Marion-Con 2016: Debute!

Hello again! Heiwa and I were at it again as we hit the con front bright and early this morning! Today a neighboring town debuted their first comic-con. To be honest the last small town con I went to (Morganton-Con) had a weird industrial feel to it. What does that mean you ask? Well I felt like if you weren't in line to buy something then they didn't really want you there. I also noticed that some vendors I had previously admired had considerably raised their prices for some unknown reason...
I was a little nervous as we started the hour long drive (one way) to Marion.
What if I had lost my passion for conventions? Surely that wasn't possible after just one bad experience..... Right?
That's what I was thinking on the way over.
Marion-Con instantly revived my passion. 

We weren't even out of the car and could tell that we weren't going to get a swag bag. ( Marion-Con gave out EPIC swag bags to the first 100 people in the door, we got there before the con even got started and we still missed them.)

 

The line was actually really fun. I know that sounds weird. Seriously though, every one was laid back and just having a nice chat. At one point the ROTC class ran by and someone shouted "There goes the G. I. Joe cosplayers!" It was great. The only that would have made it better is if there was music to rock out to while waiting in line.

 I took this picture while Heiwa was paying for us to get in. The first room was packed in pretty tight. (Did I mention Marion-Con rented BOTH floors?!)

 

...............Over priced plushies that can steal your heart because they are adorable or...

Sorry that its blurry, I actually stepped on some ones foot while trying to take this picture. Sorry random person!

Over priced plushies that can steal your soul :p

 

Now keep in mind that when I say "over priced" its not actually an unfair price. Anime/manga merchandise is hard to come by in person (not online) so its actually a decent price. Anime/Manga is just an expensive addiction hobby :)

 

Not just one DeadPool but two. Think about this. TWO DEADPOOL! They didn't ask us to conga-line but they did direct us to an Itachi Uchiha. That makes them saints. Who doesn't need more Itachi in their life? Well, I mean Sasukes parents probably...

 

 

The second room (actually kinda a separate building) seemed a lot bigger than the first but now that I think about it, it probably wasn't that much bigger.

                                   It was still super packed.

On to the Artists!

**Ok, first off I would like to say that there is a reason why I took photos with a visible glare, multiple pictures in the shot or slightly blurry. Artists protection! This way no one feels the need to download the image and sell it as their own creation. The only people with rights to these pictures are the creators. I got permission to take the pictures and write about them. If any vendors are displeased with the pictures or article written about them they can/will be removed at their request.**


First up is,
                                   Dungeon Wears

I don't have any pictures of their booth because the man in charge of it really knew how to work a crowd. There was constantly patrons at the booth. Trust me, check them out ;)
The quote on the back of their card is:

        "Fine Wearable Art For The Average Adventurer"

........................................................

 Wow, Fantastic Baby.

          I was referencing the song: Fantastic Baby

Can we all take a moment to appreciate how gorgeous this is? 

This was done by The Painting Mama's 

They had some pretty fantastic art. It came in a wide variety of sizes and they had something for every fandom.

Heiwa actually had to talk me out of buying a copy of the beautiful beast that is Ghost Rider. I had to save money to take my parents to dinner for their anniversary. They are worth it :)

 

All City Studios

 

This booth was pretty cool. The artist actually made a painting while he was at the con so that was really fun to watch.

We didn't get to watch him finish it though....

Their business cards actually have some really awesome pictures on the back. Being an editor I really admire their business card layout.

 

                                                        
                The Walking Dead fandom has the right  to fangirl.

               They had everything from TWD to Star Wars.
                           Zombies and Jedi's am I right?

 

 

"Why do you look like someone died?"

"Wait."

~The Addams Family

Correct me if I'm wrong but is that a set of grumpy CareBears?

Would that make them Don't-CareBears?

 

 

Next we have something that I have been fangirling about for a while. (Not in a creepy way)

 

Spider Spot Shop

 

The first time I saw them I guessed at what the are style was called.

Splatter Art is what I guessed. He is actually "The original Splatter Grunge Artist" so I was pretty close :P

They have incredibly fair prices when it comes to the posters.

This was another booth that I had to be talked out of purchasing something at....

 

 

This is the blurry photo I mentioned earlier. These characters are incredibly popular and I didn't want to risk someone trying to steal the art. That Sebastian X Ciel picture would make the shippers swoon. 

 

 

 

This is one of the best Link pictures that I have ever seen and I have seen A LOT of Link pictures......

 

 

I will add the glamour shots of Heiwa and I later.

Marion-Con was a blast and their debute was fantastic. I certainly hope that they continue to grow and maybe add an event like maybe a gaming contest or cosplay chess or something semi-social.

Thanks for the read! Sorry that this post was so long.

 

 

~Aki Ame Okami