Texeira (legendary artist for marvel,etc), Katie Cook (my little pony), Jonboy Meyers (Spawn, flash), and Fabian Nicieza (Deadpool writer). All were down to earth and the event is so chill that you can talk story with them. Also there are many local artist to showcase as well! If you have money then come and support them by buying a commission or buy their artwork. :-) There's also a bunch of comic book vendors like Choice Comics, Dragons Lair, and Jordans comics, and more to help meet your comic book needs! Also there are so many toy vendors for funko pops. Honestly, I give this event a high review because we as a State of Aloha NEED events like this! It promotes creativity (cosplay, games, artists, celebrities) and it promotes happpiness/family bonding. This is a fun event for anyone who loves everything about sci-fi, comics, anime, cosplay, and more! Check it out! read more

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First timer...lots to see and do. They have a full agenda of guest speakers, activities and vendors all three days. Lots of awesome participants dressed in their best costumes. read more

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I was hesitant about going to Comic Con Honolulu since it was their first year and I wasn't interested in any of the guests, but my sister and I decided to go because we wanted to support them and ended up having lots of fun! I wouldn't say this is for someone that is looking for a comic book convention, I would suggest looking at Amazing Hawaii Comic Con for that since their con is centered around comics. This is more of a pop culture con (mostly sci-go this year). The only comic book-y things were the comics being sold by vendors and artists and one illustration panel. Since it was their first year they expected 500-1,000 people (they ended up with more than 5,000 people I think?), therefore was a lot smaller than Kawaii Kon. They only had the 4th floor reserved for the con. There were 3 ballrooms; one was split into a gaming room and a walled-off panel room, one was for Artist Alley/Dealer's Room, and another was for "main events" aka special guests and some panels. They promised it would be much bigger next year. We really enjoyed the calmness and downtime that a new con allowed. We had more time browsing and talking to vendors, playing video games, and interacting with cosplayers. We weren't rushing around trying to get to one panel to the other and wolfing down lunches and stuff. It was a nice change of pace. The panels were super fun and there were a few that I was surprised I loved! Such as the Star Wars Shakespeare panel! The Cosplay Competition has a huge line out the door, which I wasn't expecting since no other panel/event garnered so much attention! So definitely line up beforehand even at a smaller con! The cosplayers were amazing; the ones in the competition and the ones that weren't! However, there are improvements to be made besides the size of the con. The schedule that was given to us at the first day of the con was different from the one online that we printed out the night before to figure out what we wanted to do and when we should arrive. Some were cancelled altogether and others were moved around. I would have loved for them to update the online one even after the start of the con, it wouldn't be hard and it would save a lot of confusion and time for con goers. Other than that, we had a good first-year con experience and will definitely go again next year! read more

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My first ever Yelp Elite Event was two free passes to this year's Comic Con. Thanks to Yelp, I got to attend my very first Comic Con with my daughter and 9 year old grandson. There was a minor glitch when I went to the Media Booth to get my free passes. No one was there. The media booth was connected to two other booths for non-media passes. I was told by the person in the adjacent booth that I had to wait for the person in the Media Booth to show up. I even walked over to the Yelp table in the lobby and was told to just wait at the Media Booth and someone would eventually show up. Well, about 15 minutes later, a gentleman shows up, apologizes and asks how long we've been waiting. He then asks why the guy manning the other booth didn't help me. I explained and he said, "he should have and I will talk to him". He was very helpful, explained we had a weekend pass and to see him if we lose our wristbands. What can I say, Comic Con is for the young and young at heart with a passion for a multi genre comic convention. I'm glad I got to experience it. I loved seeing people dressed in costume and the many talented artists that create comic art. I came away with some note cards and poster art for friends. I enjoyed people watching and it's just cool to see everyone there enjoying and sharing what they love at Comic Con. If you've never been, check out the next Comic Con! I'm glad I finally had the opportunity to. read more

