Amazing Hawaii Comic Con

For a big con of this caliber, $ 60.00 for all 3 days, is a bargain. You definitely get more bang for the dollar. For the opportunity to meet Stan Lee, Rob Liefeld, George Perez, Adam Kubert, Mark Bagley and Kevin Eastman. If you stood in line and were patient enough it was easy to meet and talk to them, take a pic and get their autograph. That’s what the cons are all about. And you could do this easily because this is AHCC first con here in Hawaii. Although there were lots of people attending it did not get to the point where they had to control the line like limiting the number of people in line. Enjoy it while it’s small. That could change next year.
As you entered the dealer room, in the front half of the room were the dealers. Not as much as I expected at all. I believe there are two reasons for a low turn out. One, not sure how this con would go. Dealers are a skittish doing first time shows. Two, notice of this con came out late not allowing enough time for the word to spread and to fit into schedule.
The second half of the room is where the action was. All the featured guest were on the front tables of Artist Alley with plenty of room for the lines. I saw Rob Liefeld in action actually enjoying himself talking to the fans, taking pics, trying to make sure he got to everyone. Definitely a fan pleaser. When he went up on stage to q fullly packed standing room only crowd telling his Deadpool story how it all came about was funny, entertaining and educational. He definitely delivered.
Then came Stan Lee the star featured Legend. I cannot tell you how he smooth talked the crowd. Being in the industry for a very long time, I was’t sure which to be amused at… his smoothness or how the crowd was moved and glued to his every syllable. Amazing.
Stan Lee was the big draw and it helped the Star Advertiser did a feature on him and the show that got the word out turning up their attendee numbers.
Parking is $ 10.00 at the Convention Center but you can get around that by parking at Ala Moana Center. I’ve done it for other events and it’s not a bad walk.
There was the concession stand in the back of artist alley where you can get a few things but why bother when you have Subway and 7-​Eleven so easy to access across the street.
As an exhibitor I did like how they did their security sweep at the end of the day making sure all attendees were out of the room before we dealers left to make sure our things were going to be safer if not the safest.
The programs for other events of the show need to be worked on along with the logistics but it is the 1^st show and it is work in progress how to be more efficient and better. I’m sure they’ve learned from all that and we can expect next years show to be improved.
Already improved is the much earlier announcement of their next show set for May 20 – 22, 2016. And with that a spectacular line up of legends to appear with more being announced later as they secure the contracts. Announced for next year’s show is Jim Lee, Chris Claremont (best X-​Men comic book writer ever), Kevin Eastman returns, Robert Kirkman the Walking Dead creator sure to share what we can expect next season. We’ll be sure to see more walkinng dead zombie cosplayers next year. Don’t be surprised to see Todd McFarlane for 2017. I’m almost sure of it.
They have begun selling tickets and it’s always good to make your purchase ealry. I hope to see you there next year for a good weekend of fun.

