On September 15-16, 2012, Los Angeles was home to Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo, the joint venture between the successful Comikaze Expo from the previous year, and the legendary Marvel creator. Following an unexpected but successful show in 2011, I had a feeling that Stan’s involvement would only heighten publicity and draw more fans, and I was happy to see the massive crowds that surrounded the Convention Center on that Saturday morning.
I’m not sure how to attribute Comikaze’s success in a LA market that has seen repeated attempts at a comic convention in downtown met with constant failure, but co-founder Regina Carpinelli utilized social media to its fullest in spreading the word about the show. From Livingsocial deals to advertisements in the paper, to spreading the words in schools to attract kids and twitter, Carpinelli’s efforts were met with a record number crowds in their sophomore show.
The show itself was a lot bigger than its inaugural year. Moving from the underground parking lot to the main floor, the show was definitely more spacious. With artist alley scattered throughout the floor, plenty of space for vendors, along with a huge stage for Q and A’s from special guests and even a huge space towards the back for a zombie obstacle course, Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo had something for everyone. With the amazing progress from year 1 to year 2, I can only see a bright future ahead for Comikaze. In time, I can see it perhaps becoming one of the premiere comic cons in the US. And now, here are some pics from this year’s show!
And what good is a comic convention without some great cosplay? Here’s some of my favorites from the show.
It looks like it was a totally great bash. We hope to be there for the next one.
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