Another Dallas Fan Expo has come and gone. This one was a special one for Star Wars fans. It marked the first time that Mark Hamill has attended a convention in the Dallas area, and thousands of fans shared their appreciation by standing in line to meet and greet him for three to five hours at times. K-2SO actor Alan Tudyk and C-3PO comic book artist Tony Harris were also there welcoming their fans.
The big highlights for me over the weekend were mainly Star Wars-related, but spilled over into comic book territory as well. I could only make it out on Sunday, so I had a lot to cram into one afternoon. There was a large amount of ground to cover (literally), artists and celebrities I wanted to meet, and panels I needed to attend.
While I wasn’t blessed to meet Mark Hamill, I did get the opportunity to attend his panel with Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy. Just being able to hear the legendary actor talk about his career as the Joker and other animated characters was an exciting experience. Not everyone gets the unique opportunity to hear Hamill and Conroy switch roles, with Mark voicing the Dark Knight and Kevin as the Clown Prince of Crime. One of my favorite parts of the panel were just watching Hamill take Star Wars questions and somehow turn them into Batman-related ones through his answers.
Iconic artist Drew Struzan was a very nice guy who took the time to greet me in between signing posters of Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and The Goonies. So many legendary illustrations have been crafted by his hand, including artwork for Blade Runner, Back to the Future, and many more.
The 501st Garrison was in attendance and providing all sorts of fun activities for folks to enjoy. You could get your picture taken with Stormtroopers, Kylo Ren, Mandalorian Mercs, and other such characters. They brought along a Landspeeder and a Snowspeeder for fans to take pictures with. There were also a few droids to take pictures with as well. Any and all tips were donated to the Animal Rescue of Texas charity.
The Dallas Convention Center was definitely a pop culture mecca during Fan Expo 2017. The lines were long and there were plenty of great vendors to shop at. They had everything from phone cases to stuffed animals to full-sized swords and other battle weapons. One thing is for sure, there’s no shortage of things to do when you come to a Fan Expo Dallas event.
To see more pictures from the event, you can click here.