Garden State Comic Fest Grows in Atlantic City

The first weekend of April was probably the biggest one of the year so far for fans of comics, cosplay, anime, and video games. With numerous conventions being held across the country (many of which were covered by other members of Nerd Caliber), there was something for just about everyone. Being based in New Jersey, I decided it was time for me to finally check out Garden State Comic Fest in Atlantic City this year.

GSCF was held at the Showboat Hotel on the Atlantic City boardwalk this year; a venue that will host several other comic and anime conventions later in the year. The former casino had sufficient space to house all of the event’s vendors and attendees without feeling cramped in any area. Speaking of vendors, there was quite a nice selection of dealers and artists at the event, offering the types of comics, collectibles, and artwork you would expect at an event of this nature.

GSCF also had a number of celebrities and creators in attendance for fans to meet and get photos with, including Summer Glau, David Dastmalchian, Eric Roberts, and Kevin Eastman. The event also had an area dedicated to cosplay guests which included The Smoke, Kati Coe, Father Evil, and Sutton Family Cosplay. Not every convention does this sort of thing, and I greatly appreciated the organizers showing love and support for our local area cosplayers in this manner.

The event offered a lineup of panels and entertainment which included Q&A sessions from several of the guests in attendance, “Water Dancing,” a sword fighting workshop hosted by Miltos Yerolemou who played Syrio Forel in Game of Thrones, and a cosplay contest. The lineup was relatively modest, but on par with other conventions of this size.

Garden State Comic Fest is a relatively new convention, and a somewhat small (but growing) one in comparison to the other events I cover in the area. However, I still consider the event to be an enjoyable one worth attending, and I look forward to covering the event again in the future. If the organizers continue to hold the event at the Showboat, I would love to see them move the event to one of the summer months, as it would be even more attractive to travel Atlantic City for the event during a time where attendees could fully enjoy the beach and boardwalk after the convention.

Additional cosplayers in this gallery include LadyJ_Cosplay, Girl Who Waited, BoriñQuinn, Andrew Arkham Cosplay, Married with Cosplay, Siryn, Maeden Cosplay, SmoakinFox Cosplay, Cosplay With Attitude, NJ BatSquad Studios, Retired Wonder Woman, Cosplay by Mikette, Starlight Goddess Cosplay, C3Cosplay, and many more.

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