From Friday, February 17 to Sunday the 19, in Orlando, Florida, Mega Con opened its doors once again to Comic, Sci-fi, and Anime fans for one of Florida’s biggest conventions of the year. People flock from all over, to one of the biggest gatherings of fans for the goal of trying to out nerd each other, and with over an estimated 40,000 attendees, this was one of the busiest years for Mega Con.

Despite the crowd, it is easy to get around the convention and check out all the shops that were set up. There were a vast variety of different shops; Comics, anime, collectables, cosplay costumes, and even weapons (blades). But probably the most impressive thing there were the prices.

Naturally you can find collectable comics that range between $100-$600, but they also sell various comics at a high discounted price. You could purchase a $30 comic set for only $5, and if you’re interested in the Essential or Showcase series, which average $17 a volume, can be picked up for around $9. This is usually the reason why many fans and enthusiasts go to the convention, and it is worth it.

If you were to come to Mega Con without friends, you would have made friends fast within the convention. Thousands of people, with similar interests, gathering together, it is real easy to just go up to someone and reference anything in comics or anime, and you’ll fire an instant connection. Here at Mega Con, you really feel like family.

One issue with Mega Con was that they did not prepare for the crowd that showed up. Employees were pointing people one way and others pointing them another. As for the convention floor, at points, it felt like trying to go downstream against migrating salmon. There were so many people that there was no order on where to go or how to get somewhere.

One solution that Mega Con should do for next year is to set up the convention floor like New York City. Setting the floor up in a grid and having certain paths go in one direction would help with the flow of traffic, rather than having everyone going everywhere which just adds more chaos into a very crowded environment.

Despite the few issues with Mega Con’s crowd, the convention itself was a truly amazing site and one of the best experiences of anyone’s life. If you are a fan of comics or just want to experience something unique, you should check out your local conventions.

Image Courtesy of   http://www.flickr.com/photos/digital_ramapge/

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About the author

David Sklepko
I am a Student of Anthropology at the University of South Florida. I have many interests in arts and entertainment as well as the culture of societies and how they influence various forms of entertainment.