Big WOW! Comic Fest

I’ve been to The Big Wow! Comic Fest every year it’s been held, including the early days when it was known as Super Con, I believe and held in a tented area. This convention has continually grown and improved through the years. They just announced an alliance with Steve Wozniak for the Silicon Valley Comic Con in 2016.
Big Wow! is now one of the best shows in the Bay Area, if not the state (excluding San Diego Comic Con, of course!), and is one of the best in the Country, nationwide, if you’re a fan of comic book art, artists and creator celebrities. It’s better than any Wizard World convention from a comic fan’s perspective. Since Wonder Con moved from San Francisco to Southern California (Anaheim) it left a void in the Bay Area for a comic convention, and I’d even challenge to say that Big Wow was/​is better than Wonder Con, but again, from the perspective of being a comic art fan more so than a collector of comic books or pop culture.
This show is unique in that it brings some elusive guests who don’t normally appear on the comic convention circuit, many from out of the country like Sanjulian, Toshio Mada (Japan), Dave Gibbons, Claire Wendling (France), Nick Bradshaw (Canada), Blas Gallego, Kenneth Rocafort, Adi Granov, and many others. It’s always an all-​star line up, combining newcomer rookies, rising stars, all-​stars, and veteran hall of fame caliber talent (in 2015 Jim Steranko, Stephen Bissette and Neal Adams). They have lots of mainstream talent who have worked for publishers like Marvel and DC as well as independent and small press or even underground comic artists. Plus, sprinkled in are the stars of tomorrow in their artists alley of undiscovered emerging talent.
The show is well organized and very fan friendly. So, in that way, it’s at times better in a different way than a SDCC San Diego Comic Con International, depending if you like a boutique show minus the chaos or not. It’s easy to navigate the exhibit hall floor here.
There’s vendors selling comics (both new and vintage old back issues), toys, etc., typical of most comic cons. They also have their panel discussion presentations scheduled throughout the days. They have gaming and cosplay, plus a few of the B-​List Celebrity actors/​actresses there to sign photos and take photo ops for nostalgic fans from various pop culture media.
The core of the show however is for fans who want to meet their favorite comic book creators, mainly artists, but a few writers too. It’s a good opportunity to get autographs, purchase exclusive items, as well as commission custom drawings.
One of the highlights they have is a unique original art auction where pieces can sell for under $ 100 to over thousands $$$ and has something for everyone.
This location is good as is the venue itself. It’s central to quite a bit of good food options outside of the convention center.
Parking is easy, there’s the covered lot within the Convention Center for $ 20, then across the street an outdoor lot for $ 10, and if you go a bit further, but still easy walking distance, you can get all day parking for $ 5.

I look forward to this nerd-​fest every year, cause, well, I am a big nerd for toys, games, comics, etc. Ever since we lost comic con in the bay area, Big Wow is the big dog now. It never gets old and has more and more crazy interesting stuff every year. I hope they get better and bigger next year.

Good comic book convention for the value. Tickets at the door was 25 and buying online is 22. Since the convention is in downtown, you could always take VTA but if you want to drive there are plenty of parking options as well.
For the sales exhibit, it’s a pretty decent size and for the hardcore comic/​art fans there will be plenty to see and buy. As for the casual fan, there’s a lot of unique stuff that you’ll find interesting as well. Lots of great artists usually show up so if you like their work you could get it signed here and have a chat with them.
The best panel we saw was probably the costume contest so definitely get there early next year to check it out as most folks want to see it. This place is great with all the cosplay as well, many unique and very real looking costumes.
Overall, for the price of admission you definitely get your bang for your buck. I think this convention is great for families with kids because it’ll give them a chance to check out all the neat costumes and take photos with them. I particularly thought it was nice seeing kids gleaming with joy taking a pic with spiderman.

After a few years, Big WOW! is starting to feel like the little show that could, reminiscent of a time when WonderCon (traitors!) was «the big show» Northern California fandom & geekdom looked forward to every spring.
It’s not quite there yet, but this year heralded some fantastic news about things to come: a collaboration by Steve Wozniak & friends (among them, Stan Lee) to pioneer a Silicon Valley Comic Con in 2016. While it’s yet to be seen what a convention built on the The Woz’s resources and celebrity draw will accomplish, the possibilities are far better than the void the Bay Area has been trying to fill.
But I digress — back to Big Wow…
This show has grown to take better advantage of the newly renovated and expanded San Jose McEnery Convention Center — this is leaps and bounds better than the days when we «fringe» culture shows suffered the tragic, circus-​sideshow-​like setting of the blue & white tent-​structure down the block. The convention center is properly adjoined to the Marriott & Hilton hotels and their included, accessible amenities. That goes a long way when negotiating celebrity appearances and attendees; you can’t invite a WWE Diva, or Youtube personality, or Draco Malfoy to your town and then tell them their celebrity appearance is in a tent. SIdenote: Jake Lloyd (Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace’s Anakin Skywalker) has seen better days, meesa thinks.
While short on the official presence of «the big three» — Marvel, DC, Image — the bay area’s wealth of established, big-​name comicbook creative talents was well represented. The artists of the book (s) you’re buying now might not be at this show, but some legendary illustrators, colorists, creators of properties you read when you were younger are; they still illustrate their @sses off and draw in a crowd of fans. Celebrated independent publishers and smaller imprints dot the showroom floor, and the Artists’ Alley is always a font of upcoming talent producing some amazing art.
Of course, the fanfare isn’t on the scale of larger conventions — the cosplay community is understandably nascent still — but the presence of pop-​culture idols and personalities legitimizes this con[vention], hopefully to increasing effect next year. I got a little dumbstruck and couldn’t bring myself to say hi to a couple of industry-​famous people I’ve been a fan of for years, but that’s just how I am in the presence of outgoing, witty, attractive girls. Or any girls.
As 5pm Sunday afternoon approached, I had that familiar child-​like pang of «ONE MORE LAP AROUND THE SHOWROOM FLOOR! MUST BUY ALL THE THINGS!» A feeling I haven’t had in a few years and sorely missed. I might not ever get back into SDCC, and I refuse to patronize Wondercon (traitors), but Big WOW?! Yeah, I like this show.
Looking forward to next year already.
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Walking around, I saw some familiar faces — people that were in the game/​hustle back when I was still trying to play the game/​hustle. They were still doing it, still hustling their art, manifesting their ideas, making connections with people, appreciating their supporters and fans.
I went home, dug in some crates, brushed the dust off of some old sketchbooks and pencils.
Let’s make some comics…

