Colors, characters and crowds. An exciting and chaotic group full of anime lovers and comic fans gathered for the same purpose: to have fun and express their interests. The Memphis Comic Expo (MCX) opened its doors to creators, cosplayers and casual enjoyers alike for a weekend at the Agricenter International Center.
“It was a lot of fun … there were a lot of people, but everyone had a good time,” June Coady (9) said.
The exposition offered various activities for entertainment, such as a cosplay contest, a Star Wars event featuring the Mandalorian and panels featuring popular voice actors.
“Some voice actors were there from shows I liked,” Levi Belz (10) said. “This guy Josh Keaton voiced Spider-Man in a couple of cartoons.”
Other featured guests included comic book writers and artists, such as Kevin Eastman (co-creator of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Brian Pulido (writer of Lady Death and filmmaker), Jae Lee (artist for DC Comics, Marvel Comics and others) and Vita Ayala (writer for DC Comics, Marvel Comics, and others).
“[My friend] texted me and told me Keith Silverstein was going to be there and told me we had to go,” Coady said. “[He voices] Hawkmoth from Miraculous Ladybug, Mori from Bungo Stray Dogs and … [Speedwagon] in Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure.”
Expo attendees were able to meet with these creators and buy merchandise from different vendors including action figures and statues of fan favorite characters.
“From the vendors, I just bought two figures,” Amely Aguilera (10) said. “One of them was my favorite character…the other one was part of a collection, so I wanted to add to that. There were a lot of other ones I would’ve bought, but I’m starting to buy less and less now because I have less space…I bought a Todoroki figure and an Uraraka figure, both from My Hero Academia.”
The expo featured displays of life-sized DC figures,, such as Wonder Woman, Harley Quinn and the Bat-Mobile. Though these figurines could not be purchased, attendees were able to buy other accessories, as well as try various foods and treats.
“I got a few pairs of earrings…a pair of strawberry earrings, some D20 dice earrings, and some black cat earrings,” Coady said. “There was mac and cheese and I think they had onigiri, like rice balls, and a few other things.”
People who attended were able to buy merchandise that sported characters and content from DC, Marvel, different anime, video games and comics, especially Pokémon. With all of these fandoms represented at the expo, it provided a space that allowed fans to come together and meet new people who shared the same interests as them.
“I found it really fun,” Aguilera said. “I found people to talk to that were really nice, vendors to talk to that were really nice. I found people cosplaying as Miku [and] took pictures of them too. [I] made new friends. The atmosphere overall was just really nice.”
A feature of comic expos that many fans enjoy is dressing up as their favorite characters, or cosplaying. Cosplaying allows people to connect with others who are in the same fandom and gives them a chance to show off their handiwork to the community.
“[I dressed up as] Miku, Hatsune Miku…she’s affiliated with vocaloid…a computer voice software [that is] in the style of anime,” said Aguilera. “The clothes themselves were store bought…I made my own headphones…I bought some cheap headphones and put some covers over them to look like the ones she wears.”
Because of the fans, vendors and guests, the Agricenter was able to host a successful comic expo. The venue offered a setting that invited people from various fandoms to meet and celebrate their passions as they expressed their own interests.
“There are just so many different things to do, you just don’t know where to start,” said Belz. “I liked the atmosphere, [and it was] a fun activity to do.”
