Good news first; the staff are friendly. If you like quiet places, this is for you. If you don't like crowds, this is for you. The building itself is pretty. If you get overstimulated very very easily this is perfect for you because there's honestly hardly anything there to overstimulate you. The loudest and most exciting thing there was someone's R2-D2 robot prop-toy (which was pretty cool ngl) Bad news: This was quite possibly the most boring con I have ever been to in my 25 years of living. I can't believe I spent over $50 of my hard earned money on this slop. To just get 1 WATER BOTTLE at the vending machine is $11... There is hardly an artist alley, I didn't see any artist booths in the artist alley. The exhibit/merch section was also mostly barren. I've been to comic con ran events before such as wonder con, which is wonderful!... I've been to smaller events like anime Ontario which was great! Honestly, this wasn't anything like wondercon. I'm so disappointed. It feels more like an old folks home than a convention. Conventions typically should be more exciting than this ... My bestie and I got so bored we left the con and walked across the street to the aquarium and had more excitement watching fish list aimlessly in a tank. read more

Comic con? More like FraudCon. I paid $75 for the weekend and had high hopes. The staff were friendly and helpful and the star is for the staff alone (and the gorgeous convention center). This venue was reduced to two tiny rooms, the "Artist alley" barely had any artist booths inside (maybe like 3 or 4). The rest were just booths of voice actors or vendors selling overpriced comics and funko pops and essential oils for some reason??? My sister and I have been to several conventions in the past (AX, Anime Pasadena, Wondercon, etc) and usually, you will find a large amount of cosplayers walking about. But here, we felt foolish bc there were very few cosplayers other than us. Very few people at all really. It was quite sad. We only lasted like an hour and 20 minutes of that hour was the line. Also, to add insult to injury, I am not a huge fan of one of their rules regarding the wristbands. If I pay for a ticket, have a receipt and proof of purchase, then why would I ever have to purchase ANOTHER weekend pass for losing a flimsy paper wristband?? Although I did not lose my wristband myself, it just seems like a racket to me. You might as well just start handing out lanyards and badges instead like other conventions...that way it's much harder for people to lose them. read more

2025 Long Beach comic con. They charge to get in this so called comic con. Really? There is nothing here. Really what a waste of time and I was rushing my brother to get home from work so we can go. When you go through security they check you of course. Then you just walk on in. They don't even check to see if you have a ticket. When you get in there is a room to the right. Nothing there. Than you go upstairs to the ball room. Also nothing there. I was ready to buy comics and tcg cards. If you ever been to collect-ton-con you would think it's the big room below. That's where I was walking to. Nope! Upstairs to the ball room. The whole thing was about a 10 minute walk through. That was literally it. You don't have to buy a ticket. Just walk in. No one will notice. They didn't care. I had to let the staff know that it was the worst con I have ever been to and to charge $50 bucks for a crappy con was a rip off. read more

Long Beach Comic Con - This is it. The ball room. What a waste of money. - Festivals Near Me - Long Beach, California

Love this convention!! I went for the first time in 2022 and had a blast. As a cosplayer I'd say that I was a bit shocked to not see a lot of other cosplayers. It was mostly venders in attendance on the day I went (Saturday). read more

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Way smaller than Wondercon, SDCC, and LACC, Long Beach's very own comic convention brings out a decently sized yet passionate crowd to Long Beach Convention Center. The on-site ticket for Sunday was $30, but I stumbled upon a great offer on Goldstar for the Sunday portion. For the discounted pricetag, the one-day adventure was an appropriately grounded and fun celebration of comic books and the artists. Four and five rooms bring out active panels of interesting speakers like Deadpool artist Scott Koblish and creator of Punisher Gerry Conway, and the small attendance of the audience rather fosters a more intimate environment where fans can casually ask questions and occasionally engage with the panel. Fans in their amazing costumes are approachable and are friendly to quick photo poses. The convention floor brings out a host of vendors with exclusive prices on toys to rare comics where I picked up an Age of Ultron collected edition at almost 80% for $15. Although the vendor area is definitely smaller than other conventions, I still easily spent a few hours combing through all the interesting trinkets, stickers, and pins. If I come across this remarkable price point again, I'll definitely come back for Saturday! read more

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#91 of 2017 What an amazing show this is. It's definitely not the San Diego International Comic Con, far from it. But what you get is a throwback to how San Diego Comic Con use to be. That's right, before it got big and went international. It doesn't have the big mainstream publishers or all the big commercial media superstars. What it does have is great independent artist and publishers showing interesting work worthy to take a look at. A fantastic round of cosplayers proudly showing amazing workmanship. A good array of comic dealers from every genre and period. And, fantastic panels. Loved the special tribute panel to the overlooked Filipino artists who put out incredible work in the 70s but only recently have been gaining notoriety. Wanna get the con experience without the super big crowds, easy access to incredible artists, take fantastic cosplay pics and not pay an arm and a leg for admission? Then start planning for next year. It's a real hootananny!! Tip #1 Convention food price is extremely high. Bring your own food, snacks and drinks. $4 for water and soda is steep in my book. That responsibility goes to the convention center not the convention show. read more

