Next I made my way through artist alley. I cannot express enough the importance I place on visiting this area. For me, smaller shows like this are all about the artists and the creators. It's also great not having to deal with the jam packed crowds of the larger Cons. This gives you the opportunity to talk to the creators about their art. If you have questions about their process or if you are a budding artist yourself, many of them will take the time to talk to you. A few that I want to point out are the watercolors of Geoff Pascual. I loved his Joker done in a splatter style. Another I liked was Christopher Stuart Wilson's General Leia and Admiral Ackbar paintings. Finally, it's so hard to single out a favorite piece by Brett Bennett, so I'll mention two; his Spider Kitty and The Girl with the BB-8 earring were nothing short of stunning. I already know when I see him next at WonderCon that I'll be adding more of his work to my collection.

No convention is complete without a panel or two. In my case, I hit up three. First was The Death of Superman Lives: What Happened? If you're not familiar with this documentary then go seek it out. Jon Schnepp and Holly Payne have put together the definitive story behind Tim Burton's never made Superman film that would have starred Nicholas Cage as the titular hero. Schnepp is full of wonderful stories about the making of this film so if he's at a convention you're attending, give him a listen and prepare to be fascinated.

Supernatural fans were definitely jazzed about the next panel I saw, Supernatural's Ghostfacers Reunion. All six cast members shared stories about how their side characters from the hit show have spun off into a cult following of their own. The big reveal is that yes indeed, the Ghostfacers will return once more. Probably not in the current season but Travis Wester confirmed that it will happen. Finally, I listened in on a panel while writer Frank Tieri talked about his long career working for both Marvel and DC. While he couldn't go into specifics, he did share that he is writing for the upcoming video game Marvel Vs. Capcom Infinite.

Celebrity wise, the big draw on Saturday was for Aquaman himself, Jason Momoa. His autograph line was consistently packed with people, as was his line for those who had paid for a professional photograph with him. What could possibly outdraw him I thought as I noticed another much longer line. None other than legendary creator George Perez. His line stretched throughout a good portion of artist alley yet he never stopped sketching and signing all day. People who visited him definitely walked away happy. I also noticed that despite the weather, the show floor was still packed, especially with kids. And so many of them were cosplaying, too! I love when the next generation of fandom gets into the spirit at such a young age.

I really had an amazing time at the show. I left the convention center with a sack full of comic books and and cool swag. I even scored two free pases to the Lego Batman movie! I'd say my trip to the Long Beach Comic Expo was a rousing success. I'm already looking forward to the sister show, Long Beach Comic Con, which comes up this Fall. See you soon!