Salt Lake Comic Con 2014 has come and gone. In many ways it was a monumental achievement. In many other ways, it was a colossal disaster. Tens of thousands of people tried desperately to get past the registration system on opening day, instead spending hours in line after they had already paid weeks in advance. It led to near empty panels that must have had stars like Ron Perlman scratching their heads and wondering "where the hell is everyone at"?
As a reporter, it was much easier getting through the convention floor without all those pesky fans getting underfoot. Yet, it was very lonely on the convention floor. The vendors I spoke with wondered if anyone was ever going to make it in? They paid a ton of cash to get a small table to sell their wares, and the customers they needed in order just to break even were being held at the gates like a great hoard of invaders who failed to traverse the great wall of China.
However, that was Thursday. Friday was a completely different story. The panels were full. In fact, thousands were turned away every single hour even after they had expanded the seating in the South Ballroom to what looked like at least six thousand seats. When you have 120,000 people show up, it becomes a fight to the death to get in to the equivalent of the famed Hall H just a bit west at the San Diego Comic Con. At least there are rules against camping out overnight, so it didn't smell like a latrine by Saturday.
By Saturday, the Con was in full swing, and the great man himself, the ever awesome Stan Lee made his appearance on stage in the South Ballroom. I made sure I was front and center for this one. He is one very funny man. I have some fantastic photos to share in the next couple of days, so stay tuned for that.
In the next few days, I will share my thoughts about the three days of the Con. There were some great times, and some great stories to share. See you next time!
David S. Danna
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