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Comic books, costumed characters, graphic artists, vendors galore in a chill atmosphere. A smaller version on the mega Comic Cons. That means it's much easier to get in and out and also enough elbow room to walk through all the booths, tables, events, games and photo ops. There's food when you get hungry and lots of places in the area to dine if you feel like heading out and returning. The cost of entrance isn't bad and it's a nice way to spend a couple of hours. More for the hardcore. Caught Will and Holly from the original Land of The Lost (all they needed was that cheesy dinosaur). read more

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LBCC is one of my favorite local cons Parking is super easy. Approximately 15 dollars to park underneath the convention The panels are fun and it never gets crazy with rushing fans as you typically would see at a larger con. The floor is filled with fun little things to by, from clothes, original art work, funko pop, toys, movies, to celebrities. There's something for everyone! Great place to spend the afternoon with friends and family. They do allow outside food and snacks so that's a plus to save a couple extra bucks!!! read more

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The 2017 Long Beach Comic Expo was held on President's Day Weekend Sat-Sun Feb 18-19, which was the same weekend as the Long Beach Coin, Stamp and Sports Convention at the same Long Beach Convention Center. This year's comic convention was highlighted by an appearance by legendary artist, GEORGE PEREZ and also featured Tony Harris, Norm Rapmund, Agnes Garbowska, and a lot of other artists. The show was nice, with lots of comic books and stuff to shop for. The guest list wasn't huge or filled with any bigger names from outside of the area that's not been seen at local So Cal shows before, unfortunately, but still a healthy good roster. read more

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I attended the Long Beach Comic Con in the fall and wasn't planning on attending the spring convention (Long Beach Comic Expo) as I thought it would be too similar. Boy was I glad that I changed my mind! This convention definitely had a much more impressive selection of vendors and guests in Artists Alley. Additionally, they had some geek performances at the center of the hall and the live DJ really made it a fun and festive environment. Of course the cosplay was great and I always have fun taking photos with some of my favorite characters. I didn't attend any panels at this convention, but I think if you just enjoy walking around and taking photos with cosplayers you could finish the convention in a few hours. Enjoy! read more

My boyfriend won tickets to the Comic Expo, so we went. I dressed up as Link from Legend of Zelda (yay gender bending!). Unfortunately, disclosing that we won tickets to the event, made some comic vendors scoff at us. *My boyfriend and I are well-rounded geeks, but we don't purchase comics. This was a small event, but we were told about the larger Comic Expo in September, so perhaps I'll stop in then. I didn't get to see any of the lectures/guest speakers, but they did look neat (kudos for body positivity). The laser tag section read cooler than what it actually was. I always love seeing Geeky Mamas around. Their stores will make me broke. I really appreciated the down to earth artists. Mike Vasquez stuck out to me with his Adventure Time art. I stopped by the Popzilla gallery and purchased a Disney print which I'm excited to put up. The toys! There could be more. I understand it was a Comic Expo though. I did end up walking away with an Alice Madness Returns figure. People were pretty polite as guests. Prices were somewhat affordable for a final day. read more

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Long beach expo is a great experience! The convention is small but enough cosplayers to enjoy the whole day! Check out my vlog on YouTube https://youtu.be/-3kL2wnkK1E read more

Long Beach Comic Con - Me and wonder woman at long beach comic expo 2020 - Festivals Near Me - Long Beach, California

There were not that much artists and vendors this year. Somehow this event is getting smaller and smaller. I actually finished checking out everything in less than an hour. Although I was able to buy a couple of fun shirts. read more

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Hubby was a ticket winner woohoo! Shout outs of love and thanks to Yelp and the ever-fab CM Ryan! This was my first time at anything like this. Unfortunately it didn't really meet expectations. Perhaps they were too high? Bring on the people! Honestly I had to ask hubby way too many questions of "who is that?" I'm not really into the whole comic book thing, but seeing the costumes was fun. Some of my faves were the Emperor, Chewbacca and Loki. And a Bossk (had to ask hubby ... huh? what is that?): http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/long-beach-comic-expo-long-beach?select=KmSFxfaRh5lI2QRBK2KFxw#r1WKTjVmewJn43BryOc6pg I was so "in like" with Rachel Walker's art that I actually bought something! http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/long-beach-comic-expo-long-beach?select=KmSFxfaRh5lI2QRBK2KFxw#C6WOskdlnrcME1Qt929EIg Beautiful work and a great price. I went out and bought a real silver chain for it. We stopped in to see Elise at Yelp check-in, got to catch up and chat, thanks for working the booth Elise & all the great info re Long Beach food spots! Penguins vs Possums ... pick a side! It was great fun hearing from the author of this original comic and I've already chosen Penguins! I got this freebie bookmark: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/long-beach-comic-expo-long-beach?select=KmSFxfaRh5lI2QRBK2KFxw#-HDXlW1E_IPaFHc2nwruGA A Tale of Red Riding: Rohlin and met and chatter with the author of this full-fledged book and we bought it, with a personal inscription from the author: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/long-beach-comic-expo-long-beach?select=KmSFxfaRh5lI2QRBK2KFxw#qGNs0KcewLIPkOZRh75X8A Overall I had a fun time, but it was smaller than expected and I'm not sure I'd actually pay for this. Luckily I didn't have to pay so 4 stars ahead. read more

