The annual cosplay convention Planet Comicon was held in Kansas City last weekend, May 20-22 this year. While I wasn’t able to attend the event on Friday, I was happily present the following Saturday and Sunday where I was able to mill around the merchant booths, take some fantastic pictures, attend seminars, and catch the costume contest on Saturday night.
After wandering around the convention center trying to learn where everything was, I began to notice something funny. Half of the cosplayers were Deadpool and Harley Quinn. Half, literally. Okay, fine, that’s an exaggeration, but there were quite a bit of them. But few compared to the detail of the cosplay on the left below or the silliness of the one on the right.
Among the seminars I caught at Planet Comicon were a live recorded podcast, a session on costuming know-how, a Doctor Who quiz show co-hosted by a Dalek, and an utterly fascinating physics lesson. No really, it was super interesting. I got to learn about unstable elements and formulas for calculating force and cosmic ray radiation, all applied to measuring the talents of Superman, Batman, and the origin story of the Fantastic Four.
But let’s face it. The highlight of any con, Planet Comicon included, is the costume contest. There were around 50 official contestants, but everyone who entered had their time on stage, and some even won awards for judges’ picks. The best original character would be selected to have figures produced of their character, and the lucky entrant who claimed that esteemed prize was…
Planet Comicon was my very first cosplay convention, and I had an absolute blast. The one and only thing I would change is the stiffness in my legs and feet from walking around all day and attending the after-party on Saturday night. It’s an experience I won’t forget anytime soon, and I look forward to my next con, when and wherever it may be.
