The most uninspired Denver Comic Con

**The 2018 Comic Con seemed like a cheap ripoff of 2017.**
Illustration: Thayer Sindelar · *The Sentry*

The 2018 DCC was a dismal disappointment

The 2018 Denver Comic Con was far from the fun-filled event its reputation promised. The annual summer event for the Mile High City that had its start back in 2012, is typically an amazing convention that celebrates pop culture and brings together fans all over the Centennial State.

This year was just a letdown. Several of the guest celebrities, such as Millie Bobby Brown, Caleb McLaughlin, and Gaten Matarazzo from Stranger Things, backed out last minute, citing different commitments, which was a major blow to a lot of those in attendance this year. This unfortunately led to a few panels getting cancelled with no replacements. There were even few panels that were repeats, such as actor John Barrowman’s, which all fed into the overall aura of “been there, done that.”

Ultimately, though, the true blow to the Comic Con experience was the disappointing convention floor where all the art, merchandise, games, and more resided. It was wonderful to see a lot of return vendors, but they were peddling the same stuff as last year but with higher prices because “yay capitalism.”

On top of that, a person could walk around for hours and see the same content plastered everywhere with the slightest of variations. The unique designs and artist styles used to keep everything fresh and novel even though the subjects were relatively the same. This year felt like one person did the homework and everyone else copied it, only changing a sentence or two.

The final disappointment was on the fans themselves. The cosplays followed the theme that the rest of the Con did: a total rehash of last year. Two consecutive years of fishnet Harley Quinns and Deadpools in lederhosen is enough. It’s not like there wasn’t new material to cosplay.

All in all, this year’s Comic Con felt like the Great Value brand version of the 2017 Denver Comic Con.