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This was my first chance to experience Comic Con. I'm am by no means into any of the cosplays, video games or anime shows so much of it is a mystery to me but it definitely it is entertaining to see everyone come out in their costumes and outfits. I was out here for work so I wish I could have attended more of the special seminars and panels so I kind of missed out on that. They do have interesting line ups for seminars that vary from costume and face painting, to panels with actors and producers of television programs. I actually popped into one put on by the Jet Propulsion Lab on talking about space exploration in the future. It was surreal to walk around and see all the people in costumes and the various booths while stopping here and there to take snap shots of people in their get ups. I mean, these people really go all out which is amazing. To see a file of Star Wars Stormtroopers marching by and Robocop posing with his weapon pointed toward you is memorable! Next time, definitely want to check out more of the seminars. It was a great experience and I'd like to come back again sometime. read more

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You can't help but get a little nostalgic when you come to one of these conventions. Not only is it fun to browse through the stalls and see attendees wearing costumes, but also to look at the amazing number of collections of comics books. This convention really expands the fact that cosplay is no longer limited during Halloween. The convention was organized and actually spaced out between vendors which made the flow of traffic convenient, easy and there were no congestion in the aisles. The venue was clean and bathrooms were well serviced. There were activities for kids such as laser tag and a drawing area. Honestly, I would not recommend this event for kids under 11 since the event is geared for a more mature audience. Hopefully, the vendor base increases and see more variety in vendor product lines become available. Also, more food and drink vendors selection would be a great improvement. Don't get me wrong, there plenty of restaurant surrounding the Long Beach Convention Center. I just would have been nice to have a good selection of snack vendors to choose from at the convention. read more

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Full disclosure: I attended via a press pass (not affiliated with Yelp) to cover the tabletop gaming activities. The Long Beach Comic Expo was a throwback to the old San Diego Comic Con, back before it had moved to the convention center and wasn't the overwhelming monstrosity that only lottery winners can get tickets to. It was nice to see that comics and their creators were the focus at the convention, with a huge Artists Alley in the middle of the floor. It was refreshing not to be bombarded with all of the latest movies, TV shows, and other things that the comics inspire. Instead, it was comic books first, front and center, then everything else around it, which is the way it should be, IMHO. While I'm not up to date with all of the comic book stories, characters, etc., these days, I still appreciate geek culture. One huge difference from my comic con-attending past was the amount of cosplayers at the event. Back in my day, there were usually a few random Vulcans and elves, but nowadays it's mind-blowing to see so many people go all out in their costumes, including the professional models that specialize in cosplay. I love that families show up to these things now, fully decked out. Speaking of families, the Columbia Memorial Space Center exhibit highlighted the real-life heroes: astronauts, scientists, and engineers. This was an interactive exhibition, from the actual space suits worn throughout the years to the live science experiments to the rocket-building table. There was even a few R2-D2 remote-controlled droids. Awesome! Finally, the tabletop gaming section was terrific. Plenty of board game companies were offering free demos of their games and there were a few giveaways as well. Vendors, artists, writers, celebrities, fellow nerds, etc., on a much smaller scale in a family-friendly atmosphere. Whether you're a hardcore comic book nerd or new to all of this geekery, the Long Beach Comic Expo is a fun and accessible convention. Highly recommended. read more

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Thanks to Yelp for the free tickets to Long Beach Comic Expo! My friend Grace invited me to attend this past weekend. I went because I've never been to a comic convention before. This is on a smaller scale than WonderCon (Anaheim) or Comic Con (Long Beach). It was still neat to see so many people dressed up. I was pretty amazed. A lot of comic books are sold here but the main draw is having the artists signing posters, comic books, graphic novels, and taking photos for fans. Pretty cool for any comic loving geek like me. Parking at the convention center is $10 but we found street parking nearby that was free. read more

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This is NO Comic Con and NO Star Trek Convention, but it's a pretty good convention for being in LA. They don't have the awesome panels but they have decent stuff. Lots of vendors are here for collectors and artists showcasing their work. COSPLAY: Decent amount of cosplayers. When I did see them, they were excellent. The Star Wars group had their own booth raising money for a charity by taking photos of the cosplayers who dressed amazing. I know some of the members of that guild and they are awesome cosplayers. I dressed as a Trekkie. Sad to see not many Star Trek fans. ARTISTS: Good amount. I've seen them at other convention and I love the commission work they do then and there. Lots of amazing artists. VENDORS: I didn't buy anything because they didn't really have a lot of Trek (which I collect), but they did have lots of Marvel and DC. So... if you're a fan. :D Not much Doctor Who... COME ON PEOPLE! :D PARKING: Ranges from $10-20. I parked underground at a hotel for flat of $10. FOOD CHOICES: Across the street - lots of food choices. OVERALL: Not bad for LA. read more

