Review: Creative cosplay galore at the 2024 FAN EXPO Dallas convention
Collin-Denton Spotlighter Contributing Editor and Journalist Bob Grega gives his impressions on this year’s FAN EXPO Dallas convention.
At the end of every Peanuts cartoon special, there is a scene where Charlie Brown and Linus are together, reflecting on what just happened. The scene typically unfolds with them resting their arms on a wall next to each other, with Charlie Brown making a comment about another year having come and gone. It’s with that same feeling that I reflect back on another year of FAN EXPO Dallas having come and gone.
For those unfamiliar, the FAN EXPO Dallas is a three-day pop culture convention that draws over 60,000 fans each year to the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center. This year’s convention proved to be as fun, exciting, and crowded as years past. Some of the big highlights and trends from this year were:
Mandalorians everywhere. Fans are definitely still firmly behind all things Mandalorian, with many people dressed up as their favorite character from the hit Disney show. The Mando Mercs Costume Club area was a big hit with fans.
There were some unique surprises in the community area this year, such as the British Emporium located in Grapevine was a welcome surprise. They had an awesome Dr. Who diorama, complete with a Mini Cooper and a Dalek.
Jedi are still very popular. The force remains very strong with all things Star Wars. There were a number of custom lightsaber creation booths at the show as well as Jedi themselves who were ready for battle.
Check out our story on the DFW Astromech Builders Club to learn how this R2-D2 was made.
A very cool corner of this year’s festivities was a life-size replica of a Battlestar Galactica Colonial Viper, which fans could sit in and get their full Starbuck on.
The Artists Alley was a real who’s who of talented creators. My favorite fanboy moment had to be seeing Dan Parent of Archie fame, sitting there sketching scene after scene of Archie drawings. One of my personal hobbies is drawing, and it is amazing to see someone quickly create a perfect sketch of a character, something that would take me hours to try to replicate if I even could. Next year, I already plan to purchase some original artwork.
Did I mention crowds? Yes, there were a lot of people, but that’s what makes it interesting. There were certainly plenty of amazing Cosplay costumes to marvel at. They ranged from simple Ash from Pokémon outfits, to elaborate Ghostbusters displays and even Batman himself.
So, as I sit here leaning on my wall with my arms folded, thinking about how another FAN EXPO Dallas has come and gone, I can’t help but get excited about what might be in store for next year.