This is probably the first large-​scale American Comic centered convention to hit Hawaii and as such it was mostly a good experience. You could tell from the website, and venue itself (reused panels etc) that they were used to setting up shop and moving around from state to state and have established working partnerships with many big-​name artists and creators in the industry. The guests I got to meet were all very friendly and gracious to meet their fans which was a huge plus for me as this has not always been the case with other large conventions here on Oahu. Maybe the guests are compensated more? I don’t know. Guests had designated times during each day to spend with fans and give or sell autographs which gave people more opportunities to meet them even if they couldn’t make it to a specific day, which again is superior to other venues we’ve had at the convention center.
I had purchased a VIP pass as well as the Stan Lee experience and I was able to skip ahead for most lines on Friday, as per the package deals advertised. Saturday however was a different matter entirely. For the Stan Lee photo it seemed that no matter what package you had bought they REFUSED to honor it and told us to wait in line as it had become a first come, first serve deal. Maybe they lacked the volunteers to enforce these rules, maybe they gave up because of the overwhelming crowds as this was supposedly the largest opening for Amazing Comic Con to date. Nevertheless, it is highly deceptive to sell expensive passes (even with all the complimentary goodies) only to suddenly decide to no longer honor them. On top of that one of the men who was standing up near the table, bald guy, was very rude and scoffed when I asked him about my pass as I was supposed to be able to skip ahead in the line to get a photo. They said that it didn’t matter since the line moved quickly. They should put a disclaimer somewhere on their sales page that they will at anytime arbitrarily change the rules and that we the customers are taking a risk by choosing to buy this expensive package. :/​
Another issue that came up was with the Kevin Eastman line. While waiting in the VIP line I was observing how they had organized it and realized they were alternating between the general admission line and the VIP line when allowing people to approach the table for an autograph. Basically, it was more important that you get in line early and the VIP pass, while somewhat helpful, still forced you to wait for an ungodly amount of time because of this system. This was by far the worst line experience I had at the convention.
The pass distribution on Thursday was strange too, because they were giving priority to people whose first names began with the letters N-​Z, rather than just letting the next person in line approach the category to which they belong according to first name. It’s weird that they didn’t go by last names like most other events do, and it slowed things up a lot as a result.
Overall:
Pros:
— Seasoned franchise with good industry connections
— Lots of vendors and gracious guests
— Got to meet and chat with lots of great fans!
Cons:
— Poorly enforced lines/​VIP privilages
— Not enough volunteers
— Rude staff members

«My two cents»
The Amazing brand of Comic Cons are what seems to be smaller Comic Con venues not of the same stature of legendary Cons like the New York and Wonder Cons and of course the legendary San Diego Comic Con.
The earlier reviewers have valid points points and I too, was frustrated by some of the glitches that developed with this event. But what is presented here is an overview of my thoughts and impressions of this Con, after it’s completion.
Issues: Lack of communication and inadequate event staff support seemed to be the biggest problems. This created inconsistent administering of «rules» like how the VIP badge holders were suppose to get in before the general registrants. There were many examples of the left hand not knowing what the right hand was doing. Lines at the artists alley, the Stan Lee and Turtle stuff were not very organized and chaos ruled the day. The attendees in general were very polite even though many were very frustrated with the situation.
But there were highlights too:
Not having been to a «national» comic con in many decades, I was excited and pleased with the line up and thoroughly enjoyed the panel discussions that were presented.
The cartoonists at the con were very friendly and cordial to the attendees and many were pretty generous with their free quick sketches. They were very easy to talk to and were pretty patient with the fans.
It was fun seeing the creativity of the attendees with the various cosplay themes and elaborate costumes. There was a great deal of concentrated imagination that weekend, really, really impressed with what I saw.
The absolute highlight had to be the Stan Lee talk on the last day of the con. Stan Lee was everything I expected, a humorous and smooth talker that kept the audience in the palm of his hand, this from a legend in the world of comics– hard to believe he is 92.
Was the con perfect? No. Were there glitches? Yes. Could it have been done better? Absolutely! But at the end of the day the content provided sustenance for a fun weekend. Beef up the lines of communication and support staff, tighten the rules and guidance and you’ll have a first rate comic con for Hawaii.
Content: 4, the problems knock it down to a middle of the road 3.

My Comic Con cherry has been popped — HURRAH! I don’t know how to rate it since I have nothing to compare it to. I thought it was great however and it has me geared up to going to other «cons» (did I use that lingo correctly?).
I came home just in time for this event. My friends have been writing about it for weeks, discussing costume choices. My costume was shorts and tank top. I dressed for survival as I’m not used to the heat and humidity. I went with a lovely friend, Ashley, who drove and helped guide me around the place (she went the day earlier).
Lots of walking. Lots of people. It was kids day on Sunday and they had a lot of cute kids dressed up. I guess there was a mini Stan Lee roaming (super cute) around in addition to the real Stan Lee (where you had to pay a hefty price to meet and greet him). So much great artwork and collectibles in one area. The energy was really great with everyone excited to see each others costumes and look at the wares being offered. I would’ve bought a ton of things had I known how I was going to pack it back to Cali and where I was going to display it.
I got to see an ol’ friend and classmate, Peter Nguyen there. HIS STUFF IS AMAZING. Its one thing to see artwork on his insta but another to see him draw things in real time.
I hope that they’ll make this bigger next year as the ballroom (s?) designated for it didn’t seem big enough to hold it all. Maybe I’ll be home next year to see what kind of improvements they do.

