Planet Comicon Kansas City Raises the Bar in 2025

1 day ago

*David Tennant taking questions at Planet Comicon Kansas City. Photo by Josh Chaikin*

The past few decades have seen a sizeable shift towards the geek fandom. Previously, things like comic books, sci-fi shows, and Tolkien novels were seen as something for nerds, and not cool. Fast forward a few years, and Lord of the Rings is the biggest film at the box office, and each summer, everyone is waiting to see the latest from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Comic book conventions have seen a stratospheric rise in popularity as well.

These conventions have grown from small, single-room affairs, where people could buy or sell comic books and game cards to celebrations of the entirety of pop culture. And this year Planet Comicon Kansas City made sure there was something for everyone. Truly.

A fan of animation? The legendary Don Bluth (The Land before Time, All Dogs Go to Heaven, Anastasia, An American Tail) was there – being interviewed with Phillip Glasser – the voice actor behind Fievel. Like the Lord of the Rings trilogy? There’s one actor for each film – returning from last year John-Rhys Davies, plus Andy Serkis, and David Wenham. And we haven’t even scratched the surface yet!

Fan of table top games? There’s a room and game library. Video games? There’s a full arcade! Like Doctor Who? They had The Doctor, and Riversong (David Tennant, and Alex Kingston). You like music? AJ McClean from the Backstreet Boys. Not to mention Christopher Lloyd, Christina Ricci, and Helen Hunt. So much star power in Kansas City! The legend that is Ann-Margaret even made her first convention appearance outside of California, right here in Kansas City. It was a bit of a homecoming for her, as her career started at the Muehlebach Hotel in 1950, when she was singing with the Danny Ferguson Band; the Muehlbach is just a few short blocks from the home of Planet Comicon KC.

It’s not all celebrities though – people selling original art, and things related to every fandom (even beer glasses engraved with your favorite sports team). There’s puppet shows, magic shows, comedy shows, improvised space operas, and of course Cosplay.

Of course, there’s also the community. People do find their way back to their favorite conventions every year, as exhibitors, and attendees. You’ll never know who else you might run into just exploring the hundreds of booths scattered around the floor.

Another legendary animator, Tom Ruegger (known for his work on Tiny Toon Adventures, and Animaniacs) had a booth selling original art. Through more exploring, art from the video games Sam ‘n Max, and Psychonauts caught my eye. Who was at the booth but voice actress Nikki Rapp, known for her extensive work with Double-Fine Productions (Psychonauts, Psychonauts 2, Broken Age), and The Sims. Nikki voiced kids on The Sims and said that she has the best job in the world, getting to go into a booth and throw a tantrum. It’s moments like this that really help make the con special. Not just talking with people about their art, but meeting people you did not know would be there. It’s truly a wonderful experience.

Conventions can be daunting, especially when 70,000 or so people (as was the Planet Comicon KC estimate) are there, so be sure to wear comfortable shoes, and be ready for a lot of walking, and even more memories.