Sunday usually hit different. It’s traditionally a kids days and family-friendly programming. It somehow makes the whole day feel like the con exhaling after three days of holding its breath.
Masquerade Results Are In
Saturday night’s Masquerade filled Ballroom 20 plus overflow seating in the Sails Pavilion and part of Ballroom 6A emceed by Phil and Kaja Foglio of Studio Foglio. This competition has been running since 1974.
Best in Show went to an incredible Optimus Prime, made and worn by Maksym Dokiienko along with Vadym and Hanna Lukhtyzskyi. Judges’ Choice went to a group entry called Horus Heresy, and Best Re-Creation went to an Evil Queen from Kstroobz Cosplay.
A few of the sponsor awards stood out too: Atreus from God of War Ragnarok took the Oksana Shore Award for Excellence in Craftsmanship, a Bumblebee build earned Old Spice’s “Freshest Hero” award, and Nyan Cat won Audience Favorite from the Frank and Son Collectible Show.
Cruella took Best Costume from the Costume Designers Guild, and an original character called Prince Stolas earned the Costumer’s Guild West’s “Showing the Most Promise” award.
Sunday’s Closing Tradition: Once More, With Feeling
Sunday’s programming leans to a more community-driven schedule. The Comic-Con Museum ran a panel previewing what’s coming to Balboa Park, including new exhibits centered on Charles Addams and artist Mel Marcelo, with Star Wars’ Ashley Eckstein stopping by to talk about the museum’s ongoing “Masquerade: The Art of the Costume” exhibit. There was also a fun little bracket-style debate panel pitting fictional pop culture vacation destinations against each other, which is exactly the kind of low-stakes, purely-for-fun programming Sunday tends to save room for.
But the real closer was the Buffy the Vampire Slayer musical episode screening, “Once More, With Feeling.” Presented by Fandom Charities, HellmouthCon, and SixDegreesOfGeek, this has become Comic-Con’s unofficial closing tradition: a full interactive sing-along screening, encouraged audience participation and all. If you’ve never experienced a room full of strangers singing “I’ve Got a Theory” together at the end of a five-day convention, it’s genuinely one of the more joyful, communal moments this weekend has to offer, and it’s the kind of thing that reminds you why cons like this exist in the first place. Not just for the trailers and reveals, but for moments like this one.
Walking out of the convention center for the last time this weekend, there’s no adrenaline left to run on for me just the satisfaction of having made it through. There has been a lot of negative things said about this year’s Comic-Con and it would be true but at the same time, a lot of things are expected like long lines and crowds and even the scalpers. It has never gotten to the point where I hated a convention. A person has only have one life, I intend to enjoy mine. You should to.
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