Written by August Aguilar, June 27, 2016, at 6:06 a.m. Tweet to: @AugustAA92 & @elburritoblog
End of the Fanboy Expo Weekend
Fanboy Expo in Knoxville has finally came to a close, ending it’s strong weekend with fun and last minute shopping sprees. Today the convention still held a strong attendance, but with more of a casual Sunday afternoon flow to the floor.
The great thing about conventions on their last day, people are a lot more laid back, vendors like to make better deals, and some celebrity guests like to just hang out with everyone around. Ric Flair had a special moment before he made his exit, giving a loud speech to an audience and calling for a chant of “WOO!” all around the floor.
The bittersweet moment of any comic book convention is when you walk out for the final time. It’s a relief of relaxing your heavy feet as they’ve walked all day and hanging up your signed autographs, to being sad that you won’t be able to head back again the following weekend. I always feel like conventions bring out the best of people as everyone can just walk around freely, express themselves and their creativity, and meeting some idols that you’ve grown up watching as a kid.
The Best of the Expo
For me, despite not able to drop a lot of money on amazing things or meeting all of the celebrities that I like, the best of the 
expo comes from the creative people who attend. The cosplay this year was spot on, some of the best I’ve seen at a convention.
I asked a few guests how long it took to make some of their costumes, and some ranged from a couple of weeks to almost three months! The cosplay contest is always a great way to show everyone’s hard work and just how much fun it is seeing your favorite characters to life.
The artists on the other hand are also really cool to see and talk to. Some artists were locally from Knoxville, while others came all the way from Boston and other regions around Tennessee. Each artist has their own style with colors, sketches, paints, and designs, but they are all incredible to see. I was able to sit with a few artists as they sketched out new work right there at their booths. Next year, I know to bring some extra cash so I can pick up a few original pieces!
The Verdict
Overall, Fanboy Expo was an amazing time as always. I feel like each year Fanboy gets a little bigger and better, with a lot more support from the city. It’s great to see so many guests come down and interact with their fans, and it’s even cooler to see people come out and express themselves freely.
This con culture is full of heart and fun, and I hope to see it grow large enough to tour more cities around the United States. Be sure to check out all of our picture galleries and videos around our social media sites to get the feel of the whole experience of what it’s like to be a true fanboy!