I really really wanted to like this con. I really truly did.
I went on Saturday … Let me just tell you flat out, there was NO organization there what so ever. This Con frustrated me to no end! I hate to compare it to Kawaii Kon or even Comic Con Honolulu … but when it comes down to organization and security, they got you beat. And since this is not Amazing Comic Cons first rodeo. you’d think they would cover all bases.
Once you walk into the Convention Center, you don’t really know where exactly to stand to get your tickets. They had some guy who was a volunteer stand there yelling that if people were purchasing tickets to come by him. They had Will Call, General Admission and VIP … Which didn’t even matter which you were because they were all handing tickets out.
Then once you get your wrist band you have to stand in another line to get in. This line argh! This line was formed so retarded!!! It was formed in the shape of a damn snake, with people winding around poles. not to mention you walked right in front of the booths that you get your wristbands at. It was confusing. About those wristbands … HATE THEM!!! I’d rather have a badge, something that I can keep as a keepsake
You are then ushered in by convention staffers (NOT Comic Con volunteers) who check to make sure you have a wrist band.
Funny thing about this con is … I never once saw any Volunteer security … there was NO weapon check … No rules on how revealing costumes can be … I was more worried about no weapon checks though. Come to think of it, I hardly saw any Comic Con staffers :| Where were you!!! You should’ve been out on the floor regulating the lines and the crowd.
The lines for autographs … forget it! They were just as disorganized as the line out front! OMG! You couldn’t really tell where Stan Lees Line started and ended … It was like some were by the autograph area and some were against a wall to the far right … I was confused, I didn’t bother asking :/​I wish they had the autograph session in a separate room away from the chaos …
On the first floor you have Artist Alley … loved it! Got to see Abraham Lopez, whom I really wanted to meet!!! He drew me a sketch of Joker: D I am in love with it!
That’s my only highlight … meeting Abraham Lopez … Saw A LOT of people dressed as Dead Pool :| And I saw only ONE guy dressed as Gambit!!! Be still my heart mon cher!!!
Saw my friend Jesse. He was sitting at Leahs table … if it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have known about the Marvel photo shot that was happening upstairs. Thanks Jesse!!!
Would I return to Amazing Comic Con next year IF they do so have another? Probably not. And IF they do return… Here’s what you need to improve ‘Amazing’ people:
1. No volunteers managing the crowds
2. No weapons check
3. No indecent cosplay check
4. No sense of any authority there (where were the Convention security at)
5. Poor registration
6. Lack of highlighted events
7. Besides the guests having their own staff … where were yours?

Very disorganized. I paid $ 145 for a Military VIP ticket that was supposed to get me early entrance to the Con on the first day. They didn’t really let us in early. Then VIP is supposed to be let in early for panels and get priority seating. But that’s a lie because they don’t clear rooms between panels. They just run one right into the next and no one is enforcing the seating policy. I’m very upset that I gave the company money that I could be spending on the artists instead! This is not their «first con» that I keep hearing as an excuse it’s just the first one here. They do Vegas, Phoenix, and someplace else I think. The Con part of this experience for me is them conning me out of my money for perks I’m not getting but paid for.

