The latest edition of Comic Con Holland took place in May, and if there was one part of it I was impatient to discover, it was the artist alley.
But first things first: the lineup. David Tennant and Catherine Tate, both of Doctor Who fame, were supposed to headline the event, however, both had to cancel, the news about David Tennant coming only four days in advance.
Fortunately, lots of other guests had been invited as usual, among them Felicia Day (Supernatural, Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Bryce Dallas Howard (Jurassic World), Laura Prepon (Orange Is the new Black) and Paul Anderson (Peaky Blinders). And the convention promised many other activities, including gaming stations, the unmissable Dance Dance Revolution stand and photo booths promoting upcoming movies like Masters of the Universe and The Mandalorian and Grogu.
Our group arrived early, so I can’t speak for everyone who wanted to get their pictures taken later that day, but our wait time was pretty short despite a line stretching around the stand. We then made our way toward the next hall, in search for all the artist goodies, but not before stopping at Whisker’s cookies stand to gather some precious treats.
My goal was to find Catzero‘s booth, an artist I’ve been following for some time now and who specializes in colorful fantasy and Goblin-esque illustrations as well as fanart. After putting my map reading skills to use, strangely working best in conventions rather than when navigating an actual city, we reached the artist alley to secure some fantastic handmade goods.
It would have been an heresy to not pay a visit to Boomarrows and Lordratgun, whom we had previously met at several events and who were sharing a stand, and then we went on our way to discover new creators like Sadmages and Urbane.figment.
Navigating the crowd made it difficult to appreciate its scale, but with close to 140 stands this artist market by itself made the trip to Den Bosch worth our while.
If there is one main criticism about this edition, it’s that it was clearly a victim of its own success. A positive sign for the organizers, but less comfortable for us visitors. Every alley in the vendor’s hall was swarmed with people and making one’s way to any booth was a challenge.
My theory is that as the cancelation of Tennant came only days before the con, most fans who had bought a ticket for him ended up not in his line, and added up to the already busy crowds. But it could also just be that the convention attracted more fans than usual this year.
The food court, as wide as it was, welcomed just as much of a crowd. Most seats were already taken and fortunately, our group had packed a lunch beforehand so no one had to queue to buy a pricey meal.
Beyond comfort, the crowding mostly raised accessibility issues. It can quickly become exhausting for someone using walking aids to move around packed alleys without constantly bumping into inattentive people.
Fortunately, there were hallways in this building with some permanent food stands unrelated to the convention, which allowed us to get some space, food and move faster from one area to the other.
Lots of incredible and fun cosplays could be seen everywhere, from The Doctor to Xena Warrior Princess, without forgetting the Hellhounds group and of course several Grace Ryland from the recent movie Project Hail Mary. A nice advantage for cosplayers wanting to gather and take pictures is that the entrance hall was pretty adapted for it, less busy and well-lighted.
Even if the atmosphere was overwhelming at times, this edition was very lively and clearly showed the enthusiasm for this kind of event. We hope the next Comic Con Holland will take note of this and adapt for future edition, to keep the experience as enjoyable as possible for everyone.
