For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Rachel and I go to a lot of comic cons. Now, you might read this and think I am a comic-reading, binge-watching, superhero (and villain) adoring fan, like the thousands of people who attend these comic cons almost every week, but I am not. I go to comic con because my dad works for Wizard World Comic Con, which holds upwards of 15 conventions throughout the country every year. Even though I don’t look at comic cons the same way that the thousands of people that attend these show do, I am able to see the amazing things that each and every convention can really do for all of the people who go to a show.

After just walking around a show floor just once, you can see all of the amazing people that attend these conventions and how seamlessly they all fit in. People of different ages, genders, sexual orientations, and races are all able to come together under one hall to bond over their shared loves. While some come to a convention alone, others with their family, and some with a group of friends, everyone can feel like a unit because no matter how they got there, they all have something in common. You can walk around seeing people who never knew each other taking cosplay pictures together or watch two people standing in the same line bond over their love for the same TV show or movie. It is amazing to see how big of an impact a weekend can make on so many people.

I learned that Comic Con is not just for comics. Sure there are plenty of comic book characters and superheroes, but that is not really what it is about anymore. What makes Comic Cons so special is that there is something for almost everyone. From comics and art, to shopping and panels there is literally no way that anyone could get bored just taking laps around the convention center floor.

But my favorite thing is to watch people meet celebrities. These are the people who fans are looking up to. The people that occupy their TV screen and spend countless hours on their computer looking up funny videos and pictures of them (and trust me I am guilty of it too). It is quite possibly the coolest thing to witness someone’s day being made. To watch their faces light up and not be able to form a coherent sentence. It is amazing to watch quite possibly the best day of somebody’s life and I am so happy that comic con gives that to its fans.

If you asked the younger me what I thought of comic cons you would have heard a very different answer than the one you are getting from me today. I have learned so much about these conventions but I also learned how much more there is beyond just the one weekend that the show is held in any given city. Comic Con is not held for one reason, but a thousand little reasons.