If you are a resident of the Dallas Ft. Worth area and have a passion for comics, anime or anything else related to the nerd universe then Dallas Comic Con in Irving, TX was a great place to hang out and let your nerdiness come out, shine and not feel judged at all.
The company that hosts Dallas Comic Con Fan Days also hosts several events throughout the year and in February That Nerd Show had the opportunity to attend. Just a short list of guest included; Stephen Amell, John Barrowman and Dave Ramsey from Arrow, Bruce Greenwood and Brent Spiner from Star Trek fame, Austin St. John the original Red Power Ranger, Will Freddie from Boy Meets World, the Dukes of Hazard themselves John Schnieder, Tom Wopat and Catherine Bach, along with Robbie Amell from the Flash as well as Sean Pertwee and David Mazouz from Gotham.
Featured amongst the stars were several comic guests including legendary artist Neal Adams, and so many more artists and writers. And of course you can’t have a convention without cosplayers. Several professional cosplayers included, Jennifer Van Damsel, Rosanna Rocha, Hioshi Jackson and many more. Also a few organizations showed up, the North Texas Squad of the 501st Stormtrooper legion, Mandalorian Mercs, the Rebel Legion, DFW Ghostbusters and some Doctor Who groups.
The main attraction for Saturday was definitely Stephen Amell’s panel. As soon as I left his cousin’s, Robbie Amell, panel it was near impossible to get in because it was so packed. My poor wife had to miss out, but if you were able to sneak in it was a blast! Stephen discussed a few details about Season 4 of Arrow, even he doesn’t know who is in the grave, and gave us a few teasers for TMNT 2. The highlight of the panel was an interruption by WWE’s Stardust! Stardust not only interrupted the panel, but kicked out the moderator for the evening and then the party started. Turned out Stardust crashed the panel to award Stephen Amell the Slammy from last years Summer Slam and it was going to be auctioned off to charity. I could tell you more, but I’ll let the video speak for itself. Eventually Robbie Amell took over as moderator and the night ended on a high note.
Robbie Amell’s panel was entertaining as well. He discussed his role as Firestorm and how much fun that was for him, as well as some upcoming projects he has had and gave a look into his new role on The X-Files. He also gave us a tease and said to be on the lookout on his and Stephen Amell’s Facebook pages on March 22. Overall I have a new respect for him not just as an actor, but seeing a whole new side of these actors and other celebrities is awesome and you get to see them as more then the characters they portray, but as real human beings instead of stars on the red carpet.
I also got to sit in on Brent Spiner’s panel and holy crap that guy is hilarious! It’s kinda weird seeing Data as an older man, but the man has had a heck of a career and obviously is still having fun. On Sunday there were more panels that included; John Barrowman from Arrow/Dr. Who, Austin St. John the original Red Ranger and Sean Pertwee with David Mazouz from Gotham. There were a few other guest panels that included Cosplay, the 501st Stormtropper Infantry and a few others.
One of the main attractions for the weekend was Speed-dating! My wife and I actually went and look at what was going on and we both agreed it looked for singles that are looking for somebody that shares similar interest in comics, games or nerd culture in general. There was also a ton of shopping available in the expo, you could get autographs of the stars or get your picture taken with the some of the props that many of the organizations brought for public use.
Overall it was a great time and was packed! Maybe next year they can get a bigger venue because the Irving Convention Center was so difficult to move around in. However despite the fact it was cramped and the escalators kept breaking it was so much fun. Also it was a fun family experience as well. Even my wife, mother-in-law, sister-in-law and her baby as well her little brother and sister all came and had a great time. Also we got to see some protesters across the street that were protesting against the convention for some reason. Either way if you are going and you see the mystery box proceed with caution. It seems like a great deal until you spend $35 dollars and feel ashamed because you got a bunch of crap.
