This past weekend marked the fourth annual edition of Colorado Springs Comic Con. The event remained at the Chapel Hills Mall in north Springs but changed venues within the mall. Although the new spot was technically bigger, it actually felt more cramped than the previous years. An escalator and elevator definitely made it easier to move between the two levels, but the layout was a bit perplexing, with some guests located on the top level and others on the lower level.
Logistical issues aside, the show was stocked with great artists, writers, and cosplayers. The 501st Legion, a Star Wars cosplay group, are always a welcome attraction and great photo op. Walking around, there were great cosplays for Marvel, anime, and even Steve’s Scoops Ahoy get-up from Stranger Things! All the vendors, offering everything from original artwork to posters to toys to Cthulhu-themed scented candles (apparently Cthulhu smells like lilac and vanilla bean, who knew?), were very friendly and helpful.
Although this year’s celebrity guests was a little thinner than in years past due in part to several cancellations, those guests that were there were a big hit. Celebs in attendance included Allana Masterson (The Walking Dead), Emma Dumont (The Gifted), former WWE/WCW champions Booker T and Kevin Nash, and multiple Power Rangers. The William Shatner, Robert Englund, and My Hero Academia panels were particularly lively. Some highlights from the panels I attended:
- Kevin Eastman (co-creator of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles): The origin of the Turtles started as a joke. Eastman wondered “What if Bruce Lee was an animal? How about a group of Bruce Lee animals?” He’s a big fan of the Turtle crossovers (Batman, Ghostbusters, etc) and since much of the Turtles were inspired by Eastman’s favorite superhero, Marvel’s Daredevil (toxic ooze blinding Matt Murdock/transforming the Turtles, Murdock’s mentor Stick/the Turtles mentor Splinter, nemesis the Hand/ the Foot), he’d love to do a crossover with Daredevil. He’d also love to write and direct a new live-action TMNT and was approached with the idea of re-doing the original 1990 film in the same vein as J.J. Abrams’ The Force Awakens, in that it’d be a pseudo-remake but with a new look and a mix of old and new characters with traditional puppetry with a CG assist (similar to the new Netflix Dark Crystal series).
- The Terminator panel was a blast. Original trilogy stars Lance Henriksen, Robert Patrick, and Kristanna Loken were on hand to answer questions. Henriksen was quite a character, busting chops and cracking jokes. Not at all what you’d expect from the man who played Bishop in Aliens. Speaking of which, Henriksen approached the role of android Bishop with the thought “How do you play a toaster?” He also says the popular belief that he was going to play the Terminator is not accurate. He was a model for early concept art for the Terminator and even helped pitch the film to the people at Hemdale (the main production group for the film) by dressing as the Terminator and kicking in the doors to their office. Loken, who played the T-X in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, said that, despite the intense training involved, playing the T-X was incredibly gratifying because of the opportunity to create this new character in the franchise and discover all the layers that made up the depth of the T-X. And as for Robert Patrick, he said he is very grateful to have played the T-1000 (“Best thing that ever happened to me!”), but he says his role on The Sopranos turned his career around. “It came at a pivotal point in my career where I had a lot of money offered to do this movie with an actor and I got offered scale to do HBO. And my acting coach said ‘The Sopranos, it’s fantastic. The best writing you’ve ever seen in your life. There’s really no decision to be made. If they’re offering you this role, you gotta take it!’ So I thought about it and I went and read the script and then (Sopranos creator) David Chase said ‘You gotta make a decision, I gotta know now.’ And I decided to do it and I was really glad I did. Most of Hollywood was watching The Sopranos and lo and behold, here’s this guy from Terminator 2 doing this show where he gets bitch-slapped around and cries like a little girl by James Gandolfini and they liked it. And the role really served me because it opened up a lot of doors for me. I learned ‘Don’t always chase after the money.’ I think right after that, I got offered The X-Files.”
- Robert Englund was fantastic as well. He talked about all aspects of his career, naturally focusing heavily on his role as Freddy Krueger. He discussed how he discovered getting into Freddy’s mindset thanks to Johnny Depp and Heather Langenkamp, the transition from the dark tone of the original to the humor in the sequels, his unused screenplay for A Nightmare on Elm Street 3, the near sequel to Freddy vs. Jason featuring Ash Williams, his favorite Freddy moments and kills, Rick and Morty, and his new show on the Travel Channel. Check out my article covering his panel in depth!
As the event heads into their fifth year, the organizers are at a crucial point where they may need to refresh the event with a bit of an overhaul to avoid it becoming stagnant. Some new vendors (horror t-shirt company Fright Rags, for example), more of a focus on collectors and the collectibles market, more film screenings like they did this year with Jurassic Thunder (maybe even some classic films followed by Q&A by cast and crew), and a more streamlined area with all the celebrity guests in the same area, or at the very least the same floor, would be welcome additions heading into next year. The event organizers, Altered Reality Entertainment, have done a good job at expanding the venues to accommodate the growth of Colorado Springs Comic Con year to year. But it is inevitable, as with any annual convention or gathering, that there comes a point when changes must be made to continue the growth and sustainability of the event. That time may be now for Colorado Springs Comic Con.
Overall, the event was a big success with another great turnout by fans old and young. Everyone, from fans to vendors to celebrity guests, were quite friendly and gracious with their time. The panels were a big hit as always, offering a little something for everyone.
All photos courtesy of Mary Pacheco Photography.
Related Article: The Freddy vs. Jason Trivia Quiz!