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In 2009 and 2010, Southern California erupted with new conventions, several with "Comic Con" tacked to the end of their names. This was the first out the gate. Though some would be quick to say these were each an attempt to carve out a piece of San Diego Comic-Con's pie, since Wizard World L.A. went on hiatus in 2008 there hasn't been a local comic convention of its like (pending that you don't count the quarterly L.A. Comic Book and Science Fiction Convention). In turn, Long Beach has always been treated as a temporary location for geek cultural conventions as they make their transition to other convention centers. Long Beach Comic Con was started by the same folks who helped launch Wizard World L.A., and in its two years it's proven to be quite the force. Their first year, they got "Bloom County" creator Berkeley Breathed, who had never done a convention before and RARELY made public appearances (he hadn't even done San Diego Comic-Con before). That same year they had the majority of the "Robot Chicken" writing staff including Seth Green, Thomas Jane screened his directorial debut film, "Dark Country" and "The Mist," and Stan Lee, Jim Lee, Jeph Loeb, and dozens upon dozens of other industry big names hung out, walked the exhibit hall floor, and did panels and signings. Long Beach Comic Con is also the only convention I've been to that positions their considerably large Artists Alley right in the center in the exhibit hall. It's not hidden in another room or a dark corner of the dealer room. While they do have panels, screenings, and exhibitors from other industries Long Beach Comic Con is ACTUALLY all about the comics. As "Freshmen" creator Hugh Sterbakov put it, "On the floor, you can SMELL comics, which is awesome." Long Beach Comic Con also maintains a smaller one-day convention, Long Beach Comic Expo, which they hold a few months after the main con. Admission to Comic Expo's reasonable ($15 this year). Still, in its infancy, Long Beach Comic Con is showing loads of potential. In fact, I would willingly argue that it could easily surpass conventions like WonderCon in a matter of years. At the moment its only competitors in the area are the newer Anaheim Comic Con and Los Angeles Rock'n Comic Con (both "born" in 2010). While Anaheim is a part of the Wizard convention family and rakes in lots of big names, Long Beach Comic Con is doing great for an independently operated fan gathering. read more

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This was my first Long Beach Comic Con. I do like how it's much less crowded than let's say Anime Expo or SDCC. We cosplay Rick and Morty with our Snowball on Saturday. Sunday I model for the fashion show and went shopping inside the exhibition hall. Overall it was a very chill and relaxing con. Parking is easy at $15 onsite or offsite across the street. There are no lines for the bathroom like other cons. The downside is their new ridiculous security rules. I totally understand they're trying to be safe, however I could not even get inside on Saturday due to my bright blue gun made of 100% foam. PLEASE have a weapon check booth next year! When we went through security line, one guy was going let us in but another guy said no. So clearly they do NOT have a set of definite rules and it was whatever they feel like. Also, they made a big stink about my little doggie as well. The guy said no pets allow, but later my friends saw other small dogs inside. Again, NOT cool! read more

I love Comic Con events, they are always well organized, have a great variety of vendors and guests and it is always cool to see the costumes people come up with. The Long Beach Comic Con is one I have not previously attended but was not lacking in any of the aforementioned areas. I was lucky enough to win a pair of weekend tickets from Yelp which was sweet and unexpected. I hadn't been to a Comic Con event since Wizards of the Coast held an event in Anaheim a few years back. Parking at the event was a bit of a challenge to find a lot but we managed to get into the parking structure a block away off Locust for $10. Not that you may want to arrive early as this same lot was full when we left a few hours later and the lot next door was $20 bucks. Once we went inside and found the booth we needed getting tickets was a cinch and the lady seemed thrilled when I said the magic words "we got tickets through Yelp". She quickly checked the ID and handed us our weekend passes and we were on our way. Unfortunately as we went to enter the convention itself we were turned around as we were missing the wristbands for the event. After asking several people (and my patience wearing a bit thin at the running around and not getting anywhere) we finally reached a will call area and explained the situation. The lady informed us that the original lady who gave us the tickets should have also provided the wristbands but she went ahead and gave them to us anyway (which was cool). We finally made our way downstairs to the convention hall (after checking with the Yelp booth of course for our customary swag) and began checking out all of the various vendors throughout. I was hoping to find some Comic Con exclusive figures or apparel but nothing jumped out at me too much and those that did I unfortunately could not afford. Luckily for me the main thing I wanted was a Phat Collectible statue and they are close to home so I will be able to procure one a bit later after the event. My wife and I also recently began to collect the POP Vinyl figures by Funko and she was able to score a couple that she wanted that we have been unable to find elsewhere. She also managed to find a Pug Bag at Comic Con. Yes; that's right, my wife found a DOG item at Comic Con. Only she would manage to find this item in a world surrounded by superheroes, villains, comic books and other comic related collectibles. All in all it took us around 2 hours or so to visit all of the vendors and scope out the signers in attendance. We scored a few items to bring home and even some discount tickets to Medieval Time where I have been wanting to come back to for awhile. The event was great and I hope they continue to use this vendor yearly for many future Comic Con events. The crowd was cool and the hall was more than large enough to contain the vendors and guests. A definite fun day for me for sure. read more

