WinterCon returned to the Resorts World Casino in Jamaica, NY on December 1 & 2 with a slew of celebrity guests, artists, and vendors.
Taking over the sixth floor of the casino, the convention boasted numerous reunions and rare appearances from the science fiction genre: a Lexx reunion (Brian Downey, Xenia Seeberg, Michael McManus, Ellen Dubin), an original Ultraman gathering with Bin Furuya & Tsugutoshi Komada, as well as actors like Sean Astin & Jerome Blake, and artists like Michael Golden & Sean Chen.
With fantastic programming all throughout the weekend, panels were held on the main stage and two smaller rooms. I had the opportunity to sit in during the panel for Colin Cantwell, the original designer of many Star Wars starships including the X-Wing, TIE Fighter, and Death Star. It was an honor to meet him at his booth where he had many exclusive & hard-to-find prints of his work:
Other guests in the celebrity area had a fine selection of photos available for fans to get signed and even personalized!
I personally witnessed many attendees bringing movie posters, action figures, and even prop replicas to get signed by WinterCon’s various guests. And by the off chance you didn’t prepare anything in advance, you’re sure to find some great pieces in the vendor hall!
Many booths offered everything ranging from vintage to modern toys, and even custom made collectibles!
But, of course, we can’t forget about the great comic book sellers present!
Booths like Royal Collectibles and Best Comics International had such an unbelievable selection of comics, including Signature Series CGC slabs!
If you’ve never been to a comic book or sci-fi convention before, WinterCon is like a sampler of so many fandoms! This was represented by all the well-done cosplay all around the show floor!
There were comic book superheroes, fan fiction characters, and even one-of-a-kind creations! Not only that, charity cosplay organizations like the 501st Legion and Rebel Legion were exhibiting, raising money for their charities and even presenting on the main stage.
What’s really great about WinterCon is that you get many of the memorable experiences of a large convention without having to deal with the drawbacks of huge gatherings. There are less crowds to deal with, no pushy dealers, and everything on your to-do list can get done rather smoothly!
And you’ll want to keep your eyes peeled because not unlike other cons, WinterCon also had many freebies! We’re talking about posters, tote bags, and I even scored a power bank charger just for filling out a survey!
Also, I was able to say hello to Vanessa Marshall and Taylor Gray from Star Wars Rebels. And when I swung by Artist Alley, there I found Creees, Brendan Shaw, and so many other talented creators! Here I am with Blue Devil creator Paris Cullins!
And don’t worry… if you want a professional photo op with your favorite guest, WinterCon has you covered! In fact, this year, a digital version of your photo was included free of charge (which is not common at conventions)!
Sean Astin even had photo ops available at recreated sets of The Lord of the Rings Shire and Stranger Things! So cool!
So whether you’re looking for that last comic book issue you missed earlier this year or you’re looking for a unique sci-fi prop replica, or you simply want to be amongst other fans, you’ll definitely want to check out WinterCon! Parking is always free at Resorts World Casino and navigating around the con couldn’t be easier.
I coincidentally bumped into some old friends, and was even able to make some new ones too! So you never know who you’ll run into at WinterCon. The next show will be held from November 30-December 1, 2019. For more information, visit their website and be sure to check out my video recap below!
LesDudis 