Had a awesome time today at the big wow comic fes. This is second year I’ve been to this festival, there are venders from all over sell superhero stuff and more, people dress up like supper Heroes and other stuff, my kids had so much fun. Ticket where 25 for one day and 35 for two days and kids under 8 are free. Parking is a little hard to find it you come late, it took us like 30 min to find parking it $ 10 all day across from the San Jose conversation center and 5 all day a little more up the street by the discovery museum. We will be back next year.

I had an Awesome time at the 2015 Big Wow Comic Book Convention.
i brought my 2ds and street passed over a hundred people on Saturday. i hope to do just as good on Sunday!
i parked across the street for $ 10. i came early and was glad that i did!

Until the Wizard World tour comes into town in the next few months, this is the de facto con to have a nerdgasm over.
I’ve attended many of these over the years, mostly in Orlando and recently in Sacramento. For the most part, this particular con provides a more intimate way for those familiar with all things comic and pop culture to be immersed in an environment catering to one’s geeky side.
Crowded? Of course, what con isn’t — plus, it doesn’t take much to kill the senses when there’s a fermenting aroma of BO fluttering through the air.
Between from the rows and rows of commercial self-​promotion (in the form of Artist Alley), at its best, there is still the usual culprits: Superstar artists, and more desk filling comic «crap» to shake a moneymaker at — and I mean that in the most spirited way possible.
Oh, let us not forget the celebrities; I got a chance to hang out with Jane Wiedlin of Go-Go’s fame (for you young pups who don’t know any better, she’s one of the members of the greatest girl band, ever!), who not only signed a poster, a photograph, and a comic book of hers for me, but she was nice enough to stand in for that all important selfie picture too.
Costumes galore as well. One cannot be reminded enough of the sensual appeal of fan service, coming (no pun intended) in the form of one of the more popular cosplayers in the industry today: Jessica Nigri. Despite the length of the line (again, not intentional), Jessica, dressed as Freddy Kruger, kept up her smile while leaving quite an impression on the those who couldn’t help gawking at her revealing attire dipping ridiculously close to nothingness.
Between checking out my childhood and recent favorites, Dean Yeagle, Humberto Ramos, to name a few, and seeing what other indulgences worth tapping my bottom dollar, I found the Big Wow convention to be an overwhelming successful trip into comicdom.
Yes, I expect to be there again, in 2015.

Best con in San Jose, gets bigger and bigger every year. Can’t wAit for next years com.

Big WOW! Comic Fest has been taking place at the San Jose Convention Center for quite a few years. I have attended for at least the past three years and had a great time every time. There are many comic artists appearing who are there to sell their art, talk to fans, draw commissioned works and sketches, and present panel discussions about various aspects of this great art form.
In addition, there are many dealers who sell comic books, comic and other art, toys, clothing etc. related to comics and superheroes. Many fans come dressed as their favorite character or superhero, and there are cosplayers who also dress up. There is a Kids Corner too, where artists work with kids on art that the kids do. Check the web site for the 2014 convention: lots going on, fun for the entire family!
I love going each year, meeting artists and celebrities like Stan Lee, who appeared in 2013, Richard Kiel who played the character Jaws in the James Bond movies, and many others. This year I believe William Katt (Greatest American Hero) and Parker Stevenson (Hardy Boys) will be there, along with the actors from the newest Godzilla movie. It’s a chance to mingle with some of your favorites and learn more about collecting original comic art. I’ve been collecting for awhile, and my son has too. It’s amazing to be able to own the only page or cover that was used to print copies of an actual comic book. Of course, there’s much more to the Big WOW! Comic Fest than what I’ve already said, so be sure to go and post your reviews too.
Since Wondercon has moved to Anaheim a few years ago and is unlikely to return, Big WOW! Is the best convention of its kind in the Bay Area!