Conventions

Salt Lake FanX Comic Convention Fall 2023

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This was a very strange year for SL FanX Comic Convention. Despite it being the 10th anniversary of the event. Because of the writers’ and actors’ strikes nearly all of the celebrities were not permitted to discuss past, present, or future works. This made for some ridiculous and in some ways pointless panels. At the beginning of panels they announce you could not discuss specific works or franchises. In the main ballroom Chris Provost said “also this is kind of fun, you can’t ask them anything about their work.” It particularly seems bizarre that they can’t discuss previous roles, in some cases things that happened decades ago. 

The hours were also reduced this year, particularly on Saturday with the event ending at 7:00pm. The reduced hours meant a reduction in the number of panels. It showed as less rooms were dedicated for panels resulting in fewer options once you tired of the exhibit hall. 

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FanX Salt Lake Comic Convention (Fall 2019)

Another year, another FanX. This year’s major headliner was Tom Holland. They haven’t announced attendance numbers (yet), but traditionally the Fall show draws between 75,000 and 110,000 people. It certainly seemed crowded enough.

Christina Ricci Panel

Famous for her childhood role of Wednesday Adams and such movies as Casper, Sleepy Hollow, and Penelope, Christina Ricci comes across as a really nice person (it could be an act though).

When asked if she would like to play Cat Woman opposite Robert Pattinson as Batman she said “yes!” When asked if she had a Disney live action role she would want to play she said “Tinkerbell.”

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FanX Salt Lake Comic Convention (Spring 2019)

Once again, that which cannot be shortened to be called a comic-con has come and gone in Salt Lake City. The Spring show was billed as being smaller, and it was. Fewer vendors, panels, and crowds. Occasionally FanX has done smaller Spring shows, kind of to give everyone a breather, and then they bounce back with a huge show in the fall. Interesting tidbits from the show:

Zachary Levi Spotlight Panel

It turns out that Zachary Levi is a pretty funny guy, and his panel was full of laughs and fun throughout.

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September: A Month of Bad Movies

September will feature at least four Jack’s Bad Movies (each separated by a week or so). The reason? Fanx Salt Lake Comic Convention (Sep. 8-10) has a panel titled “A Different Kind of Marvelous: The First Live Action (Made for Television) Marvel Cinematic Universe:”

Long before Iron Man and The Hulk started the Marvel Cinematic Universe on a course against Thanos, and even before Ang Lee’s Hulk, Raimi’s Spider-Man or Ben Affleck’s Daredevil, Marvel Comics struggled gloriously on screens, big and small, to bring big ideas and heroes with heart to life, subject of course to budgetary limitations and commercial breaks. In the 1970s and 1980s, Captain America, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, The Hulk, Daredevil, and Thor all made live action appearances, often with catchy, disco infused theme songs, custom vans, feathered hair, and exciting special effects (you will believe a man can slowly scramble down a wall). Our panel will visually explore the better and lesser appreciated entries in the early Marvel television oeuvre, discuss the successes and limitations of the television films and series in context, and discuss how these enthusiastic early entries opened the door for Marvel movies in the 1990s, and ultimately to the modern MCU. Excelsior!

As it happens, I will be participating on that panel. In preparation, I’ve been watching the older Marvel related properties. Against all odds, most of these appear to be quite bad. At the suggestions of Himarm and CreationEdge, I decided to post them to coincide with the panel I’ll be participating on and spread them out over the whole month.

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