Pow Con 2021

Following their 2020 debut in Brooklyn, NY, Pow Con crossed over to New Jersey for their second year! Known for being a convention that focuses on all things pop culture, comic books, cosplay, and gaming, it certainly was an action-packed two days from May 29-30, 2021 at the Wayne PAL: celebrities, vendors, artists, giveaways, panels… everything you love about cons was there! So let’s take a look inside and be sure to check out the video recap at the end of this article, as well as more photos in the album.

This year’s Pow Con featured celebrity guests Walter E Jones (Zack Taylor, the original Black Power Ranger), WWE wrestler Carlito, and American Idol & Broadway star Constantine Maroulis. Fans had the opportunity to meet these guests for photo ops and autographs, on top of enjoying the 150+ tables of vendors & artists, like illustrator/creator George Vega, who recently Kickstarted the second book of his original series The World Of M:

Many, like sketch card & Marvel artist Brian Kong, were accepting commissions at the con so that fans could walk away with an original piece of art drawn specifically for them! I was able to score an Ahsoka Tano sketch card (based on The Mandalorian) from Brian, as well as a stunning Post-It drawing of X-23 from Artist Alliez newcomer Antimo DeRocco (aka “Buddy De Art“):

Plus so many more fantastic artists who you might’ve already heard of, like Ben Harvey, Alex Rivera, J.K. Woodward, Bill McKay, Sarah Madura, and Will Torres. All kinds of art styles and fandoms could be found, whether you’re interested in comic book art, chibi’s, anime/manga, or realism!

And speaking of realism, it was so amazing to see such creative cosplayers at cons again. Each day was a surprise as fans arrived dressed up as popular franchise characters like Bumblebee from Michael Bay’s version of Transformers:

You can find these avid costumers walking around the con too, shopping for fun merch just like you (all while DJ Awesomus Prime spins tunes for everyone). At Pow Con, there was no shortage of cool things to buy… We’re talking about Lego Minifigures, Pokemon cards, key issue comics, vintage video games, and so many Funko Pops!

There were also many vendors who were selling handmade products like JAC Designs‘ pop culture buttons & lenticular prints, AW Geek‘s wood-etched Pokemon Game Boy cartridge pins, and Rally B‘s custom papier-mâché figurines:

Pow Con was also the place to be because of the incredible activities going on all weekend long. Several TVs & consoles were set up by Origin Of Play so that you could play popular games like Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros., and Street Fighter. Held in the same hall were various panels, as well as tabletop games like D&D and Star Wars Legion. But the pièce de résistance was arguably the PlayStation 5 giveaway, where 1 lucky attendee walked away with Sony’s hottest gaming system in-hand on Saturday!

Pow Con never had a dull moment and the 6 hours each day almost didn’t feel like enough time! With the published & indie comic book creators, celebrity meet & greets, collectibles as far as the eye can see, and the incredible amount of activities, you’ll definitely want to check out their next event near you! Be sure to check out more photos here as well as the video recap below.