Rose City Comic Con was earlier this month, and I completely underestimated how much energy I needed (and had) for this convention. I am no longer a spring chicken with endless amounts of energy to do two back to back conventions, especially doing anything after Dragon Con (I am a fool). I ended up still enjoying Rose City Comic Con a lot and wishing I was able to do more (and have a lot more energy).
It’s not often (or at all) that I admit defeat, especially for my passions, but I am so drained. I can’t even picture myself going to another convention this year, but I have one more left in a few months. But RCCC took the last bit of everything out of me. There were just so many things to check out, and a lot of fun cosplay. This was also a bit of a solo convention for myself, while yes I met up with friends. And two days I went with friends (who were working at the con this year), I got to wander and do my own thing. It was nice to go at my own pace for checking out artist alley and the exhibit hall, as well as checking in on exhibitors I wanted to see (and friends to say hi to).
Friday was day one of the con and it had a good amount of people in attendance which made the start of the con very chill. It was a great day to explore and not rush or worry about things selling out. Saturday was the big day, it felt like everyone who came brought their whole families. There was barely any room to walk and funny enough many ended up in lines on the walkway (just trying to get across the floor), and more and more people lined up behind them thinking it was for something cool. I myself ended up in a line for photos with these two super tall cosplayers, cosplaying Chewbacca from Star Wars.
The crowds were understandable because there were quite a few draws besides the fun of a convention and celebrity guests. Crunchyroll, an anime streaming site (and so much more), had a lounge at the con. Whenever you needed, you could go in and have a break from the convention. Just chill out and watch whatever anime was playing for everyone (you could also join a stamp rally and collect some cool anime goodies). They also had a Solo Leveling dome experience, where you would walk into it (only a certain number of people at a time and it would play moments from the anime series. Very creepy seeing the giant moving stone statue up close from the first critical moments in the series (man, that smile is terrifying). All of this was super cool and it was nice to see some events focus towards the anime watchers who attend a comic con.
For the first time, I got to see what the Star Wars experience (being done by the Star Wars Oregon club) was all about while at Rose City Comic Con. It was really cool to see different setups of scenes from the movies and the costuming! I had seen them on the local news promoting this exhibit at RCCC and wanted to get a close up look at the droids that had been made. I even got to have a quick chat with one of the builders, who told me it took him two years and 22,000 dollars to make R2D2. That is so crazy to me (I mean that is so much money), but I was happy to know that Lucasfilm does go to them to use the droids in the movies/shows. All of their donations/profit at the convention go towards charity for children.
There were also really good vendors this year at con, which is a really great thing. After a while it’s boring to see the same thing at every convention and at annual ones. Seeing exclusive big brands, new artists, and booths (along with local business) was really cool. I know I was happy to see Gamer Supps at con, it’s difficult to get any of their shaker cups and flavors online because they are always out of stock (which I know is a good thing). Gamer Supps is a company that makes energy drinks for video gamers, they do make them a bit different than what people are used to. They want to make gamers (and any others) who drink their products healthy and get the nutrients they need without hindering their health. You can get caffeinated or decaf, the drinks are also keto friendly, less than a calorie, and sugar free. The few times I’ve seen them, I’ve gotten to taste a few of their samples (and laughed my butt off at the names). I’m so happy this time around I was able to pick up a few items to hopefully last me till I see them next time. I definitely recommend checking them out and checking out all of the names for their products.
All of these things were so much fun to check out and experience, I was also able to muster the energy to show off some new cosplay. Which was a great call, because it’s always more fun to cosplay at a convention. It was so great seeing all the fun and really great cosplay at Rose City Comic Con, although we were slowly dying from the heat outside, it was well worth it for the photos. Cosplay also leads to starting conversations with new people and gaining new friends, which is always a good thing (you can never have too many friends!). But if you’re ever looking for a fun, relaxing, and kid friendly con the whole family can enjoy – Rose City Comic Con is perfect! Also, no I did not forget about the very cool anime themed boba stand. It’s obviously going to be in an article all on its own.
Were you at Rose City Comic Con 2024? If so, what were your highlights? Feel free to leave a comment below or chat with us on Twitter/X at @TheConCollectve, Threads at @theconventioncollective, or Bluesky at @theconcollective.bsky.social
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