A grandiose gathering for all that tend towards the nerdy side. Every niche fandom is represented in some way at FAN EXPO Denver. From video game tournaments, to celebrity panels, educational workshops, and pristine cosplays there is something for everyone to enjoy here. Popular culture can be consumed anywhere, but being immersed in the presence of the people that actually create it can really bring it to life.
The Con kicks off for us after work, just in time to line up for the Star Trek: The Next Generation panel, with Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, Brent Spiner, and Jonathan Frakes. As a Star Trek fan since childhood, it was a dream come true to see these people reunited. These cast members are long-standing friends, who ham it up at every opportunity. Immediately when the cast came on stage, the packed auditorium was filled with energy.
They shared stories, ribbed each other, plugged their projects and shared their flight experiences — Jonathan Frakes, in perfect Commander Riker fashion, was a non-stop cut-up, and Brent Spiner, we learned, does a cracking good impression of Patrick Stewart. The relaxed, casual atmosphere of camaraderie made the time just fly by, and before we knew it, the panel was over! However, we did walk away with two teasers for some awesome, upcoming things: Michael Dorn’s comic, Steelworks, published by DC comics and illustrated by Sami Basri, and the podcast Gates Mcfadden Investigates, where she conducts humorous and insightful conversations with friends and former co-stars.
After getting our bearings, we swung by the vendor floor to check it out for the weekend while the crowds were low. But caveat emptor! It is far too easy to drop ALL of your money here. There are hundreds of vendors, with merchandise running the gamut of fan-art from all mediums; fancy click-clack dice, artisan leather dice trays, printed shirts, premade cosplay pieces, board games, miniatures, comics, herbal bath blends, beeswax candles, and perfect replicas of every Keyblade variation Sora ever wielded.
We spent hours chatting up vendors and selecting the pieces we wanted to purchase. We had a particularly interesting conversation with some game designers from a local board game company (Archon Games). As some of you may know, we are board game fanatics, so getting to actually meet the people behind the cardboard and hearing their inspiration and philosophies on game design was incredible. In the back of the vendor area were a slew of authors — sci fi, horror, comic book, fantasy, whatever genre piques your interest. I spent some time talking with one author in particular, Jonathan Goff, about his inspiration for The Sommerstone Chronicles — it’s a rare moment when you get to gush about reversing the Hero’s Journey with the very author of the book! While we attempted to be discerning and selective, we ended up walking away with a massive haul of loot far larger than we had intended.
Saturday, the Big Day™. The day where the best and most finely-crafted cosplayers go all-out and gather for parades and pictures. There are always impressive pieces here — with Hayden Christensen as a main panelist, there was a variety of Padme’s and Queen Amidalas, each one intricate and lovely. There was a swath of jaw-dropping Warhammer 40K cosplays (as always), whose creators obviously spent painstaking hours crafting and painting their pieces. Every year it’s fun to try and predict what will be the most-seen costume (everyone remembers the year where everyone was Harley Quinn, or Heath Ledger’s Joker) — this year we predicted Mandalorians… and we were correct; you couldn’t turn a corner without bumping into one! With Tears of the Kingdom released just months prior, there were also a bunch of impressive Links sporting Rauru’s glowing arm as well as some picture-perfect Zeldas. Spotting a niche costume is always exciting; we sighted a Sherlock Data from the fantastic Holodeck episode Elementary, Dear Data, and an elaborate Yzma from The Emperor’s New Groove.
However, our favorite event by far was the Magic the Gathering draft. For $18, we spent nearly two hours drafting the new Lord of the Rings block, pulling cards from the booster packs and assembling our decks as a crew of 8, cracking jokes and sharing stories and strategies at the round table as we went. Then, tournament-bracket style, we paired off to fight to the death for a reward of 8 booster packs (1st place). Neither of us even placed…but we were still able to keep the decks we built in the process. I called mine the “Stupid! Fat! Hobbitses” deck and, though it didn’t win a single game, it was a blast to build. Slightly brain-exhausted from the draft and more than a little bit overwhelmed by the energy of the crowds, we called it quits early to rest up for…
Sunday! The final day. We arrived early for the Giancarlo Esposito panel, followed by the cast of Scream, both of which were packed to the gills. Giancarlo Esposito surprised us with a fiery sermon – normally a reserved, intensely composed, and villainous man on screen, the Giancarlo at our panel was bursting with energy. He paced the stage frenetically as he replied to fan’s questions. His forty-five minutes were like an intense pep-talk of caffeine straight to the brain; he graciously answered questions from the audience, gave bardic inspiration to the auditorium with talks of living authentically and deliberately, and doled out his insidious advice on how to make people feel uncomfortable by perfecting the Gus Fring Stare™.
In a massive change of pace, the stars from the original Scream movie took the stage. The main panel consisted of Neve Campbell, Skeet Ulrich, Jamie Kennedy, and Matthew Lillard. As they sat and began their introductions, Rose McGowan popped onto the stage to quickly say her hellos and I-Love-You’s, followed by Henry Winkler which earned a standing ovation. Right off the bat, we picked up that Matthew Lillard is a bona-fide gentleman and genuine Good Person™ — he took the time to greet and sign thank-you to the sign language interpreter, quickly moved to help Henry Winkler walk up the stage when he arrived and helped him back down the stage when he left. He carefully and thoughtfully answered audience questions (especially from the younger audience demographic — yes, there were surprisingly A LOT of kids for a slasher film panel), being sure to ask for names and thanking each one. The panel gushed over each other, sharing how touching it was to be a part of something so universally loved and how they care for each other and their fans. Neve Campbell choked up at one point while expressing her gratitude, while Jamie Kennedy, as always, kept the audience in stitches.
For the final hoorah, we perused the exhibition floor one last time, eager to get a picture with the animatronic R2D2, BB8, and massive Bantha. There were several appropriately themed Ghost Face costumes, one particularly impressive Thanos, and a slew of other fantastic cosplays wandering the floor as the crowds died down. From a distance, we saw some fantastic voice actors at their booths, signing autographs and taking selfies with lines of fans — Christopher Sabat (Vegeta himself!!!), Tara Strong (Powerpuff Girls, Spirited Away, Rugrats, et al.), and Sarah Natochenny (Ash Ketchum from later seasons). We did one last loop of the vendor floor, catching the Buy-One-Get-One and closeout sales, before heading out for the evening.
It’s always bittersweet on the last day of any great event, but on the ride home we were already brimming with ideas — what cosplays could we put together for next year? What will the big panels be? Where can we do more Magic drafts? Where will we hang all of these fabulous pieces of art we purchased? That’s one of the best parts of attending FAN EXPO Dever, you may be absolutely exhausted after a long and packed weekend, but you definitely leave feeling excited and inspired.
Until next summer – July 4th – 7th, 2024 at the Colorado Convention Center – See You Space Cowboy…!
By: Jessica Stayton & Erik Dever
