LEXINGTON, Ky. — Lexington Comic-Con returned this year. Attendees enjoyed the four-day convention with hundreds of cosplayers, vendors and even photo opportunities with their favorite celebrities.
Hundreds of comic fans in Lexington lined up for the most exciting event of the year. Lexington’s Comic-Con hasn’t been in person since September 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, so many excited fans couldn’t wait for the return of the largest event of its kind in the area. The convention sold out tickets three out of four convention days. James Godbey from Lexington was eager to bring his two kids and wife to the 2022 convention for the first time.
“We’re pretty excited to be here. It’s been a long time coming, but we’re ready to be here and have some fun,” Godbey said.
The Lexington Comic-Con is well-known for people cosplaying their favorite characters. Selina Young from Winchester, Ky. dressed up as Maleficent.
“I love the bad guys, I’m all about the darkness of it and I just love Angelina Jolie’s version of it, so I decided to do what I could to portray her version in Lexington,” Young said.
Young rarely attends comic conventions as a cosplayer, but decided for the 2022 Lexington Comic-Con she was going to do so.
“This is honestly really my first time doing a cosplay at Comic-Con, and this is the 10-year anniversary that I have started attending Comic-Con as well so this was just a big excitement for us,” Young said.
The Lexington Comic-Con had plenty of vendors selling artwork, toys and collector items. Fans and attendees got to shop and admire dozens of booths filled with one-of-a-kind items.
Hank Miller, an attendee from Jackson, Mich. and a member of the 501st Legion, brought a remote-operated R2-MW6 from the comic and movie Star Wars.
“She [R2-MW6] was originally an 18 inch Weber grill and I like to say she used to warm steaks, now she warms hearts. I’m looking to enjoy a new convention. We’re going to hang out with the 501st Legion, the merks and the Rebel Legion. We’ll be suited up later and just enjoying a new convention,” Miller said.
Greg Johnson, another fan of Star Wars, was an attendee cosplaying a Shadow Trooper. Johnson is also part of 501st Legion, which is an international organization that constructs and wears screen-accurate replicas of Imperial Stormtrooper armor, Sith Lords, Clone Troopers and bounty hunters.
“It’s a lot of fun to see the smiles on their faces and that’s what it’s all about. It’s all about the kids and making sure everybody has a good time and having fun. The facility is amazing, absolutely amazing, so I’m really excited about it and I didn’t want to miss this one. This is definitely going to be one of the premiere conventions in the area,” Johnson said.
Fans even got to see multiple voice actors, including Megan Hollingshead, who is the voice behind series like Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh! and Naruto.
“I have no direct interaction with the people who are enjoying this work and I come to these conventions, people tell me what they loved about the shows and they share their personal experiences and it’s immensely exciting and fulfilling as an actor,” Hollingshead said.
Comic fans will return Sunday for the last day of the 2022 convention. To see a full list of celebrities in attendance and ticket information, go to Lexington Comic-Con’s website.
Editor's note: In a previous version of this story the reporter incorrectly said this was the in-person Comic-Con since 2019. The last last in-person event was September 2021. The error has been corrected in the headline and the story.