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Rhode Island Comic Con might have been plagued with minor logistical problems (a one-way hallway in the Dunkin’ Donuts Center did not go over well, and seemed to cause more traffic woes than it alleviated) and last-minute cancellations (through no fault of the con’s, the last minute cancellation of AMC’s Walking Dead stars due to extended shooting of the finale) put a damper on quite a few spirits, especially those who bought their non-refundable ticket solely on the premise that they would be close enough to Daryl Dixon to smell his unshowered hotness, but they still managed to pull off a booming con with an expected 80,000 fans in attendance to see the likes of Marvel stars Sebastian Stan (Captain America: Winter Soldier)
Sebastian Stan (Captain America: Winter Soldier)
(photo, Image Credit: Celeb Photo Ops) and Paul Bettany (Avengers: Age of Ultron), beloved Star Trek actors William Shatner, Johnathan Frakes, Gates McFadden, and Brent Spiner, as well as cult favorites like Adrian Paul (Highlander), Lou Ferrigno (the Incredible Hulk, Purge of Thrones), and Brian C. O’Halloran (Clerks, Mallrats.) While there were pockets of congestion in the convention center, overall it was less crowded on Saturday, its busiest day, than last year—most likely due to the addition of both a heated tent for photo ops and the Omni Hotel for the gaming area.
VIP pass holders also had the opportunity to get into the con early, before it became too crowded. And it did get crowded, because despite the long lines, fans flocked to Rhode Island to meet their idols, find unique geek-centric items, and show off and gawk at the cosplay.
The 501st (Star Wars) Garrison took up a good space on the third floor of the Convention Center, taking photos for a minimal donation to charity.
(photo)
A generous kid’s area included fun gross motor activities in addition to a little S.T.E.M. stimulation through a presentation by the Mad Science gang.
The A-List stars were housed over in the Dunkin’ Donuts Center, which meant that the crowds weren’t as bad over in the Convention Center—which also meant I could (with permission, of course) snag a few candid shots of Simone Missick (Luke Cage, The Defenders)
Johnathan Frakes (Star Trek),
as well as Charles Fleischer (the voice of Roger Rabbit.)
I ran into Brian C. O’Halloran, of Clerks/Clerks 2/Mallrats fame, and caught up on his busy schedule.
Link: https://www.facebook.com/sandy.roffey.5/videos/10155825557829120/
He was too nice to tell me if Kevin Smith or Jason Mewes was a better director to work with.
I noticed two separate areas labeled as “Sensory Reduced Areas,” where participants with a certain pass could get away from the noise and bustle of the crowd.
While I didn’t feel overwhelmed myself, I did run into Steve Hawley and his daughter, Alice, who happens to have Down’s Syndrome. I ran into Mr. Hawley and Alice several times throughout the day, and he wrote a great blog post here (www.plinth.org) about his and Alice’s RICC experience. I didn’t try to take a photo in the main hall, as I didn’t want to impose on what may have already been a difficult navigation of the con; but I was happy to catch up to them before I left to get a picture.
And of course, no con would be the same without the cosplay. Of course, Wonder Woman and Star Wars were big this year:
Not to be outdone, Superhero cosplayers brought their A-Game:
But without a doubt, my favorites were the retro movie and tv show references:
All in all, it was a good year for Rhode Island Comic Con. I know an ultimate goal for them is to grow enough to take over several venues in downtown Providence a la First Night, but I hope they’ll keep it at this size for a year or two as they work out any kinks. After all, they’re already the biggest convention in the smallest state.
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Photo credits:
Featured image: Getty Images
All other photos courtesy of the author.