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This place is great! I'm even thinking of coming back for their other expo! It's just the right size where you're eyes aren't getting crossed from so many cool things you want to buy. There were lots of artists here, and a lot of them were ones I really liked. I bought more stuff here than at other conventions. There's one main room where all the artists are and a smaller room with I forget what. It wasn't much there. I can't really speak about the panels since I didn't attend any of them :P There were lots of people here that were dressed up too. I enjoyed people watching. I'll be back Long Beach Comic Con! read more

Honestly, after going to SDCC I wasn't expecting much out of LBCC. Boy did I underestimate LBCC. Although LBCC is a ton smaller than SDCC, there's plenty of good things about LBCC. First, I could move around the aisles without constantly being in contact with like 5 people. Second, there's TONS of artists here. Be they pencilers, colorists, sketch artists, or people there with awesome prints (MTG anyone??!) - there's something there for anyone. And, since it's not as crowded as SDCC, there's plenty of time to chat with people who are running the booths and to get some pretty decent commissioned pieces. And it appeared to me that the general atmosphere at LBCC was lighter and more friendly than SDCC - not to say that I didn't absolutely love SDCC (I did), but LBCC has its perks too. And there's cosplayers here too! Of course, I can't forget to mention the comic book shops here. Quite a few of the places had not only tons of back issues, but they had excellent deals too. 50% off golden and silver age (at some places), and $0.50 and $1 comics. Who could say "no" to that? All in all, it was a great Con. Came out with two commissioned pieces, a few signed prints, and some comics. And I submitted some comics for CGC...hope it comes back high! read more

I actually won these tickets from Yelp! Thanks Yelp!!! LBCC (not the Long Beach Community College haha) is definitely smaller than SDCC, but in some ways I like it more. This Comic Con is definitely more comic focused. It's interesting how comic con SD has evolved into more of video game / cosplaying expo - not that it's a terrible thing, just interesting. I like how when you walk into the LB comic con you can immediately tell that the vendors there are all fellow geeks who can argue the merits of how under appreciated aqua man is lol. There were plenty of cosplayers there and it was cool to see DT LB light up with random characters walking around or eating at your usual restaurants. My favorite cos-group was definitely the Walking Dead cast (imitations). They did a great job of selecting people that actually looked like the cast members! I had a great time, and will definitely be going in the years to come. Check out my pictures! Cheers I hope this was helpful :) read more

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This place does not hold a candle to the larger comic cons/ expos etc... from Los Angeles. AX is bigger and more eventful. ComiKaze is larger and more eventful. Frank and Sons is not even a convention, but a store, and it is larger, and does not charge an entrance fee, and does not require paid parking. Some of the vendors aren't vendors I'm used to seeing, and some of the cosplays were still really good. I was surprised that a comic expo of this size would still have a good number of creeps. I was walking around with my friend. We are obviously nerds, in cosplay getups, and I have my Bachelorette sash and crown on. Dude: "Hey, you are celebrating your Bachelorette at a comic convention? That is seriously cool. What is your fiance doing?" Me: "DnD with the boys." Dude: (looking at my friend) "you know, when I was your age, and my friends were playing DnD, I wasn't playing. I was in the bedroom, entertaining the girls, if you know what I mean." Me: "We play DnD, too. Bye." read more

It was okay I'm saying this as someone who was raised essentially in the San Diego Comic Con. To me there's no other comparison to the SDCC. But the LBCC is still a decent con and you'll have a great time nonetheless. Last year there was good material and good guest appearances (I got to meet the legendary Bernie Wrightson!!! :D) A fellow comic lover of mine who had never been to a comic con in his life got his cherry popped here and loved every minute of it lol so if you never been to a comic con before (or haven't yet been enlightened by the SDCC) you're going to have a great time here =P read more

Long Beach Comic Con - my 2 favorite characters!! - Festivals Near Me - Long Beach, California

