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 Post subject: Convention thread!
PostPosted: Sat Jan 17, 2015 5:03 pm 
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Hello all, just wanted to drop a line about this upcoming con and ask advice from anyone here who may have attended recent ones if possible.

I know we have a couple of members here who go to the Cinema Wasteland con, but I wasn't sure about Horrorhound Weekend.

But on the off chance that there is someone here who does I figured what the heck it's worth a shot I figure.

I used to go to Horrorhound every year for a number of years.

But that was before the Walking Dead came along.

The last one that I tried to go to was back in 2013 and it was a nightmare. I couldn't even get in the front door. I wasn't even there to see the Walking Dead cast members, I was there to see John Carpenter. So much for that. I was thinking about trying to go again, but I have questions.

Is it still a nightmare trying to get in? I heard back in 2013 that even people who had advance tickets were being turned away because of fire safety issues with the building being so crowded.

How early does the line start forming outside the convention center and how early will I have to get out there to have a chance?

Also, how long is the line wait to meet Norman Reedus? Just a ballpark figure mind you, I know it can vary from con to con. The reason I ask is because I have a 15 year old nephew who wants to meet him in the worst way and if I thought I had a chance of getting in I was going to bring him with me.


Here's the site.

http://api.viglink.com/api/click?format ... ault.shtml

Thanks in advance.

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Last edited by Mecha74 on Thu Jan 22, 2015 9:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: Tue Jan 20, 2015 6:21 am 
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Yes,I have been going to almost all the shows every year since around 1989 and it all has changed mostly not for the good. As far as HorrorHound goes this year I am imagining it will be the overhyped,overblown line wait again with the 1000s more Walking Dead fangirls and grannies like before. When no TWD cast members are there HorrorHOund is easily accessible but add them into the mix and you have infinite line waits and super high charging(photo ops alone for Norman are $105). The horrible conditions last time(where I lost feeling in my toes and fingers because of the cold and 5 hour line wait outside)are possibly going to return. That time I got in line at 1:30pm and didn't even get inside till 7:05pm. Yes,it did indeed suck. If you're in the traveling mood there are a host of other conventions this time around including Days of the Dead in Indy(in March this time around),Cinema Wasteland just a couple weeks after HorrorHound and Lexington Toy and Comic Show(which this time has a HUGE list of rare appearances). And those are only in the March-April frame of things. IF you're also in the traveling mood towards the late spring and summer there are also shows like Motor City Con,Monsterbash,G-Fest(The Godzilla Convention,Chicago),Flashback Weekend and another Days of the Dead and other shows. Plus the always epic Chiller Theatre up in NJ.
So there you have,a cavalcade of shows out there to attend if you have the ability plus many other showings,marathons and such to please the horror,sci-fi and cult fanatic. HorrorHound is not the only con on the block and isn't even the longest running or best. There are many more flavors out there to try. "You don't know what ice cream flavor you like until you've tasted them all"


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PostPosted: Tue Jan 20, 2015 6:29 pm 
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So even if I got there really early it probably wouldn't make any difference? VIP weekend passes have already sold out also.

Thanks for the info Infra-Kid, sounds like HH isn't worth the hassle at all any more. So last year you were waiting outside for five hours? Good God! Oh how I miss the pre Walking Dead days. *sigh*

So how much is Norman Reedus charging for autographs now? Back when I met him in Columbus in 2012 it was only $30, but that was then of course.

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PostPosted: Tue Jan 20, 2015 7:46 pm 
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YEs,the pre-TWD days were much easier and better but this obviously a cash grab for HorrorHOund and other conventions since it draws in the people and conventions now are mainly business instead of fan friendly reasons to get together. Even at Motor City Con the last few years they have not put out the usual free movie posters,buttons,etc. All the benefits of conventions have seemed to gone by the wayside. Now it's more about treating the customer like an ATM which is exampled with recent shows like Mid Ohio Con/Wizard World. The object now seems to gouge as much for everything. Parking,hotel,$50 a day admittance fees,stars charging HUGE amounts for pics and autographs,etc. It takes about 3 months rent now just attend a show.
But not to get too much off topic,Norman is charging $80 an autograph and $105 for a picture with him.
There are still a few more relaxed fan friendly shows like Cinema Wasteland,Monsterbash and G-Fest but I think the rest have taken a turn for the worse. I think eventually the expense will outweigh the fun and a lot of these shows after all the hype dies down will shrivel up and blow away. I already know 3-4 people who used to attend many shows just plain stop now because of the expensiveness of it. It's just getting too out of hand. And I am speaking as a fan who attended many shows from 89-95 when autographs and everything else were FREE. Even meeting Adam West in 1988 at a car show and not being charged a dime and now he commands $60-$100 to sign something. Big difference.