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Unleash your inner geek! LOL! I always have fun at these events! Makes me feel like a kid again. :D I didnt get to go to all the workshops but i felt there was a good selection of classes to attend. I loved everyones costumes and how much effort they put into it! I also enjoyed walking through the different vendor booths and seeing the displayed artwork of some of Hawaii's most talented artists! You'll also find everything from comic books, legos, toys, t-shirts, and cute nerdy trinkets to purchase. Be prepared to bring some serious cash with you because if you're like me you'll want to buy everything! I always end up buying a lot of custom made artwork/items for friends and family. I think Comic Con Honolulu is a great event for families to attend. I'm hoping to go to one of the larger Cons out in Cali next year! read more

Comic Con Honolulu - Comic Con Honolulu! - Festivals Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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I was completely out of my element, so don't take my comic assessment into any sort of depth. I didn't understand why the setup seemed so boring. The actual characters that were acting, were holding interviews and q&a with presentations in some of the convention rooms, and it was unbelievably boring. I'm so sorry to be such a downer. My kids like taking pictures with the other ticket holders who were dressed up. That's what made it fun for them. For myself, I was lost with the entire setup and layout of it all. The artists who were plugging their comics and drawings were cooped up with people selling random things. It just seemed super cramped. Parking was close which is cool. It was 10$, but that's ok- it was in a garage. The inside main room was a money pit if you weren't in a show or watching dressed up characters talk about things you may or may not understand. For me, k expected more well known comic characters, this was for a true animated fan- someone who knows all of the different types of characters and shows. They were the ones having a great time. I wish people were cognizant of who is around them when they're speaking like a dousche- but that wasn't the event, that was most of the people who attended. Also, some people should size up in their costumes. There was a bit of a skin crisis. YELP GAVE AWAY SOME SWEET FREE STUFF! The wrist sweat band was super awesome and Benny got some sunglasses. The staffer was super sweet, and that's all you can ask for. read more

Comic Con Honolulu - Comicon 2016! - Festivals Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I was provided two free tickets to this festival by the organizers and Yelp. There was no expectation about my rating or review. The show is like Kawaii Kon, Junior. I went on Saturday with my dad and it was not crowded. Went to one of the breakout sessions, it was a two person panel and they talked about and demonstrated characterization both in descriptive language as well as illustration. One thing I found interesting was the idea that conservation of language ie:Use every word that you need to use, but not one more. Also applied to illustration, in order to make characters understandable don't add decoration just to do it, it has to have a purpose in character development. After the panel, went to artist alley and enjoyed talking to the artists and others. The most unexpected was the notary--You could pay to have them authenticate signed documents if the artist was at the show. Not many takers, but a niche within a niche concept. Bought a paracord bracelet from another (booth sitter) he was very conscientious and informed me that the artist was in the building but not at the booth. The friendliest was the comic book seller whose business name was something like Kathy's Klutter. I loved the self-depreciating humor and enjoyed talking about our shared experience buying abandoned storage lockers. Would definately go again. I am on the fence about whether Honolulu can support to comic/anime festivals, but I guess that will be up to the market to decide. read more

First of all, a big mahalo to Yelp for the tickets! They made it a breeze to pick up the wristband and jump right into the action. It's nice to see HNL now has a Comic-Con but...as an industry attendee at SDCC and Anaheim CCs, it was difficult to not expect more. There were a handful of booths, ranging from cute Etsy type items to regular merchandise for sale and the folks were friendly and fun to chat with. Not too many people were in costume though, which is half the fun of the recent Comic-Cons but at least you weren't being jostled (or trampled) by fellow attendees. The highlight was the roster of celebrities ranging from Uncle George (Takei) to John Barrowman (*sigh*), and Colin Ferguson (I love Eureka!) who were available for autographs & photos. That was a really nice surprise, and the lines were non-existent to boot! So overall, I'd say it's a good start and hopefully this event will grow over time. read more

$55 a person for one day is really way too expensive for what you get. Plus you have to pay $10 to park. We spent a maybe 2-3 hours here. Went to the overwatch panel and walked around the vendor and gaming areas. The prices definitely used to be cheaper in the past. Right now you are definitely not getting more for paying almost twice as much for one day. read more

First timer. Loved it! The regulars and staff were very patient with me and my family and really made the first day's experience very enjoyable. It was kinda pricey but tons to do. We went to the booths, two panels, played over-sized group games, table top games and demos, took pics with cosplayers and more. Free parking with EV at convention center, bonus! Great location. I do want them to sync their language and coordination between the app, the emails, the program and registration desk info. Start time for reg was 8, email said it started at 9, no mention of reg at 8. Got there early, registered, no events until 10. Sign at reg desk did not list anything at 10. The rooms were broken up into smaller sections, but different names were used- zones, rm #, acronyms...for a newbie, very confusing. Love the app and the reminders. read more

