The gathering of fandoms at Comic Con

There comes a time when men, women and children can dress up as their favorite fictional characters and wander a crowded convention center for an entire weekend without feeling out of place.

In Utah, this event is called the Salt Lake Comic Con.

I walk through the front doors of the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City, and I am instantly surrounded by fellow Whovians, Potterheads and Trekkies. For the next few hours I am among my people, and no one is afraid to show their fandom.

I’ve been to three of these events so far, and I’ve loved every single one of them. Comic Con is where members of every fandom can gather and mingle for three days to enjoy artists, vendors, celebrity guests and, of course, other people’s costumes.

Last weekend was a Fan Xperience, or FanX, which is an event hosted by Comic Con. FanX is geared toward a broader spectrum of guests and focuses more on celebrity guest panels and photo opportunities. This one was smaller than the main Comic Con I attended last fall, but the level of fun didn’t change.

What’s interesting about Utah’s Comic Con is that it came here for the first time in 2013. We broke records at the 2014 FanX for largest convention in the state, and it was the third largest Comic Con in the country.

Just last year, Utah was named the nerdiest state in the nation by Estately, a real estate search website, basing its statistics on the percentage of Facebook users who liked 12 interests: “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” costume play (cosplay), “Harry Potter,” “Star Wars,” anime movies, Dungeons & Dragons, live action role-playing (LARPing), “Doctor Who,” fantasy literature, “Lord of the Rings,” Magic: The Gathering and comic books.

Utah had the highest percentage for cosplay, “Harry Potter,” “Star Wars,” LARPing, fantasy literature and “The Lord of the Rings,” with Alaska close behind in the ranking. Next in the rankings are Wyoming, Idaho, Colorado and Washington.

I am a fan of a good number of those items, and I know many others who are too, so I was surprised when I realized that this state hadn’t hosted a major convention like Comic Con before 2013.

One of my favorite parts of Comic Con is the celebrity panels, despite the long lines and waiting that doesn’t even guarantee entrance into the room. Actors are fun to listen to, and they can tell great stories about backstage pranks or what their coworkers are like. It’s to note the differences between actors and their characters.

Another thing I like about events like this is seeing all the different costumes. Cosplay is a traditional feature at fan-based conventions, and this weekend was no exception.

I saw an Enderman, eight feet tall, walk past wizards and special agents. Japanese anime characters wandered around with wild hairdos and huge cardboard weapons next to superheroes from both Marvel and DC. I saw so many different Elsas, Annas, Starlords and Deadpools that I lost count.

I think my favorite cosplayer was this girl in a Toothless dragon costume. Or maybe it was the Princess Zelda my brother wanted a picture with, or the wookie I saw, who had very detailed facial features and fur.

It’s really hard to pick just one favorite among so many people who have put tons of money and hours into their costumes. That dedication is apparent.

— Miranda Lorenc is a sophomore in biology and is a big fan of things like The Lord of the Rings and Dungeons and Dragons. You can email her at lormialor@gmail.com.