Milanie D. 

Girl Reporter

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Long Beach Comic-Con. On September 2, 2017 I went to Long Beach with the Girl Scout of San Gorgonio Girl Reporter Program.  I had a blast and there were so many things to see and do. It was an amazing experience, from the classic comic books to famous cosplayers. Comic-Con opened on March 21, 1970 in San Diego and has moved to Long Beach on October 2, 2009. This year Long Beach Comic Con was located at the Long Beach Convention Center and Comic Con is such a great experience and has something for everyone.

 At Comic-Con there were many unique booths to explore. One booth was made specifically for the Ozobot. The Ozobot is a pocket sized robot that has infinite possibilities. You just draw different colored lines on a piece of paper, set up the Ozobot and watch it perform its many moves based on the different colors located on the lines. Another booth showcased the many engineering science projects created by NASA and other science companies. They had 3 different types of BB-8 creations, 3D virtual reality, and even an actual space robot that went to the planet Mars. It was a great way to learn about NASA, space, and many ways science can change our world.

One of the exciting features of Comic Con was the Cosplay characters all around the Convention Center. These characters are everywhere and they put forth so much effort towards their costumes and props. Some Cosplayers were connected with a specific comic book, and others were from a famous movie or TV show. These Cosplayers get very creative and add an extra pop of color or design that the normal character does not provide. For instance one would be the original Spider Man and instead of shooting webs and being the basic color of red, they would create a zombie Spider Man and shoot silly string or spray paint. It was an amazing sight to see so many people with such creative costumes and ideas that definitely come from their imagination.

 I also got the privilege to witness writers in the comic industry get their ideas for their comic books. I was able to sit in and listen to a panel of writers and creators that specifically talked about the things that they use as inspiration to create things that go “bump” in the night in their horror comic books. It was such a great experience to see how these writers got their start in the comic business. Many authors said that they were just very interested in comics and just wanted to start writing. I was able to interview one of the panelists named Dave Crosland. He is the creator of the comic book series “Invader Zim”. During my interview with Crosland, he told me that you don’t really need much schooling to start writing comics. He said that he just took some illustrating classes and used his imagination to fill in the rest. It was such an amazing honor to be able to interview and learn how to be an author/ illustrator from one of the best.

Overall, Comic Con was an amazing experience! I learned so much from all the booths and different experiences. From science engineering to learning how to become an author and illustrator, Comic-Con is a great experience for all ages and I would absolutely recommend this event to anyone considering attending.