Comic Con Honolulu ( also known previously as Hoku Con, which honestly they should've sticked with that name) is brought to you by the same organizers of Kawaii Kon. Comic Con Honolulu is supposed to be a con catering to fans of comic books, sci-fi, costuming, gaming, etc., where you can experience all that is here in Honolulu without leaving for the mainland. Yet to be honest as a comic book fan, it really needs lots of improvement comic book genre wise, where they need besides more comic book related guests, even more comic vendors/artists. I'm sure as their event progresses, we should see some improvement. One thing they really need to fix importantly is the schedule. Before the con started, I had trouble finding out what the show hours were, looking for it on social media, their website, and even on their mobile app. It wasn't until I arrived at the con and got an official program booklet did I find out the hours of operation. Also an inconvenience schedule wise, is finding out panel times, event times, autograph schedule. Again, before the con started, searching for it. Now the plus side was that the mobile app had those times and dates, but seriously, I gotta download an app just to look for a schedule? Sure mobile app comes in handy, but it would be so much better if they could post their schedule on their website as well. It's been 3 yrs. of existence for this con, so what I'm looking forward to is growth and improvement. As long as this event exist, and it shows growth and improvement, then this con has a chance of lasting. read more

Comic Con Honolulu - Yondu & Star Lord from Guardians of the Galaxy. - Festivals Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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I really enjoy this con (better than the Amazing Comic Con, although tbh i like that one too for different reasons) purely for the fact that it is small. It wasn't overly packed with people and lines moved so quickly whether it be photo lines or autograph lines. The staff was very friendly and very eager to help point you in the right direction! Without them this con would not have moved as smoothly as it did. read more

Saturday's review: AWESOME! The Grant Imahara panel was good, but he didn't seem to actually answer the questions. Not that I'm complaining, because it was still cool to listen to him talk about his Myth Busting adventures. Tabletop Game Room: Room With a Clue was cool, but didn't like that my hubby and I had to play with a couple of strangers. They weren't really into problem solving as a TEAM. Play-to-Win games...nice selection. We tried Munchkin Panic. It was quite difficult. Maybe we will win it. We'll find out tomorrow. The Larpers in cardboard armor and pool noodle swords were amusing. John Barrowman panel...frickin' hilarious. Highly recommend seeing him speak at any convention. I laughed out loud so many times. His "No Dumping" story-HYSTERICAL. Cosplayers-some amazing costumes in the area today! There were a lot of characters I didn't know, but the craftsmanship was superb. Concessions-burger was very salty, and expensive. Recommend bringing your own food for Sunday. read more

For a $55 one day pass this is unacceptable. Essentially I could have paid a hobo to punch me in the balls and it would be equal to the worthless pile of excrement that I witnessed from comic con. I Suppose my warning was given immediately after the clerk stated "no refunds" and swiped my card. Steer clear of this time waster and save your cash for a bottle of whiskey that will offer the same headache and hangover that originates from comic con. read more

This is the second of three major "comic" conventions in Hawaii this year. The event is split into three different venues on the fourth/top floor of the Hawaii Convention Center. There is a gaming room mainly centered around local business PCGamerz where they were holding different PC and console game tournaments and there is also a section for tabletop/CCG gaming as well as a back partition for various seminars. The second room was for dealers. There were a few local artists and some comic and toy shops represented as well as some etsy-type homemade craft booths. The highlight is probably the celebrity room anchored by actor Edward James Olmos. However, I went to see Erin Gray whom I had a crush on when she starred in the 70s Buck Rogers TV show. Overall its small scale and the entry fee of $45 is a bit much but unless you'd rather spend even more to go to an out of state show this is the best we can do. Thanks to yelp for the free bands! The kids and I had a good time for what it was. read more

We had a great day at the Honolulu Comic Con. Break out sessions were excellent, especially the one by Comfort & Adam on creating a character. They were also super approachable and offered great ideas about getting up and running as a cartoonist. read more