Heroes & Villains Fan Fest: San Jose!
This past weekend on August 27th & 28th, Heroes & Villains Fan Fest took place at the San Jose Convention Center. Unlike most conventions that Geek Speak covers, this convention doesn’t focus on comics, but rather fan and celebrity interaction. It also has a unique badge system with general admission as well as VIP, Gold VIP, and Platinum VIP each with their own perks such as autographs, photos, priority seating, and front-of-the-line access. The convention itself is fairly small and one of the founders Stephen Amell says he wants it to stay that way and so it remains an intimate experience.
Actors from a wide variety of shows such as Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D., Arrow, Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Once Upon a Time, and Heroes were all there. There were several panels throughout the day, with one stage having hour long panels typically with a Q&A session. The other stage would have a one on one interview lasting about 20 minutes live streamed to the Heroes & Villains Facebook page. A large majority of the people there did some sort of panel so many attendees got to ask a question if they wanted to. There was also a cosplay contest that was free to enter, with free admission to a future Fan Fest as a prize to the winners.
All of the attendees had a signing booth and almost all were doing professional photos, even a few were allowing selfies at their booths. I myself went over to say hello to Clark Gregg (Agent Coulson), Chandler Riggs (Carl Grimes), Amy Cumenick (Cupid), and John Barrowman (Malcom Merlin). Though I imagine if you were determined enough, you could get to everyone. Though if at any point during the convention you decided you wanted to take a break from the celebrities, there was plenty to shop for with well known artist such as Lord Mesa attending, swords for sale, and even airbrush tattoos. Redvines was sponsoring the event so free Redvines were available throughout the weekend from their booth. If you were to feel a little more on the adventures side you could go on the zipline, obstacle course, or on the bungee trampoline, all available for free. If you missed this weekend, don’t worry because Heroes & Fan Fest will traveling to Orlando, Atlanta, Chicago, London, Portland, Nashville, and New York. I highly recommend going, I had a great time and I get you will too.
