Wizard World L.A. was my favorite comic convention before it went on hiatus in 2008. I went every…read moreyear of its short, but very fun, run. It had as many celebrities and big name comics professionals as San Diego Comic-Con and about quarter of the crowd. With that in mind, I was very eager to try Wizard's new addition to the family last year, Anaheim Comic Con. About half the convention floor was a celebrity signing area - most of whom charged for signatures and taking photos of them. What greatly impressed me was the panel line-up for Saturday. I watched Stan Lee with Avi Arad, Billy West with Phil LaMarr, Billy Dee Williams discussing "Star Wars," Nichelle Nichols talk about Martin Luther King telling her to stick with "Star Trek" despite putting in her resignation, William Shatner, and a reunion of the 1960s cast of "Batman." No matter what footage, freebie, or celebrity any other panel could provide, I doubt that anything could beat that Batman reunion. They had Adam West, Burt Ward, Yvonne Craig, Lee Meriwether, and of course the statuesque Julie Newmar. It was an absolutely priceless experience. But no first year convention is perfect. The confounding thing was having the panel rooms on the complete opposite end of the convention center, and another floor up, from where the exhibit hall was located. On top of that, the convention center was being shared with a coffee convention, which took the center of it all. Security made Anaheim Comic Con attendees exit the convention center, walk the length of it outside and re-enter through the doors on the end so we could take the stairs and escalators up to the panel rooms. Since C2E2 was going on that same weekend in Chicago, it felt like comics had a rather muted presence at this convention celebrating them. The concentration fell on the celebrity guests from other industries. Still it was quite the valiant effort, Wizard. Let's see what you've got in your bag of tricks this year.

I have been to Comic Con in San Diego and I enjoyed this smaller event just as much. I think it was…read morebecause there was a lot of space dedicated to the actual artists and you could talk to them and have them sign things. Also there were a lot of comic book vendors as opposed to big name booths promoting non-comic related media. Very good event.

What a great long established entity for comic book and science fiction fans in the LA area. This…read morereview isn't for my take on any recent shows but for how long this show/promoter really serviced/services the community around these interests. I attended a few of the very early shows and then a handful of them over the next 20 years or so depending on the guests. These are a few flyers that I kept from the early 80's. As far as I know, it was the only show around at that time (in the LA area) so really ground breaking for that community.

The 01/10/16 show at The Reef felt a lot like the older quality shows of years past, maybe without…read morethe fanfare of a stage and presentations, but the vibe and energy was solid. I hope that this is the permanent new home of the show. The Reef is a much better venue than The Shrine Auditorium. The neighborhoods are similar and The Shrine has better neighborhood options for food, but The Reef has a fresher and more friendly feel. The vendors at this show were plentiful for shopping, very relevant with lots of comic book dealers as well as pop culture toy vendors and related exhibitors. Only a small handful of irrelevant dealers selling adult content merchandise (tho that ties into the 40 yr old virgin stereotype of the whole comic book sci fi gamer geek profile, so sort of does match the target attending audience) and other goods. To a degree this show has an equal showing of comic dealers than some of the larger known conventions in The Los Angeles area, so if you just like hard core shopping for comic books, especially deep discounted below cover price back issues, the quantity of dealers were here. There were also lots of higher grade quality vintage comic book dealers too. There was a convenient parking lot at a flat rate of $15 and admission was $12 to get in per person. They were promoting the next show scheduled for 02/28/16, which looks to be an equally good promotion. I hope this is the momentum this convention needed as the venue facelift to reinvigorate the show and bring it back to the quality of its former glory days of yesteryear. I wish the promoters luck and give them praise for a great start in 2016.

The 2026 convention was held in the Orange County at the Hotel Fera (a Doubletree Hotel by Hilton)…read morein the city of Orange which is near Anaheim and Disneyland. It was a 2 day event Sat and Sun. The admission was $20 per day on Sunday. It was a fairly slow Sunday, no crowds, which isn't a complaint but maybe even a compliment for comfort. The exhibit hall was spacious and filled with many dealers. A lot of high end comics and national dealers who you'd see at major comic cons nationwide. I did notice that there were not as many of those "treasure hunt" type "dollar bin" dealers present, but was a 2nd room more focused on the raw (ungraded) comics priced/valued under $10 By reputation this is still one of the best conventions for pure collector's comics, especially for rare and higher end comics. I also saw, an emerging (from the last time I attended) presence of Original Art dealers and merchandise. They also had a larger more formal exhibitor list that included more corporate companies and celebrity creators as guests. The show seemed to have lost part of its folksy casual vibe and atmosphere to that regard. There was a parking fee but an option for Free parking in a neighboring retail shopping complex.

