 |
| The atrium of guests |
East Bay Comic Con has a been a favorite event each year since it began in 2014. It is one of the few events that continues to improve each year. They also live up to the "comic con" title by actually focusing on comic book artists and dealers. Deep down this is one of those events we look forward to attending as the new year begins. It gives people an event to enjoy early on in the year before the usual large scale events start happening around California.
This year was a little different with the venue change, but the enjoyable experience of EBCC remains the same. The move to the Crowne Plaza made things slightly more spacious, especially the atrium area that had tables for special guests and access to panel rooms. There was a really nice pond that had a bunch of Koi fish in it. For some reason fish fascinate us everywhere we go. However, the hotel parking lot was practically full around 10am, so we parked across the street near Starbucks. Everything became instantly fun once we got into the venue though.
 |
| Dee Wallace |
EBCC is a bit smaller than any of the other cons that we go to. It is a one-day event instead of a full weekend. There is a healthy amount of programming and shopping to do, so having a filled day at EBCC is easy to do. The guests were amazing from well known comic artists to awe-inspiring actress Dee Wallace (Cujo, E.T., The Howling).
Shopping around at EBCC offers such a wide variety of products and collectibles. We were kind of just scoping out anything related to the Netflix show Stranger Things, but nothing really surfaced for us. However, we did buy something. LEGO has been at the heart of our nerd collecting, so we picked up LEGO 5004468 (basically a chicken suit minifigure in really cute packaging).
We bumped into a few friends and familiar faces from events. Taking photos of their cosplay work here was rather fun. The mood of EBCC is rather relaxed, so people aren't running from place to place with things to do. Big Trent rallied as many DC Comics cosplayers to hold an impromptu gathering in the atrium.
 |
| DC Comics cosplay gathering |
The bay area deserves more of these events throughout the year. It has always been our wish to see EBCC happen twice a year, but there hasn't been wind of that being a possibility. South City Comic Con and Mouse-Con (events organized by EBCC showrunners) are happening later this year, but their location is in South San Francisco. All in all, EBCC is still entertaining and memorable enough as the one-day event that it is. We can't wait for the next one.
Check out our event photo album on Facebook and Flickr. Enjoy! :)
