This past weekend was East Coast Comic Con, held at the Meadowlands Expo Center in Secaucus, New Jersey. We headed over to take a look and see what exactly separates the con from others and makes it unique.
Upon entering we were met with the standard affair when one enters a con at the Meadowlands. This wasn’t going to be some giant spectacle like New York Comic Con and the thing is, that’s okay. Not everyone wants to wait online for a queue to purchase tickets and I’m sure there are New Jersey residents who aren’t crazy about making the trek into the city. Still, for what it was, East Coast Comic Con was fun.
It had the standard stuff one can expect from a con. Booths filled the room as merchants sold their wares, artists sought out commissions and even the 501st Legion was there for some Star Wars cosplaying opportunities. There wasn’t a lot to see but there was something to see. Rather than make a day of it, many con goers popped in, spent a few hours then headed out. This was definitely a slower place than the average con but it had its audience. Ages ranged from young children to the elderly – a wide spectrum of popculture fans who were there and excited to see the stuff they love.
Some might not be too crazy about the lack of craziness in the con but it was in that peaceful setting that the true uniqueness of the con was brought out. While some cons could be seen as being too “commercial”, with patrons shoved around like cattle, meeting the stars present at East Coast Comic Con was far more deep an experience. We met with Ernie Hudson and rather than stop, take a photo and move on, we were able to hold a conversation with him. It wasn’t just simple pleasantries like “how’s your day” either, we sat and spoke about the Ghostbusters franchise and other fandoms he’s into.
In addition, we met with Daniel Logan, who played young Boba Fett in the Star Wars prequels. Without doubt, that was a hoot and well worth the con experience as a whole. Before even paying the man for an autograph, we spoke about his life and the world as a whole. Other con attendees overheard and gathered as we huddled around Logan conversing for what felt like almost an hour. It was due to the lack of craziness of the con that we were able to have this moment. It completely elevated the experience of meeting him and made it all the more unique. We didn’t even intend on seeing Logan originally but left thinking he was the best part of it all. Absolutely outstanding guy and that’s the thing – it was only at East Coast Comicon that we were reminded that he wasn’t just an autograph machine but instead a person with thoughts. If that’s the kind of experience you’re looking for when meeting a celebrity then I highly recommend checking out East Coast Comicon next year!
