Comic Con Germany 2017 in Stuttgart - A Review

As a true nerd girl I was thrilled when in 2016 the first Comic Con took place in Stuttgart. Today the second Comic Con Germany has ended and I am still on cloud number 9, like so many others.

The organizer has opted to increase the size of the fair by including the hall 3, where last year only the panels took place. While this was a good thing on one hand increasing the number of stands available for vendors and artists on the other hand they choose to diminish the area available to the panels in comparison to last year. This was especially sad for the fans considering that this year all panels were for free and often you had to either queue for hours or stand in the back. Luckily we were able to get a place in the back for the John Barrowman panel on sunday. 

Despite having to stand in the back with many others it was absolutely worth it. John Barrowman was the headliner of the event (in the acting department!) and rightly so! He was witty and goofy as well as sexy and hillarious. He shared many funny anecdotes and laced them with just the right amount of naughtiness to keep them sexy. In the end he sang a beautiful ballad that melted every heart in the room. Being a John Barrowman fan since his musical days this was very special for myself. 

I would like to point out in particular the panels of James Morrison, well known for his work on "24" and "Space: Above and Beyond", and Michael Biehn, who is best known for his appearances in "Terminator" and "Aliens", who appeared with his wife Jennifer Blanc-Biehn, who appeared on "Dark Angel". All three actors were very down to earth and shared charming stories from various projects. They gave insides into how they prepare for roles and why they do what they do. The panels had an almost intimitate character (They took place in the atrium, which was the smaller venue) and the actors were very relaxed. 

The variety of stands was mindblowing. It started with expositions by various clubs including rebuilt Star Wars sets and Lego art. There was of course there was also a variety of merchandise available for very fair prices. A highlight was also the art section which was a great place to make contact with potential designers for book covers (I think I found my designer there). They even had an escape room, which you could try out. In general it was a great chance to meet artists and print shops for upcoming writers like myself. 

Personally I also enjoyed cosplayers. while it seemed that there were less than last year it seemed to me that the quality of the costumes has increased significantly. Maybe this was due to the cosplay contest, which has drawn a significant crowd. Some of the costums had a quality worth of profesional productions. 

The organisation was better than last year, the team having obviously learnt from their mistakes. Personally I hope that next year there will be a little more time during the photo sessions, since this year it had the feeling of an assembly-line. I understand that this is effective, but it would be nice to give it a little more time to at least say properly hello and give thanks after the picture and say maybe a few words. This would be nice not just for the fans but also for the actors. 

All in all this Comic Con was again a success despite the many cancellations in advance. Since the actors were informed they seemed eager to make up for the missing colleagues. It also gave people the chance to meet likeminded fans and to introduce themselves to different aspects of fandom.