The 2^nd day of Comic Con was jammed packed with people who were eager to get a signature from Stanley Lee the amazing genius who created Marvel. Super sweet 90 year old guy greeted all his fans (that line was at least 2 miles long) to give signatures and take pictures.
When I first got to Comic Con I wasn’t sure where to stand in line to redeem my ticket. For two people the one day pass was $ 77.84. We had to stand in a long line to redeem a wrist braclet. Luckily there was a worker who had a fistful of wrist bands and checked our tickets (printed and on the phone) and he handed it over after so we could go in. We waited in line for less than 20 minutes. The day before our friend explained to us he stood in line for a long time (less than a hour) to get it because it was so unorganized. The 2^nd day was so much better. Hopefully next year they would have bigger signs to redirect people to get their passes or wrist bands quickly.
The 1^st floor contained a lot of vendors and artists selling trinkets, art, and anything comic related of course. There was even cosplay for sale, which I taught was amazing. The big people who attended the Amazing Comic Con and were signing this year were Stanley Lee, Rob Liefeld (creator of deadpool), Greg Capullo & John Romita. Jr. (Creators of batman), Mark Bagely (Creator of spiderman super cool dude), and Kevin Eastman (creator of Mutant Ninja Turtles) are some to name.
I picked up a bunch of stickers, a tee, and some artwork on the 1^st floor. There were a few play stations set up some gamers could compete with one another. There was a concession area so you could get a snack/​food and drink too. I wish there was a map, but I couldn’t find one, so I zig zagged though the booths to avoid getting trampled over. There are lines everywhere, so make sure you’re standing in the right line if you want a signature.
The 2^nd floor didn’t sell products, it was mostly speech, music, and areas to lounge in. It was crowded, and I wish parking wasn’t so insane. Some people parked at ala moana and walked over because they rather not pay the $ 10 fee for parking at the convention center.

3-​Day Ticket: $ 60, $ 65.29 if you purchase it online
This is going to be a pretty harsh review, but I really feel like they need the criticism so they can do much better next year.
Day 1:
Amazing Hawaii Comic Con has just been frustrating starting from the website. It’s not very intuitive. There is no map tab, I’ve only seen the map download in the Exhibitors page, but that only shows the Kamehameha Ballroom 1 (It doesn’t list it as such, you have to figure out that’s it KB 1 and that it’s on the first floor yourself). However, it neglects the fact that there are 2 panel rooms on the third floor. I had no idea until I read the FAQ.
They also don’t give you any information on where to pick up your tickets and what you’d need with it on the registration page or in ticket description. You find that you need to go to the first floor in the FAQ section, but it doesn’t mention you need ID, which some newbie con-​goers may not know or even veteran ones since Kawaii Kon and Comic Con Honolulu don’t require IDs.
Lastly, the programming doesn’t list exactly when certain events will start and end, it just lists them under the hour that’ll happen. Which isn’t that bad right now, since as far as I know there’s only one thing that happened past 6pm and after another event. Hopefully they will change that when there are more events going on at the same time so it’ll be easier to plan breaks and such.
I was so excited to get there today, just to be greeted by confusing long lines with seemingly no ends. The Will Call booths were all closed, so we had no idea where ticket holders were suppose to go. There were no staff around to ask for help or help keep the lines in check. We all ended up having to ask each other what’s going on. We were told to go to one line, then told to go to the VIB Media, then back to the same line that accidentally looped into itself for awhile and went in a circle.
We ended up at one of the General Admissions booths to pick up our wristbands. You can’t take them off; if they’re tampered with or lost, you’ll have to pay $ 25 for another one. I get why they do this, but I would really prefer a badge system instead of a wristband I’m forced to wear for 3 days.
Then, we went upstairs for a panel in Panel Room 1. Except, that panel was swapped to Panel Room 2 and no one came in to tell us until 2 minutes before the panel was suppose to start. There were no signs that I saw indicating the change in front of Panel Room 1 or 2 before I went into Panel Room 1. Supposedly you can follow Amazing Hawaii Comic Con on Twitter and Instagram for possible changes, but that’s not something I feel attendees should be expected to do. Other cons I went to would post schedules and schedule changes next to the door.
When the panel started, we realized they didn’t have microphones ready for the guests (I didn’t see water either). Their voice projection was great so it was fine for the most part, but I feel like people in the back probably missed a lot of whispered and mumbled jokes.
Another thing that didn’t affect me personally, but I feel like should be pointed out is that there was only one concession area on the first floor. Maybe it’s because they didn’t expect this many people to show and that’s why there was nothing on the third floor, but I still feel like they should have at least one concession area for each floor. It gets super crowded and inconvenient otherwise.
Other then that, I had quite a bit of fun on the first day. I also really appreciated that the con started at 3pm on Friday, so people in school won’t miss much if anything at all! Fridays have always been a struggle with cons outside of school breaks.