In a world of over hyped and over crowded for profit pop culture events hocking celebrity photos…read moreand autographs, the California Comic Convention is a bit of a throwback to a simpler time. This is a show for comic book readers and collectors, not casual fans. Parking was free with a $10 admission. Held in the Community Center of Orange County's beautiful Yorba Linda, CCC utilized a patio and two meeting rooms. It's true that you could walk around the show in about 3 minutes but you've got comics of all eras and prices to flip through. I picked up a short stack of Avengers and Sgt. Fury for .50 a piece and there were plenty of sellers with boxes of half priced graphic novels. Many a buyer had their lists out as they skimmed through boxes looking to complete their collections. Comic guests Marv Wolfman and Thomas Yeates were on hand and the organizers did a great job of putting on a small scale show with a hot dog and taco guy outside, cheap snacks inside and hourly raffle prizes. This year coincided with a Frank & Son Sunday show only 15 minutes away so it was a great, double Con day only 45 minutes outside Los Angeles.

One of the nicest and most organized LGS shop staff I've met!…read more I go to game stores to look through Magic bulk as a hobby, and this store is very organized in how they present cards (They are alphabetical and organized by type)! The employees were so kind and even cleared a table for me to look through bulk. They also walked me through each drawer of cards which was a huge lift! The shop also feels very welcoming and family friendly. Definitely one of my favorite shops!

Background On Visit: Recently, I've been on a Pokemon card buying spree to obtain cards of all the…read moreoriginal 151 pokemons. Credit Cards: They're accepted, but will charge tax if you decided to pay with plastic. Restroom: Restroom is available to use towards the back of the shop. Visitation Rights: Been here about 3 times Location/Parking: Major cross streets are Broadway and San Gabriel Blvd.. Parking can be found either in the back of the shop, along San Gabriel blvd., or on Broadway. This shop use to be located in El Monte. Next door to Cha Cafe. Ambiance/Decor: Your typical trading card shop feels. They specialize in Pokemon, One Piece, Magic, and Yugioh cards. Towards the front, you'll see tables for game seekers to get a game or 2 in and towards the back, they have merch, ETB's, bundle packs, and single cards for sale. They also have a wide arrangement of loose bulk cards. Entertainment: They have host tournaments for different card games. Service: Service is pretty good. The staffers are friendly, attentive, and are willing to help you find the cards that you need. Pricing is fair. They use the tcgplayer app to get the price of their cards. Experience: Had a wonderful experience. The staffers are patient and are willing to help. Will definitely come back to continue my quest to get all 151 original pokemon's. Gotta catch em' all, POKEMON!

