Silicon Valley Comic Con – Recap and Review

Ever since Wondercon went away nearly 4 years ago, the Bay Area has felt a gaping comic con hole in it’s heart that wishes it could be filled. When Silicon Valley Comic Con was announced last year, I wondered if this could be it – could this be the con that would bring balance to the force? Could “the Woz” really bring together the culture of comics and the technology of the Silicon Valley all in one show and attract the right kind of audience? Silicon Valley definitely had a lot of promise – a decent line up of guests, lots of vendors, and a good location. However, like most first time cons, there were some ups and downs.

Regardless of the guests and vendors, I had already decided I was going to go just to check things out. Having gone to a few CES shows, I imagined something of a mix of CES plus comic con. However, I was a little disappointed to find it was neither. I found myself not spending much time at the booths, as they were a little lacking in variety and number. And the “techy” booths that I was curious about were ones I ended up passing by without any thought.

However, the highlight of the show was definitely Saturday’s Back to the Future reunion panel. Although line management for that panel was somewhat frustrating (we were first in line but still ended up in the front middle of the room), the panel itself made up for the lack of organization. I don’t think I will ever be in the same room as Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, and Lea Thompson ever again and the opportunity to see the three of them on stage was unforgettable. Michael J. Fox was incredibly charming and funny while Lea Thompson was as sweet as you would imagine her to be. Like his character, Christopher Lloyd had a few random bursts of humor and would sometimes look quietly deep in thought. One of the best moments of the panel was when a long time fan asked Michael J. Fox about a fan letter she had sent him during his time on Family Ties. She had received an autograph from him back in the day and here she was about 30+ years later to ask him if at the time he responded to his own fan mail. I think all of our hearts melted when he said, “I did”.

As for the cosplay scene, even though it was a little on the more sparse side, SVCC still gave me a good excuse to dress as Marty McFly and grab some rare shots with a real Delorean. I was relieved to see tons of “Martys” throughout the day and was even happier to reunite with my other half Crystal (Geek Pinata) who was dressed as Doc Brown. I rarely get a chance to coordinate cosplays and I had a blast cosplaying together. Plus running into future versions of ourselves was quite a paradox!

As always, Sunday was pretty chill, but it gave me a chance to finally wear Kylo Ren to a con. I always feel super comfortable in his costume and the mild weather made it an even more perfect occasion. I spent a good amount of time on Sunday catching up with old friends and meeting some new ones. I am always incredibly appreciative when people tell me they follow my work and it’s such a humbling experience meeting fans in person. So if you ever see me, please say hi!! I promise I won’t force choke you (unless you want me to).

I know that was a long recap, but maybe this con meant more to me than I realized. It’s the first time since all of my life changes happened that I got to go out to a con, hang out with con friends, and really cosplay. I have to say, it felt so good and I’m already looking forward to next weekend at Wondercon. In conclusion, the TL;DR of Silicon Valley Comic Con is this – it was a little bit disorganized and lacking in content except for a couple of highlights. However, it has potential and may be worth checking out a few years down the line.