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PostPosted: Tue Jan 20, 2015 7:46 pm 
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOePvI0xFGc


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PostPosted: Wed Jan 21, 2015 5:26 am 
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Cool link. Is that doc available on DVD or online only?

I was thinking about attending an anime con called Ohyacon coming up at the Columbus convention center. Is there any info you can impart to me on that one? Is it even worth going to, or is it no better than the others you mentioned that have basically become sell outs and shadows of their former selves.

Thanks again for the info by the way.

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PostPosted: Wed Jan 21, 2015 9:13 am 
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Ohayocon isn't a sell out - there's practically nothing in terms of celebrities and autographs.

It is, however, oriented at a very young crowd.


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PostPosted: Wed Jan 21, 2015 1:48 pm 
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OhayoCon is a fun show and I've been going since the early days although it is mainly for anime fans and cosplay. They get many 1000s pf people but it is indeed oriented toward the younger anime fans. I grew up watching Astro Boy,Gigantor and Speed Racer so they are more current on their stuff and usually don't even know anything about the older stuff. Just mainly "kids" who like Cowboy Bebop and Full Metal Alchemist.


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PostPosted: Wed Jan 21, 2015 6:25 pm 
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I see, thanks guys.

How would you describe the dealers room, what kind of merch does it consist the most of?

And how does it rank compared to say, the Anime Punch convention?

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PostPosted: Wed Jan 21, 2015 7:18 pm 
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Way bigger than MatsuriCon or Anime Punch. One of the biggest anime shows in the country. Very crowded and epic. If you want cheap anime I'd say your best bet is Motor City Con. They have many anime dealers selling items for peanuts. I'm sure at OhayoCon everything will be jacked up,


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PostPosted: Thu Jan 22, 2015 6:32 pm 
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Would other anime cons like Punch and Matsuri have cheaper anime by comparison?

Of the various anime cons that are held here in Columbus, which in your opinion is the best?

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PostPosted: Thu Jan 22, 2015 9:36 pm 
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OhayoCon is probably the best but you don't buy what you want from the named show. So essentially you don't buy anime at an anime show. You don't buy Godzilla toys from a Godzilla convention. You don't buy sci-fi collectables from a sci-fi show,etc. You buy you items from cons that cover wide varieties of genres. Shows like Chiller Theatre,Motor City Con,DragonCon,etc. cover many different genres so items will be much cheaper. I'd say hit the various toy/comic shows in Columbus and elsewhere and you should get a wide variety of stuff for very cheap.


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PostPosted: Thu Jan 22, 2015 9:55 pm 
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Thanks again for the info. :)

My nephew is considering going with me, but it hinges on one thing for him. Is there anything Dragonball Z related at Ohayocon? That's really all that he likes.

Also, does the dealers room consists of just dvd/bluray vendors or is there a wide variety of anime oriented products?

For that matter are there any oddball vendors that sell things that aren't anime oriented. Reason I ask that is because one of the last Anime Punch cons I went to I stumbled across a Godzilla/kaiju merch vendor that I didn't expect to encounter, it was a nice surprise.

Apologies for all of the endless questions. LOL

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 Post subject: Re: Convention thread!
PostPosted: Fri Jan 23, 2015 3:25 am 
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If you're looking for Godzilla/kaiju type items I would suggest through G-Fan,Facebook or Chiller Theatre. If you go to G-Fest expecting some deals it will be tough since that show is a treasure trove of finds but high on the price.
If you were looking for Dragonball stuff I'd say hit the Columbus Toy Show in a couple months or go to some show like Motor City Con where dealers are trying to blow that stuff out cheap. Maybe even something like the Lexington Toy and Comic Show.


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