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I randomly ended up here because I was actually going to the Tea Festival, which was located at the same convention center. But then i saw a bunch of cosplayers, and that got me pretty excited. It was my first time at any type of Comic Expo, so this was definitely a new experience for me. The tickets were $15 for the day, or $20 for the weekend. I came in the afternoon, and it looks like I've missed a lot of awesome cosplayers, but either way, I still managed to get some good shots with some of them. I didn't see any celebrities there. Maybe either because I went in the afternoon, or it was just too small for them to show up. Who knows? Either way, it was a great experience. They mainly had art, comic books, shirts, and some action figures/toys for sale. I ended up buying a Full Metal Alchemist Pocket Watch (the last one there!) and I was pretty happy about it, since I was a huge Full Metal Alchemist Fan. Because of this event, even though it was small in scale, this got me interested in future ones. I know Anime Expo is coming up in July, so I will be going to that one. Thanks to the Long Beach Comic Expo for opening my eyes! read more

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Had a lot of fun! Was my first comicon and glad I started with one of the smaller ones everyone was so nice and for a while felt like I fitted in haha can't wait for next year! read more

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Ive been all across the country to different comic book conventions (SDCC, wondercon, C2E2, Pheonix Comic Con, Denver Comic Con, Dragoncon, NYCC, and a few others ) and I have to admit this is probably the worst show I have ever been to. All around this show is extremely poor, dealer room is small and not a very good mix of vendors, merchandise selection is weak with high prices, and the vendors don't really put much effort into their display. There are no major celebrity guests (photo ops and or signatures) and the programming is weak. You could literally see it all in 30 minutes. Also, with the exception to Aspen, no other major publishing group is represented. With the cost of parking, hotels, and food expenses, it is just not worth the time or the effort to go. Your better off saving your money for a bigger show. read more

Long Beach Comic Con - The dealer room - Festivals Near Me - Long Beach, California

Much smaller con, less people. Still the line to pickup tickets (prebought tickets online) was longer than expected. It went all the way into the parking lot. The exhibit floor was full of people, and it feels like not enough ac. Lots of costumes. Not a bad con. Second day. Lots of lots of cosplayers, many great costumes. If you enjoy people watching, you'll enjoy every minute of this. Not into buying, but did pick up a present for Honeybuns. Saw Travis Hanson the artist, and his stuff is very different from the rest. Enjoyed talking to him. Also lots of younger kids; I recommend at least 8 and up, as there is still T&A in some costumes. read more

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So yay! First Comic Expo/Event that I have been too and its all thanks to yelp. Did not really know what to expect at first but in the end, it was our awesomeness. What truly made it awesome was the fans who were dressed up as heroes, villains, and characters from all facet of pop culture/comics. We had a chance to meet with artists who inspires the creative imagination. To see so many different talents in one huge event was quite overwhelming. I was told that this event was not big compared to the goliath event San Diego. This really got me thinking about looking into more events. My favorite characters were Michelangelo from TMNT, a party of Deadpools, handful of Spidey's, Bobafette, and a female Shredder?!?! Was total wicked how she pulled that one off. Some of the funny costumes are the unorthodox characters like fat darth vader and robot chicken bobafette. Can't wait to go to the next comic event! read more