I went the opposite route from Allen S. and came on Sunday, taking a short break from AX. Most of…read morethe things that weren't available right away on AM2's first day were there, though seemingly abandoned (food trucks, arcade, etc). On first entering the convention center, I recognized ALL of the staff manning the information table in front of the exhibit hall (with more checking in and hanging out as I was asking them questions) as former AX staff. I know that last year, several now-former AX staffers jumped ship due to their frustrations with the convention's organization for one reason or another. This was their effort to throw down the gauntlet to the SPJA. Not only did they offer a (mostly) FREE convention at the same exact time that Anime Expo was going on, they put it in the Anaheim Convention Center - where AX has been held in the past and to which a good number of long-time attendees still wish AX would return. On top of this, AX has long-abandoned the Matsuri (summer festival), which many staffers and attendees have voiced missing. So what's in the center of the exhibit hall? The summer festival. AM2 had the luxury of taking over a hall downstairs and the entire second floor. Not having a "passport" or the forethought to print out the schedule at home, we just wandered around looking at the schedules posted on each door and found nothing that really struck our interest or that we found worth waiting around for. We ended up sticking to the main hall on the groundfloor, which housed the dealer area, the summer festival, artists alley, photo booths, a stage with chairs laid out, a small signing area, and "the Rum Party" (pretty much people dressed as pirates and playing tabletop games). The dealer hall was maybe 40 exhibitors, tops. No big industry booths (which are fewer in number these days at AX), and as someone mentioned some of the dealers double-dipped and had booths at both AM2 and AX this year. Since I came on Sunday (usually the slowest day for a convention), I didn't see many people buying. Overall, I'd say AM2 has potential. Seemed like there were still plenty of people wearing passports, having paid to come see an event that was otherwise free if you weren't interested in attending specific pieces of it. It felt like AM2 was former AX staff attempting to resurrect the things they missed and probably considered AX's former glory with it being a smaller con in Anaheim, held 4th of July weekend. While AM2 certainly wasn't perfect (as first time cons, and even long-time ones, never really are), it took on the now 20-year-old Anime Expo which has become quite a Goliath in the anime community. They rented out a convention center, booked talent and exhibitors, offered video rooms, panels, and entry into most of the convention for FREE, and they still donated 25% of the passport sales to Japanese Disaster Relief. They've got guts, and fortune favors the bold.

What can I say. I rarely give out low ratings but AM2 was just a big fat NO BUENO…read more Went last year when they had actually brought in a lot of good artists. When I arrived on Sunday to watch SCANDAL (I think it was Sunday, couldn't have been Sat, but I could be wrong), the place was EMPTY. Like the foil in the gum wrapper in the pack empty. You could hear pins drop on the carpet. The exhibit hall was joke. No one was there. The guest of honer KanonXKanon that was there for a signing, I felt bad for them because while there was about 10 people there, they were there as onlookers not as people getting autographs. I do wreckin' there were a few people though to get the autograph. As the time drew near for the SCANDAL concert that was when I saw a lot of people. I didn't attend this year because they announced nothing. None of the glam they had in 2011. And while they people are saying this is the 2nd year for AM2, it's technically the 3rd, it used to be MAX, the con that was on the same time as AX in 2012. In which MAX actually had more people and better guests that year. I can understand people coming because it's a "free" con. But really any con is free when you are only there to see cosplayers and your friends. The "passport" does nothing if your not interested in the -lack of- guests.

A great shop with plenty of space to play games with your friends. Everything feels well-kept and…read morethe staff are super friendly. The only downside is that when it gets busy it can feel a bit too much like a loose party. It's sometimes hard to get the staff's attention, especially when checking out items or asking general questions.

Background On Shop: Originally, Pokebox started in Australia (2000). In July 2024, they decided to…read moreopen their first shop in the US, called Pokebox USA. Background On Visit: I attended my first card show last month and decided that I wanted to relive my childhood again. This time around I made up my mind that I'm just collecting. Not playing. Sure wish I took care of my 1999 Jungle and Fossil cards. A lot of those cards are worth a lot of money today. Restroom: Restroom is available Credit Cards: They're accepted, but they'll charge tax if you use them. You'll be able to bypass the tax fee if you pay in cash. Shop Offerings: Shop sells a wide range of trading cards: Pokemon, MTG, Lorcana, Riftbound, Grand Archive, and One Piece. They also buy and trade cards. They also host tournaments. Just go on to their website to see the days and times that they are having them. Website: https://www.pokeboxusa.com/pages/play-events Pricing: Pricing is fair. They base their prices off of TCGPlayer. Location/Parking: Located on Las Tunas Blvd. between Sycamore Dr and Franklin Ave.. Parking can be found along Las Tunas Dr. or in neighboring streets. Ambiance/Decor: Your typical card shop feel with long tables to play with other people or to look at cards in the binders. Service: Service is good. Staffers and owner are friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable about their products that they sell. Pokebox USA For Thought: Overall, my experience is a good one. I've bought and sold my cards, and would love to patronize the shop again.

Great store! They have a lot of products and singles. A lot of the low star reviews seem to be…read morepeople who don't ask questions. The workers are nice and try and help you the best they can. I've been there a good amount of times to buy some One Piece boxes. They bought most of my cards for good value depending on the card. Sold me some boxes for below market price. Highly recommend this store if you're looking for singles.

