Now that life seems to be returning to normal and conventions are beginning to reappear from the verge of being an endangered species, Becky Rainwater, the Director of Livestream Media at GNN, and myself were able to go to the Central Florida Comic Con. It was amazing.

Becky Rainwater(Center Left) and myself (Center Right) were asked to pose with two members of the Outer Rims Guild. Eddy Cooper(Left) and Stephanie Daniels, aka Sal Roka(Right)
This phenomenal convention was packed with fans, cosplayers, celebrities, merchants, and fun. The interactions were great, the staff was exceptional at keeping everything organized to get people in, and were very friendly. Even the food on site was pretty good. Here are a few of the highlights.
PIKACHU CAR!

The Pikabug, owned by @pikabellechu

The Pikabug owned by @pikabellechu
As you walked into the RP Funding Center, you couldn’t help but see the awesome custom Pikachu Volkswagen Beetle. “Pikabug” is owned by @pikabellechu. Pikabellechu is in the Guinness Book of World Records for her astonishing collection of over 21,000+ Pikachus!
The dashboard of the car was autographed by different voice actors in the show. Tons of stuffed Pikachus inside, custom Pikachu seat covers, a custom Pokéball on the steering wheel, and lesser-known facts printed out and taped to the outside of the car talking all about PokéMon.

The Pikabug, owned by @pikabellechu
CELEBRITIES!
I’m going to cover this more in a future article, but I want to give a special thank you to Ben Penrod, and Nerd Street USA, for helping us to coordinate a chance to talk with a few of the celebrities who were there. Paul Schrier, who was Bulk on the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Karan Ashley, who was Aisha (the 2nd Yellow Mighty Morphin Power Ranger), and George Lowe, the voice of Space Ghost. Unfortunately due to the lines and the way the day worked out we were not able to talk to Kara Eberle of RWBY, or Kyle Phillips of One Piece/My Hero Academia. The lines to see them never diminished, but everyone looked like they were having a great time.

Becky Rainwater(Left), Paul Schrier (Center), Devin Stewart (Right)
BOOTHS EVERYWHERE!

Booths and Cosplayers everywhere at Central Florida Comic Con
So many different vendors from comic books, to artists, to video games, to original crafts, to novels, to you-name-it. You could bring all of the money you will think you need, and still wish you brought more. The people manning the booths were amazing too. Excellent customer engagement, and a clear passion for what they were selling. I watched booth owners help customers find a particular comic book, while others gave interesting information about a particular collectable, or they made one of the crafts they were selling.

So much to see and do at Central Florida Comic Con
Sammy Castillo of Castillo Studios in Tampa was particularly awesome. We got a brief moment to take a great picture of her and her artwork. While we were eating lunch, she walked by, recognized us from earlier in the day, and stole a couple of French fries with a smile on her face. A wonderful personality, a talented artist, and I look forward to collecting some of her artwork myself in the near future.

The very funny, and talented Sammy Castillo
COSPLAYERS!
It was refreshing to see so many people out in cosplay at the Central Florida Comic Con. Anime characters, the Star Wars fan-groups of the 501st, and The Rebel Legion, various costume clubs, GI Joe’s, Halo, and so many more. Every fandom was represented in their awesome cosplays and characters. Below are a few special mentions with their Instagram accounts linked below. Go check out their pages!

Linette @lg_cosplays(Left), Robert @rg.cosplay (Center), Melinda @yoshi.cosplay (Right)

Master Chef @Sergeant_Monty (Left) Gwenith @twizzty_22 (Center) Tom @tkraptor (Right)

Harleigh Fagon @Harleighan

The Tampa Bay Squad, The Makaze Squad, and the Ra Kura Base Rebel Legion Cosplayers
I have been to many conventions over the years, and this one gets a 10/10 for me. The people were great. It was very well organized, safe, with plenty of space for all. I will definitely be back, so if you go, look for the guys with Geek News Now.
I also want to give a shout-out to the food vendor, Levy Food Services. The chicken fingers were great, the fries were crispy, and that was absolutely the shortest wait in line for food I have ever had at a convention.
Stay tuned for more content covering the Central Florida Comic Con. Also, be sure to bookmark the Geek News Now website to not miss any of our upcoming information, articles, and contests. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Twitch. Stay Geeky my friends.

Rebekah Rainwater
June 24, 2021 at 4:03 pm
The convention was a lot of fun and I wish I had been able to actually cosplay when I went! Maybe next time though.