Thanks to the luck of the draw, I scored two tickets to the Long Beach Comic Expo for Saturday and Sunday. It would be interesting since neither of us had ever attended an event like this, although we had discussed going to Comic Con in the past. It was time to get our geek on! Rohlinism: Everyone needs to unleash their inner geek! We opted for one the parking lots (all parking appeared to $10 for the day) about a block from the convention center, figuring it would be easier to get out when the day was over. Set up in front of the entrance were several vehicles from iconic movies of the last 30 years: ( http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/long-beach-comic-expo-long-beach?select=4HV_J8OhxxTOa2kuohCiQQ#4HV_J8OhxxTOa2kuohCiQQ ) ( http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/long-beach-comic-expo-long-beach?select=4HV_J8OhxxTOa2kuohCiQQ#rycSiYkCVQVHdoKPfpxYIw ) ( http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/long-beach-comic-expo-long-beach?select=4HV_J8OhxxTOa2kuohCiQQ#58oLnnYBy2XR2kySemOfwQ ) Once inside, we were directed to the second floor to pick up our tickets from Will-Call. Because the tickets were provided by Yelp, we were in a shorter line than the people who bought their tickets on line. Just make sure you get your wrist band (they forgot to give us ours initially) with your name tag or you can't get into Artist Alley. After getting our name tags, we visited Elise at the Yelp Booth and took some pics at the Splendid Studio Booth with some of the props provided by Yelp. The event had several demonstrations going on during the course of the day including: Learn to Draw the Simpsons and Futurama with Tone Rodriguez Comics for All Ages Hosted by Mike Kunkel and Mike Collins Cosplay Does Not Equal Consent The Official Aspen Comics Long Beach Comic Expo Panel And many more demonstrations ... But lets face it folks ... I was here to see the costume geeks! ( http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/long-beach-comic-expo-long-beach?select=4HV_J8OhxxTOa2kuohCiQQ#_wY-NakV2TQTUMxzYZf0yA ) The guy dressed as Chewbacca was really tall! He might have been wearing some slight platforms, but this was one tall dude. ( http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/long-beach-comic-expo-long-beach?select=4HV_J8OhxxTOa2kuohCiQQ#dE0O4UIp9c_kirrFXFbi4w ) Awesome costume! ( http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/long-beach-comic-expo-long-beach?select=4HV_J8OhxxTOa2kuohCiQQ#LC_bD745912hnRHxw8epHA ) This guy even looked a bit like Tom Hiddleston! And he is just the right size for Schel's Miniature Thor! (Sorry Schel!) ( http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/long-beach-comic-expo-long-beach?select=4HV_J8OhxxTOa2kuohCiQQ#7i6dl5dzoF9z3DOmjU2OiA ) There were about six ladies dressed up as Harley Quinn, but this one looked the best! Of course there were many more geeks dressed up as their favorite comic book, movie or television characters, but I took pics of some of my favorites. What was pleasantly surprising was Artist Alley. There were actually several of the vendors I was impressed with and the lovely Laina and I both made purchases from separate vendors. Laina bought a Cheshire Cat Necklace from Rachel Walker, who also had some very cool drawings ( http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/long-beach-comic-expo-long-beach?select=4HV_J8OhxxTOa2kuohCiQQ#VvT3Kcw5N1ofYtxyER0ouQ ) for sale. I purchased a signed Second Edition version ( http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/long-beach-comic-expo-long-beach?select=4HV_J8OhxxTOa2kuohCiQQ#qGNs0KcewLIPkOZRh75X8A ) of A Tale of Red Riding by Neo Edmund. The talent of some of the artists participating ( http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/long-beach-comic-expo-long-beach?select=4HV_J8OhxxTOa2kuohCiQQ#kYRez8-7b10YmBr6J5snvA ) was really amazing. And not only could you see people in costumes there ( http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/long-beach-comic-expo-long-beach?select=4HV_J8OhxxTOa2kuohCiQQ#_W5ExeUmsghd3tLSSHnEOQ ), you could buy one of your own! The event seems to very well organized for the most part and there were opportunities a plenty to get pics with your favorite costumed geeks. The food and drinks options were the only thing I found lacking as the prices of what was available was very high and the (supposed) Jamba Juice smoothie we purchased is probably the worse smoothie I have ever drank! None of the food looked particularly appetizing either. Didn't see many Yelpers checking in, but it was nice to see Trina D. and Grace C. in Artist Alley. Overall, I think the better half and I really enjoyed the event and all the geek watching! Thanks again to Ryan for providing tickets to this fun and geeky event! read more

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Yes I was here! Could you expect anything less? For those of you who are poor (like me) and can't afford to go to San Diego Comic Con (Like me... *sob*) then this is a decent alternative. Much tinier and less known about than SDCC which means lower prices on admission and items and less people crowding the booths. SO many comic-books. A whole line of booths of old and new comics just waiting to be snatched up at reasonable (and some times not-so-reasonable) prices. Everyone at these booth were nice and even hanging out candy. Either way it got my attention even though I only bought one or two comics total. The artist area was really interesting. All the style art on display was different from the booth next to it. It doesn't surprise me that there are so many takes on comic-book heroes but I am always impressed by the love and time taken for each picture. These people really have a gift and I am both filled with admiration and respect and bitter jealously.... stupid amazing artist. For better or for worse there was cosplay. Cringe-worthy cosplay.... I actually have nothing else to say about this I just wanted to mention it. The venue is small and you can see everything in just a couple hours. Which can be both good and bad. My boyfriend and I made the rounds countless times before we finally called it quits. Still it was an inexpensive and very fun day there and I will be back for sure. read more

If I'm rating the convention itself, it's a HUGE 5 stars! Had a blast seeing all the fans dressed up in costume, artists, toys, pro cosplayers, and vendors. Love that it's not as large and crazy as SDCC but not sure how long that will last as this con looked way bigger and fuller than last year and probably will continue to grow! I brought my 2 daughters for the first time and they loved it. Nice way to bring the younger gen into the mix by giving them a free ride with the purchase of an adult ticket. Good job LBCC. Now the for the 3 star review....this is all based on getting into the comic con. For those of us who purchased tickets in advance online, we had to endure an hour of waiting in line outside in the humid heat of long beach. There has got to be a better way! For us fans who didn't wait till the last minute to get our tickets, we have to be treated better than this! I would have much rather paid an extra $5.00 not to have to wait in line for an hour because that's how much more it was to purchase your ticket same day...and there was no line for that...and they were able to walk right into the convention. And if this is the best way you have to check people in, at least offer bottled water or pop up tents or fans for all of us suffering outside to attend your convention, it only seems right. Thankfully the convention was a hit for me and my daughters so we'll be back next year...but this time I might just buy my tickets same day.. read more