Stopped in after work on a weekday to pick up some Pokémon cards. The employee helped me pull some…read morecards, but only let me look at them for about 30 seconds before taking them away. When I asked to see them again, he said he was "busy." I understand being busy, but I was a paying customer ready to purchase. Pretty disappointing experience.

+ Awesome animé convention experience. Well-organized, spacious, packed with activities and events…read morethroughout the day. - Sketchy ambience outside the front door. People aggressively handing out free CDs. + I admired fans' creative and passionate cosplays. Yu-Gi-Oh characters wielding life-size duel disks, Kingdom Hearts denizens brandishing life-size Keyblades, and Akatsuki ruffians. - Lotta other cosplays with enough flamboyance to make TonyLCsign say "Anyways!" lol + Free nearby street parking within 3-5 min walking distance. At other convention centers, the nearest free street parking can be a 15min walk. + The venue is kept clean and aesthetic. + Good price. Only $40 for an exciting, bustling all-day event. (I only went on Thur.) - Some of the segments were boring. In one room about GenV Pkmn, the speaker was talking about non-existent Pkmn badges or something about how dog Pkmn "just hit". Felt like an unproductive, meaningless waste of time to me. + Other segments were interesting. One artist was taking impromptu live requests. An audience member requested a stylized Pokemon, and within minutes the artist drew a Slowking with abs swirling a champagne glass. lol + I like how in the gameroom, consoles were laid out with tables and chairs as well as arcade machines for fans to take a break and play some retro, nostalgic video games. - Have to bring your own controllers though. + Also like the tabletop gameroom where you could check out board games and play with people. - Surprised there were several mahjong tables too. + Many restrooms spread throughotu the entire event building. + Giant hall near the back had numerous shops selling merchandise and souvenirs. Also had heavily decorated animé cars and meet-the-artist booths. - Confused why it's called ALA despite residing in Long Beach, not Los Angeles. https://animelosangeles.org/

Definitely a huge upgrade from last year's con…read more More convention space, events, things to do, and much more organized! It's definitely not a small con anymore and I still reminisce on not just the days when it was held at the Ontario Con Center (already getting pretty big), but at the Marriott Hotel in LAX, but if you want a bigger winter con, ALA is the place to go! They still do have the traditions that make this con unique, like the ALA ribbons. These can be acquired from attending certain gatherings, events, or panels, interacting with cosplayers or other attendees, answering trivia or quiz questions or doing a challenge, cosplaying from a certain series or character yourself, going through the ribbon station (I believe there's trading and a ribbon gacha as well), and even from certain artists and vendors. Just be MINDFUL and RESPECTFUL regarding ribbons since I've seen con goers turn their noses towards others for not having ribbons to give them? Like what in the world? Relax! There's a decent amount of vendors and artists, but I think it's honestly enough to see in 2 days (I was only there for 2 days after all). They do have some of the industry guests that I've seen at AX, so that's pretty cool. Really liked the Gamer/Anime Waifu themed energy drink mix that they were handing out different samples out every day. There's a small arcade area that's free to play as well, a singular maid café serving food and boba, an itasha alley inside, food trucks right outside, and there's a wing connecting the main con area to a separate side with the costume repair and other rooms and gathering areas. Just an FYI for cosplayers or photographers trying to get to some locations. It would be noted on the con map, but wouldn't indicate which floor it was on so there was some lateness and confusion since there are upper and lower outside layers. Would be cool if they mentioned this in future program guides. Sucks that the photo backdrop room is no longer a thing at ALA, but alas, I guess you can just go to the aquarium or pier instead for photos. My biggest qualm is the swap meet. Not only was it inaccessible to those with disabilities (being reachable only through a staircase), it's just ridiculous to even expect the sellers to carry SO MUCH merchandise down those stairs instead of having an elevator available to them. ALSO, Jesus Christ guys. Just implement an online queueing system or a virtual queue system. It's ridiculous that some attendees have to physically wait in line for 2+ hours just to have good pickings of the swap meet line. That wastes so much time that attendees could be shopping or having fun elsewhere. Yes this is no longer a small con and it's growing and will continue to grow, so here's hoping that those organizing it can grow as well!