Once again I find myself attending Chattanooga Comic Con (C3), one of a handful of events I’ve attended since it began. Now this is also the only event that I committed to going to before the year began so I can’t overstate how excited I was for this one. For the last two years C3 has surprised me with it’s commitment to finding a balance between unique and fun things to go while also maintaining an organized structure that best benefits the fans. This year is no different as I again managed to come to this event to bring home some memories that I will never forget.

As always lets start things off by talking about the guests. C3 features a wide variety of guests spanning all areas of pop culture. You had Power Rangers like Steve Cardenas and Power Rangers comic book artist Sketch Ellis. Voice actors from Pokemon, One Piece, My Hero Academia and Scooby Doo. Well known figures from the DC Universe, Flash Gordon, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and someone I’ve personally had a number of adventures with Ming Chen from Comic Book Men. The convention also placed these guests in the same spot as last year and this worked out well because there was plenty of space to walk around and it wasn’t hard to meet everyone. Even if some of the lines got long it never impeded any walkways. I ended up getting almost all of the autographs I wanted and a few extras within the first hour of the doors opening. If I had to suggest anything it would be to implement a system to get the longer lines moving faster, but there were very few long lines to apply that to.

The panels were also a lot of fun. I went to a few of the group panels talking about One Piece, Pokemon and Toy Hunting. I didn’t have any issue getting a really good seat which is great for taking the best photos. The convention added more panels this year by using four different rooms so there was a wider variety of events. You also had improv, cosplay, and figure drawing panels. Plus a sensory space room that had panels such as navigating cons without overstimulation and a kid’s creative corner which is perfect for families. The two biggest panel rooms were right across the hall from the vendors making it very easy to go back and forth from panels to shopping where I spent a lot of money.

Speaking of lines though I do want to talk about the line to get in. At the start of the day Saturday the line to pick up tickets did get a bit long. I don’t think the line was long enough to be any kind of an issue as wait times were very short, about 20 minutes. However, this convention is growing and will continue to do so meaning now is the time to develop methods to expedite this process. While the wait time for 2024’s attendance was about 20 minutes I’m sure attendance will grow next year and so will that wait time.

The vendors is where I ended up spending most of my time. You had a wide array of stuff you normally see at cons like funkos, cosplay props, cards and stuff like that. However, there were a lot of cool items that were new to me included a lot of 3D printed Pokemon merch, coins, candy, original tumblers and T shirts. My wife and I ended up buying a lot of stuff to take home, more than we usually do. I even ended up with a Power Rangers comic that was sold exclusive to C3 and got it signed by Sketch Ellis and Steve Cardenas. So I ended up with my first exclusive comic after getting back into comic collecting and for one of my all time favorite franchises.

One of the best parts of the vendors is the fact that everything is spaced out really well. I’ve stated this in previous reviews of other events, but if the vendors hall is too cramped I will not take photos of cosplayers there. This was not the case as there was never a moment where I felt remotely cramped even while other fans stopped to shop.

The event also featured a very spacious game room where you can play Dungeons and Dragons, a variety of board games and even foam fighting. I didn’t spend a lot of time in this room this year but it’s high on my list of things to do for 2025.

For this next topic I need to provide a bit of context first. I personally know the owner of C3 and he reached out to me for ideas on what to do for an event this year after the massive success of the Trolly Pub in 2023. As a result C3 featured a new event called Pizza Party with Ming Chen. I’m naturally going to take an objective approach when talking about it, but I felt like this context is something that would add value to anyone reading this.

As for the pizza party itself it was a lot of fun. For $30 you got a t-shirt exclusive to the event which also included pizza. The event was held at Goodfellas Pizza which was a great looking and spacious venue. The food was delicious and one slice of pizza took up an entire plate. I ended up being full after just two slices. Ming is also very charismatic and he brings a fun atmosphere to any party he’s at. Plus many other guests such as voice actors from Anime Enthusiasts United, Steve Cardenas and more came by to have fun and mingle with the fans which only further enhanced the experience. I even ran into most of my traveling companions from the trolly pub and it was amazing to see them all again. The only thing I recommend for this is for the T-shirts there needs to be an option to provide a shirt size upon ordering tickets as several people didn’t get a shirt in their size.

So there you have it. Once again C3 manages to create a well organized and unique experience that had added another incredible story to my ever growing list of unforgettable moments. Any critiques I have are simply things the convention could look at improving to help as it grows to a much bigger event. Things that are not an issue at the size it is currently but could be optimized so it stays that way as it continues to grow. Whatever weekend C3 takes place next year I’m immediately locking that in for another fun time as I’m already excited for it.