This is not my first convention. In fact, I've been to quite a few that definitely would smash Long Beach Comic Con. But that's not a fair comparison since many conventions have had years to perfect their art and guest list. For an inaugural convention, Long Beach Comic Con is going off to a fine start. The mix of panels and exhibitions was well balanced. I was impressed with the fact that they had the majority of comic book publishers at the basement-level exhibition hall. What's more, the room didn't look sparse. I know that some first-year conventions suffer from empty-room syndrome, but Long Beach didn't have that problem. The room was filled, but not uncomfortable to the point that I couldn't move. And they featured some top-level artists, publishers and designers! DC comics, Marvel, Aspen, 501st Legion of Star Wars, Nintendo, Pulp Fiction Raw Entertainment, and Top Cow were there. So for a newbie entering the Comic Con fray, I have to say... KUDOS. The panels were also entertaining. I absolutely loved the Robot Chicken panel. Most of the staff were present and it was great to see them all throwing quirky jokes, voice impersonations, etc. The 1980s cast of Charlie Brown were endearing, sharing their stories of growing up with the iconic cartoon. Sadly, I was unable to attend the other panels, but I really wanted to check out Dark Country and Hollywood View of Comics. Ah well, another year. I have quite a few favorite moments. 1. Robot Chicken panel (it was just really, really funny from start to finish), 2. hearing a fan exclaim: "I saw Stan Lee. I think I just jizzed in my pants.", 3. playing super mario bros. on wii. You can tell that I was both pleasantly surprised and geeked out! The ambience was chill, a collective of geeks and nerds congregating to revel in this subculture. It doesn't have the panicked rush or geeky snobbery of other conventions. Thank goodness. I hope Long Beach Comic Con continues with another next year! read more

0-Star - Check-In Process You would think that buying your tickets online would mean that you get into the convention faster...NO. We end up waiting about 50 minutes in line on the Saturday at 10am just to get the wrist band to get in while those that bought on-site only waited about 10 minutes. There has got to be something wrong there when you punish the people that bought early by making them wait longer than the last minute people. Moreover, they only had about four people checking in the pre-orders people, which had a line out the door of the convention center, and many more walking around holding "Ask Me For Help" signs - they should've had all those people checking us in. Needless to say, their check-in process is a complete and utter fail. Don't know if I should buy tickets early again next year. 5-Stars - Comic Convention So after you get through the hell that is checking in, well the convention itself is a blast. Long Beach Comic Con, unlike San Diego, is actually focused on comics rather than all the other stuff like movies, anime, Twilight, and all the other crap that SDCC now has. Here the focus is on the comics and the artists. Yes, it isn't as big as SDCC but really LBCC has cut out all the non-comic junk and really running this place as it should be. LBCC still has panels, artist alley, comic vendors, toy vendors, as well as side events such as laser tag, wrestling, and what not. Moreover, this place isn't as packed with people, meaning you can actually get to meet and talk to the artists, get commissions, get signatures, et cetera without having to wait over two hours. And, if you are into cosplay, there are tons of people dressed up as their favorite characters so you won't feel out of place (that and the convention is close to Halloween anyways). I have noticed that this place has gotten more packed since last year, which is a good sign as long as LBCC keeps its focus on comics and less on the "because its mainstream." Parking is a little more costly now, and if you come late you will need to part on the side lots as the one directly beneath the convention center gets full, and those side lots cost from $5 to $10 a space. And, other than the screwed up check-in line, you can get in and out of the convention center will little hassle. Moreover, there is lots of places outside the convention center, some simply across the street, for food and fun - this time there were even food trucks. One gripe I do have with this place is the lack of, at least T-mobile, cell connection in the place. I really wish they would offer some free wifi or something for those of us who have our comic to-buy lists online and can't access them without internet or running outside and running back in. read more

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For being a smaller con, Long Beach Comic Con has so much going on. They offer great panels and special guests and attract a lot of cosplayers. The floor is where this event shines though. The artist alley is bustling and it's such a leisurely paced convention floor that you really feel like you can see every booth at your own pace and not miss anything. You also really get the opportunity to talk to the creators and vendors. This is great con for families. You won't feel like you'll lose your kid. Plus they really seem to cater to kids with a play area just for them. read more

I won free tickets to the Long Beach Comic Expo at the X-Men movie event (Thanks Ryan C.!) and since I had no plans on Saturday, I invited Trina along to check it out. We knew from the event info that we would have to pay $10 for parking but we ended up lucking out because a nice lady who was on her phone pulled out of her street parking space and parked across the street in a drive way so that she could finish her phone conversation and we could park. We walked over to the convention center and already saw people in costume and they had a few cars that were recognizable, SUV from Jurassic Park, Batmobile, Blues Brothers car. Once inside, we almost got in the wrong line for will call for another convention that was going on, but once we got upstairs and saw Elise and then after some confusion finally got our passes to get in. We walked through the floor, saw some interesting artists and vendors and quite a few people dressed in costume. It's a rather small event, it's just amazing to think San Diego Comic Con started off like this so long ago.... read more

This was the first comic con I've been here, very easy and obtainable, parking was a breeze, I am excited for next year :-)